One hundred and eighty years ago, a man, as well as legend, was born. Entering this world into a humble beginning, he would go onto become both a hero and a villain. However, without his loving wife, the man, the myth, George Armstrong Custer, may have been largely forgotten to time.

On Dec. 5, 1839, Custer was born to Emanuel Henry Custer, a blacksmith, and Marie Ward Kirkpatrick, both of whom would live to see the death of their son, and his two younger brothers.

While Custer would grow up in a generally happy home, he began to show problems in school settings. Hating to do homework, and easily becoming bored, Custer spent much of his time at school playing practical jokes and pranks, which would find him getting into trouble.

Responding to his son’s poor academic performances, his father had Custer apprentice as a furniture maker, another endeavor that would prove to be unsuccessful. Not knowing what to do with their son, Custer’s mother eventually decided it was best to send him off to live with his stepsister, Lydia Ann Reed, in Michigan.

It would be in the care of his stepsister that Custer developed a new discipline. Finding value in his education, Custer was able to return to his home, in Ohio, three years later. In little time, he would go on to earn a teaching certificate.

The young boy who had given his teachers so much grief would go on to become a teacher himself. At the age of 16, Custer took his first, and what would be only, teaching position. His posting would only last a year, but it also was the first step to becoming the soldier he dreamed of.

Tired of being a school teacher, Custer wrote to his congressman, John A. Bingham, with the hopes that he would be able to secure an appointment to West Point. It was a long shot, as Custer’s family were vocal Democrats, while Bingham was Republican. Under normal circumstances, it would be expected that Bingham would have allotted his seat to someone of the same party.

However, as with much of Custer’s life, the circumstances were a bit unusual. As a school teacher, Custer had roomed at the house of Alexander Holland, who was influential in Republican circles. Holland was also the father to a teenage daughter.

Getting close to Holland’s daughter, Mollie, Custer had formed a budding romance. Holland would go on to evict Custer, but Custer was a persistent suitor, writing a number of love notes for Mary, with a few alluding to the possibility of marriage.

Possibly in exasperation, Holland would petition Bingham to give Custer the appointment. Holland would succeed in breaking up the romance between his daughter and Custer.

Beginning a military career
At West Point, Custer would return to his early school boy ways. Quickly distinguishing himself as a class rogue, Custer was on the verge of being dismissed on a number of occasions. By the time he graduated, he would do so at the bottom of a class of 34.

Once again though, normal circumstances were thrown to the wind, and with the Civil War breaking out in April 1861, Custer would graduate a year early from West Point. He choose the Cavalry as his branch of service, even though it was his worst subject at the academy.

Custer would initially begin his military career as being assigned to stay duty, but would go on to distinguish himself as a person who was willing to volunteer and could be counted on.

It was just two weeks after receiving his commission that Custer would see his first battle; the first Battle of Bull Run. Inexperienced, the Union troops would be forced to flee.

However, the defeat did not discourage Custer. Over the next four years, he would go on to fight in nearly all of the major battles of the war.

While Custer may have had a lackluster education career, he would soon go on to distinguish himself as a soldier. Leading the cavalry behind enemy lines in daring raids, Custer would soon gain the attention of General George McClellan.

Impressed, McClellan promoted Custer to the temporary rank of brigadier general, making him the youngest person in United States history, at the age of 23, to have achieved the rank of general in the U.S. Army, earning him the nickname, “Boy General.”

By the end of the war, Custer would steadily advance in rank, eventually taking command of an entire Cavalry Division as a Major General.

Courting “Libbie”
While Custer was busy making a name for himself in the military, he was also occupied with courting the woman who would become his future wife, Elizabeth “Libbie” Bacon.

Libby was first introduced to Custer in November of 1862. As the daughter of an influential judge, Daniel Bacon, she was sought-after by many men.

Custer would go on to say that he fell in love with Libbie at their first meeting; however, for Libbie, it was a different matter. Initially, she fended off Custer’s advances. Eventually though, she would warm up to the confident young man. Custer’s main hurdle would be winning over Libby’s father.

Learning of Libbie and Custer’s courtship, Bacon disapproved of his daughter seeing someone beneath her station. He forbid Custer from entering into his house, or even having Libbie meet him outside. When Custer proposed marriage to Libbie during the last week of 1862, Bacon would hear none of it.

As Libbie was Bacon’s only child to survive into adulthood, he doted on her, and wanted to see her have better than the life of an army wife. Custer, being persistent, eventually began to win over Bacon though.

