Great Escapes: Abandoned Soldiers Who Survived Reno’s Retreat

Readers might recall earlier mention of George Herendeen and his harrowing escape after Reno’s Little Bighorn retreat. He was not alone. In fact, his leadership helped save the lives of at least a dozen others.

Herendeen’s herd of stragglers was not alone. While he shepherded his group to safety the first day of the battle, another group had to survive in hiding the remainder of that day and on through the night. Two of them escaped only at sunset on June 26^th, the battle’s second day.

Charles DeRudio was a foreign-born soldier who reached America during her Civil War. Born in Austria, he had served in Austria’s army but ended up in France. escaping execution as a revolutionary (he was part of an attempt to assassinate Napoleon) he emigrated to the United States. He enlisted as a private in the Union Army but was made second lieutenant by war’s end.

Military life seemed to appeal to DeRudio, and he would continue that career past the Little Bighorn. It was his resourcefulness, however, that kept him and a fellow soldier alive to continue that career until retirement.

One item of interest is that DeRudio maintained his habit of carrying a saber, apparently clinging to his European roots. Cavalry rarely carried sabers on America’s frontier, particularly at the Little Bighorn. In fact, partially due to the potential noise caused by the sabers clanging as the troopers moved, the 7^th Cavalry left theirs at their Powder River base.

Rudio may have kept his saber, however, carrying it with him to the Little Bighorn. It has been speculated that he even lent it to Custer. Too many artists’ conceptions of the battle show at least Custer using his saber in the final stand. At least one Sioux account also mentions one of the last soldiers to die. It holds that that soldier fought fiercely with a “long knife” (which was a term Indians used to describe cavalry sabers.)

It is unlikely that Custer borrowed DeRudio’s saber; however, it is said that DeRudio had, in fact, lent him a high-quality pair of European binocular. If so, they disappeared when soldiers’ bodies and horses were plundered after the battle.

Regardless, soon after the battle DeRudio related a story of his narrow escape. First though, a recap of Herendeen’s heroic leadership might be in order, as it occurred on the battle’s first day. It was the first of three Great Escapes.

DeRudio stated that Reno’s odd order for troops to dismount and form a skirmish line was likely due to huge amounts of dust obscuring the object of his charge. He added his estimate that only 200 to 300 warriors met the initial charge. Still, that number was more than Reno’s three companies, even if every fourth trooper hadn’t been neutralized as a “horse holder” for his mount and three others.

After Reno ordered his line back into a stand of timber, he was said to have ordered them to mount, and then to dismount again. As numbers of hostile warriors grew, they began to infiltrate the timber. Whether the scout Bloody Knife’s death was the final straw or not (alcohol appears to have been a factor too), Reno became disconcerted and ordered a retreat.

Reno later called his retreat a charge, but not all his men heard the order. Some were left behind. Others were abandoned when their horses were killed or escaped. DeRudio’s was hit by a bullet and spooked before he could mount up. Herendeen’s fell, throwing him. It then ran away. Both were left unhorsed but unaware of the other’s circumstances.

Herendeen related that he soon met thirteen soldiers who had also been left behind. Some had mounted by apparently had not heard Reno’s command. Others were afoot. Herendeen persuaded all to leave their horses as the mounts would draw attention from hostiles. He persuaded 11 of the 13 to hide with him until dusk. It is uncertain what became of the two who refused; Herendeen believed they were found and killed; he never saw them again.

Those who went with Herendeen found him a capable leader who took charge and got them out of their “scrape.” They remained hidden in timber and brush while the warriors swarmed first up against Reno’s siege position on the bluffs across the river. Many warriors then swarmed downriver. Herendeen described hearing what turned out to be the noise from Custer’s battle, lasting about an hour.

Herendeen estimated his group remained below a total of about three hours. When the firing downriver began to dwindle away, Herendeen knew the warriors there would soon return. Not all his companions wanted to leave the security of the timber, but he persuaded 11 of the 13 to go with him. It was the two who remained behind that he never saw again.

As Herendeen’s group approached the Little Bighorn they encountered five mounted Indians, who fired at them. Herendeen had deployed the  men, as he wrote, in skirmish formation. They returned fire and the Indians fled. At that point the group was able to cross the river and scramble up the bluffs. Within 25 minutes the combined force of Reno and Benteen’s troops were under heavy and persistent fire once again.

It was in Reno’s disorganized retreat that DeRudio was left behind. As an officer, he would normally have been leading his company. Shortly after being left afoot, however, he met Private O’neil, another unhorsed trooper. He also met scout/interpreter Fred Girard and Billy Jackson, a half-Blackfoot scout. They still had their mounts and kept them, even while the group hid behind or under a washed-out bank of the old river channel.

After hiding until dusk, this group also tried to get to the river and across to rejoin their command. They encountered a group of eight hostiles, and the two mounted scouts “sunk spurs,” and bolted for safety, leaving the two on foot behind. Bad as that sounds, DeRudio wrote earlier that Girard had told him he would be tell Reno of the dismounted men’s location in the event those on horses had to run.

Regardless, DeRudio found himself alone with Private O’Neil. Fortunately for them the eight Indians seemed to believe their prey had escaped. DeRudio and O’Neil spent a long night concealed in the brush. Toward dawn they made another attempt to reach the river and cross it. This time they encountered what appeared to be U.S. cavalry. In fact, DeRudio believed he was seeing Captain Tom Custer.

DeRudio related that he saw several gray horses (E Troop’s)  ridden by men in military shirts. Several riders wore cavalry hats. Then he noticed one with a buckskin jacket, pants, boots and hat that made him think he saw Tom Custer. He called out, expecting protection. Instead, he wrote, he and O’Neil were greeted by a heavy volley of rifle fire. Fortunately neither was hit.

Diving back into the brush the pair dodged further bullets but when they looked out the other side they saw more hostiles approaching. Taking cover behind deadfall, DeRudio shot one with his revolver while O’Neil took one with his carbine. Fortunately, the rest rode away.

Next the warriors set fire to the brush. Only a particularly green area failed to burn, allowing the pair to stay hidden while seeing out. They could see warriors besieging the troops atop the bluffs. Finally, late in the afternoon the warriors left. DeRudio and O’Neil waited another three to four hours before risking discovery by crossing the river. A two-mile walk finally brought them to the fortified position of the troops that had left them.

DeRudio wrote that he and O’Neil had had neither food nor water for 36 hours. Theirs was by far the most harrowing of the narrow escapes. He wrote the troops were very happy to see them; the troops had believed them dead.