Reckoning on the Drum

Most great men who change history for the better or the worst live a reasonable life span. We know how their lives turn out. There is little room for speculation about what they might have done.
There are very few persons who make their mark early in their careers and then die. This leaves all of us speculating what the rest of their life might have been.
General George Armstrong Custer was such a man. He was famous in his twenties. He was dead in his late thirties. What would the rest of his life been like if he had lived? Who would he have met? History continues whether anyone lives or dies. However, their living could have changed history.
Who would Custer have met, and what could he have influenced? He would certainly have created changes in the military. However, before his death, he already was a national figure in the political arena. Would his career ended abruptly after the Little Big Horn battle unless he won it which he did not? Despite a poor performance, would he still be a national hero?
Could he still have a great career?