1882: Custer in Chains 1882: Custer in Chains 1882: Custer in Chains is an American alternate history novel written by Robert Conroy. It was first published on May 5, 2015. The point of divergence occurs in 1876 during the Great Sioux War of 1876, George Armstrong Custer survives and defeats Sitting Bull and the Sioux at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Custer's victory over the Indians results in him becoming popular enough to run for President in the 1880 presidential election. He wins and is soon propelled into the White House. Two years later, Custer finds himself bored and seeks new worlds to
Battle of the Little Bighorn out that lever-action rifles, after a burst of rapid discharge, still required a reloading interlude that lowered their overall rate of fire; Springfield breechloaders "in the long run, had a higher rate of fire, which was sustainable throughout a battle." The breechloader design patent for the Springfield's Erskine S. Allin trapdoor system was owned by the US government and the firearm could be easily adapted for production with existing machinery at the Springfield Armory in Massachusetts. At time when funding for the post-war Army had been slashed, the prospect for economical production influenced the Ordnance Board member selection of the