As planned, Custer struck the village first. Riding stirrup to stirrup with him was his reliable chief of scouts, twenty-six-year-old Ben Clark, married to a Cheyenne girl, and Captain Louis H. Hamilton, the popular and capable grandson of Alexander Hamilton. A single shot struck Hamilton in the chest, killing him instantly. Custer galloped on, shooting an Indian at point-blank range. Then he and Clark drew off from the column and climbed a lone knoll three hundred yards south of the village to watch the unfolding action.7
