Civil War

Custer saved his military career in the American Civil War. Fighting for the North, he served in many Virginia campaigns and at the battle of Gettysburg. He was famous for being very brave and aggressive. He played an important role in forcing the retreat of the army of Confederate general Robert E. Lee. By the end of the war Custer had earned the rank of major general.

Fighting Native Americans

When the Civil War ended Custer became lieutenant colonel of an Army unit called the 7th Cavalry. In 1866 the Army ordered Custer to Kansas to fight Native Americans. Instead he went to visit his wife. In 1867 a military court found him guilty of disobeying orders. The Army suspended him for one year without pay. Custer returned to duty in 1868.

Custer defeated Native Americans in only one conflict: the battle of the Washita in what is now Oklahoma. In November 1868 Custer marched his men through heavy snow to attack a village of peaceful Cheyenne under Chief Black Kettle. The soldiers surprised the Cheyenne, who did not consider themselves at war. Custer's men killed between 30 and 100 men, women, and children.

Battle of the Little Bighorn

In 1874, looking for gold, Custer led soldiers into the Black Hills of what is now South Dakota. The U.S. government had recognized the northern Great Plains as the sacred hunting grounds of the Sioux. Many white miners, however, ignored that fact. Seeking gold, they followed Custer into the hunting grounds. The Sioux complained, but the United States insisted that the Sioux leave the hunting grounds. When the Sioux refused, the U.S. Army decided to round up the Sioux and drive them back to their assigned reservations.

Custer was supposed to prevent the Sioux from escaping during the Army's attack. Custer, however, was eager for fame and glory. He saw his chance when the 7th Cavalry came upon a camp of Sioux in what is now southeastern Montana. Custer decided to attack without waiting for reinforcements.

On June 25, 1876, Custer ordered an attack on the Sioux camp, which was headed by Chief Sitting Bull. With their Cheyenne and Arapaho allies, the Sioux warriors totaled more than 2,500. Custer and his men totaled about 200.

Custer split his forces into three parts and led a direct charge. The attack was one of the greatest disasters in the history of the U.S. Army. The Native Americans forced Custer's men onto a dusty ridge next to the Little Bighorn River. They surrounded Custer's force and killed all the men.