George Armstrong Custer

United States cavalry commander (1839–1876)

  • Fame59.5
  • Momentum0.3
  • Wikipedia83.9K
Source-basedFalling
Lived 1839–1876, aged 37United States
  • Wikipedia
    56 languages
    Cross-language footprint
  • Era
    1839–1876
    Aged 37
Summary
Updated 2026-06-09

The cavalry officer who rose to brigadier general at 23, won at Gettysburg, and took the Confederate flag of truce at Appomattox — then rode into the Montana Territory and died with every man in his command at Little Bighorn.

Biography

About

George Armstrong Custer graduated dead last in West Point's class of 1861 — 34th of 34 — yet outranked every one of his classmates by war's end. Generals McClellan and Pleasonton saw something in him as a cavalry leader, and at 23 he was made brevet brigadier general of volunteers. Days later, in July 1863, he commanded the Michigan Brigade at Gettysburg and beat J. E. B. Stuart's Confederate cavalry on the battle's third day despite being outnumbered. He rode with Sheridan through the Shenandoah in 1864, crushed Jubal Early at Cedar Creek and again at Waynesboro, then blocked Lee's final retr…

Voice

In their own words

Sourced, dated quotes from George Armstrong Custer

George Armstrong Custer
said
Ah!" said the doctor, in his most complacent manner, "here is the opportunity I have long been waiting for. I have often desired to test and taste the Indian mode of cooking.
"My Life on the Plains", in The Galaxy, vol. 14, no. 4 (April 1872) p. 471
George Armstrong Custer
said
Wild Bill" was a strange character, just the one which a novelist might gloat over. Me was a Plainsman in every sense of the word, yet unlike any other of his class.
"My Life on the Plains", in The Galaxy, vol. 14, no. 4 (April 1872) p. 473–74
George Armstrong Custer
said
The opening of an Indian campaign is ...
"My Life on the Plains", in The Galaxy, vol. 14, no. 3 (March 1872) p. 327
George Armstrong Custer
saidundated
The most exciting sport I ever engaged in.
Of killing a Confederate officer. Reported in Michael Phipps, "Come on, You Wolverines!": Custer at Gettysburg (1995) p. 9
Deep cuts

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By the numbers

Score breakdown

The six component signals behind the Fame score, and their ranks across the leaderboards.

Fame
Falling
59.5
Composite of search demand, mentions, audience & graph footprint.
Score components
Momentum0.3
Historical27.0
Source confidence60.0
Completeness70.0
Global rank
Country rank
Category rank
Receipts

Sources

  • Wikipedia
    wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org
    High confidence
  • Wikidata
    wikidata · wikidata.org
    High confidence
  • Pantheon 2.0
    database · pantheon.world
    High confidence