George Armstrong Custer is probably one of the most emotive figures in American Military History. The reason for this is of course the ill-fated Little Bighorn Campaign of 1876, which saw Custer's demise and that of the 7th Cavalrymen that followed him. Custer has sometimes been dismissed as one of the most tragic failures of the United States Army because of what happened on the 25th June 1876, but is this a reasonable and fair assessment of this soldier’s career? Perhaps it is time to reassess this notion by taking into account not only the result of Custer’s last campaign, but also some of the other campaigns he was involved in during his lifetime.

 

Custer was a professional soldier and graduated from West Point in 1861 at the outset of the Civil War. The contemporary evidence suggests that he was not at the top of his class there. However, when the Civil War erupted Custer, as a West Point Graduate, was a valuable commodity because the Officer Corps had been decimated by the decision of many Southern Officers to join the Confederate Army. 

 

Once in the field Custer was quick to distinguish himself in battle and soon came to the attention of senior officers who helped him advance his military career. Indeed, as early as 1862 Custer impressed General George McClellan, the Commander of the Army of the Potomac, by leading a successful foray against Confederate troops across the Chickahominy River, which earned him the rank of Captain. However, it was under cavalry General Alfred Pleasanton that Custer’s career really began to take off. Shortly before the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863 Pleasanton personally promoted Captain George Armstrong Custer to the rank of Brigadier General. In response to skeptics Pleasanton reputedly stated that Custer was the best cavalry commander in existence.

 

The demands of wartime often mean that promotion can come much quicker to a soldier than it does in times of peace. However, Custer’s elevation during the Civil War is remarkable even though other young and junior officers such as Wesley Meritt also reached General rank during the conflict. In reality, is doubtful whether Custer would have achieved General rank at all if he had not showed some potential as a soldier and commander in the field. Whatever one thinks of McClellan and Pleasanton neither man would have been foolish enough to praise and promote a relatively inexperienced officer if  it had not been to their advantage.

 

Indeed, Custer’s potential came to the fore during the Battle of Gettysburg when the Confederate cavalry under J.E.B Stuart attempted to attack the rear of the Union army. In a series of charges Custer’s outnumbered Michigan Brigade cavalry sent the Rebel horsemen packing and possibly saved the Army of the Potomac and the Union from a crippling defeat. Though Custer’s cavalry charges were considered reckless and foolhardy by some he correctly ascertained the threat posed and took the appropriate course. Moreover, he risked his own life by personally leading the attack against the Confederates, which encouraged his own men to  fight and defeat a numerically stronger enemy. Valid assessments of Custer the military man must take into account his exploits and successes during the Civil War.

 

Okay, one could come to the conclusion that Custer was an alright commander in the field against a regular standing army like the Confederate Army, but when it came to fighting Native Americans he was out of his depth. Surely the Little Bighorn Battle, where his regiment was cut off and destroyed by the Sioux and Cheyenne must prove this point? Again, one must look to a pre-1876 campaign in order to make a fair and impartial assessment. The Battle of the Washita in 1868 is an interesting example.

 

Though Custer had been recently court-martialed and removed from command of the newly formed 7th cavalry, General Phillip Sheridan restored Custer to his command in 1868 for an impending offensive against the Plains Indians. Sheridan had been Custer’s Commander during the later stages of the Civil War. He obviously had plenty of confidence in Custer otherwise he would not have allowed him to take on such a formidable enemy and  Sheridan was not to be disappointed. On 27th November 1868 Custer, with the help of Native American scouts and a compass led the 7th Cavalry through falling snow into the Valley of the Washita River and surprised and captured a Cheyenne village with the loss of only one officer and three men.

 

Despite these successes Custer's name nearly always brings to mind the circumstances of his tragic end. It is not within the scale of this article to debate the pros and cons of the Little Bighorn campaign and whether is was Custer's fault or that of his subordinates or superior officers. The point  to be made here is that when forming an opinion about Custer the soldier it is essential to take into account all his campaigns rather than just the last one as significant as it was. The successes as well as the defeat at the Little Bighorn need to be equally reflected upon when debating or writing about the military career of this famous American soldier.