The military officer who oversaw the surveying of the boundary between North Dakota and Canada was later blamed, by many, for the defeat of Col. George Custer at the Battle of the Little Big Horn. Maj. Marcus A. Reno had received numerous citations during the Civil War for "gallant and meritorious service" and had risen to the rank of brevet brigadier general. Yet, many accused Reno of cowardice for not coming to Custer's rescue.

During his time at Fort Abraham Lincoln, Custer was promoted as a national hero, and the fact that he could be defeated on the battleground was unthinkable. When that did happen at the hands of the Sioux and Cheyenne Indians at the Battle of the Little Big Horn, public opinion was that someone else must have been responsible for the debacle.

A scapegoat was found in Reno, and, even though a military court of inquiry officially cleared Reno of charges of cowardice, his military career was ruined. The military refused him medical assistance when he was dying of cancer, and also refused to allow him to be buried with his men at the Little Bighorn Cemetery. It took the military nearly 90 years to correct this injustice. In 1967, they changed his discharge to honorable and ordered that his remains be buried with the soldiers killed at the Little Bighorn.

Marcus Albert Reno was born Nov. 15, 1834, in Carrollton, Ill., to James and Charlotte Reno. The family was well-to-do. James owned a nice hotel and was also involved in the general merchandising business. He lost much of his wealth in the Panic of 1837 and was not able to repurchase the hotel until 1840.

Marcus Reno attended a one-room school but received most of his education from his mother. He loved to read and spent much of his time helping his father in the general store. While a teenager, he lost both of his parents in less than a year. He wanted to attend college, but, with limited financial means, Marcus hoped to gain admittance to the military academy at West Point. Through the recommendation of a U.S. Congressman, who was a family friend, Marcus Reno was able to get accepted.

Reno enrolled at West Point on Sept. 1, 1852. A couple of his classmates were William Babcock Hazen, a hero of the Dakota Indian campaigns, and artist James Whistler, who became a close friend. During his second year at the academy, Robert E. Lee became superintendent. Little did Reno realize that, a decade later, Lee would become his ultimate adversary on the battlefield. Reno did well in the classroom but, because of his behavior, accumulated numerous demerits. He was frequently late for reveille, used profane language and had a habit of chewing tobacco. Reno also had trouble controlling his temper.

Two months before graduation in 1855, Reno was forced to leave West Point because he had accumulated too many demerits. He was readmitted the following year, but, on Jan. 23, 1856, Reno was caught singing while on guard duty. He defied the order to stop singing, received a court martial, and was again suspended from the academy. His third attempt to complete his final year at West Point was a charm, and Reno graduated in June 1857. He was appointed a second lieutenant and, in March 1858, assigned to Fort Walla Walla in Washington Territory. The primary function of Reno's company was to maintain the safety of the Oregon Trail.

With the outbreak of the Civil War, Reno returned to New York and was assigned to the 1st Cavalry Regiment. Throughout the war, Reno was involved in action during the Gettysburg Campaign and the battles of Cold Harbor, Trevilian Station and Cedar Creek. He received several citations for "gallant and meritorious service" and quickly moved through the commissioned ranks, attaining the brevetted position of brigadier general on March 13, 1865. During the war, Reno married Mary Hannah Ross, from Harrisburg, N.Y.

At the conclusion of the Civil War, Reno reenlisted, was given the rank of captain, and stationed in New York. In the summer of 1872, he was promoted to major and sent to Fort Snelling, near St. Paul, Minn. On June 2, Reno was placed in command of two companies that were to protect the workers sent out to survey the boundary between northern Dakota Territory and Canada. The commanders of each of the companies were Capt. Myles Keough and Capt. Thomas Weir.

Reno did not find this a pleasant duty because the surveyors were soon giving his soldiers orders to help locate rocks for making stone markers used to delineate the boundary. Winter came early in 1872 and, only surveying as far as the Souris River area, the workers were forced to shut down because of blizzards in October. Reno and his men went to Fort Totten for their winter headquarters. Upon arriving at Fort Totten, Reno received a letter that his mother-in-law had died, and he was wanted at home by his wife and young son. Reno took an extended leave to be with his family

In May 1875, Reno returned to Fort Totten, where he was to have a larger military escort group - four companies - because the surveyors planned to mark out the boundary all the way to the Rocky Mountains. Northern Montana was hostile country, and Reno prepared with a stronger military presence.

On July 10, Reno received word that his beloved wife, Hannah, "the only woman I have ever loved or wanted," had died. He immediately turned over command to Weir and rode all night to Fort Benton. He sent a telegram to Gen. Alfred Terry requesting to return home to attend to the needs of his young son, Ross. His request was denied, and Reno was ordered, "You must return to your command."

When his mission was completed, Reno went back to Harrisburg at the end of September. He took his son, Ross, with him on a trip to Europe and then returned to New York to find a guardian to care for Ross. On Oct. 22, 1875, Reno returned to Fort Snelling, and Terry tried to persuade him to join his personal staff. Reno told the general that he would be happier in the saddle and requested that his original orders, assigning him to Fort Abraham Lincoln, be honored. Reluctantly, Terry accepted Reno's request, and the major made his way to Fort Lincoln where he would join the command of Col. George Custer.

Next week, we will look at Reno's role and actions at the Battle of the Little Big Horn and the military court of inquiry that convened after Custer's defeat.

Correction: Thank you to Secretary of State Al Jaeger. He informed me that Thad Eure of North Carolina had served as secretary of state longer than Ben Meier.

(Written by Curt Eriksmoen and edited by Jan Eriksmoen. Reach the Eriksmoens by e-mail at cjeriksmoen@;cableone.net.)