Thomas Mower McDougall subsequently he was appointed Captain, 15 Dec 1875. In 1876 Captain McDougall commanded Company B and accompanied the 7th Cavalry Regiment, under command of Lt. Col. George A. Custer in its fateful departure from Fort Abraham Lincoln to participate in what became known as the Great Sioux War of 1876, which culminated in the Battle of the Little Bighorn, also known as Custer's Last Stand which occurred on June 25–26, 1876. On May 17, 1876, the 7th Cavalry left their base at Fort Abraham Lincoln near present day Mandan, North Dakota to join in a campaign against the Sioux Indians.
The Great Sioux Massacre The Senator assigns a newspaper journalist/minder possibly based on Mark Kellogg to Custer, who is sent back without court martial to his regiment. Benton notices that Custer's empathetic feelings for the Native Americans have vanished and he is pushing his regiment into a war where he can claim glory. Custer motivates his command by personally shooting deserters in the back including his scout Dakota who has turned from Indian baiter to Indian booster. This prompts Benton to strike his commanding officer where he is arrested. He is freed by Indians who know of his attempts to help their people at