George Armstrong Custer (1839-1876) was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the Civil War and the Indian Wars. Custer graduated last in his class at West Point in 1858. Custer developed a strong reputation during the Civil War. He fought in the First Battle of Bull Run. He and his troops played a decisive role in the Appomattox Campaign where Custer witnessed Lee's surrender. After the Civil War, Custer was dispatched to the West to fight in the Indian Wars. Custer was court-martialed in 1867 for being AWOL, after having abandoned his post to see his wife. He was suspended from duty for one year. The overwhelming defeat in his final battle overshadowed his achievements in the Civil War. Custer was defeated and killed at the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876, fighting against a coalition of Native American tribes in a battle that has come to be known as "Custer's Last Stand".