The RCOI in General

[runaheap]

Back to the thread! One thing that has always piqued my interest is: How did Wesley Merritt get apointed as Chairman and who made the appointment? Sheridan? Weren't Custer and Merritt well known CW rivals? And who better to know that than their commanding officer both then and now, Sheridan. HMMMMM!

[rch]

Col King of the 9th Inf was the senior officer and president of the RCIO. The fact that his regimental adjutant was appointed as recorder suggests that there was prior contact between the officers who eventually made up the court and Gen Sherman or the Adjutant General. Those contacts probably had to do with the officers availability and willingness to serve. The appointments to the court were made by the Adj Gen by order of Gen Sherman.

Sheridan's HQ, which was also at the Palmer House, probably supplied logistical support for the Lt Lee whose responsibilities included the physical set up of the court.

Merritt and Custer seemed to have had friendly relations.

There were a number of versions of Maguire's map, but the one prepared for and used at the RCOI, appears to be the one printed in Nichol's version of the proceedings. The numbers and letters were redone. (See the Maguire thread)

rch

[conz]

It would be a great study sometime...the relationship between Merritt and Custer. They knew each other very well, but could never be "friends." They came from opposing camps in the cavalry...one might call it the "Hussars" vs the "Dragoons." Merritt was a Buford protege, and Custer was cut in the mold of Kilpatrick and Pleasonton.

The two men were intense rivals, its high point being the valley campaign under Sheridan where they were both division commanders vying for attention and trophies to outdo each other. Even the men got caught up in this competition, as many diaries testify. You were either a "Merritt man" or a "Custer man" in most of the Army of the Potomac cavalry.

I don't think the men were enemies, per se, or personally hostile to each other...I think it was a professional rivalry between two very confident and aggressive men. I think they liked, and fed off, the challenge. Merritt probably did resent the attention Custer got...Merritt's personality would eschew Custer's antics, while Custer would see Merritt as a stuffed shirt.

Note that after both had a great battle at Cedar Creek, it was Custer that ran up to Sheridan after the battle and picked him up with a big hug and swung him around! Merritt, I'm sure, walked up to Sheridan and saluted him. <g>

While Merritt may have gotten some satisfaction that Custer got knocked off his high horse at LBH and left the field of elite cavalry leaders to him and his 5th Cavalry, there is no way he wanted what happened to him or the 7th. He would much rather have continued their rivalry on the Plains, and not have it ended that way, I'm sure.

I've never read that Merritt or Custer had any personal crossings, or that other than talking about their style, that they ever showed hostility to one another.

Clair

[cisdyd]

Jan 10, 2009 10:39:54 GMT -5 @conz said:

It would be a great study sometime...the relationship between Merritt and Custer. They knew each other very well, but could never be "friends." They came from opposing camps in the cavalry...one might call it the "Hussars" vs the "Dragoons." Merritt was a Buford protege, and Custer was cut in the mold of Kilpatrick and Pleasonton.

The two men were intense rivals, its high point being the valley campaign under Sheridan where they were both division commanders vying for attention and trophies to outdo each other. Even the men got caught up in this competition, as many diaries testify. You were either a "Merritt man" or a "Custer man" in most of the Army of the Potomac cavalry.

I don't think the men were enemies, per se, or personally hostile to each other...I think it was a professional rivalry between two very confident and aggressive men. I think they liked, and fed off, the challenge. Merritt probably did resent the attention Custer got...Merritt's personality would eschew Custer's antics, while Custer would see Merritt as a stuffed shirt.

Note that after both had a great battle at Cedar Creek, it was Custer that ran up to Sheridan after the battle and picked him up with a big hug and swung him around! Merritt, I'm sure, walked up to Sheridan and saluted him. <g>

While Merritt may have gotten some satisfaction that Custer got knocked off his high horse at LBH and left the field of elite cavalry leaders to him and his 5th Cavalry, there is no way he wanted what happened to him or the 7th. He would much rather have continued their rivalry on the Plains, and not have it ended that way, I'm sure.

I've never read that Merritt or Custer had any personal crossings, or that other than talking about their style, that they ever showed hostility to one another.

Clair

Clair, good post.

Billy

[cisdyd]

Interestingly enough, here is the composition of the Reynolds court-martial:

Col. John II. King, Ninth Infantry; Col. John E. Smith, Fourteenth Infantry; Col. Franklin F. Flint, Fourth Infantry; Col. Wesley Merritt, Fifth Cavalry; Lient. Col. Luther P. Bradley, Ninth Infantry; Maj. Montgomery Bryant, Fourteenth Infantry; Maj. Henry G. Thomas, Fourth Infantry; Capt.Andrew S.Burt, Ninth Infantry; Capt. Edwin M. Coates, Fourth Infantry; First Lient. Leonard Hay, adjutant Ninth Infantry, judge-advocate.

I think proximity to and availability within the department was a major factor based upon the above.

Billy

[rch]

Clair,

I couldn't disagree more.

James Kidd of the Michigan Brigade thought well of Merritt, Custer, and David Gregg.

I don't see how you are justified in assuming that Custer and Merritt could not be friends.

