Major General George Armstrong Custer's War

Major General George Armstrong Custer was born in New Rumley, Ohio on December 5, 1839. Custer was born to Emanuel Henry Custer and Marie Ward Kirkpatrick. He was not from an incredibly established family, his father was a farmer and a blacksmith in Ohio and his mother was his father's second wife. He had four siblings. Thomas Custer and Boston Custer were two of his younger brothers who died in the war, under his command. His two other siblings were Margaret Cutser and Nevin Custer, Nevin did not fight in the war because he suffered from asthma.¹ At a young age George was sent to live with his older half sibling in Michigan. Here he worked odd jobs to pay his way through school, where he earned a teaching certificate. Although Custer had …show more content…
Although Custer went to school to become a teacher, he didn’t find that the right fit. He had greater ambitions and soon set his sights on the military academy. While he lacked the many of the qualifications that other candidates had at the Military Academy, his confidence won the local congressmen over and with their recommendation, he was admitted into the U.S Academy of Westpoint. When Custer found that Westpoint was not a perfect fit for him, it caused him to possess a rebellious streak. Custer was a poor student due to his misbehavior. He was frequently disciplined and almost expelled while he finished last in his graduating class in June 1861. Custer still longed to climb to a higher rank even though he was rebellious. A few days after graduation, Custer failed as an officer to prevent a fight between two cadets and he was nearly court-martialed in the aftermath. Custer was ultimately saved by the outbreak of the Civil War and the desperate need for officers. …show more content…
Custer quickly gained recognition for himself with his brilliant direction of its actions at the Battle of Bull Run. He possesses a gift for avoiding injury, which gave him the nickname “Custer’s Luck.” Custer’s brave actions at Bull Run earned him positive attention of high-ranking officers and he earned himself an assignment to General George B. McClellan’s staff. Because of this, this earned Custer a promotion to brigadier general in 1863. Custer was placed in command of the Michigan Cavalry Brigade and over the next few years he distinguished himself at important battles such as the the Battle of Gettysburg and the Battle of Yellow Tavern. Another nickname Custer earned himself was “Boy General” which was in reference to his relatively young age. By the wars end, Custer was promoted again to the rank of Major General. Custer’s cavalry units were crucial in blocking the movements of Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s retreating forces. This helped him hasten his surrender at Appomattox on April 9, 1865. Lieutenant General Philip Sheridan gave Custer the table used to sign the wars peace treaty after Custer’s heroic acts during the war.