Who was George Custer and what did he do?

George Armstrong Custer was a Union cavalry officer in the American Civil War (1861–65) and a U.S. commander in wars against Native Americans over control of the Great Plains. He led his men in one of U.S. history's most controversial battles, the Battle of the Little Bighorn, on June 25, 1876.

What was George Custer known for?

George Armstrong Custer (1839-1876) became famous for his starring role in the disastrous Battle of the Little Bighorn—falsely ennobled as "Custer's Last Stand"—but the military commander lived a colorful early life and rose to fame as a Union general in the American Civil War.

Why was Custer not scalped?

However, they did not scalp or mutilate Custer because he was not wearing his uniform. Instead the Indian women popped his eardrums so he would hear better in his afterlife. Custer had made a promise to the Indians which said that he couldn't attack the Cheyenne and the Cheyenne couldn't attack him.

Was General Custer a good leader?

Custer was a very bold and courageous leader. He was always in front and gave his men the courage to fight as well. He was inspiring to those under him, and that made them such a powerful and effective fighting force. He was very persuasive as well and that brought him very far as well.

Who defeated Custer at Bighorn?

On June 25, 1876, Native American forces led by Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull defeat the U.S. Army troops of Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer in the Battle of the Little Bighorn near southern Montana's Little Bighorn River.

10 Notable Facts About General Custer

Did Custer have a child with an Indian?

Recorded Native oral history, however, has several sources that say Custer had a son named Yellow Swallow with Meotzi. She considered him her “husband” and she was devoted to him.

Was Custer a killer?

Here, he describes the 1868 Battle of Washita, in which Custer's 7th Cavalry set upon a Cheyenne camp in Oklahoma Territory: “In the chaos of the initial attack … troops shot down dozens” of Indian women and children, after which Custer “ordered the slaughter of the horse herd. One by one, 875 ponies were shot dead.”)

Why did they call Custer yellow hair?

In the West, Custer wore a distinctive buckskin uniform, meant to catch the eye of reporters. And he caught the eye of his enemies as well, who began to call him "Yellow Hair."

Why did Custer go to the Black Hills?

In 1874, the U.S. government sent General George Custer on the Black Hills Expedition to choose a location for a new Army fort and to investigate the area's natural resources.

Did Custer slaughter Indians?

Within a few hours of the attack, Custer's men had destroyed the village and killed as many as 103 Cheyenne, including Black Kettle and his wife, Medicine Woman. Custer then ordered his men to destroy “everything of value to the Indians,” Warde wrote. That included slaughtering more than 800 horses and mules.

Why was Custer defeated?

Custer was defeated at the Battle of the Little Bighorn because he made a lot of fundamental errors. He acted alone - even though Gibbon's last words to him were - Custer, don't be greedy. Wait for us. Instead of going round the Wolf Mountains, Custer force-marched his men through the mountains.

Did any soldiers survive Little Bighorn?

While no US Army soldier survived the engagement, one horse was found alive on the battlefield. The horse, named Comanche, had belonged Capt. Myles Keough, and had suffered no less than seven bullet wounds during the battle.

How many custers died at Little Bighorn?

All 210 U.S. soldiers who followed George Armstrong Custer into the Battle of the Little Bighorn were killed; Custer also died. There were about 50 known deaths among Sitting Bull's followers.

Did anybody survive Custer's last stand?

On April 15, 1853, Daniel Kanipe, one of two survivors of Custer's battalion at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, was born in Marion. Kanipe enlisted in Company C of the 7th United States Cavalry in 1872 and briefly served with the federal forces occupying Lincolnton during the Reconstruction era. In 1876, Lt. Col.

What Indian tribe attacked Custer?

The Battle of the Little Bighorn, fought on June 25, 1876, near the Little Bighorn River in Montana Territory, pitted federal troops led by Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer (1839-76) against a band of Lakota Sioux and Cheyenne warriors.

Was Custer a hero?

Although George Armstrong Custer was considered a hero by many Americans after the Battle of the Little Bighorn, his image changed in the latter half of the 20th century from gallant Indian fighter to bloodthirsty Indian killer.

What really happened at Little Bighorn?

June 25 marks an important day in U.S. history: The Battle of the Little Bighorn, known to Native Americans as the Battle at Greasy Grass and known to others as Custer's Last Stand, 1876. It was a victory for the Plains Indians of the Great Sioux Nation as they defeated General George A. Custer and 276 of his men.

Did Custer hang confederates?

He informed Lee that Custer hanged six of his men and 'It is my purpose to hang an equal number of Custer's men whenever I capture them. ' Lee approved the action and so reported to Confederate Secretary of War James A. Seddon, who responded that he 'cordially approved' the orders.

Was Custer scalped or mutilated?

It is known that General Custer's body, though stripped of clothing, was neither scalped nor mutilated. He had been struck twice by bullets, either one of which could have been fatal. The burials were made in shallow graves and properly marked wherever identification was possible.

Did Custer's horse survive?

When the remainder of the U.S. Army arrived on the battlefield several hours after the Indian attack wiped out Custer's troops, they found the 14 year old horse, badly wounded but still living and standing over the body of Captain Keogh.

Did Custer disobey orders?

Historians generally agree that Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer disobeyed General Alfred Terry's orders and split his command of the 7th Regiment of the U. S. Cavalry which numbered over 650 men total into three battalions: A| M| and G were commanded by Major Reno| D| H| and K were under Captain Benteen's ...

Is Custer still buried at Little Bighorn?

Custer's remains were re-interred at West Point, New York. In 1881, a granite memorial was erected on Last Stand Hill by the War Department. The remains of soldiers and attached personnel buried on the field were collected and re-interred in a mass grave around the base of the granite memorial on Last Stand Hill.

How many Indians were killed at the Little Bighorn?

Indians killed in the Little Bighorn fight. Historical accounts are ambiguous and conflicting, with estimates ranging from as few as 36 to more than 130.

Who was the last person to see Custer alive?

Frank Finkel (January 29, 1854 – August 28, 1930) was an American who rose to prominence late in his life and after his death for his claims to being the only survivor of George Armstrong Custer's famed "Last Stand" at the Battle of the Little Bighorn on June 25, 1876.