I think a careful examination of his record will show that Custer was as often as "Dragoon" as Merritt and Merritt and Buford as often "Hussar" as Custer. There is a myth that Custer did nothing but charge with his whole command and knew no other way of fighting. It can be disproved in just about every large action Custer's brigade and division fought.

There was a dispute between Merritt and Custer over the number of guns captured at Cedar Creek. There was a rivalry between the two. There was no rivalry as far as their service on the Plains was concerned. I'm not sure that Merritt commanded any troops in actions against Indians in the post Civil War years until the summer of 1876. Merritt had been Lt Col of the 9th Cav. He had only started to serve with the 5th Cav at about that time of the 1876 campaigns because he was due to be promoted to Col when Emory retired in Jul.

I simply don't believe you can divide American cavalryman between Hussars and Dragoons. I reject that analysis. I don't see that it is justified by the way the American Cavalry fought.

I don't see any great difference between Buford and Pleasonton either, except that Buford is over rated.

rch

[conz]

Jan 11, 2009 1:51:48 GMT -5 rch said:

Clair,

I couldn't disagree more.

Not sure we disagree, but here goes...

James Kidd of the Michigan Brigade thought well of Merritt, Custer, and David Gregg.

Of course...Custer "thought well" of Merritt, and vice versa, to some extent. It's not a matter of thinking the other officer, or body of officers, were "bad" officers or gentlemen. It's more a sports-like competition of "whose best" among two very good officers.

I don't see how you are justified in assuming that Custer and Merritt could not be friends.

Just my opinion of their personalities and the atmosphere of competition. Plenty of "bad blood" between the two camps, as far as who is better, who slighted whom in reports or claimed trophies, etc. It is reflected in the animosity between Pleasonton and Buford and Wilson and Kilpatrick. All these guys knocked heads at one time or another, and vied for the favor of their commanding officers over the other. Merritt was of the Buford/Wilson camp...Custer was of the Pleasonton/Kilpatrick camp. They are pretty distinct, and there aren't many senior officers you can't place in one or the other. Reflects upon the LBH 7th Regiment as well...Benteen was a Wilson man, at once an immediate source of his feud with Custer that raised its ugly head upon their first meeting.

I think a careful examination of his record will show that Custer was as often as "Dragoon" as Merritt and Merritt and Buford as often "Hussar" as Custer. There is a myth that Custer did nothing but charge with his whole command and knew no other way of fighting. It can be disproved in just about every large action Custer's brigade and division fought.

Oh, I completely agree with you. I'm not talking about doctrine at all...they all operated as, and were equipped as, Dragoons. I'm talking about officer attitude...many Dragoon and Heavy units are led by "Hussar" type officers. The attitude of the Hussar is flamboyance, care-free attitude, child-like humor, and the propensity for great risk taking for great results. This is Custer and Kilpatrick to a T. It is not Buford nor Merritt.

There was a dispute between Merritt and Custer over the number of guns captured at Cedar Creek. There was a rivalry between the two.

Aye, and it goes back further than that...we can trace it back at least to Falling Waters, the feud between Kilpatrick and Buford that left quite a bit of bad blood amongst the AoP cavalry officers.

It would be interesting to see where Custer and Merritt might have first encountered each other in the field...perhaps 1st Bull Run in covering the AoP's retreat? I know Custer was an LT in a company of the 2nd Cavalry there (5th Cavalry, eventually Merritt's own regiment <g>).

There was also a natural rivalry between the Michigan volunteer cavalry brigade, which Custer led, and the Regular brigade, which Merritt led. The Regulars, of course, always thought that they were better than everyone else, and the Michiganders, and other good volunteer units, were always out to prove otherwise.

There was no rivalry as far as their service on the Plains was concerned. I'm not sure that Merritt commanded any troops in actions against Indians in the post Civil War years until the summer of 1876. Merritt had been Lt Col of the 9th Cav. He had only started to serve with the 5th Cav at about that time of the 1876 campaigns because he was due to be promoted to Col when Emory retired in Jul.

That's right, but note two considerations:
1) The 5th Cavalry that Merritt inherited was always in competition with the 4th and 7th Cavalries, especially the latter as they thought they were better than everyone else.
2) Merritt was itching to make his reputation and make General, and Custer was out there stealing his thunder. I'm sure he thirsted to get his share, and to put Custer in his place if he could, not in a personal way...by way of professional reputation.

I simply don't believe you can divide American cavalryman between Hussars and Dragoons. I reject that analysis. I don't see that it is justified by the way the American Cavalry fought.

I think you can divide officers by these personality and command types. As for units you cannot, just as you say...they all fought as Dragoons.

I don't see any great difference between Buford and Pleasonton either, except that Buford is over rated.

rch

LOL...that means you believe Wilson is over rated as well, right?

I don't know if Buford is over rated or not, because my own opinion of his qualities is already quite tempered. I certainly don't believe he was America's greatest cavalryman, but I do think he was among our top 20.

I might, however, say that Buford was America's greatest Dragoon officer. <g> But I don't credit him with "creating" America's Dragoon cavalry or inventing any new methods or techniques in that regard, as his "camp" does.

