Understandable before Custer's 1867 court martial.
Thanks for your response.
Custer was tried by court martial for going AWOL to visit his wife, a not uncommon act by frontier officers at the time.
The court martial did not open a rift between the two men. Sheridan gladly recalled Custer early from his one year suspension to take command, prepare and lead the Seventh Cavalry in a winter campaign against the Cheyenne. Sheridan told Custer, "I rely on you in everything, and shall send you on this expedition without orders, leaving you to act entirely on your own judgement." <Marguerite Merington, The Custer Story: The Life and Intimate Letters of General George A. Custer and his wife Elizabeth. (Lincoln, NB: University of Nebraska Predd, 1987), p. 309>
Sheridan's support of Custer cooled (as did Sherman's) after Custer's administration-damaging testimony before the Clymer Committee. The Committee was investigating corruption in the awarding of Army trading post monopolies and the price-gouging of soldiers and Indians by the traders. Although he had been openly critical of corruption, Custer did not want to testify. He was forced to testify by subpoena, issued by the Committee to draw attention to their investigation. His testimony effectively ended his relationship with Grant, who refused at least three times to meet Custer in Washington, once keeping him waiting in a White House ante-room nearly all day. <Merrington, The Custer Story. p. 281.>
Because Terry's second, CYA report on the Battle of Little Bighorn reached headquarters- and was published- before his first, more truthful evaluation, many quickly blamed Custer. These included Grant, Sherman and Sheridan. Sherman and Sheridan both later revised and softened their earlier assessments.
In the end, it was clear Sheridan admired Custer. Sheridan said Custer's defeat was due to his "superabundance of courage."<ref W. A. Graham, The Custer Myth: a Sourcebook of Custeriana. (Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole, 2000), p. 117>