Last updated: January 24, 2024
Place
Reno-Benteen Battlefield
NPS / Victoria Stauffenberg
Quick Facts
Location:
At the end of the 4.5 mile Tour Road at Little Bighorn Battlefield
Significance:
The only survivors of this attack were defending themselves here.
Designation:
National Battlefield
Amenities
11 listed
Accessible Sites, Audio Description, Cellular Signal, Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Information - Maps Available, Parking - Auto, Parking - Boat Trailer, Parking - Bus/RV, Scenic View/Photo Spot, Trailhead, Trash/Litter Receptacles
At approximately 4 p.m. on Sunday, June 25, 1876, the battered remnants of Major Marcus A. Reno's three companies reached these bluffs following their disastrous attack in the valley. The warriors who had pursued Reno's retreating command left the pursuit and went downstream. Reno was soon joined by Captain Frederick W. Benteen's battalion of three companies (125 men) and the pack train with its escort of 130 men. About this time gunfire was reported to the north, in the direction of Custer's probable advance.
Elements of Rene's force, in an attempt to open communication with Custer, proceeded to Weir Point, about one mile north. Confronted there by an overwhelming number of Sioux and Cheyenne, the cavalry was forced back to this site. Here Reno and Benteen established a defense perimeter at about 7 p.m. then warriors began firing a hail of bullets into the soldier's position.
On the evening of June 26, the Lakota and Cheyenne broke camp and moved off toward the Bighorn Mountains, seen in the distance to the south. The men on Reno Hill were relieved but hesitant to let their guard down. Unsure of why the Indians had suddenly department, many soldiers suspected a trick, and spent another night on the bluffs. Early the next morning, the nearly exhausted soldiers spied a large dust cloud in the river valley to the north, and soon learned that General Terry, with Colonel Gibbon's infantry and cavalry column, was marching up the river.