Clair

[rch]

Clair

I haven't read enough about Wilson's campaigns in the West. I think his was over rated as head of the Cavalry Bureau. His early days as a cavalry commander in the AOP were not distinguished, but eventually he did well. He seemed to have left the 3rd Division well organized but uninspired. His thinking on the uses of cavalry may have been advanced, but I doubt they were much different from other cavalry generals.

If Merritt had cause to dislike anyone it was Wilson. Wilson's appointment to command the 3rd Division command denied Merritt permanent division command for 4 to 6 months.

Wilson and Merritt graduated from West Point in 1860. Merritt went to the 2nd Dragoons, Wilson to the Topographical Engineers, and both men must have known Custer from the summer of 1857. Merritt served on Cooke's and Stoneman's staff. Custer served away from the cavalry as a staff officer for about a year from the Spring of 1862. I don't think Merritt was at Bull Run. He was in Utah at the beginning of the war. One company of the 2nd Dragoons was part of the small cavalry battalion present at the battle, but the battalion CO didn't mention the junior officers present. The company of the 2nf Dragoons was commanded by a future Confederate general.

Using terms like "Hussar" and "Dragoon" implies that your are drawing a distinction between the way these cavalry officers fought their commands and not simply commenting on their personalities.

rch

[conz]

Jan 11, 2009 18:43:42 GMT -5 rch said:

I haven't read enough about Wilson's campaigns in the West. I think his was over rated as head of the Cavalry Bureau. His early days as a cavalry commander in the AOP were not distinguished, but eventually he did well. He seemed to have left the 3rd Division well organized but uninspired. His thinking on the uses of cavalry may have been advanced, but I doubt they were much different from other cavalry generals.

I agree. Any of Wilson's "innovations" was part of his clique's spin after the war to promote his career...they emphasize his use of Dragoons in the dismounted role, although he didn't operate any differently than Custer or other commanders did, tactically.

His real claim to fame, beyond his professional organizational capabilities and natural intelligence, was his operational defeat of Nathan Forrest in the West. THAT got everyone's attention. <g>

If Merritt had cause to dislike anyone it was Wilson. Wilson's appointment to command the 3rd Division command denied Merritt permanent division command for 4 to 6 months.

Aye.

Using terms like "Hussar" and "Dragoon" implies that your are drawing a distinction between the way these cavalry officers fought their commands and not simply commenting on their personalities.

That's right...it is a "cavalry officer thing." That's the way we talk, and it is spilling over here. Just as you say, and everyone needs to be aware of, I'm talking like a Soldier about leadership styles, not like an academic concerning doctrinal implications.

Doctrinally, all of our U.S. Army Regular cavalry are Dragoons, and most of the Volunteer cavalry regiments are dragoons, with a bunch of mounted infantry as well.

Thanks,
Clair

[bc]

Here is the website to view the RCOI:

digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/History/History-idx?id=History.Reno

bc

[wghardingiii]

THE ORIGINAL HANDWRITTEN TRANSCRIPT OF:

THE RENO COURT OF INQUIRY.

Presented for the first time ever as a PDF file.

The original handwritten transcript of the Reno Court of Inquiry has been lost for all time by our government. It appears that the transcript of this most important event was not deemed to be a document worthy of saving. All that remains in the National Archives of this document is a microfilm made around 1930, when the United States Government began a record destruction program. The microfilm that was made is a 32mm, positive image version. Good luck in finding a reader of this type of microfilm, let alone a printer. I was able to have the microfilm version converted to a searchable, book marked and indexed Adobe PDF format file, now available on a convenient cd-rom (ISBN 978-0-615-23576-9, Arthur C. Unger, 2008). There were 1262 pages of handwritten testimony, summations, findings and exhibits in this file.

It is indexed by page, so any page can be readily accessed.

It is book marked by day so any day can be convienently found.

It is book marked by witness, so the testimony of a witness over a number of days can be quickly researched.

Pages of your choice can be printed.



TO PURCHASE THE CD: custer1876.com/gpage8.html

HISTORY OF THE TRANSCRIPT OF THE RCOI : custer1876.com/gpage9.html

[bc]

Here is the Univ. of Wisconsin digital version of the RCOI in pdf format:

bc

digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/History/History-idx?type=header&id=History.Reno&isize=M

[brvheart]

It would have been interesting to see how the RCIO would have turned out if Tilden had been named president. I say named as Hayes certainly wasn't elected, Tilden won both the popular and electoral vote and only lost due to the Compromise of 1877.

[benteeneast]

Mar 18, 2011 23:04:24 GMT -5 brvheart said:

It would have been interesting to see how the RCIO would have turned out if Tilden had been named president. I say named as Hayes certainly wasn't elected, Tilden won both the popular and electoral vote and only lost due to the Compromise of 1877.

Not sure why it would make a difference. If Reno thought another President might stack the court against him then he probably would ask for a court of inquiry.

Don't you think?

[brvheart]

I have started the long process of OCRing the online version of the RCOI for my personal use for easier reference. Will take awhile.