George Yates George Yates George Wilhelmus Mancius Yates (February 26, 1843 – June 25, 1876) was an officer in the U.S. 7th Cavalry Regiment. He was killed in the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Yates was born in Albany, New York. He met Custer in Monroe, Michigan, and they became close personal friends. During the American Civil War, Yates was a second lieutenant in the 4th Michigan Infantry. Custer helped him secure a position on General Alfred Pleasonton's staff for Yates. Yates earned several brevet promotions in rank for his actions during the war. He fought at the First Battle of Manassas,
Great Sioux War of 1876 To combat the Sioux the U.S. army had a string of forts ringing the Great Sioux Reservation and unceded territory. The largest force arrayed against the Indians at one time was in summer 1876 and consisted of 2,500 soldiers deployed in the unceded territory and accompanied by hundreds of Indian scouts and civilians. Many of the soldiers were recent immigrants and inexperienced on the frontier and in Indian warfare. Cavalry soldiers were armed with .45 caliber, single-action revolvers and the Springfield Model 1873, a single-shot, breech-loading rifle which gave the soldiers a large advantage in range over most Indian weapons.