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George Armstrong Custer
George Armstrong Custer was an American military leader who became quite well known as a cavalry commander during the Civil War and in the opening of the West in the years after the war.
George Custer was born on December 5, 1839, in New Rumley, Ohio. He attended common schools in Ohio and briefly enrolled in a private academy. Custer was a bright student, but he disliked studying. Nevertheless, he secured an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1857. He graduated in July 1861, ranking last in his class.
He participated in the Battle of First Bull Run with the Fifth Regiment of the United States Cavalry. Following the battle, he briefly served on the staff of General Philip Kearney. During the autumn of 1861, he returned to Monroe, Michigan, which had become his hometown. While visiting his sister, he pledged to abstain from alcohol. He honored this pledge for the remainder of his life.