Few nineteenth century military leaders gained as much fame and publicity as General George Armstrong Custer of the seventh cavalry. From West Point, to the battlefields of the Civil War, and then on to the Great Plains to fight the Lakota Indians, he had his hand in many of the most important and influential battles of the late 1800's. Although, it was his tragic demise at the Battle of Little Bighorn that put him into history books everywhere.
George A. Custer was born in New Rumley, Ohio on December 5, 1839. He spent much of his childhood in Monroe, Michigan. This is also where he went to high school and was looked after by his stepsister. Custer always knew that wanted to be in the military, but not just as a plain and simple private. He wanted to be in command and for the ambitious "do it my way" attitude that Custer possessed, an officer's title is probably the only way he would last in the military. .
After high school, Custer wasted no time in getting into the prestigious West Point Military Academy, where he would soon be an officer and on his way into history.
Custers West Point experiences were not that exceptional. He failed to distinguish himself in any positive way and graduated last in his class in 1861. Several days after graduation, he failed in his duty as officer of the guard to stop a fight between two cadets, and was sent to face a military court martial. No punishment was ever enforced because of the dire need for officers in the now deadly Civil War. With all the negative instances surrounding Custer it seemed as if his military career would be short and full of controversy. Ironically, the Civil War not only saved Custer from military persecution but it gave him the chance to prove himself on the battlefield.
At the start of the Civil War Custer served in the staff of General George B. McClellan, and experienced his first taste of real combat in the Battle of Bull Run.
