Frederick William Benteen was born in 1834 and died in 1898. He served in the American Civil War and the Black Hills War. Against his father's wishes, he fought on the Union side as a soldier with the 10th Missouri Volunteer Cavalry. He later married Catherine L. Norman (1838-1906) in 1862 in St. Louis, Missouri. During the Civil War, Frederick was awarded the ranks of major and then lieutenant colonel and commander of the 10th Missouri Cavalry.
After the Civil War, Frederick led the 138th U.S. Colored Volunteers from 1865 to 1866 - as a colonel. Later in 1866, Frederick was made a captain in the 7th U.S. Cavalry. From 1867 to 1883, he served under George Armstrong Custer. He commanded Troop H. During the Battle of Little Bighorn (or Custer's Last Stand), after Custer's battalion was destroyed, Benteen took control of the remaining troops. After many years of service, Benteen acquired the rank of major, 9th U.S. cavalry, in 1882. He finally retired in 1887 after a suspension due to drunk and disorderly conduct. He died in 1898, survived by his wife and son.
The collection consists of papers of Frederick William Benteen from 1833-1951. The collection contains a variety of material mainly relating to Benteen's service in the 7th U.S. Cavalry and, in particular, his involvement in the Battle of Little Big Horn. Includes correspondence (1871-1888) from Benteen in the Montana territory, Kansas, and Nebraska, to his wife, Catherine L. Benteen; a map drawn by Benteen of the Little Big Horn battlefield; some official military documents including the draft and revised draft (July 4, 1876) of Major Marcus A. Reno regarding George A. Custer and the Battle of Little Big Horn; and numerous photographs of members of the 7th Cavalry, military groups and locations, including Ft. Dodge, Kansas (1868-1869), Native American leaders, and several of the Benteen family.
The collection also contains some military documents relating to Benteen's service in the 10th Missouri Volunteer Cavalry during the Civil War; photocopies of correspondence from Benteen to Theodore W. Goldin regarding the 7th Cavalry; "Cavalry Scraps", articles written by Benteen regarding his cavalry service; correspondence (1929-1949) between E.A. Brinistool and various members of the Benteen family; newspaper clippings; printed material; and a scrapbook.
