General Frederick Benteen

[dlofting]

Just finished reading "Harvest of Barren Regrets" about the military career of Frederick Benteen. This is a man who abandoned his family to fight on the Union side in the Civil War, rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and commanded a brigade. At the Little Bighorn he probably saved what was left of the 7th Cavalry from annihilation, but is largely forgotten. Why is that? I'm a Canadian and largely admire this man despite his obvious shortcomings. There are no monuments to Fred Benteen despite his record and the fact that he was perhaps the best cavalry officer the US ever produced....explain this to me please, Americans.

 

[leftyhunter]

Just finished reading "Harvest of Barren Regrets" about the military career of Frederick Benteen. This is a man who abandoned his family to fight on the Union side in the Civil War, rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and commanded a brigade. At the Little Bighorn he probably saved what was left of the 7th Cavalry from annihilation, but is largely forgotten. Why is that? I'm a Canadian and largely admire this man despite his obvious shortcomings. There are no monuments to Fred Benteen despite his record and the fact that he was perhaps the best cavalry officer the US ever produced....explain this to me please, Americans.

Paging @Eric Wittenberg .
Leftyhunter

 

[1NCCAV]

.......he was perhaps the best cavalry officer the US ever produced.....

I disagree with that assessment. I believe Benteen was a very capable officer and I believe his actions at the Reno-Benteen defense site saved that portion of the regiment. A lot of men lived because of Benteen. But I don't believe he was the best cavalry officer the US ever produced.

 

[kevikens]

Just finished reading "Harvest of Barren Regrets" about the military career of Frederick Benteen. This is a man who abandoned his family to fight on the Union side in the Civil War, rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and commanded a brigade. At the Little Bighorn he probably saved what was left of the 7th Cavalry from annihilation, but is largely forgotten. Why is that? I'm a Canadian and largely admire this man despite his obvious shortcomings. There are no monuments to Fred Benteen despite his record and the fact that he was perhaps the best cavalry officer the US ever produced....explain this to me please, Americans.

Biographers have a tendency to start identifying with the characters they are writing about. Having uncovered all the facets of their subject's upbringing, often putting themselves into the shoes of their character, they start to appreciate their good talents and traits (and downplay their flaws) to the extent that they start concluding that their characters are under appreciated and sometimes even persecuted by their peers, and later historians to boot. I would agree that Benteen kept his head at the Little Big Horn and should be credited for saving what he could of the Seventh and served competently during the Civil War. But to compare him with, say, Buford or Wilson seems to me a bit of a stretch. As for monuments to Benteen, I don't know if there are any or not, but remember that there is no shortage of monuments to Civil War officers in the US so there is no great press to rectify an omission of one or two whose fame is muted by a connection to one of the less than glorious events in American history. How many statues are there in Canada of Governor General, Sir Gordon Drummond of Lundy's Lane fame from the War of 1812?

 

[Mk VII]

Benteen does seem to have been something of a misanthrope, at any rate he didn't go out of his way to make friends, and he didn't have many friends in the 1876 Seventh.

 

[leftyhunter]

Just finished reading "Harvest of Barren Regrets" about the military career of Frederick Benteen. This is a man who abandoned his family to fight on the Union side in the Civil War, rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and commanded a brigade. At the Little Bighorn he probably saved what was left of the 7th Cavalry from annihilation, but is largely forgotten. Why is that? I'm a Canadian and largely admire this man despite his obvious shortcomings. There are no monuments to Fred Benteen despite his record and the fact that he was perhaps the best cavalry officer the US ever produced....explain this to me please, Americans.

In order to argue person A is the best cavalry officer vs person B we have to set some kind of mutually agreed parameters.
Then we have to take in to account extenuating circumstances.
For example I can make the argument that the greatest baseball player of all times was Ted Williams but his career was interrupted due to his military service in WW2 and Korea.
Perhaps similar arguments could be made on behalf of Civil War officers. For example Officer A was incapacitated for long periods of time due to battlefield injuries or just easily acqired diseases such has clothes.
Leftyhunter

 

[1NCCAV]

Benteen does seem to have been something of a misanthrope, at any rate he didn't go out of his way to make friends, and he didn't have many friends in the 1876 Seventh.

I think you've also described Major Marcus Reno.

 

[Eric Wittenberg]

Paging @Eric Wittenberg .
Leftyhunter

Fred Benteen is largely forgotten because of his longstanding feud with Custer and because there are plenty who blame him for the death of Custer's battalion.

 

[leftyhunter]

Fred Benteen is largely forgotten because of his longstanding feud with Custer and because there are plenty who blame him for the death of Custer's battalion.

Also @dlofting
What kind of metrics would be appropriate to determine who is the"best cavalry officer " of the Civil War?
1. Combat Equivalent Values.
a. What is the average casualty rate,the officers unit suffers in combat?
b. What is the average casualty rate the officer inflicts on the enemy?
2.Does the officer in question achieve the goals of his orders?
3. Ratio of victories to defeats.
Leftyhunter

 

[Tailor Pete]

Lizzie Custer and the rest of his family spent a great deal of time (and money) creating the Custer Mystique after his death at the Battle of Greasy Grass. This tended to down play the achievements of any other participants, including Benteen. At times, this 'Hero Building' even resulted in the demonization of others involved in the events of that day.

I believe Benteen suffered greatly from this process. As for being the 'best cavalry officer' in the Federal Army... I'm no cavalry expert, but I feel that several others should be considered ahead of him.

 

[1NCCAV]

Fred Benteen is largely forgotten because of his longstanding feud with Custer.......

