of our dead companions. no words were needed to tell how desperate had been the struggle before they were finally overpowered. we need to give these men a proper burial at once! there s no time for sentimentality, captain. besides, the ground s frozen solid. wrap the remains in blankets and prepare to move out! leaving men behind, custer has committed a cardinal sin of military brotherhood. captain frederick benteen hates him from that day on. he abandoned the troops. it s just somethin you don t do. benteen will never get over that. in retaliation, the captain breaks rank, sending an anonymous editorial to a saint louis newspaper,
outnumbered more than 4 to 1, custer s only hope is that captain frederick benteen gets the message and comes quickly. captain! but when the communiqué finally arrives, it s anything but clear. benteen is given a message from custer that says, bring packs. bring packs. he s not really sure what s going on. company, prepare to mount. with no line of sight, benteen heads in the direction of the loudest gunfire, where he finds major reno and his men pinned down. captain benteen, get your men on a skirmish line on this hill here.
prepare to fight on foot. benteen s decision to stay and reinforce reno forever seals custer s fate. men, we will stand this ground with major reno and his men. even as they fight on the hill, many of them thought that custer had deserted them, just like he had deserted elliott, and he was riding off to glory. he did what he thought was best under the circumstances. if custer was damaged by this decision, that s a little somethin extra. with captain benteen s help, reno s men are able to fend off their attackers. but without reinforcements, custer is overwhelmed. come on!
george custer s plan to revive his struggling career is backfiring. the general abandons 20 of his men on the battlefield. captain frederick benteen turns on his leader, alerting the country to custer s callous command. [ whip lashing ] let the slandering coward come forward and face me. sir! i am the author, and i am prepared for whatever punishment you see fit. captain benteen, i will see you again, sir. you are dismissed. losing the respect of his officers and fearing
and intelligence is so critical. we caught the indians napping. dispatch a message to captain benteen. yes, sir, general. tell him to come without delay. we ve found a large indian village. bring men and ammunition quickly. yes, sir! orderly! ride back and find captain benteen. ride as fast as you can! yes, sir! go! hurry, boys! we got em! [ whooping ] 7th cavalry will dispatch these hostiles and then head home! draw pistols! forward! custer plunges blindly into battle, unaware of the peril that lies ahead.