Henry Armstrong Reed

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Henry Armstrong Reed was the nephew of George Armstrong Custer and was killed with his 3 uncles at the Battle of the Little Bighorn.

[edit] Life

Henry Armstrong Reed was born on April 27, 1858 in Monroe, Michigan to David and Lydia Ann Reed. He was the favorite nephew of George Armstrong Custer and was often called "Autie" after his uncle.

In the Little Bighorn campaign, Autie rode with his uncle's U.S. 7th Cavalry Regiment as a beef herder with the pack train.

When the battle was about to begin, Custer's orderly John Burkman suggested that Reed stay with the pack train to which Reed replied, "You're mad because you can't go along" and gave Burkman a playful kick before riding off. Burkman had been ordered to stay behind by Custer.

Reed was killed in the Battle of the Little Bighorn on June 25, 1876 with his uncles, George, Tom and Boston, and James C. Calhoun (uncle-in-law, married to his aunt, Margaret Custer). He was interred in Woodland Cemetery in Monroe, Michigan.

[edit] Sources

• Son of the Morning Star, Evan S. Connell, 1984, ISBN 0-06-097161-4
• The Custer Album, Lawrence A. Frost, 1984, ISBN 0-517-42714-1