★ ★ Custer, George A.

George Armstrong Custer
​

Born: December 5, 1839

Birthplace: New Rumley, Ohio

Father: Emanuel Henry Custer 1806 – 1892

(Buried: Woodland Cemetery, Monroe, Michigan)​

Mother: Marie Ward 1807 – 1882

(Buried: Woodland Cemetery, Monroe, Michigan)​

Wife: Elizabeth "Libby" Bacon 1842 – 1933

(Buried: U.S. Military Academy Post Cemetery, West Point, New York)​

Marriage: February 9, 1864 in Monroe, Michigan

Children: None

Signature:

Education:

June 1861: Graduated from West Point Military Academy – (34th​ last)

​

Civil War Career:

1861 – 1862: 2nd​ Lt. United States Army, 2nd​ Cavalry Regiment​

​

1861: Drilled Volunteers in Washington, D.C.​

​

1861: Served in the First Battle of Bull Run, Virginia​

​

1861: Served in the Defenses of Washington, D.C.​

​

1862 – 1864: 1st​ Lt. United States Army, 5th​ Cavalry Regiment​

​

1862: Served in the Siege of Yorktown, Virginia​

​

1862 – 1863: Captain and Aide – de – camp in Union Army​

​

1862: Aide to Major General George B. McClellan​

​

1863: Aide to Major General Alfred Pleasanton

​

1863 – 1866: Brigadier General Union Army Volunteers Cavalry​

​

1863: Cavalry Brigade Commander at Battle of Gettysburg​

​

1863: Brevetted Major for Gallantry at Battle of Gettysburg​

​

​

1863 – 1864: Served with the Cavalry in Central Virginia​

​

1864: Cavalry Brigade Commander in Richmond Campaign​

​

1864 – 1866: Captain United States Army, 5th​ Cavalry Regiment​

​

1864: Brevetted Lt. Colonel for Gallantry Battle of Yellow Tavern​

​

1864: Brevetted Colonel for Gallantry Battle of Winchester, Virginia​

​

1864: Brevetted Major General for Gallantry at Winchester

​

1865: Brevetted Brig. General for Gallantry, Battle of Five Forks, VA.​

​

1865: Brevetted Major General for Gallantry ending the War​

​

1865: Cavalry Division Commander in the Union Army​

​

1865 – 1866: Major General of Union Army Volunteer, Cavalry​

​

1865: Commander of Cavalry, Division Southwest Military Division​

​

1865: Cavalry Commander Military Division of the Gulf​

​

1865 – 1866: Chief of Cavalry, Department of Texas​

​

1866: Mustered out of Volunteer Service on February 1st​​

Occupation after War:

1864 – 1866: Captain United States Army, 5th​ Cavalry Regiment

​

1866 – 1876: Lt. Colonel United States Army, 7th​ Cavalry Regiment​

​

1866 – 1867: Frontier Duty at Fort Riley, Kansas​

​

1868: Suspended from the Army August 12th​ – October 7th​​

​

1868: Served in the Action at Washita​

​

1869 – 1870: Leave of Absence from the Army​

​

1871: Served at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas​

​

1872: Garrison Duty at Louisville, Kentucky​

​

1873: Garrison Duty at Elizabethtown, Kentucky​

​

1873: Served on the Yellowstone Expedition​

​

1874: Served on Black Hills Expedition

​

1876: Went before United States House of Representatives Committee​

​

1876: Served on the Sioux Expedition​

​

1876: Killed at the Battle of Little Big Horn River, Montana​

Died: June 25, 1876

Place of Death: Little Big Horn, Montana

Age at time of Death: 37 years old

Original Burial Place: Little Big Horn Battlefield National Monument, Montana

Current Burial Place: On October 10, 1877 the remains of Bvt. Maj. Gen. George Armstrong Custer were buried with full military honors in the cemetery near the Old Cadet Chapel at the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, New York. A large granite monument marks the grave.

 

[Cavalier]

I don't quite get this obsession, (not the best description, I know), with Custer's attire.

It's almost like the chicken guts on his sleeves and the red tie on his fireman's shirt are a window into his soul. From this, it seems, we can deduce his every motive. All of them completely selfish of course.

John

 

[Kurt G]

I don't quite get this obsession, (not the best description, I know), with Custer's attire.

It's almost like the chicken guts on his sleeves and the red tie on his fireman's shirt are a window into his soul. From this, it seems, we can deduce his every motive. All of them completely selfish of course.

John

I'm not so sure . He said he dressed that way so his men could see him on the field . He certainly was at or near the front at Gettysburg and several other battles.

 

[scone]

Have you ever seen the awful ca. 1940 potboiler Santa Fe Trail with Errol Flynn as Stuart, Ronald Regan as Custer, Olivia De Haviland as their fictional mutual love interest, and Raymond Massey as John Brown? If not, you really should...

