The Custer Wedding

[Tricia]

All--

I guess its time to offer up some comments about the Custer wedding, as it took place 152 years ago today (February 9th). It was with some interest when I learned Libbie wore a pale green dress and orange blossoms to the occasion, rather than what we would consider the "traditional white" in modern times, although the particular flower is still associated with weddings. Also, I was fascinated when I read the affair took place on a Tuesday evening, by candlelight, specifically, Mardi Gras, 1864. My question: was there any societal relevence to the choosing of that particular day--did America honour the Lenten season as strictly as their European/Russian conterparts?

Happy Anniversary!
Leyton McLean

[George Armstrong Custer]

There seems to be some historiographical confusion over the color of Libbie's wedding dress, Leyton.

The bride's cousin, Rebecca Richmond, attended the Custer's wedding and wrote a contemporary descriptive letter, which is reproduced in Merington. In this she writes of the bride's dress: 'The bride wore a rich white rep silk with deep points and extensive trail, bertha of point lace. Veil floated back from a bunch of orange blossoms fixed above the brow.' ¹

As Miss Richmond was there, I think we ought to be able to take her word for it! I can anyway find no contemporary references to a green wedding dress, and this seems to have been an error of 20th century Custer historians. Stephen Ambrose, in 1976, states that 'Libbie wore a hoop-skirted, mist-green wedding dress, trimmed with yellow cavalry braid.' ² Ambrose's footnotes for this reference Jay Monaghan, who had written in 1959 that 'the bride's hoop-skirted, mist-green wedding dress, trimmed with yellow cavalry braid, swayed and billowed above her gaiters - practical footwear for a frigid brick church in February.' ³Monaghan's notes for this part of his book reference.......Merington! As Merington prints Rebecca Richmond's description of a white wedding dress, it would seem that the error of Libbie wearing a green wedding dress originated with a mistake by Monaghan, since repeated by later historians who have based their books largely on unchecked secondary sources - Ambrose was later pilloried in academic circles for plagiarism in several of his works. Monaghan's mistake may have arisen through the description in the quoted Richmond letter of the dresses comprising Libbie's trousseau, one of which is described as a 'Light green silk dress with narrow stripes a shade darker, very rich, trimmed with guipire lace and bugle ornaments.'

Ciao,
GAC

¹ Merington, Margaret The Custer Story, p. 82

² Ambrose, Stephen Crazy Horse and Custer, p. 176

³ Monaghan, Jay Custer: The Life of General George Armstrong Custer, p. 179

[crzhrs]

Libbie's Wedding Dress (From GENERAL CUSTER'S LIBBIE):

She planned a pea green silk wedding dress to the top of her gaiters, looped with yellow military braid. The veil would be of green silk, and her corsage of red roses would be tied with a yellow cord. So she described her dress to Autie. But perhaps she was teasing him for at the wedding she wore the traditional white.

There is a photo . . . it appears the dress was white with a long white veil.

As for the day:

Custer had been appointed a Brig. Gen. in June 1863, but it would not be confirmed until the US Senate presented it with its recommendation. Custer wanted to meet his wedding date with the assurance he would remain a brigadier general of volunteers. He wanted to be able to provide Libbie a "comfortable" life, but Libbie would not consent to a date. Custer's company had been ordered on a campaign on April 1. He had been hounding Libbie to marry him and she finally consented for a date on Feb. 23, which happened to be her parents' wedding anniversary, which her father wanted also.

Custer was getting itchy about the April deployment and any delay in the wedding would limit their honeymoon "time". Libbie consented for a Feb. 9 date.

[George Armstrong Custer]

Well spotted crzhrs! And Frost references that quote to a letter in Merington (p. 80), written to Custer from Libby in January 1864:

'Would you like a description of my wedding dress? Pea-green silk, to top of gaiters. Looped with yellow military braid. Green silk veil. Corsage boquet red roses tied with yellow cord. Looked at closely it might be thought white corded silk that can walk into church alone.'

Frost was surely right that she was teasing Custer her last sentence describing an appearance of white corded silk is exactly what she did wear according to cousin Richmond!

I think you've positively identified where Jay Monaghan made his error - he simply read the 'pea-green' letter in Merrington without reading on to Rebecca Richmond's account of what Libbie actually wore - an error perpetuated by Ambrose et al who didn't do their own checking!

Ciao,
GAC

[crzhrs]

Lawrence Frost's GENERAL CUSTER'S LIBBIE was a book my wife picked up at our local library book sale (she's also the assistant director, which helps!) for $1.

It is a very informative book on Libbie's life and part of the LBH campaign. Lots of info I could not have found anywhere else. I haven't read any other books on Libbie's life so I can't say if any of the latest books have new or more info. I recommend the book if one can find it.

[George Armstrong Custer]

At $1 certainly picked up not only a bargain but a useful research tool. You may already know this, but the photograph of Libbie in her wedding dress is also reproduced in a full-page version in Frost's The Custer Album, to which the later general Custer's Libbie is the companion volume.

Ciao,
GAC

[alfuso]

All

dunno quite what pea-green meant in Libbie's day. But be aware that pale greens and blues appear white in B&W photos.

Red appears black.

But I'm sure Rebecca described the gown properly -- white.

However, Victorians weren't opposed to colored wedding growns.

alfuso

[cat]

Am I right to assume that everyone now has a picture of Libbie in her wedding dress? If not, I have that. You will note, it also hangs above the General's desk at Ft Abe Lincoln in the famous photo of GAC and Libbie in his study.