Winfield Scott Edgerly 27, 1875. From May to September 1876, the 7th Cavalry, including Edgerly, participated in the Sioux Expedition. Edgerly was promoted to first lieutenant in the 7th Cavalry effective June 25, 1876. The regiment was engaged in the Battle of the Little Bighorn on June 26–27, 1876. Edgerly was the second in command of Company D, serving under Captain Thomas Weir; Company D was assigned to Captain Frederick Benteen's Battalion. Prior to the battle, Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer was discussing upcoming events with his junior officers; Edgerly expressed enthusiasm about the possibility of success; Custer replied that success depended on
2nd Cavalry Regiment (United States) and was spread out, often with only one troop occupying a post. In December 1866, 25 troopers of the 2nd Cavalry under LT George W. Grummond accompanied CPT William J. Fetterman in his expedition against Chief Red Cloud. In northern Wyoming, these 81 men were engaged by a force of roughly 1,000 Indians, where they were all massacred in a desperate battle. On 29 June 1867, a small party of 10 troopers and 1 Indian scout under LT Lyman Kidder were ordered to take dispatches from General William Sherman to LTC George A. Custer. Custer grew impatient and moved out