How History Unfolds on Paper: Important Americana from the Eric C. Caren Collection, Part X

Headquarters Department of Dakota, August 17, 1874. One sheet, 7 1/2 x 5 in. (191 x 127 mm). Printed U.S. Army General Orders No. 59, issued by command of Brigadier General Alfred Terry, signed at conclusion by Capt. R.P. Hughes and addressed by him to recipient, "Lieut. Col. G.A. Custer. 7th Cavalry." Order reads in part: "The 'Middle District' of this Military Department will, until further order, comprise the following named posts, viz: Forts Stevenson, Abraham Lincoln and Rice, Camp Hancock and Grand River Agency. The headquarters will be established at Fort Abraham Lincoln, and Lieutenant-Colonel G. A. Custer, 7th Cavalry, is assigned to the Command..." Creasing from old folds; ink stain not affecting text; light foxing.

George A. Custer's copy of army General Orders No. 59, establishing Fort Abraham Lincoln as headquarters of the Middle District of the Department of the Dakota.

The Black Hills Expedition led by Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer departed Fort Abraham Lincoln on July 2, 1874 with orders to find a suitable location for a fort and to investigate the possibility of mining for gold. This expedition was in direct violation of the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868 which guaranteed that white settlement would be off-limits in the Black Hills, as the region was considered sacred ground to the various Indigenous tribes of the area. While Custer and his soldiers searched for a location for their fort, the citizens who accompanied them began to prospect for gold. Custer received orders to return to Fort Abraham Lincoln on August 15, and two days later received the present message informing him that the fort was now the central headquarters of the Middle District of the Department of the Dakota, with Custer officially appointed commander.