George Armstrong Custer

Lore & Background

Custer graduated in 1861 from the United States Military Academy at West Point, last in his class. Despite this, he achieved a higher military rank than any other U.S. Army officer in his class. He worked closely with future Union Army Generals George B. McClellan and Alfred Pleasonton, who recognized his abilities as a cavalry leader. Promoted to brevet brigadier general of volunteers at age 23, he fought at the pivotal Battle of Gettysburg in early July 1863, commanding the Michigan Brigade and defeating Confederate General J. E. B. Stuart's attack at East Cavalry Field.

In 1864, Custer served in the Overland Campaign and with General Philip Sheridan's army in the Shenandoah Valley campaigns, defeating Confederate General Jubal Early at Cedar Creek. In 1865, he destroyed or captured the remainder of Early's forces at the Battle of Waynesboro. His division blocked the final retreat of the Army of Northern Virginia, and he received the first flag of truce from the exhausted Confederates. He was present at General Robert E. Lee's surrender ceremony at Appomattox Court House. After the war, he was commissioned as a lieutenant colonel in the Regular Army and sent west to fight in the Indian Wars. On June 25, 1876, while leading the 7th Cavalry Regiment at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, he was killed along with every soldier of the five companies he led.

Reader's Guide

Custer's dramatic end was as controversial as the rest of his life and career, and the reaction to his life remains divided, even 150 years later. His mythologized status in American history was partly established through the energetic lobbying of his adoring wife Elizabeth Bacon 'Libbie' Custer throughout her long widowhood that spanned six decades, well into the 20th century. Custer's legacy is a subject of ongoing debate, reflecting broader conflicts over American expansion and the treatment of Native peoples. His military career, marked by both notable successes in the Civil War and a catastrophic defeat in the Indian Wars, continues to be studied and interpreted in varying ways.

Did You Know?

• Custer graduated last in his class of 34 at West Point in 1861.
• He was promoted to brevet brigadier general of volunteers at age 23.
• Custer received the first flag of truce from the Confederates at Appomattox.
• His wife Libbie spent six decades as a widow lobbying to shape his legacy.