The Custer ControversyWhat really happened at the Battle of the Little Big Horn has spawned countless books and opinions about why General Custer attacked the Sioux and Cheyenne on June 22, 1876. The books and the online articles that tell the facts, timeline and survivors were written based on the facts but are not all impartial in perspective. Most of these writers want to prove that Custer was a hero or a villain. From the perspective of the general's men, they saw him as a fearless leader, one of the few who would face battle, while those on the political side interpreted the general's actions as selfish and reckless. Custer's last stand gave him immortal status at the cost of not only his own life; but also those of his entire brigade involved due to a tactical error. Unfortunately, the extent of this “mistake” cannot be overlooked, but denying what it accomplished in the Civil War and Indian Wars is the argument that continues to rage. Was General Custer really an American hero or an overly aggressive general seeking fame and glory? George Armstrong Custer was born to Emanuel and Maria Custer in New Rumley, Ohio, on December 5, 1839. Emanuel was a blacksmith and commercial farmer. This allowed Custer to learn to ride a horse at an early age. Custer rode newly shod horses around the shop while Emanuel made horseshoes. Custer got the nickname "Autie" as a boy based on the way he pronounced his middle name, Armstrong. Custer attended school regularly and was known to be very intelligent. When Custer finished McNeely Normal School, he accepted a teaching position in Cadiz, Ohio in 1856. Custer was enticed by the thought of a free college education and decided... middle of paper... Hyslop, S. Eyewitness to the civil war” The complete story from secession to reconstruction. Washington DC: National Geographic Society.Kent, Z. (2000). George Armstrong Custer: Civil War general and Western legend. New Jersey: Enslow. New Perspectives on the West. The Sitting Bull of the West. PBS, 2001. Web. 21. Retrieved November 12, 2011, from http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/people/s_z_sittingbull.htm.Paine, L. (1996). The Story of General Custer: New Light on the Drama of the Battle of Little Big Horn. Thorndike, Maine: G. K. Hall & Co. Perrett, B. (1991). LAST STAND! Famous battles against the odds. London: Arms and Armor Press. The Battle of the Little Big Horn, 1876, “Eyewitness History. Retrieved November 20, 2011, from www.eyewitnesstohistory.com.Utley, R., Wilcomb, W. The American Heritage History of The Indian Wars. New York: American Heritage.