Elizabeth Bacon Custer

Born in Monroe, Michigan, in 1842, Elizabeth Bacon Custer was the only surviving child of a prominent local family. She married George Armstrong Custer in 1864 and spent much of their marriage near army life, following him through Civil War and frontier postings when she could.

After George Custer was killed at the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876, she became the chief guardian of his public memory. Writing under the name Elizabeth B. Custer, she published popular books including Boots and Saddles, Tenting on the Plains, and Following the Guidon, drawing on her experiences in military camps and on the western frontier.

She remained a well-known public figure for many years, lecturing and writing in support of her husband’s reputation. She died in New York City in 1933, leaving behind memoirs that still shape how many readers picture army life in the American West.