6/21/2009:
For the Custers, the 7th Cavalry was a family affair. Five relatives served alongside George Armstrong Custer including his little brother, Boston or "Bos" Custer. Eager to follow in his brother's footsteps, Bos enlisted for service as a forage master for the Black Hills Expedition of 1874. He had the time of his life, even if he was a frequent target of his older brothers' good-natured practical jokes. Two years later, he readily agreed to accompany the 7th Cavalry as a citizen guide for its Little Bighorn campaign. He wrote to his mother on this date in 1876 saying he felt "first-rate." But when fighting broke out a few days later at the Little Bighorn Valley, Bos made the fatal mistake of joining his brothers when the fighting began. His body was found near those of his brothers on Custer Hill.
Dakota Datebook written by Christina Sunwall
Sources:
Hatch, Thom. The Custer Companion: A Comprehensive Guide to the Life of George Armstrong Custer and the Plains Indian Wars. First ed. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2002.