George Armstrong Custer
George Armstrong Custer (1839-76), US soldier. De-spite his poor achievements at West Point military academy, he showed such brilliance as a cavalry officer during the American Civil War that he was placed at the head of a cavalry brigade in the final campaign. As commander of the 7th Cavalry Regiment, he crushed the Cheyenne Indians in 1868. In 1876, while campaigning against the Sioux Indians led by Sitting Bull, Custer discovered an enemy encampment near the Little Big Horn River and attacked it against orders. In the battle, known as ‘Custer’s Last Stand’, he was killed along with his 264 men.
