One Little Cloud

My first EVER TL! Feel free to ridicule it!:D

Washita Creek, March 27th, 1868

Lt. Col. George Custer was leading his troops at Washita Creek against the Indians. He was commanding the 7th Cavalry, and was doing his job agianst these Chyenne rebels.
"Get going you idiots!" Custer hoarsed out. Smoking had taken a toll, but he was quiet to not alert his enemies at this night.
His group continued forward. Just then, all heck broke lose.
The chain of events was unclear, but it started with the Moon being blocked out with a cloud. Also, a wolf howled. A soilder, most likeley some Private, got jumpy and fired.
The Indians noticed and charged. Custer's men fired randomly, not knowing what to shoot at.
"Get in line you hapless idio-", was the last word before a rifle cracked.
Luteniant Colonel George Amstrong Custer fell to the ground, a bullet in his neck.​
 
None cares Custer died?
Nope He was going to Die shortly anyway,:p Now the Unluckily Soldiers that were with Him:(

I notice that it was only a Hour after the OP, that you asked about lack of response.
This is a 24 hour world wide Forum, Give us a Day to log In and Read what is going on.
And then a couple extra Hours to think about the Topic.


The Biggest effect will be with the Black Hill invasion, and the Government response to the Sioux's attempts to prevent this.

With no Little Big Horn, for the Press to Magnify, and whip public opinion, the Response will probably be more reasoned, and more in the Indian's favor.
 
It will never be more reasoned or in the Natives favour. If not Custer, some one else, Custer is a bigger story in the era because he died with his boots on. Yellow journalism blew it out of proportion before yellow journalism became the vogue. If not him then someone else for there are lots of tales of massacre in th open plains. Hell, there was a troop of men on that very expedition that were cut off during the attack and died in a circle defending the low ground...
 
Butterflys, well, GAC is not taught as a major American hero but relegated more as a footnote for his servicce as the youngest general in the ACW. Someone with perhaps a dash more competence (and that might be tough as there was not a whole lot to go around those days) takes over operations for 7th and gets the thankless job of guarding the geologists when they head into the badlands. When the news breaks, Terry sends out the three spearheads again, but this time the commander of the 7th hangs back instead of charging forward towards glory and when the Souix/Cheyenne spot them, they also spot the signals coming from other scouts that Gibbon had entered the area and mass panic ensues in order to move the camp away from th valley.

Renos still an alcoholic, Benteen still impossible to work with, Gibbon still a bafoon, but they'd chase the natives in tandem, possibly even the way Terry meant it to be done. Maybe even right into the reservations or across the Canadian borders.
 
It will never be more reasoned or in the Natives favour. If not Custer, some one else, Custer is a bigger story in the era because he died with his boots on. Yellow journalism blew it out of proportion before yellow journalism became the vogue. If not him then someone else for there are lots of tales of massacre in th open plains...

With the wars against the natives having already begun, sadly, I think you're right. I do, however, think a somewhat better response can be had if the wars don't start in the first place. Perhaps if John Chivington doesn't become involved in the massacre he did in the first place (San Creek Massacre - don't know if that link worked, I can't figure out how to do those as well), as I have in "If Baseball Integrated Early." (An early end to the Civil War causes butterflies that send him over to Cuba as a volunteer in their rebellion, in an interlude I have involving American history, leading to American hostility versus Spain earlier, etc..) There might still be skirmishes and maybe even small massacres, but possibly nothing like the full-scale war which went on in the Plains OTL.
 
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