George Armstrong Custer (December 5, 1839 – June 25, 1876) was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars. Promoted at an early age to a temporary war-time rank of Major General, and later made a permanent Lieutenant Colonel, he was a flamboyant and aggressive commander during numerous Civil War battles, known for his personal bravery in leading charges against opposing cavalry. He led the Michigan Brigade whom he called the "Wolverines" during the Civil War. He was defeated and killed at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, against a coalition of Native American tribes composed almost exclusively of Sioux, Cheyenne and Arapaho warriors, and led by the Sioux chiefs Crazy Horse and Gall and by the Hunkpapa seer and medicine man, Sitting Bull. This confrontation has come to be popularly known and enshrined in American and European history as Custer's Last Stand.

With the advance of the Northern Pacific Railroad out west, the US military was sent to Dakota Territory, by June of 1872, to protect the survey crews and railroad workers.  By the fall of 1873, six companies of the 7^th Cavalry arrived at Fort Abraham Lincoln under command of Lieutenant Colonel George A. Custer. Their mission was to further the advancement of the Northern Pacific Railroad and open the westward expansion of the American frontier.

By 1874, Fort Abraham Lincoln would be the largest, most important, and to be considered the “premier “frontier fort on the Northern Plains with 650 Infantry and Cavalry soldiers keeping the post maintained and operational.

The spring of 1876 would take the Army into the valley of the Little Big Horn, to force the non-treaty Indians back to their respective reservations.  Outnumbered, outgunned, and out-maneuvered, 260 cavalry troopers would not return to Fort Abraham Lincoln, including Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer.

By 1883, the railroad had been completed to Montana and Fort Abraham Lincoln’s importance declined, leaving Fort Abraham Lincoln to be later officially abandoned in 1891 by order of Congress.  Fort Abraham Lincoln and General Custer’s 7^th Cavalry would leave a lasting legacy for years to come.

Today, the visitor can relive what Fort Abraham Lincoln was like for General Custer and his command in the year 1875.  We invite you to take a step “ back to 1875 “ as uniformed soldiers and laundresses conduct “ Living History “ style guided tours through the reconstructed Custer House and Central Barracks.  Relive the Legacy! Come out to Fort Abraham Lincoln and see for yourself.

Day Four