The purpose of the steps was to get the victims heart pounding when, after being forced to climb them, he was sacrificed by cutting his chest open and ripping his heart out and showing the pounding heart to the throng. Human sacrifice may be appropriate for Good Friday.
According to Indian legend, Custer’s body had pointed pins or sticks jabbed in his ears. This was done by Indian women who reasoned his ears wee stopped up. After he had led a dawn attack on an Indian village on the Washita that massacred women and children, an old Indian woman had warned him not to try the same thing again.
This explains why he isn’t known as Luke the Navigator.