I actually think I have its been ages

 

[scone]

The heavily-laden pack horses traveled much more slowly than the rest of the column; to protect them an entire company (MacDougal's) and details of three men from each of the other eleven companies were assigned to accompany them! Custer never assumed he had loads of time; rather it was assumed that if discovered, the Indians would indeed "be gone tomorrow." THAT was the reason for the rush - Custer feared his command had already been discovered and decided to attack immediately before they could flee as they usually did.

You think the scouts would have warned the of the terrain to lighten the loads bury them com back for them but that's just me .. Possible ? Maybe or Maybe Not I don't know.

 

[scone]

I cant recall the year the fire covered the landscape but lots of bullets casings where found various calibers … They where able to trace one rifle around the battlefield do to markings on the brass... very interesting...

Also the History Channel had a good documentary on the battle ..

 

[Cavalier]

@Kurt G Thanks for getting back to me. I was commenting on remarks by other posters wherein they seemed to discern some negative aspects of Custer's personality based primarily on his attire.

I agree with you. He stated why he dressed that way.

Sorry for my poor wording!

John

 

[scone]

@Kurt G Thanks for getting back to me. I was commenting on remarks by other posters wherein they seemed to discern some negative aspects of Custer's personality based primarily on his attire.

I agree with you. He stated why he dressed that way.

Sorry for my poor wording!

John

Col Cross of the 5th NH Infantry wore a red Bandana on his head so his men could see him

 

[major bill]

At a recent Civil War Round Table a member donated a large amount of Civil War books for whatever donation any member might want to make. I took some older Military Images magazines but also found this book interesting. It has page after page of color photographs of uniforms and other artifacts and some nice Lakota and Cheyenne items.

 

[Kurt G]

I saw several Plains Indian items at the Detroit Institute of Arts many years ago . They had been collected by Custer .

 

[gentlemanrob]

Happy weekend (December 5th) Birthday Major General George A. Custer! Salutes remembering General Custer on his birthday weekend.

 

[bayouace]

I'm just saying this story is out there in books about Custer. Custer left his command to go to Libby after hearing of her and Lt. Weir's friendship, yet according to now-recorded oral history accounts of the Cheyenne, he took Meotzi as his bed partner after the Battle of the Washita, and had a son Yellow Swallow with her. She considered him her husband. That he and Libby were PR machines is certainly true.

 

[danny]

Never been a fan … - Libby made him more famous than he ever was … And the Nation followed . He wanted a MOH like his brother, that's just me talking though.

They were being given right and left as the Southern troops were being overwhelmed

 

[DorwinBlack]

Custer briefly (for a couple of days) served as commander of the Second Cavalry Division in the 1864 Shenandoah Valley campaign. Following the Battle of Fisher's Hill, Sheridan relieved Averell from command of the Division, and made Custer division commander. Custer was moved to commander of the Third Cavalry Division a few days later.

Does anyone know the exact dates when Custer was commander of the 2nd cavalry division? Was he still 2nd division commander at the time of the Front Royal executions?

 

[Luke Freet]

One of the most infamous names in American Military History, mostly for his one short day in Montana.
During the Civil War, Custer proved himself to be among the best cavalry commanders of the conflict; it has his men who defeated and killed J.E.B. Stuart; it was his men who would prove the decisive element at Guard Hill, Opequon Creek, Tom's Brook, and Cedar Creek. His record as a soldier, despite his questionable nature towards personal discipline and gaudy personality, is superb and lacking in blemishes.

 

[neyankee61]

Final Jeopardy Answer last night 12-02-21 was Who was George A Custer?

 

[rpkennedy]

One of the most infamous names in American Military History, mostly for his one short day in Montana.
During the Civil War, Custer proved himself to be among the best cavalry commanders of the conflict; it has his men who defeated and killed J.E.B. Stuart; it was his men who would prove the decisive element at Guard Hill, Opequon Creek, Tom's Brook, and Cedar Creek. His record as a soldier, despite his questionable nature towards personal discipline and gaudy personality, is superb and lacking in blemishes.

I don't know that I would go that far. In several instances during the Civil War, he rashly advanced, bit off more than he could chew, and only with a lot of luck and some hard fighting was he able to extract himself. He had a tendancy to leap before he looked until it finally caught up with him at the Little Big Horn.

Ryan

 

[Cavalier]

@bayouace Not sure about that Custer having fathered a son thing. I believe there is some reason to think he was unable to have children due to a bout with gonorrhea he contracted in his younger days.

Just an opinion, but I am not comfortable at all with accepting anyone's oral history as a reliable source.

John

 

[Pollaco]

Somehow the word "over-rated " comes to mind.

 

[rpkennedy]

Somehow the word "over-rated " comes to mind.

I think that that is probably too strong as well. He was a very talented general but he tended to not always think things through as thoroughly as he probably should.

Ryan

 

[Irishtom29]

Somehow the word "over-rated " comes to mind.

I think if anything he's underrated by the public at large and many people on this forum seem to be of the reasonable opinion that he was an energetic and effective brigade and division commander and a good "go to guy" but with limitations. An excellent subordinate to Sheridan---"Go get 'em, George". But on the Plains and under looser supervision his limitations were more...limiting? He was no Mackenzie or Miles out west but still generally competent.