With Custer’s rising in rank within the military, Bacon would begin to relent. Achieving the rank of Brevet Brigadier General, Custer would finally be seen as worthy enough to marry Libbie. On Feb. 9, 1864, the two were married.

For just over a decade, they would have a loving, even though somewhat chaotic relationship. As both were stubborn, as well as ambitious, the two had a dynamic life together. Refusing to be left behind, Libbie also stood out as being one of the only wives to follow their husbands, regardless of where they may be taken.

Life after the Civil War
After the North won the Civil War, Custer returned to his regular rank of captain in the Fifth Cavalry. With that, Custer took an extended leave from the military, while he pursued other possible career opportunities, such as in railroads or mining.

However, it was a position within the military that he eventually sought; however, it was not with the U.S. military. During his leave, Custer was offered the position of adjutant general of the army of Benito Juarez of Mexico. It came with $10,000 in gold.

In order to take the position though, Custer had to seek a leave of absence from U.S. Army. Libbie did not approve. Neither did the U.S. Secretary of State, William H. Seward.

Against the idea of having an American officer commanding foreign troops, Seward opposed the leave. Instead, Custer was given another option; he could resign from the Army. It was an option Custer was not willing to take.

As Custer was busy considering his options, tragedy struck for Libbie. Her father passed away in May, 1866. Returning to Libbie’s home in Michigan, Custer started to consider running for Congress.

However, Custer would once again find himself back in a military career. Later in 1866, Custer was appointed as lieutenant colonel of the Seventh Cavalry. At the time, he was headquartered at Fort Riley, Kan. Because of a plea from General Philip Sheridan, Custer would be appointed as brevet major general.

Custer’s problems wouldn’t end there though. In 1867, Custer was court-martialed for being AWOL. He had abandoned his post to see his wife, and for that, was suspended from duty for one year.

Sheridan saw the charges being more politically motivated, based on a dislike of Custer, and had him reinstated early.

Back with the Seventh Cavalry, Custer would find himself in command, as the first Colonel, Andrew Smith, and second Colonel, Samuel String, were often on detached service. It would be with this regiment that Custer would find himself at Fort Abraham Lincoln.

Dakota Territories
Custer returned to duty in 1868, dishonored. He would begin the final phase of his military career: the American Indian Wars.

It was during this campaign that Custer found himself just south of what would once be Mandan. At Fort Abraham Lincoln, Custer served as the posts first commander, a position he kept until his death in 1876.

His original mission was to protect a railroad survey crew from the Lakota. On Aug. 4, 1873, the Seventh Cavalry would have it’s first clash with the Lakota. Only one individual was killed on either side.

It was also from Fort Lincoln that Custer led an expedition to the Black Hills of South Dakota, where gold would be found. The discovery would trigger the Black Hills Gold Rush.

However, it was 1876 that became the monumental time in Custer’s life.

The first big event that took place was Custer being summoned to Washington, so that he could testify before Congress. President Ulysses S. Grant’s brother, Orville Grant, and the Secretary of War, William W. Belknap had been charged with corruption, and Custer was there to testify in that regard.

His testimony was a sensation, with the Republican press highly criticizing Custer, while the Democrats were praising him. However, it also placed Custer on a shakier ground with the President.

Having earlier arrested the President’s son, Fred Grant, for drunkenness, as well as writing magazine articles, which criticized Grant’s policies towards peace with the American Indians, Custer had found himself at odds with the President.

With Grant less than friendly, Custer attempted to get permission to leave Washington and join the Seventh Cavalry back at Fort Lincoln. Each time Custer requested a meeting, Grant would turn it down. Giving up, Custer left with plans of rejoining his regiment.

Shortly thereafter, Custer would be arrested. Grant would make the order for Custer to be replaced in an expedition to Montana. However, with pressure from various senior Army officers, as well coming under attack for his treatment of Custer, Grant decided to recall the order.

Once Custer finally returned to Fort Lincoln, his second, and final, big event would occur; the Battle of Little Bighorn.

It would be this final battle that Custer would eventually loose his life.

Libbie and Legacy
Having lost her husband to war, Libbie’s life began to quickly change. Custer became a focal point; however, instead of seeing him in a positive light, the government began their criticism, with Grant placing the blame on Custer for the disaster.

Seeing that her husband was being used as a scapegoat, Libbie launched her own campaign to save Custer’s name. Through speaking engagements, and the release of numerous written works, Libbie began to highlight the glory of Custer, launching him into American lore as a legendary figure.

Largely because of the efforts of Libbie, Custer’s legacy would live on, even with figures such as President Theodore Roosevelt labeling him as a hero. A myth was eventually born.