Major Reno
| Marcus Albert Reno | |
|---|---|
Marcus A. Reno
|
|
| Born |
November 15, 1834 Carrollton, Illinois |
| Died | March 30, 1889 (aged 54) Washington, D.C. |
| Allegiance |
United States of America Union |
| Service/ |
United States Army Union Army |
| Years of service | 1857–1880 |
| Rank |
 Colonel Brevet Brigadier General
|
| Unit |
1st U.S. Cavalry Regiment 7th U.S. Cavalry Regiment |
| Commands held | 12th Pennsylvania Cavalry Regiment |
| Battles/wars |
Indian Wars American Civil War |
Marcus Albert Reno (November 15, 1834 – March 30, 1889) was a United States career military officer who served in the American Civil War and under George Armstrong Custer in the Great Sioux War against the Lakota (Sioux) and Northern Cheyenne. Reno is most noted for his prominent role in the Battle of the Little Bighorn. This has since been a subject of controversy regarding his command decisions in the course of one of the most infamous defeats in the history of the United States military.
Marcus Albert Reno was born November 15, 1834, in Carrollton, Illinois, to James Reno (originally Reynaud) and his wife, the former Charlotte (Hinton) Miller, a divorcee with one daughter, Harriet Cordelia Miller, from her first marriage. The couple had six children together: Eliza, Leonard, Cornelia, Marcus, Sophronia, and Henry. The mother Charlotte Reno died June 25, 1848 after an extended illness. Marcus was 13.
His future uncertain, at the age of 15, Reno wrote to the Secretary of War to learn how to enter the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. After some initial disappointment, he was admitted and attended West Point from 1851 until 1857, requiring two extra years due to excessive demerits. Reno graduated June 28, 1857, 20th in a class of 38. He was assigned to the 1st U.S. Dragoons as a brevet second lieutenant. He reported to the regiment at Carlisle, Pennsylvania on July 1, 1857.
In March 1858 he was ordered to duty with his regiment at Fort Walla Walla in Washington Territory, where he reported in September 1858. With the outbreak of the Civil war, the 1st Dragoons were renamed as 1st Cavalry Regiment and transferred through Panama to Washington, D.C., arriving in January 1862. Reno, now a captain, fought in the Battle of Antietam. He was injured at the Battle of Kelly's Ford in Virginia on March 17, 1863, when his horse was shot and fell on him, causing a hernia. He was awarded the brevet rank of major for gallant and meritorious conduct. After convalescing, he returned to fight July 10, 1863 at the Battle of Williamsport.
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