Some people think they know a lot about G. A. Custer -- others know they do.
I am in the middle -- I *think* I do.
Erik Conard's piece didn't begin to explore Custer's rank and how he was
addressed.
Brevets were given in place of medals in the Civil war -- because the only medal we had
at the time was the Purple Heart until the Medal of Honor came about later in that same
conflict.
GAC was breveted General 4 times. All brevets were rescinded at end of CW. So Custer
was not being selectively insulted. But. . .all officers who held brevets were allowed
to sign themselves by their last highest rank and be addressed by that rank. Thus
Benteen was a "Colonel" and Tom Custer was a "Colonel" and Reno was a
"Brgadier
General."
Formally, Lt. Col. Custer was called "Colonel" (it's shorter and Lt. Colonel
is a kind of Colonel as a Rear Admiral is a kind of Admiral). He was allowed to and
did sign himself Lt. Colonel with "Brevet Major General Commanding" underneath
-- it
was his privilege. In all formal military situations, he was addressed as
"Colonel."
Friends called him "General"; peers and superiors often called him
"Armstrong"
The rest of the piece is curious -- the Custers left Hays, Kansas in mid 1870, not
in 1874! And spent nearly 2 years in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. By 1874 the Custers were
at Fort Abraham Lincoln and had been there from late Fall 1873.
As for Colonel Custer having only Sheridan as a friend -- well, Custer's numerous
friends
would have been surprised.
"Show off" -- yes, when he was hunting. He was alwyas on about his hunting
prowess and
his dogs. His other bragging was usually about "his" 7th.
A "Hot dog"-- only when off duty. When on duty, in garrison (and even in the
field) he
tended to be pretty formal.
linda terrell
Linda Terrell
lindat5(a)mindspring.com
lindat(a)ibm.net