Reno, << REE noh, >> Marcus Albert (1834-1889), was a United States Army officer who became known for his role in the Battle of the Little Bighorn in Montana Territory in 1876. During this battle, often called “Custer’s Last Stand,” Indians killed Lieutenant Colonel George A. Custer and all the men of the Seventh Cavalry under his direct command.
News of Custer’s defeat led to a bitter dispute. Supporters of Custer accused Major Reno of cowardice for failing first to attack the Indian village and then to rejoin Custer. Reno claimed he had tried to attack the village but that the Indians outnumbered his unit, forced it to retreat, and kept it from helping Custer. Reno asked the Army to investigate his conduct, and a military court cleared him of blame in 1879. But later that year, a court-martial convicted Reno of drunkenness and conduct unbecoming an officer. The Army gave him a dishonorable discharge in 1880. In 1967, Reno’s case was reopened and the Army changed his record to show he had been honorably discharged.
Reno was born on Nov. 15, 1834, in Carrollton, Illinois. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1857 and served in the cavalry in the American Civil War. He died on March 30, 1889.
