A good set of questions. Tipping my old cavalry Stetson to you.
Regarding the recon and trusting his scouts and officers: 1) Reno’s earlier detached ride was a recon as was Benteen’s to the north of the column. I think we forget how much slower sending out a scouting column and its return was then versus now to get its report back to the Custer (aka command group).
2) Trusting versus believing the scouts and being able to comprehend the actual size of the combined Indian tribes. I think Custer didn’t grasp the size of the force against him. Remember, this gathering was unprecedent in size for the Western frontier where the Army usually fought Indian groups of a couple of hundred warriors, NOT 2,000 or more in a single battle.
3) Custer apparently trusted Mitch Boyer, since he took him as his lead scout, but “couldn’t get his head around” the actual size of the enemy force.
1) Yes very true! The terrain while beautiful, is awful for maneuver around the battlefield and it would easily wear out a horse in about a half dozen miles. Compound that with the heat they had that day.
I truly recommend reading Theodore Goldin’s account of the Benteen scout. He was one of the last to see Custer and was given an early message to deliver to Benteen. He passed Boston Custer on the way towards Benteen. Boston was on his way to death and was the last man to join Custer’s group. Based on timing, I’m guessing by the time he arrived with Custer it was already pretty much too late to form any kind of defense.
Back to Goldin, he complained massively about Benteen’s pace during the recon. And even after he got the “Last Message” from Martini he was slow.
2) Indian agents lied about the missing numbers of Indians. The Army was expecting maybe 800 or so warriors. Custer probably wouldn’t blink at engaging that many even with his 210 man battalion. I truly think he was believing he could whoop them no matter what. He almost got wiped at at Washita doing the same exact thing he did at LBH.
3) Yes he did trust Mitch, but wouldn’t listen. Even Bloody Knife warned him multiple times to no avail.
Had he kept his force together he may have fought to a draw perhaps, but those kind of stakes weren’t his type of game. He loved risk.
Interestingly regarding numbers. The Battle of Warbonnet Creek about a month later in Nebraska was evenly matched as far as strength size. Wesley Merritt & the 5th routed the Cheyenne with no casualties. That type of result was what the Army was usually accustomed to.