They Died with Their Boots On Page #11

The only man who could do it

is the president.

Since these charges have all

but wrecked his administration...

...Ulysses S. Grant hates the sound

of your name.

Colonel Custer.

I regret the president declines

to see you. Any business you have...

...shall be conducted through

the War Department.

I'll remind you, sir, that

I'm president of the United States.

I'm not here to see

the president, Grant.

I'm here to see a soldier.

You've caused plenty of trouble, Custer.

Sticking your nose into politics.

- I want my regiment back.

- All you'll get from me is a court martial.

To the devil with a court martial.

I want my regiment back, Grant.

Tell me why I should give it to you.

I'll tell you why.

Because you know how a man feels

when he's broken...

...when he's left behind

and his regiment's marching out.

You know how he feels, Grant...

...because you had a taste of it yourself.

Get out.

All right.

My orders was to close up

as soon as you got back.

That's all right.

I just got in.

And am I glad to see you.

I'm going bughouse in this joint.

Since you've been relieved of command,

not a soldier has set foot in this place.

Yes?

Indeed.

That's all right. You needn't

bother closing up.

Tell Mr. Sharp I want to see him.

And leave us alone together.

Oh, it's all right. There won't be

any disturbance.

Say, Custer's outside, wants to see you.

L...

I gave orders to close the bar as soon as

I heard you took command again.

That's all right, Sharp.

Remember I told you once

that the day I took a drink...

...you could open the bar up?

- Yeah.

Well, I feel like drinking tonight.

Things have been pretty bad.

You wanna join me?

Why, sure, sure. Why not?

- We'll let bygones be bygones, huh?

- Sure.

Say, hitting it kind of hard, aren't you?

No point in half measures. Drink up.

L... I hear the 7th's marching out

this morning...

...to make contact with Crook and Terry

at the Little Bighorn.

Yes.

The 7th's marching out.

Let's drink to the 7th.

Let's drink to them again.

Last time I drank it in water, remember?

Well. Wait a minute, you...

Drink it.

If the outfits don't fight through, you're

liable to have lots of Sioux on your hands.

Oh, yes.

Yes, quite a lot of Sioux, Sharp.

But the greater the odds,

the greater the glory.

Come on, Sharp. Let's drink to glory.

You always were a great one

for glory, Custer.

Remember...? Remember that day

you came to West Point...

...and you talked to me

about the statues?

Yes, yes, I remember.

Well, you got glory.

And what did glory get you?

A two-bit job...

...and a... And a court martial. That's all.

Well, that's not enough.

Now we're gonna drink to something

that's... That's worth having.

Something they'll kiss your feet

for having.

Here's to money.

- And long may she jingle.

- Money.

You may be right about money, Sharp.

Quite right.

- There's one thing to be said for glory.

- And what's that?

You can take glory with you...

...when it's your time to go.

California.

Well, now, let's see.

Anything I've forgotten?

- Field glasses?

- Yep.

- Compass.

- Got it.

- Your watch.

- Watch, no.

You know, they ought to make you

quartermaster general.

Every time I go into the field, I'm the

best-equipped man in the regiment.

Oh, look at that.

Broken.

- What?

- The chain.

I won't be able to take this with me.

It'll be the first time

you've gone in without it.

Yes. Well, there's no time

to have it fixed...

...and I don't want to take a chance

on losing it.

I'll leave it here.

Not much more time.

Here's your cartridge belt.

You know, I'm sure you're the first

soldier that ever became a general...

...without letting his belt out.

But wait until we get that staff job in

Washington, after this campaign's over.

I'm gonna grow a big tummy on me

like General Winfield Scott, you know.

And we'll grow fat and happy together.

- Together.

- And people will say:

"Don't tell me life in the Dakotas

was hardship.

Look at General and Mrs. Custer.

They certainly grew fat and happy on it."

You...

You have been happy here,

haven't you, Libby?

Don't I look happy?

Well, now. Let's see, what else?

Oh, my orders.

- I put them in that drawer, over there.

- I'll get it.

Well, what's this?

- "My life with General Custer."

- Oh, darling, that's my diary.

- I didn't know you kept one.

- It's a record of our life.

It wouldn't interest you. Just silly things

that seem important to a woman.

"Tomorrow, my husband leaves...

...and I cannot help but feel

that my last happy days are ended.

A premonition of disaster

such as I have never known...

...is weighing me down.

I try to shut it into my heart,

but it is almost unbearable.

I pray God I be not asked

to walk on alone."

You know, I probably wrote that,

or something like it...

...every time you went away.

Even for a day's journey.

You know how foolish women are.

Every parting has its own fears

and anxieties.

Of course.

I often feel like that myself.

But it... It has its bright side too.

The more sadness in parting,

the more joy in the reunion.

Boots and saddles.

Goodbye.

Walking through life with you, ma'am...

...has been a very gracious thing.

Attention!

Sir, the regiment is formed.

Forward...

...ho!

Scouts out.

- Gray Eagle.

- Long Hair. Black Hills.

Go to lodge of Sitting Bull.

Let him call Sioux chiefs to war council.

Halt!

Meet us on the Little Bighorn at sunup.

Well, partner, the scouts are back.

What's the report?

- Any news of Crook's column?

- Plenty of them, all scalped.

- Dead long?

- Oh, about a week, I reckon.

Crazy Horse attacked Crook's outfit

coming down a stream, massacred them.

And then Crook, he hightailed it back

to where he come from, Crook did.

He got away?

Where's Crazy Horse now?

Camped on the other side

of Little Bighorn.

Headed to massacre Terry's outfit.

Then he's between us.

And I can't reach Terry in time.

Crazy Horse must know we're here.

More darn Indians camped over on Little

Bighorn than grasshoppers in a cornfield.

Every kind of a goldarn

Indian you can think of!

You know, partner, we better vamoose

out of here, good and pronto.

We're not vamoosing.

I'm going to attack.

Attack?

It's Terry or us.

What chance has he got

against thousands of Indians?

What...? What better chance

have you got?

It's a cavalry job, Joe.

I can do more damage.

And if I can do enough...

...it'll give Terry a chance to stand them

off until Sheridan comes from Bismarck.

I'm wondering if I'm ever

gonna get to California.

- Tell Mr. Butler I want to see him.

- All right, partner. I mean, yes, sir.

- You sent for me, sir?

- Yes, Butler.

Take this letter into

Fort Lincoln tonight.

- Me? Tonight?

- Tonight.

- It's important.

- Must be...

...if it needs your bally adjutant

to play postman at a time like this.

Why are you asking me

to go back with it?

Well, for one thing, you're

an Englishman, not an American.

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