Things You Probably Didn't Know

[IceWizard]

About Custer And His Last Stand






On June 25, 1876, Lt. Col. George A. Custer and his 7th Cavalry died
at the hands of Sioux and Cheyenne warriors at the Battle of Little Big Horn
in Montana. To mark the anniversary of this battle here are some things you
didn’t know about Custer and his last stand.



He Was Killed At Little Bighorn Only 15 Years After Leaving West Point

Custer grossly miscalculated the strength and abilities of the Sioux and
Cheyenne warriors before the battle occurred on June 25. Bloody Knife,
his scout, told him the Seventh Cavalry didn’t have enough bullets to fight
the massed crowd of natives. Custer didn’t listen, and surprise probably
overtook him when he saw all the warriors riding toward him and his troops
in his final battle. Around 200 soldiers died at the hands of the
Native Americans on the day of the Little Bighorn battle. Among them
was Henry Reed, an 18-year-old nephew of Custer, and James Calhoun,
his brother-in-law. Custer’s two younger brothers, Thomas and Boston,
died as well. Thomas was a recipient of the Medal of Honor twice and
was a veteran of the Civil War.



He Graduated Last In His Class At West Point

Custer placed last in his graduating class at West Point. Fellow cadets attending
the U.S. Military Academy at West Point referred to him as a “dare-devil” and
someone who spent more energy playing pranks than studying. Custer’s
voluminous record of demerits earned him extra guard duty on most Saturdays,
but he did manage to graduate from West Point in 1861, albeit as the
lowest-ranking cadet, now known as “the goat.”



Custer Became a Civil War General In The Union Army at 23

Although Custer struggled in the classroom, he excelled on the battlefield.
After joining the Army of the Potomac’s cavalry following his graduation,
he gained notice for his daring cavalry charges, bold leadership style, and
tactical brilliance. In June 1863, Custer was promoted to the rank of
brigadier general at the age of 23, and he cemented his reputation as the
“Boy General” days later at the Battle of Gettysburg when he repelled a
pivotal Confederate assault led by J.E.B. Stuart. By the end of the Civil War,
Custer had risen to the rank of major general.



His Wife Received The Civil War Surrender Table As a Gift

When Robert E. Lee, the Confederate General, surrendered to General U.S. Grant,
the terms were signed on a small table. General Philip Sheridan purchased the
table and presented it to Custer's wife, Libbie, as a token of his appreciation for
her husband's service. “Permit me to say, Madam,” Sheridan wrote to Libbie,
“that there is scarcely an individual in our service who has contributed more
to bring about this desirable result than your gallant husband.” After Libbie’s
death in 1933, her will stipulated that the table be donated to the
Smithsonian Institution.



Ronald Reagan Played Custer On The Big Screen

In 1940, Santa Fe Trail opened at the box office with Ronald Reagan starring in
the role of General Custer. Historically, the movie was wildly inaccurate, starring
swashbuckler Errol Flynn as J.E.B. Stewart, as they hunted the abolitionist
John Brown in pre-Civil War Kansas. A year later, Flynn played Custer himself
in the highly mythologized biopic “They Died With Their Boots On.”