General Custer's Last Stand on This Day in History

This Day in History: Civil War General George Armstrong Custer was killed at the Battle of the Little Bighorn in Montana Territory on this day in 1876, an action that came to be known as "Custer's Last Stand." His two brothers, Boston Custer and Thomas Custer were killed alongside him at Little Bighorn. Custer was German-American. His paternal ancestors, Paulus and Gertrude Küster, came to the colonies around 1693 from the Rhineland in Germany. More than 200,000 native Germans served in the Union Army in the Civil War, mostly from New York, Wisconsin, and Ohio.

He graduated last in his class at West Point, and he had contracted gonorrhea, possibly from a prostitute in New York City. He may have also fathered a child by a Cheyenne woman.

"George Armstrong Custer had almost as many nicknames as George W. Bush. When he was young, his family called him Armstrong and Autie, which came about when a young Custer tried to pronounce his middle name. Later in life, his troops called him Curley and Jack. Jack was actually because of his initials, G.A.C., which were emblazoned on his satchel. Finally, the Plains Indians called him Yellow Hair and Son of the Morning Star. I bet they had some other choice nicknames for him as well." Source

Despite often being seen as a negative, controversial figure, monuments, places and at least one statue are named in his honor. The Battle of Little Bighorn was one of 45 battles won by indigenous peoples of the Americas.

See also: George Armstrong Custer & the American Wild West, 200 Books on DVDrom
https://thebookshelf2015.blogspot.com/2015/09/buffalo-bill-american-wild-west-200.html