The low ratings this mini-series garnered during its initial 1991 broadcast had ABC executives re-think and eventually pull the plug on the Civil War epic "The Killer Angels", which they planned to produce and air. This decision led to Ted Turner picking up the project, renaming it Gettysburg (1993), and releasing it in theaters.
Gary Cole often cites his role as General Custer as one of his favorites, as well as the set being one of the more enjoyable he's been on - especially being able to horseback ride so much.
It is mentioned by Kate Bighead that Custer cut his hair before the battle, a historical fact. The only other film that mentions that is "Tonka."
In the film, Custer is correctly portrayed as carrying some sort of early double-action revolver rather than the normal Single Action Army that was issued to the rest of the 7th Cav. While Custer's armament at the Battle of Little Bighorn is not completely known, the general consensus is that he was armed with a .50-70 Rolling Block Remington rifle, as well as his pair of Webley Royal Irish Constabulary pistols chambered in either .442 or .450 that had been presented to him, as well as a matching pair to his brother Tom, by the British some years before.
The project was developed at NBC in the mid-1980s. Kevin Costner was considered to play George Armstrong Custer, but the network thought he was not well-known enough to carry the show. Ultimately, the network thought it would be too expensive to make, leading to ABC picking up the project. Costner would eventually become a movie star, and had enough clout to get the thematically-similar Dances with Wolves (1990) made; that film was released a few months before "Son of the Morning Star" debuted.