The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1876-07-09

took him to Gen. Scott who offered him
his choice of serving under Gen. Mans
field in organizing and drilling the troops
at the capital, or of reporting to Nc
Dowell for service in the field. Lieut.
Custer promptly chose the latter and at
once reported for duty with company u,
I'd cavalry, under command Of Maj. lnness
Palmer, which was already with Nc
Dowell's forces in front of Manassas.
Mai. Palmer's seven companies were all
the cavalry Mcdowell had, and they took
no active part in the battle. They were
attached to Hunters command, which
turned the rebel left, and Clusters COM
pany and one other cavalry company, aud
Arnold's battery of artillery were the
last organized union troops to cross Bull
Run.
Soon after the battle of Bull Run, Gen.
kearney was appointed to the command
of what was known rs the New Jersey
brigade. He selected Custer as his adj
jutant general, and Custer remained in
this position ill an order was
issued prohibiting officers Of the regular
army from serving on the stats of officers
holding commissions as volunteers.
He was absent on sick-list from Octo-
Der 1851 to February 1862 He served
through the peninsula campaign. was
made captain of staff TO Gen. Mcclellan.
June 5. 1862, aud was commissioned
lieutenant of the 9Th cavalry, July Il. Of
the same year. Through the entire war
CUSTER SERVED IN VIRGINIA
and few officers were engaged in more
actions than he. In sixty or more fights
of various sizes he participated. He was
commissioned brigadier general of volun-
teers June 30, 1863 brevet major reg uIar
army July 3, 1863 for gallant and mer-
itorious services at the battle of
Gettysburg, captain of the 9th cavalry,
May s, leUl brevet lieutenant colonel
| May ii, 1864, for gallant and meritorious
| services al the battle OF Yellow Tavern,
Va. brevet colonel Sept. -, ls64, tor
| gallant and meritorious services at the
battle Of Winchester; brevet
MAJOR GENERAL OF VOLUNTEERS
| Oct. Il, 1854, tor gallant and meritorious
services at the battles Of Winchester and
| Fishers Hill brevet brigadier general
| (regulars) March Is. 1865, for his con-
duct at the battle OF Five Forks; brevet
major general (regulars). same date. for
his services during the campaign ending
| in Lees surrender, and major general of
volunteers, April Is, 1865. tie was
| mustered out of the volunteer service,
| Feb. /, 1866, and commissioned lieuten-
ant colonel, 9TH cavalry, July IS, of the
same year.
Gen. Custer was engaged in Stone
mans raid toward Richmond. April.
1853, and commanded cavalry brigade
| in the army of the Potomac, in the Penn
| sylyania campaign of June and July,
1863. He was then absent short time
on sick leave, but was again in command
OF cavalry brigade in the Richmond
| campaign from April to August, 1866.
In the tall Of the year he commanded
| division in the cavalry corps Of the Shen-
andoah valley, and commanded a cavalry
division from March to May, 1865. From
June to July of the same year he COM
manded cavalry division in the military
division of the Southwest, and was then
transferred In tie same capacity to the
| military division of the Cult. He was
| chief OF cavalry la the department of
Texas from November, 1866, to Febru-
airy. 1866.
This record may seem dry and uninter.
esting, but it is really the record OF
BRILLIANT MILITARY CAREER.
| Gen Custer was but little over % years
| OF age when Lee surrendered, and his
twelve promotions, in full and brevet
during four years tell their own tale OF
bravery, skill, and success.
July IL, 1868, Gen. Fitzpatrick struck q
body Of retreating rebels and ordered
Custer 10 charge them. Custer drove
| their rear guard into the river at Will
Transport, and Fitzpatrick pushing on to
Falling Waters, struck the enemy Sc
we're blow. In his official report kilpat-
rick says; 10 Gen. Custer and his brig
age, Lieut.. Pennington and his battery,
aud squad Of the Sth New York cavalry
Of Butord's division ali praise is due"
On the 18th Of September, 1868, Custer,
| with four regiments OF cavalry, or rather
the remnants OF tour regiments, made q
brilliant charge on body OF Stuart's
| cavalry at Culpepper court house, and
completely routed them, capturing three
Blakely guns and other material of war.
On the llth Of October, OF the same
year, Fitzpatrick found himself between
Fitzhugh Lee and Stuart with large
body Of rebel troopers in his rear, cut
| ting of his retreat. His position was crit
ical, but by hard fighting he turned al
most certain defeat into
DECISIVE VICTORY
He gave Custer the command of his left
wing, and by simultaneous charge in
three directions routed the rebels. Will
lard GlaZer, in his Three Years in the
Federal Cavalry, says: "Custer, the dar-
ing, terrible demon that he Is In battle,
pulled of his cap and handed il to his or
| dtrly. then dashed madly forward In the
[ charge while his yellow locks floated
| like penants on the breeze"
On the Sth of April, 1865, Sheridan con-
centrated his troops At Prospect station
and sent Mcrritt's and Crooks divisions
forward to AppomattoX station on the
Lynchburg railroad, five miles from Ap-
pomattox Courthouse, where were four
trains Of supplies tor Lees army. By a
march OF Is miles the depot and supplies
were reached, and by the admirable man
agement OF Custer, who was in advance,
| the supplies were captured. Custer AT
once pushed on toward Appomattox
Court-House, fought the head of Lees
army for several hours, and drove IL back
on the main body, capturing % guns,
hospital trains, wagons, and provisions.
When Lee sent In his white nag il was
first received by Clusters troops, who
were at the heal Of the union forces.
Before leaving Clusters career in the
civil war II may not be uninteresting to
recall the tact that he narrowly escaped
being victim 10 the hostility felt on the
part OF many 10 GeL. Mcclellan. While
his nomination to the rank OF brigade.
general was awaiting confirmation, Gus