No,rich,Benteen was no admirer of Custer.Benteen was a no-nonsense career officer who was jealous of Custer's fame and detested his flamboyance.

Custer's dispatch of Benteen to wheel around the southern stretch of the Little Bighorn valley only makes sense in the light of Custer's one-track view of the upcoming battle: He was in nervous anxiety that the Sioux would escape before his and Reno's attacks were completed,and hoped that Benteen would cut them off.It was only when Custer finally gauged the huge stretch of the entire village as he galloped along the ridge that he sent a messenger with the note "Benteen..hurry up...big village...bring packs...PS bring packs",a rather pathetic indication that he finally realized he would need all his troops AND ammunition for the coming battle.That he had no plan beyond the massed cavalry charge is an indicator of just how limited Custer's tactical thought processes were.