Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1876-11-09
General Clusters Promotion.


General Custer was promoted at one
bound from Lieutenant of cavalry toi
be Brigadier General. At the time
that II occurred. it was entirely unex-
pectCd. Custer had, however felt from
the beginning CT his career full convie-
ton that he would win distinction in
the war. In his open frank way, he
had OlteB spoken of il tO his brother
officers, at their long, tirelight talks.
He had received a good deal of ri iiculeI
on this point from his comrades.
At the battle of Aldie, Lieutenant
Custer may be said to have almost
alone turned defeat into one of onr
most brilliant cavalry victories. His
bi0gragher says:
lone evening, eleven days after
Aide, when Custer returned to head
quarters, after long ride, in which he
had been posting the pickets of the en-
tire corps for the night, he was greeted
in the large tent, where the staff WAS
wont to gather at night, by the saluta
tiOns, Halo, General p How are you,
General" Gentlemen, General Gus
ter why, General, l congratulate
your YOU'RE looking well, General =
The greetings came from all quarters of
the tent, where staff officers were
iounglng, smoking, chatting, laughing,
telling stores. They impressed Custer
as being merely a continuation of the
usual ill-natured banter on the subject
OF his aspirations, and further, as being
carried little too far. However, he
had always been noted for his remark
able control over hot and hasty tenn
per, and he was not going to allow his
comrades to laugh him cut of it on this
occasion. Still, il was with some Bit
terness that he answered:
"sYou may laugh, boys. Laugh as
long as you please, but L WILL be a
General yet, for all your chaff. You
see If don't that's ALL
"He was greeted by a universal
shout of laughter in answer. Itseemed
as il his tormentors weredetermined to
irritate him into an explosion; and they
nearly succeeded; for his blue eyes be-
gan to fash, and he looked around as
if seeking some one on whom to fix a
quarrel. His old friend Yates (after-
ward Brevet Lieutenant Colonel, and
Captain in the Seventh q. S. Cavalry,
and one of the little band of heroes who
fell with CUSTER, whom he had been
himself the means of putting on Pleas
onton's staff, came to his relief with a
few words:
"'Look on the taGle, old .fellow.
They're not eating. He pointed to the
table in the tent, and there, in the
midst, lay a large, official envelope,
and on it was written, 'Brigadier Gen
eral George A. Custer, U. S. Vols.'
'The reaction was instantaneous, and
the young fellow was completely over
come. A moment later, and all his
old comrades were gathered around
him in real earnest, congratulating and
shaking hands, while Custer, too much
overrowered to speak, could only smile
family, turn very pale, finds his eyes
full of tears, and sink down in chair,
feeling very much as if he was going
to make a fool of himself and cry.
However, he regained his self-control
in few moments, able to thank his
comrades, who were really in earnest
this time, and after while was per-
mitted to read the orders which accom-
panied his commission, and which di-
rected him to report to General Pleas
ontsD for instructions.
"Of the interview between Pleason-
ton aud himself it is unnecessary to
CPCdhs IL w 40 hCu VII lllS Ouc Sluc
by great kindness end good sense. A
few months later, Custer writes home
about Pleasonton, He has been more
like father to me than General
and this was indeed the truth. There
must, however, have been something
peculiarly magnetic about Custer to
have attracted to himself, as he did,
the enthusiastic affection of three men
of such very different characters as his
three successive commanders. McClel-
Ian, the polished scientific soldier, kind
hearted to fault, slow, methodical,
aud cautious; Pleasonton, acrid, sarcas-
tic, eXacting, an excellent cavalry chief.
but generally failing to attract any af-
fection from his subordinates, marti-
net in his discipline; Sheridan, fiery,
impetuous, untiring, remorseless in
the amount of work he exacted from
his troops; all these three men loved
admired, and trusted him entirely,
and it was-noihing. but his transcend
ent ability which forced them TO do
lso."