George Armstrong Custer Volunteer Service: February 1, 1866<br> Lieutenant Colonel, 7th Cavalry: July 28, 1866 (killed at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, June 25, 1876)<br> On June 3, 1865, at Sheridan's behest, Major General Custer accepted command of the 2nd Division of Cavalry, Military Division of the Southwest, to march from Alexandria, Louisiana, to Hempstead, Texas, as part of the Union occupation forces. Custer arrived at Alexandria on June 27 and began assembling his units, which took more than a month to gather and remount. On July 17, he assumed command of the Cavalry Division of the Military Division of the Gulf
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