In June 1861, Custer was commissioned upon his graduation from West Point as a second lieutenant in the 2nd Cavalry, which later became the 5th Michigan Cavalry. The following year, he was appointed a captain and aide-to-camp on the staff of General George B. McClellan. In June 1863, he received his promotion to major general. In the fall of 1864, Custer took over the Third Cavalry Division during the Shenandoah Valley Campaign through Virginia, including the battles of Winchester and Cedar Creek. Returning to the Army of the Potomac in early 1865, he fought at Five Forks; and in the Appomattox Campaign
