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Custer never led any Union Army during the Civil War of 1860 to 1865; he was given temporary command of a brigade of cavalry (the "Wolverines" or Michigan Cavalry Brigade) and later the 3rd Cavalry Division.

Custer left West Point Military Academy as a Second Lieutenant in 1861 - his instructors considered him an undisciplined and very poor cadet and he graduated last in his class of 34. Since the Union army was desperately short of officers he was accepted anyway in the 2nd Cavalry. He fought at Bull Run, then in the 5th Cavalry in the Peninsula campaign, rising to temporary captain in 1862. His foolish bravado and reckless bravery got him noticed.

Just before the Gettysburg campaign general Pleasanton promoted Custer to the rank of Brevet Brigadier General of Volunteer Cavalry - despite him having no command experience. The word "brevet" signified that this promotion was only temporary and would last no longer than the duration of the war. He was later given the same brevet rank in the regular army.

In 1866 Custer reverted to his previous rank of captain in the 5th Cavalry, then he was made Lieutenant-Colonel in charge of the newly-formed 7th Cavalry which he later led into disaster at the Little Bighorn in 1876.

Many people continued to call him "General Custer" as a kind of compliment, but this was not his actual rank after 1866.

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Q: How did george Armstrong Custer get to be a union army leader?
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Who was the leader for the Republicans in the Battle of Gettysburg?

The commander of the Union forces was George Meade, but not all of the Union forces were Republican. Most of the Irish regiments, for example, were Democrats, as was Union cavalry George Armstrong Custer.


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268 Union troops, including the worthless general George Armstrong Custer, were killed by Indian tribes.


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The main Union generals were, Winfield Scott, George McClellan, Henry Halleck, Ambrose Burnside, George Armstrong Custer, Philip Sheridan, Joseph Hooker, George Meade, in the east; and Grant, Sherman, and Thomas in the West; with Grant eventually becoming the overall commander.


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