During the Battle of the Little Big Horn, five entire companies of the 7th Cavalry, including their leader, George Armstrong Custer, were lost. For years the shadow of blame for the defeat has been cast upon Custer. What role did his subordinates play in the battle? Did they contribute to the Custer failure, or was he the only one to blame?

In Custer’s Shadow presents the complex life of Major Marcus Reno, Custer’s second-in-command. Employing photographs and maps to help the reader visualize the text, Ronald H. Nichols unravels the controversy surrounding Reno’s role in the battle and questions the scrutiny to which he was subjected in the years following.