Their private correspondences were filled with sexually charged double entendres. Add to your scrapbook. × Failed to report flower. ). As the only one of the judge's children that would live to adulthood, her father doted on her. Custer later wrote that he fell deeply in love as of their first formal meeting. — Elizabeth 'Libbie' Custer, from her first book Boots and Saddles, on her life and adventures with her husband. Tragedy marked much of her childhood, with her three siblings and mother all dying before Elizabeth's thirteenth year. She began writing articles and making speaking engagements praising the glory of what she presented as her "martyred" husband. In the role of the officer's wife, she joined in Custer's romantic pursuit of fame and glory. Please try again later. After Custer's death in 1876 at the Battle of Little Big Horn, she was a thirty-four-year-old widow who was deeply in debt. For help using the website visit our help page or contact support@findagrave.com. The depth of their relationship has been the subject of considerable interest in books and film. I thought you might like to see a memorial for Elizabeth “Libbie” Bacon Custer I found on Findagrave.com. Close this window, and upload the photo(s) again. Largely as a result of her endless campaigning on his behalf, Custer's iconic portrayal as the gallant fallen hero amid the glory of 'Custer's Last Stand' was a canon of American history for almost a century after his death. Libbie was portrayed by actress Olivia de Havilland in the 1941 film They Died with their Boots On, by Mary Ure in the 1967 film Custer of the West, by Blythe Danner in the 1977 television movie The Court Martial of George Armstrong Custer, and by Rosanna Arquette in the 1991 television mini-series Son of the Morning Star. To save embarrassment, both of her and Custer (and possibly to avoid incurring her wrath), many eyewitnesses decided to wait until her death before disclosing what they knew. Try again later. Please contact Find a Grave at support@findagrave.com if you need help resetting your password. Drag images here or select from your computer for Elizabeth “Libbie” Bacon Custer memorial. Elizabeth Bacon Custer (April 8, 1842 – April 4, 1933) was the wife of General George Armstrong Custer. Plese check the I'm not a robot checkbox.'. Custer was from a poor, undistinguished family, and the Judge hoped Libbie would have better than the life of an army wife. Her three books, Boots and Saddles, (1885), Following the Guidon (1890); and Tenting on the Plains, (1893) were brilliant pieces of propaganda aimed at glorifying her dead husband’s memory. To suggest a change to a cemetery page, visit the Cemetery Corrections forum. Elizabeth was both beautiful and intelligent, graduating from a girls' seminary in June 1862 at the head of her class. Year should not be greater than current year. Colonel George Armstrong Custer, of “Custer's Last Stand” at the Battle of Little Big Horn on June 25, 1876. Select a place on the map to place the pin. If you have questions, please contact support@findagrave.com. She met her future husband in fall 1862, in the midst of the American Civil War. You need a Find a Grave account to add things to this site. Thanks for your help! Geni requires JavaScript! Elizabeth Bacon Custer (April 8, 1842 - April 4, 1933) was the wife of General George Armstrong Custer. Verify and try again. 1876, many in the press, Army, and government criticized Custer for blundering into a massacre. She is remembered as the wife of Lt. Friends and family do not readily visit when you are stationed near possible battle zones. You can still file a request but no one will be notified. [4] She died in New York City a few days before her 91st birthday, on April 4, 1933, and was buried next to her husband at West Point. Being their only child to live to adulthood, she was the center of their lives and a “Daddy's girl.” She grew into a beautiful young lady at 5'4” tall, fine features, brown hair and blue eyes. West Point Cemetery, West Point, New York, United States, Apr 8 1842 - Monroe, Monroe, Michigan, United States, Apr 4 1933 - 71 Park Avenue, New York City, New York County, New York, United States, Judge Daniel Stanton Bacon, Eleanor Sophia Bacon (born Page), Catherine Bacon Fahrlender (born Custer), Eva Custer, Emma m. Custer, emmanuel custer, charles custer, James Custer, Sophia Bacon, Edward Augustus Bacon, Harriet Bacon, Wife Of General Custer, Journalist, Memoirist, Apr 4 1933 - New York City, United States. Custer was from a poor, undistinguished family, and the Judge hoped Libbie would have better than the life of an army wife. [3] She died in New York City, four days before her 91st birthday, on April 4, 1933, and was buried next to her husband at West Point. Please try again later. She is remembered as the wife of Lt. She never remarried even though she was still young and beautiful. Recently, the 1993 book by Shirley A. Leckie, ”Elizabeth Bacon Custer and the Making of a Myth” was published. "Elizabeth Bacon" redirects here. Libbie was portrayed by actress Olivia de Havilland in the 1941 film They Died with their Boots On, by Mary Ure in the 1967 film Custer of the West, by Blythe Danner in the 