George Armstrong Custer

George Armstrong Custer (December 5, 1839 – June 25, 1876) was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the American Indian Wars. Raised in Michigan and Ohio, Custer was admitted to West Point in 1857, where he graduated last in his class in 1861. With the outbreak of the Civil War, Custer was called to serve with the Union Army.

Custer developed a strong reputation during the Civil War. He participated in the first major engagement, the First Battle of Bull Run on July 21, 1861 near Washington, D.C. His association with several important officers helped his career, as did his success as a highly effective cavalry commander. During the war, Custer was eventually promoted to captain of the U.S. Army (May 1864), and to the temporary ranks of (brevet) major general of the U.S. Army (March 1865) and major general of the U.S. Volunteers (April 1865) at age 25. At the conclusion of the Appomattox Campaign, in which he and his troops played a decisive role, Custer was present at General Robert E. Lee's surrender to General Ulysses S. Grant on April 9, 1865.