George A. Custer - 1865

George Armstrong Custer is an iconic and controversial personality of the history of the United States of America.

The career of this cavalry commander of the U. S. Army started as soon as he graduated from West Point Academy (being at the bottom of his class, by the way). He participated in diverse battles, including Gettysburg, where he led the Michigan Cavalry Brigade and fought and defeated the legendary Confederate general J. E. B. Stuart. He witnessed the surrender of Robert E. Lee at Appomatox and ended the war with the rank of Major General, U. S. Volunteers.

After the war, he was sent to the West in order to fight in the Indian Wars. During the Black Hills Wars, that actually started when he announced the discovery of Gold in the territory of the Lakotas which, in time, triggered a gold rush that invaded the Indian lands, he was sent along the famous 7th Cavalry Regiment to evict the natives from their lands.

The decisive moment came when his task force of 700 troopers was annihilated by a superior combined force of Lakotas, Dakotas, Cheyennes, and Arapahoes at an epic showdown known to history as the Battle of Little Big Horn. Custer himself died at the battle and his final stand became an iconic picture in American culture.

The opinion is divided around this historical character. Some highlight his talent as a cavalry commander and his heroic last stand against overwhelming odds. Others think he was careless and underestimated the numbers and abilities of the natives. Also, the dubious morality of his mission is part of the controversy, obviously.

For our bust, we have chosen an iconic image in which he appears with the Major General, U. S. Volunteers, just after the end of the Civil War.