Custer’s Covered Way

George Armstrong Custer graduated last in the 1861 class at West Point, was commissioned a second lieutenant in the 5th U.S. Cavalry, and fought with the Army of the Potomac in almost every major battle from Bull Run to Appomattox. During the Peninsula Campaign, Lieutenant Custer served with distinction as a staff officer and scout, made an uneasy observation flight in the balloon Constitution at Warwick Court House, and wrote that “My confidence in balloons at that time was not sufficient.” He also supervised the construction of this covered way and the connecting rifle pit for the Berdan Sharpshooters; a covered way protected troops moving between the main line and secondary positions. During the Battle of Williamsburg on May 5, 1862, Custer discovered several abandoned redoubts on the Confederate left flank, and by seizing these fortifications the Union Army gained a tactical advantage. He earned a reputation for reckless bravery and was advanced from captain to brigadier general in 1863. At age 23, Custer commanded a cavalry brigade and was one of the youngest generals in the Union Army. He ended the war as a brevet major general and commanded a cavalry division. Afterward, Custer served as the lieutenant colonel of the 7th U.S. Cavalry and fought in the Indian Wars. On June 25, 1876, the Sioux and Cheyenne killed Custer and 264 troopers at the Battle of the Little Big Horn.

Newport News, Virginia · United States