It's actually a somewhat complicated story. Custer graduated last in his class at West Point after accumulating a record number of demerits. He did well enough in the Civil War but was considered reckless by some commanders such as U.S. Grant.
His recklessness at the Little Big Horn stemmed in part from being in deep disfavor with the president, U.S. Grant. Custer had ratted out Grant's brother for being a shady sutler at western forts. Which he was, but Custer went about things the wrong way - poor politics, in other words. He was removed from command of the 7th Cavalry by Grant, but his boss, General Sheridan thought well of Custer's wife, Libby and had him restored to command.
At the scene in present day Montana, he refused to wait for all elements of the campaign to be in place to attack the Cheyenne and Lakota (Sioux) villages. He hoped to win the fight all by himself and redeem his name in the public's eye.
Bad move.
"Instead of spa, we'll drink down ale
and pay the reckoning on the nail.
No man for debt shall go to jail
from Garry Owen in glory."
We are a non commercial community interested only in the discussion of all things military.
We do not sell or authorise the use of images hosted on our servers, if you wish to purchase or use imagery contact the uploader directly.(you will need to register). Any requests received to purchase or use imagery will be ignored. Thank you and welcome to MI.Net
You have been here as a guest for a while, I guess we are doing something right?
Register as a member and join in the discussions, its completely free and we would welcome your contributions.
All the best admin - MI.Net
We value your privacy
We use essential cookies to make this site work, and optional cookies to enhance your experience.