George A. Custer

George Armstrong Custer (1839-1876) - Born 5 Dec 1839 in New Rumley, Ohio. A career U.S. Army cavalry officer who served in the U.S. Civil War and the Sioux War of 1876-1877. Died 25 Jun 1876, in the Battle of Little Big Horn River, Montana.

He entered the United States Military Academy 1 Jul 1857 and graduated on 24 Jun 1861 in the Class of 1861 ranking 34th out of 34.

He served in the U.S. Civil War rising from 2nd Lieutenant on 24 Jun 1861 to Major General of U.S. Volunteers 15 Apr 1865. He participated in many of the major battles of the war including the Battle of Gettysburg, the Battle of Yellow Tavern, Cold Harbor, Winchester and was present at the surrender of General Robert E. Lee at Appomattox Courthouse.

At the conclusion of the war, he was mustered out of the U.S. Volunteer Service and re-entered regular Army as a Lieutenant Colonel, 7th U.S. Cavalry. He then served at a number of frontier posts during the western Indian Wars. His last expedition was conducted against the Sioux Indians in present-day Montana. Custer was defeated at the Battle of Little Bighorn River by a coalition of Indian tribes and his entire command was killed. The loss became known as "Custer's Last Stand" and overshadowed his superb civil war record.

Custer's body was recovered from the battlefield and interred at West Point Cemetery. A statue of him was placed at a prominent point on the grounds overlooking the Hudson River but his wife objected to the statue and it was removed and replaced with a simple monument. The monument now resides in the West Point Cemetery along with his remains.

Fort Custer (1) and Custer National Cemetery in Montana were named after him.

Sources:
 * Wikipedia - George A. Custer
 * Wikipedia - Custer Monument
 * Cullum Register - George A. Custer
 * Find-A-Grave - George A. Custer