George Armstrong Custer is remembered most for the way his story ended at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. But long before that final charge, he had already become one of the most controversial figures of the Civil War and the American frontier. His name stirred admiration and outrage in equal measure, and his rise through the Union ranks revealed a man both daring and divisive.
Custer was born in Ohio in 1839 and arrived at West Point with little to recommend him. He graduated last in his class and first in demerits, quickly earning a reputation for recklessness. Yet when the Civil War began, those same qualities gave him an edge. He charged into battle with charisma, flamboyance, and a willingness to take risks that won him attention from his superiors. At just 23 years old, he became one of the youngest Union generals of the war. His cavalry units fought with distinction at Gettysburg and other Civil War battles, and his men admired him for leading from the front.
After the war, Custer struggled to adapt to peacetime life. He gambled, pursued business ventures, and dabbled in writing, but none of it brought the same sense of purpose. The army remained his stage. Sent west, he played a central role in the wars against the Plains tribes, campaigns that remain deeply debated to this day. For the Lakota and Cheyenne, the encroachment of settlers and the army brought devastation. For Custer, the campaigns offered a chance to restore his reputation and to live out the gallant, romantic image he created for himself.
That tension defined his career. Custer was both a soldier of real skill and a man undone by his own ambition. He could read an ambush and fight with tactical precision, yet he often clashed with superiors and broke military discipline. He courted celebrity in newspapers and on lecture circuits while his wife, Libbie Custer, worked tirelessly to shape his legacy after his death.
On June 25, 1876, Custer's story reached its violent climax at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Surrounded by Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho warriors, he and more than 200 of his men were killed. To some, his death cemented him as a tragic hero. To others, it symbolized arrogance and miscalculation. More than a century later, his life still provokes argument. Was he one of the great Civil War generals who helped the Union win, or a reckless commander whose final decisions cost countless lives? Pulitzer Prize-winning historian T.J. Stiles argues that Custer's significance lies not only in his death but in the way he embodied a changing America. T.J. Stiles shares the story.
We'd like to thank the U.S. National Archives for allowing us access to this audio.