Custer, George Armstrong

Custer, George Armstrong (1839–76) Civil War general and Indian fighter, born in New Rumley, Ohio. Custer established his fame during the Civil War as the youngest general in the Union army, famous for his cavalry charges, heedless bravery, flamboyance, and tactical brilliance. Made brigadier general at age twenty-three, he fought with distinction at Gettysburg (1863) and his 1864 campaign to rid the Shenandoah Valley of Confederate forces catapulted him to military stardom. Among Union cavalry officers he was second only to Gen. Philip H. Sheridan. After the war “General” Custer served in the rank of lieutenant colonel of the 7th Cavalry (1866–76). After Winfield Scott Hancock's 1867 Cheyenne campaign, Custer was court-martialed for misconduct in the field. He defeated Black Kettle's Cheyennes at the Washita (November 1868), killing women and children. He explored the Black Hills (1874), setting off a gold rush. Custer's final campaign, during the Great Sioux War of 1876, ended in the battle of theLittle Bighorn on June 25, 1876 (known as “Custer's Last Stand”), where five companies under his immediate command—more than 200 officers and troopers—were wiped out by nearly 2,000 warriors.