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Marcus Albert Reno | |
|---|---|
 Marcus A. Reno | |
| Born | November 15, 1834 Carrollton, Illinois, US |
| Died | March 30, 1889 (aged 54) Washington, D.C., US |
| Allegiance | United States Union |
| Service | United States Army Union Army |
| Years of service | 1857–1880 |
| Rank |  Colonel Brevet Brigadier General |
| Unit | 1st U.S. Cavalry Regiment 7th U.S. Cavalry Regiment |
| Commands | 12th Pennsylvania Cavalry Regiment |
| Battles / wars | American Indian Wars American Civil War |
| Alma mater | United States Military Academy Class of 1857 |
Marcus Albert Reno (November 15, 1834 – March 30, 1889) was a United States career military officer who served in the American Civil War where he was a combatant in a number of major battles, and later under George Armstrong Custer in the Great Sioux War against the Lakota (Sioux) and Northern Cheyenne. Reno is most noted for his prominent role in the Battle of the Little Bighorn, where he did not support Custer's position on the battlefield, remaining instead in a defensive formation with his troops about 4 miles (6.4 km) away. This event has since been a longstanding subject of controversy regarding his command decisions in the course of one of the most infamous defeats in the history of the United States military.