Boston Custer (October 31, 1848–June 26, 1876) was the younger brother of U.S. Army General George Armstrong Custer and two-time Medal of Honor winner Captain Thomas Custer. He was killed at the Battle of the Little Bighorn along with these two brothers. October 31 is the 304th day of the year (305th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 61 days remaining, as the final day of October. ... 1848 is a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... June 26 is the 177th day of the year (178th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 188 days remaining. ... 1876 is a leap year starting on Saturday. ... The Army is the branch of the United States armed forces which has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... General is a military rank, in most nations the highest rank, although some nations have the higher rank of Field Marshal. ... George Armstrong Custer Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer (December 6, 1839 – June 25, 1876) was an American cavalry commander in the Civil War and the Indian Wars who is best remembered for his defeat and death at the Battle of the Little Bighorn against a coalition of Native American tribes... This article is about the military award; for the computer game, see Medal of Honor (computer game). ... Captain is both a nautical term and a military rank. ... Capt. ... The Battle of the Little Bighorn, also called Custers Last Stand and The Custer Massacre, was an engagement between a Lakota - Northern Cheyenne combined force and the 7th Cavalry of the United States Army. ...

Boston Custer was born in New Rumley, Ohio, one of five children to Emanuel Henry Custer and Maria Ward Kirkpatrick Custer. In 1863, the family left Ohio and moved to Monroe, Michigan. His older brother Nevin became a farmer due to asthma and rheumatism, while George and Tom became military officers during the American Civil War. Boston Custer had been unable to officially join the Army due to poor health. He served as a civilian contractor as Forage Master by the his brother's U.S. 7th Cavalry Regiment in the 1874 Black Hills expedition. He was employed as a guide, forager, packer and scout for the regiment for the 1876 expedition against the Lakota Indians. State nickname: The Buckeye State Other U.S. States Capital Columbus Largest city Columbus Governor Bob Taft Official languages None Area 116,096 km² (34th)  - Land 106,154 km²  - Water 10,044 km² (8. ... 1863 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... Monroe is a city located in Monroe County, Michigan. ... The American Civil War was fought in the United States from 1861 until 1865 between the United States – forces coming mostly from the 23 northern states of the Union – and the newly-formed Confederate States of America, which consisted of 11 southern states that had declared their secession. ... The 7th United States Cavalry Regiment is a United States Army cavalry unit, whose lineage traces back to the mid-19th century. ... 1874 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... The Black Hills are a small, isolated mountain range rising from the Great Plains of North America in western South Dakota and extending into Wyoming. ... The Lakota (friends or allies, sometimes also spelled Lakhota) are a Native American tribe, also known as the Sioux (see Names). ...

On June 25, along with his 18-year-old nephew Harry Armstrong "Autie" Reed, Boston Custer was with the pack train at the rear of Custer's troops. Hearing from a messenger that Lt. Col. Custer had requested ammunition for am impending fight, they quickly left the pack train. The pair passed by Frederick Benteen's detachment and joined George Custer's main column as it moved into position to attack the Indian village along the Little Big Horn River. Had he stayed with the pack train where he was assigned, Boston Custer may survived the battle. However, like his brothers and nephew, Boston was killed at the area known as "Last Stand Hill." A marble marker commemorates the approximate place where his body was found. Though originally buried on the battlefield, Autie Reed's and Boston Custer's remains were exhumed, the only exceptions to the rule that only commissioned officers would be shipped home for reburial. They were reinterred January 8, 1878, at Woodland Cemetery in Monroe, Michigan, near today's Monroe County Museum. Frederick Benteen Captain Frederick William Benteen was in command of a battalion of the 7th U. S. Cavalry at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, and provided inspiring leadership in the defense of the blufftop position where some 500 men were besieged for 24 hours. ... January 8 is the 8th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1878 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Monroe County is a county located in the state of Michigan. ...

Boston Custer was portrayed by actor Patrick Johnston in the biopic Son of the Morning Star.

Bibliography

Custer, Boston, and O'Neill, Thomas, editor, Letters from Boston Custer, Brooklyn, NY: Arrow and Trooper, 1993.

External links

• A contemporary article on Boston Custer's burial
• Boston Custer's grave, includes pictures
• Boston Custer's marker (not his headstone)