Custer was a rebel and could not tolerate discipline for long. He was twice court-martialed and these nearly ended his military career. Indeed, his first court-martial nearly ended his career before it began. As a cadet in WestPoint, Custer was court-martialed because he did not stop a fight between two cadets when he was an officer of the guard, but he managed to talk his way out of this. Much more serious was an incident in 1867 when Custer was stationed at a fort in Kansas.
However, his wife Libbie was many miles away and the young general became lonesome for her. Without orders or permission Custer left his post and handed over command of his regiment to another. All of this was contrary to orders. When the military discovered this- he was court-martialed and was found guilty of eight counts of misconduct including the serious charge of neglect of duty. This was a crisis in his career and he was effectively suspended from his command without pay. Sheridan had him reinstated because he knew that Custer was a fighter and that was needed in the battles with the Indians of the Plains.
