The Life of Geroge Armstrong Custer - 884 Words

Synopsis: George Armstrong Custer was a West Point graduate who attained military promotions to brigadier general and major general in the regular army on March 13, 1865 and major general of volunteers April 15, 1865 during the American Civil War. Later in 1870’s, Custer moved to the west to fight in the Indian Wars. On June 25, 1876, a battle at Little Bighorn against Lakota and Cheyenne warriors was fought where he led 210 men. Custer and all of his men were killed in the battle. The battle, also known as â€Å"Custer’s Last Stand,† was part of the Black Hills War against a confederation of Plains Indians, including the Cheyenne and Dakota Sioux. It is considered one of the most controversial battles in U.S. history. A cavalry commander in the United States Army, Custer fought in both the Indian Wars as well as the Civil War. He was born and brought up in Ohio and Michigan and West Point admitted in 1858. During the Civil War he gained a reputation that was str ong because of whom he associated with. The Battle of Bull Run was his first major involvement. He had a temporary promotion to major general but returned to captain at the end of the war. After the Civil Wars, he left for the west and the Indian Wars. He led the 7th Cavalry in the battle of Washita River. Later, in 1873, he was sent to the Dakota Territory to help protect a railroad survey crew from attacks by the Lakota Indians. By 1876, still in the Black Hills, tensions had risen between the United States and the