Custer’s Buckskin Coat, c.1875 (buckskin)

One of the West’s most colorful and controversial figures, George Armstrong Custer (December 5, 1839 – June 25, 1876) wore this buckskin coat while leading the 7th U.S. Calvary on the Great Plains. It was one of several owned and worn by Custer, who preferred to dress like a frontiersman while out West. On an expedition in 1874, Custer confirmed the presence of gold in the Black Hills of what is now South Dakota, a sacred hunting ground on the Lakota Indian reservation. While in command of the 7th Calvary, he gained the reputation as an Indian fighter who often ignored orders, and during the Battle of Little Big Horn, his recklessness caught up with him.