George Armstrong Custer's 1867 Court Martial And the 1868 Washita River Battle

The story of George Armstrong Custer and the Battle of the Little Bighorn is probably one of the biggest and most publicized stories of the 1800's Indian Wars. One issue that has been reported on but not nearly to the degree of the Little Bighorn Massacre was the court martial of Custer in September of 1867 and his successful expedition against the Cheyenne in the southern plains. All of this occurred of course about nine years prior to the Little Bighorn.

George Armstrong Custer graduated West Point in 1861 near the bottom of his class. The class actually graduated a bit before it's scheduled time due to the Civil War. The graduates essentially went from classroom to the battlefield in a very short time. In the case of Custer, he distinguished himself quite well during the war spending the last few years of it in command of the Michigan Volunteer Cavalry Brigade. Custer was involved with every campaign but one with the Army of the Potomac and he was in attendance at the Confederate surrender at Appomattox. How Custer was regarded by his contemporaries varied. Depending on who was cited he was described as sometimes arrogant, a bit headstrong but it could be said he was unanimously thought of as being very ambitious. Research also shows that many under his command both during the Civil War and years later complained about his too strict discipline although it's a stretch to call that a fault for a military commander. The ambitious aspect is what probably created his enemies, mostly within the military itself. Ambition within the military can cause jealousy. Regardless of what some may have thought of Custer, he admired by superiors such as general George B. McClellan and General Philip Sheridan for his perseverance and gallantry during the Civil War years.

At the end of the Civil War Custer was ordered to take command of a cavalry regiment in Texas. He was at that duty from November 1865 to March 1866. Custer then wanted to join Mexico's fight against Maximilian but was denied the leave. In July of 1867 Custer was then given command of the Seventh Cavalry out of Fort Riley Kansas. This would have been about six short years after graduating West Point. It is during this period on the Great Plains where Custer had his difficulties. In fact, a new member of Custer's command out of Fort Riley was a Captain Frederick Benteen. Benteen had a tendency to be involved in internal regiment conflicts and starting at Fort Riley and lasting to the Battle of the Little Bighorn, Benteen and Custer shared animosity. Years later, that animosity would become quite public during the Little Bighorn Court of Inquiry a few years after the massacre in Montana.

Out of Fort Riley Kansas, Custer took part in the Cheyenne campaign launched by General Winfield Scott Hancock. During this expedition a Lt. Lyman Kidder's party, made up of ten troopers and one scout, were attacked and killed while in route to Fort Wallace. Lt. Kidder was to deliver dispatches to Custer from General William Sherman, but his party was attacked by Lakota Sioux and Cheyenne. Custer and a detachment found the troopers bodies a few days later.

Custer's One Year Suspension

Near the end of 1867 Chief of the Army, Ulysses S. Grant preferred charges against Custer and gave him a one year suspension for being absent from duty during the somewhat unsatisfactory Hancock campaign.Custer reportedly abandoned his duties to see his wife. Probably not a wise thing to do without permission. Custer's defense was that he was being made a scapegoat for an unsuccessful campaign. Custer's friend, superior and mentor, General Phil Sheridan agreed, reinstating him in 1868. It appeared to be important for the army during the Indian Wars to lay blame on somebody when things went bad. The suspension Custer received may or may not have been the result of this unofficial policy. Nevertheless, Sheridan was able to bring Custer back to active service before the one year suspension was up.

Custer's Chance to Redeem His Reputation

A court martial on anyone's military record is probably not a good thing but in Custer's case he was given an opportunity to redeem his reputation at the Washita River Battle (sometimes referred to as the Washita Massacre) in 1868. On November 27th of that year Custer led an attack on the village of Cheyenne chief Black Kettle. The Cheyenne campaign of which this battle was a part of resulted from raids on settlers by both Cheyenne and Apache warriors. The negative repercussions from this particular attack centered on whether Black Kettle was on the warpath or not at the time. There were actions taken by Black kettle that seem to point to his innocence of leading the raids that killed settlers, men and women alike. The aftermath of the attack of Black Kettle's Washita River camp was that dozens of Cheyennes were killed, both men and women who were later declared non-warriors. During the battle both Black Kettle and his wife were shot while allegedly trying to flee on horseback. While Custer felt that the battle was a great success his adversaries thought otherwise.One writer opined that Custer probably could not have prevailed in the battle had he not used women and children Cheyennes as shields. There's disagreement as to whether these captives were actually used as shields, but the mere fact that Custer had them in his possession assured that the Cheyennes in the area would think twice before attacking his column. Another famous Indian War soldier, Colonel Ranald MacKenzie who at one time was commander of Fort Concho near San Angelo Texas, used the same "taking captives" method during the Red River War in 1872 against the Comanches that Custer used in 1868. When you research many of the Indian War expeditions you'll see a philosophical difference between military superiors and civilians such as Indian Agents as to how Indian War battles were to be conducted...

Not as a big surprise, there was much controversy in regards to Custer's battle tactics during the attack. This lied with the aforementioned strategy of using captives as shields during his retreat. An Indian Agent named Wynkoop resigned his position in protest and a white trader in the area claimed that Black Kettle's village was peaceful. In response, General Sheridan ordered the trader out of Indian Territory and threatened to hang him if he returned. This gives you a good idea of how the upper command designed battle plans.

Custer and Captain Benteen

The Washita River Battle also appears the start of a long standing feud between Custer and Captain Frederick Benteen. This mutual dislike seems to have lasted at least another eight years up through the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876. It seems that during the Washita River campaign against Black Kettle's village there were some (Benteen) who made accusations that Custer did not come to the defense of another group of troopers led by a Lt. Elliot. This detachment was overrun while keeping an eye on nearby Cheyenne camps while Custer attacked Black Ketttle. It seems that most historians point to this specific episode as to the beginning of Captian Benteen's harsh dislike of Custer. This dislike some have suggested may have tainted Benteen;s attitude toward Custer's strategy at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. There was also the question in the public's mind as to where Benteen and Major Marcus Reno, another officer with a dislike of Custer, were during the Little Bighorn Battle. It's a question that appears reasonable.

Questions that will Always Linger

For historians, it's interesting to look at the relationship or lack thereof which George Armstrong had with Ulysses S. Grant. Grant obviously had a problem with Custer in regards to the AWOL suspension in 1867. At the same time, Grant was quite a rising star from the Civil War years which his later election to the presidency affirmed. Years later Custer would run afoul again with then President Grant when he traveled to Washington in early 1876 to testify at Congressional hearings regarding corruption among the Indian Agents. President Grant was still a very popular national hero and had a loyal following because of his Civil War successes. At the very same time that Grant held center stage Custer himself however was in many ways a rising star, at least in his own mind and probably in the mind of his immediate superior General Philip Sheridan. Sheridan obviously appreciated Custer's bravado and style of command. This would explain his return to duty before his suspension was up. It would also explain Custer's inclusion in the later 1876 Sioux Campaign which was headed by General Terry but whose higher authority was General Philip Sheridan. The subject of George Armstrong Custer's rise in stature over the years and his relationship with General Sheridan is an excellent study in itself.

Below are some related links to the Indian Wars in the south plains and the 7th Cavalry's cadence call.