Why Did Reno Have All the Scouts?

[crzhrs]

Custer sent most of the scouts with Reno, including Gerard, Herendeen, Jackson, Reynolds, Dorman, and a large percentage of Indian scouts. I do not believe any went with Benteen. Custer kept Curly, a few Crows, and Mitch Boyer.

Why would Custer send that number of scouts, especially non-Indian, with Reno? Did Custer fear that Reno was incapable of leading? If so, that may have been a fatal decision by Custer to give Reno a responsibility he could not handle.

[Art Unger]

The Indian Scounts mission was to steal or runoff as much of the Sioux pony herds as possible.