General George A. Custer Bronze Statue - 1954
In 1954, Avard T. Fairbanks, Sculptor, was commissioned to create a heroic equestrian statue of General George Armstrong Custer for the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Custer was an outstanding Civil War Calvary Officer.
He was the only Union General who never lost a battle in the Civil War. He accepted the flag of surrender by Confederate forces at Sayler’s Creek in 1865. As it was planned, the names and ranks of all 264 men who died with him at the Battle of the Little Bighorn would be placed in bronze on the supporting pedestal of the statue. The first working model of the Custer Memorial shows him without a hat.
A larger working model was created with a hat, and work had even been commenced on the full-size heroic model when Mr. Eugene McAulifee, who was the chief promoter of this statue, died. The funds for the statue were reappropriated by the State, and the completed statue never came to fruition. A bronze casting of the first working model was donated to Fort Lincoln Foundation in Mandan, North Dakota.
Castings of this statue in bronze can be made available for interested parties.
Dimensions
27" H | 21" W | 8" D
Artwork Medium
- All reproduced sculptured works of Avard T. Fairbanks are postmortem.
- The mediums are Bronze, cast Stone, Marble, or Resin. Produced from the sculptor’s original model, each bronze casting is professionally produced and followed throughout the casting process by one of Avard T. Fairbanks’ original assistants (his son).
- This includes retouching the wax, chasing the bronze, and selecting the patina to ensure that each piece is of museum collectable quality.