|
George Armstrong Custer
December 5, 1839 - June 25, 1876
George Armstrong Custer was born to Emanuel Henry and Maria Ward
Kirkpatrick Custer on December 5, 1839 in New Rumley, Ohio.
He entered West Point on July 1, 1857 and graduated with the
second class of 1861, ranking 34th in a class of 34. Shortly after
graduation he was court-martialed for failing to stop a fight between two
cadets. Only the need for officers to fight in the civil war
prevented his being punished.
He was appointed second lieutenant, Company G, 2nd U.S. Cavalry,
on June 24, 1861. Joining his regiment on July 21, 1861, he participated
in the battle of Bull Run that day.
Custer displayed a fearless aggression during the campaigns
that earned the respect of both his men and his superiors, and became a brigadier
general by 1863. His cavalry units were critical in forcing CSA General
Robert E. Lee's forces to retreat and ultimately surrender. In gratitude,
General Philip Sheridan purchased and made a gift of the Appomattox surrender
table to Custer and his wife.
In 1866 Custer requested a leave of absence from the army so he could
accept command of the Mexican cavalry under the Mexican president Benito Juárez.
This was denied and he was moved westward to serve as lieutenant-colonel of the
Seventh Cavalry. Court-martialed again in 1867 for being absent from duty,
Custer maintained that he was being made a scapegoat for a failed
campaign. General Phil Sheridan agreed,
calling Custer back to duty in 1868. In 1873 he was ordered to
Dakota Territory to protect railway surveyors and gold miners who were crossing
land owned by the Sioux. The following year he led an expedition into the
Black Hills ( whose possession the United States had been guaranteed to
the Lakota six years before.)
In March, 1876 Custer so angered President Ulysses S. Grant with his testimony
about Indian Service corruption that he was relieved of command. Popular sentiment
forced Grant to reverse this decision and Custer returned to the northern plains
to meet his fate.
In General Alfred Howe Terry's original plan for defeating the Lakota, three forces under the command of Crook, Gibbon, and Custer
were to trap
the bulk of the Lakota and Cheyenne population between them. The Calvary's rapid advance had put
Custer far ahead of Gibbon and the slower-moving
infantry brigades. Meanwhile unknown to Custer and Gibbon, General Crook's forces had
been turned back by Crazy
Horse and his band at Rosebud
Creek.
On June 24, 1876, Custer and his men located an encampment of Sioux
on the Little Big Horn,
the size of which Custer underestimated. Splitting his force into
three groups with a frontal-assault group under his command and two flanking
columns, he attacked on the morning of June 25. The battle lasted
less than an hour. Cut off from the other two columns by thousands of
Lakota, Cheyenne and Arapaho warriors, Custer and his men died. The
remainder of the regiment were relieved by Terry's troops.
Both of these carved emu eggs comes with a hand turned wood egg stand and can
become a personalized gift with an inscription on the back.
Because of the variations of color and texture inherent in the emu
egg itself, each carved egg will be unique and make a distinctive
addition to any decor or collection. If you are looking for a
"different" housewarming gift, birthday present or other
special occasion gift for an student of Civil War, Indian Wars, or
Custer, this carved egg will delight them. Email the artist
for more information on this egg.
#194 George A. Custer Carved Emu Egg $95.00
#195 George A. Custer Carved Emu Egg $95.00
|
