He may not have been a brilliant scholar but he was a brilliant soldier and a natural leader of men. Custer’s bravery was legendary and by his example, he inspired his men to undertake reckless missions, especially Cavalry charges. Custer joined the Army of the Potomac and he won plaudits for his cavalry charges. He also showed great skill when it came to battlefield tactics. Such was his bravery and leadership that he was rapidly promoted, and he soon became a colonel.
Custer was promoted to the rank of brigadier general at the age of twenty-three. He was called in the papers the ‘Boy General’. He cemented his reputation for bravery at the Battle of Gettysburg when he led his men on a counter charge that repelled a larger Confederate cavalry force.
