George Armstrong Custer became one of the most recognizable military figures in American history. But behind the famous photographs, dramatic uniforms, battlefield victories, and the legend of Little Bighorn was a far more complicated man.

In this documentary, we trace Custer’s extraordinary journey from a young West Point graduate who finished last in his class to one of the Union Army’s most recognizable cavalry commanders during the American Civil War.

We explore his rise during the Civil War, his role at Gettysburg and in the Shenandoah Valley, his dramatic involvement in the final campaign against Robert E. Lee, and the extraordinary transformation of his wartime reputation after Appomattox.

But Custer’s story did not end with the Civil War.

His return to the Army, command of the 7th Cavalry, court-martial, campaigns against Native nations, and eventual death at Little Bighorn reveal a much more complicated legacy.

We also examine Elizabeth “Libbie” Custer and the important role she played in preserving her husband’s public image after his death.

Custer was brave, charismatic, ambitious, controversial, and sometimes reckless. His life cannot easily be reduced to the simple categories of hero or villain.

He became a legend during his lifetime — and the legend continued to evolve long after his death.

This is the story of George Armstrong Custer: the man behind the legend.

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00:00 — The Young General Who Became a Legend
01:05 — Custer’s Early Life and West Point
02:15 — The Civil War Changes Everything
03:25 — Gettysburg and Custer’s Rise
04:40 — Creating the Custer Image
05:40 — Elizabeth “Libbie” Custer
06:50 — Custer and the Shenandoah Valley
07:55 — Appomattox: The End of the Civil War
09:00 — From Civil War Hero to Western Commander
10:10 — The Court-Martial That Complicated His Reputation
11:10 — The Washita Campaign
12:20 — Custer Creates His Own Legend
13:25 — Little Bighorn
14:45 — The Death of Custer and the Birth of the Legend
15:50 — Hero, Reckless Commander, or Something More?
16:45 — The Man Behind the Legend

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