1977 television movie The Court Martial of George Armstrong Custer, and by Rosanna Arquette in the 1991 television mini-series Son of the Morning Star. Save to an Ancestry Tree, a virtual cemetery, your clipboard for pasting or Print. Libbie and George had a loving but tumultuous relationship. We have set your language to [2] After Custer, just prior to the Battle of Gettysburg (where he played a significant role), was promoted to Brevet Brigadier General, Judge Bacon finally relented and they were married on February 9, 1864. She followed him from post to post from a tent near front lines of the Civil War in Virginia to postwar assignments in Texas, Fort Riley in Kansas, and Fort Lincoln in the Dakota Territory. Family members linked to this person will appear here. It is infinitely worse to be left behind, a prey to all the horrors of imagining what may be happening to one we love. By the time she died fifty-seven years later she had achieved economic security, recognition as an author and … For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab. All photos uploaded successfully, click on the Done button to see the photos in the gallery. Your account has been locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in attempts. There is a problem with your email/password. We have a volunteer within ten miles of your requested photo location. She refused to be left behind, and joined Custer at the expense of the comfortable lifestyle to which she'd become accustomed as the child of a judge. Both were stubborn, opinionated, and ambitious. Among her books were “General Custer at the Battle of Little Big Horn: June 25, 1879,” “Following the Guidon,” “The Boy General,” “Boots and Saddles: Or, Life in Dakota with General Custer,” “Tenting on the Plains: Or, General Custer in Kansas and Texas,” and “The Diary of Elizabeth Bacon Custer.” In her books, she did touch on the isolation of army families from the rest of the world. To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. .Tho death in New York at thc great agc of 91 vf Mrs. Apr 8 1842 - Monroe, Monroe County, Michigan, United States of America, Apr 8 1842 - Monroe, Michigan, United States. These letters have become historical documents. Are you sure that you want to delete this photo? Her three books—Boots and Saddles (1885), Following the Guidon (1890), and Tenting on the Plains—(1893) aimed at glorifying her dead husband's memory. "[3], After an initial period of distress dealing with her late husband's debts,[4] Mrs. Custer spent her over half-century of widowhood in financial comfort attained as the result of her literary career and lecture tours, leaving an estate of over $100,000. All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. Resend Activation Email. Georger Armstrong Custer’s death in 1876 at the Battle of the Little Big Horn left Elizabeth Bacon Custer a thirty-four-year-old widow who was deeply in debt. Try again later. After his death, she became an outspoken advocate for her husband's legacy through her popular books and lectures. My heart literally stood still. or don't show this again—I am good at figuring things out. Though generally considered to be largely factually accurate, they were clearly slanted in Custer's favor. A few years before her death she told a writer that her greatest disappointment was that she never had a son to bear her husband's honored name.[5]. President Ulysses S. Grant publicly blamed Custer for the disaster. Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. A few years before her death she told a writer that her greatest disappointment was that she never had a son to bear her husband’s honored name. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. From there Libbie's husband led the Seventh Cavalry in pursuit of Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse and the Sioux and Northern Cheyenne who refused to be confined to the reservation system. She was said to treasure a letter from President Theodore Roosevelt who stated that her husband was "one of my heroes." After Custer was promoted to Brevet Brigadier General, Judge Bacon agreed to the marriage with the ceremony held February 9, 1864 in the First Presbyterian Church in Monroe. She met her future husband in fall 1862, in the midst of the American Civil War. She began writing articles and making speaking engagements praising the glory of her martyred husband. Please enter your email address and we will send you an email with a reset password code. The couple's final home together was at Fort Abraham Lincoln in what is now North Dakota. Her father had planned for a more suitable candidate for marriage. Libbie and George had a loving but tumultuous relationship. Her father hoped she would make a good marriage with a man from her own el… Please note: You are asking volunteers to find and take a photo of the headstone. After her death, her writings about her husband, the charismatic commander, were much more closely evaluated by historians and found that she elevated her husband's actual actions especially in the justification of killing Native Americans. For Edits select Suggest Edits on the memorial page. ... Iske his country from him, are recalled by the death of Mra.