I believe this stems from Benteen's belief that Custer left Major Joel Elliott hanging out to dry at Washita River. Elliott's fate is partly his own fault, brought on by rashness if not downright recklessness. But Benteen believed Custer did not do enough to pull Elliott's fat out of the fire and never forgot it or forgave Custer.

Perhaps Benteen didn't like Custer even before Washita River . But even if so, Washita River made it all the worse.

 

[1NCCAV]

This thread about Benteen reminded me that I said a few weeks ago that I was going to start a thread about Reno. For anyone interested, I just did that in the Soldiers who fought on Horseback: Cavalry section.

 

[WJC]

I believe this stems from Benteen's belief that Custer left Major Joel Elliott hanging out to dry at Washita River. Elliott's fate is partly his own fault, brought on by rashness if not downright recklessness. But Benteen believed Custer did not do enough to pull Elliott's fat out of the fire and never forgot it or forgave Custer.

Perhaps Benteen didn't like Custer even before Washita River . But even if so, Washita River made it all the worse.

Certainly, Benteen blamed Custer for the loss of Elliot and his men. It was his rationale for the long-standing grudge and criticism of Custer that often bordered on insubordination.
In the end, it seems he may have come to realize that his blame was misplaced. He wrote in the margins of his copy of Custer's My Life on the Plains, "Had [Elliot] party been found after fight at Washita, they would have simply been found dead, as they were two weeks later."<John M. Carroll, Custer From the Civil War to the Little Big Horn. (Privately printed, 1981), p. 14>

 

[WJC]

I am certain, from what I have read, that Benteen would agree that he was "the best cavalry officer the US ever produced".
Benteen had an inflated view of his own abilities and a career-long habit of belittling his superior officers. To him, none were ever worthy of command.
Benteen entered the war as a First Lieutenant in the First Missouri Volunteer Cavalry. He received several brevet promotions and ended the war as a Lieutenant Colonel of the 138th US Colored Infantry. After the war, he was reduced in rank to Captain.
Custer was enthusiastic about Benteen joining the 7th Cavalry. In a letter to his wife, Custer said, "He is one of the superior officers of the regiment and one that I can rely on." George A, Custer to Libbie Custer, November 2, 1868, in the James D. Julia auction catalog, Outstanding Firearm Auction Spring 2007. <http://jamesdjulia.com/item/lot-400h-seven-page-letter-to-darling-mine-signed-autie-30928/>
His almost pathological hatred of Custer has been discussed. Fortunately for him, Custer had a reputation for never holding grudges. Benteen eventually used the same tactics on another CO, George Crook, who was far less forgiving of insubordination than Custer. A career-ending court-martial followed.
Benteen's tardiness and failure to come to Custer's aid certainly contributed to Custer's death. But when the remaining elements of the regiment came under attack, he performed with distinction when his superior, Major Reno, failed to take charge.

 

[dlofting]

Also @dlofting
What kind of metrics would be appropriate to determine who is the"best cavalry officer " of the Civil War?
1. Combat Equivalent Values.
a. What is the average casualty rate,the officers unit suffers in combat?
b. What is the average casualty rate the officer inflicts on the enemy?
2.Does the officer in question achieve the goals of his orders?
3. Ratio of victories to defeats.
Leftyhunter

I definitely agree that well established parameters are required to decide who or what is greater. My statement re Benteen was an opinion and stated in part to promote discussion.....but you are right, it needs a lot of qualification to stand on its own.

 

[Ole Miss]

Fredrick Benteen a most complex man! He experienced the worst of the ACW where families were divided, when he and his father parted ways over the issue of Succession. He was a man of firm convictions who saw everything in black and white with no gray areas.

His Civil War service was solid yet unremarkable. He gained little notoriety during the War but certainly saw the worst of what combat had to offer. Being in the Missouri sector far from the major theaters brought little attention. He was neither the best or worst cavalry leader but the very epitome of the average officer of the American Army which is full of Benteens.

The ensuing years of service in the 7th Cavalry made his mark where Benteen was noted for and promoted due to his bravery and leadership. The interaction between the Glory Hunting Cavalier and the Common Sense Ole Soldier was sharp and often studied to this day. Benteen believed Custer treated the 7th like his own hunting and social club with the occasional official military mission as required. Part of his issues with Custer were caused by his braggadocio personality and the Battle of Washita with the loss of Major Elliott.

The behavior and actions of all the officers of the 7th at Little Big Horn Battle in June of 1876 have been studied and written about almost as much as the Gettysburg campaign. My opinions of what happened are listed below

• Custer spslit his command into 4 sections which were not in mutual support positions
• No orders were given the battalion commander
• Reno was unable to maintain his position in the flats sue to being outflanked
• Benteen received one of the worst written notes in military history*
• Benteen took control of and organized the succesful defense of Reno's Hill

After the battle during the Reno Court of Inquiry, Benteen displayed his wicked sense humor along with the hubris he was known for. Benteen was true to himself as evidenced below:
"I've been a loser in a way, all my life by rubbing a bit against the angles- or hair--of folks, instead of going with their whims; but I couldn't go otherwise --'twould be against the grain of myself."

In his own fashion, Benteen he was a man of honor who rigidly adhered to his standards. He never publicly spoke or wrote about the Battle of the Little Big Horn or criticized La Custer (Libbie) or responded to her remarks, despite the possibility of earning a large fee for a public speech he maintained his silence. The Benteen-Goldin Letters were published after his death and he considered them private correspondence.
Regards
David
PS The notorious order sent to Benteen might be a thread of itself but not sure if it is for this board