The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1929-06-14
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ing up against Mexico. Peaceful
America was getting ready to have her
regular one-war-per-generation conflict.
Even the backwoods settlements in
Ohio were thrilled by the righteous
ness of one-sided patriotism. Silver
tongued orators were making the little
red brick schoolhouses and the white
framed churches fairly ring with RE
member the Alamo!"
Emmanuel Custer Joined the local
militia, the New Rumley Invincibles'
and SO our future general, little
Autie'-which was the home manufac-
tured nickname for Armstrong
leased and leased, until his mother
made him a uniform out of one of
paws suits and paw whitfield out a
gun for him. By the time the Mexican
war came along in earnest, Autie was
seven and could go through the old
Scott manual of arms along with the
best of them.
$50 it was that even in a back
water of pioneer life this farmer boy
grew up in warm reflection Of the
thrilling atmosphere of war. He
dreamed Of being drummer boy and
marching with heroic old General
Scott 0r General Taylor in the Meyi-
can campaign. Farming was not for
him the sabre and the musket were
to be his tools"
But his opportunity did not come for
several years. "A visit with relatives
in Monroe, Mich, resulted in two
years. of schooling at an academy
there, two years at seminary, fol-
lowed by school teaching job back
home in Ohio. Then came a chance to
go to the United States Military acad-
envy at West Point and when he was
enrolled there in the spring of 1857 he
was at last started toward realizing
his life's ambition.
Clusters career at the academy was
not an impressive one. From the be-
ginning he was among the "Immortals,"
the ten lowest in scholarship (today
they call them goats"). The first year
he stood So in a class of 6S. His Sec
ond year he ranked So in class Of 60.
In his third year he was No. 81 in
class Of 81 and he was graduated No.
So in class of IS. But if Custer did
not distinguish himself in his aca-
demic work and was constantly ac-
quiring dement's which more than once
brought him to the brink of dismissal
from the academy. he was absorbing
something Of greater value than mere
classroom knowledge, for, writes Hunt:
1t would be almost impossible to
overestimate what the four years at
West Point had done for this blond
haired, smiling, six-foot farmer boy
from eastern Ohio. Its fine traditions
had sunk deep into his heart and mind.
Without his being in the least aware
of it, the magnificent spirit of the
place-reflected in the three words OF
it's AUTHORIZATIONS
had given for him a tone, a resonance
to the ancient business of arms. 1t
was as If some one had taken him by
the hand to a hilltop and shown him
the glory of mounted knights in ar
NOR, going forth to war, for honor, for
renown, and for the battles sake. In
the very air of West Point he breathed
the very greatness of the sword.
1t would not have been surprising if
Custer had chosen to follow the for
tunes of the Confederacy, and to have
added the color of his personality to
the roll of it's cavalier leaders such as
Jeb Stuart and John Morgan. Instead
he chose to stick with the Union and
although he failed to graduate with
his class because at almost the last
moment he had committed a grave
breach of rules which led to his court
martial and his retention at the acad-
envy, finally he was ordered to Wash
ington for duty in the summer of 1861.
AS lieutenant in the Second cav
airy he saw action almost immedi-