“There is a reason we do not refer to Colonel Custer as General Custer even though he held that rank for a bit.”
Because during the Civil War, Custer was a Major General in the U.S. Volunteers. After the war he received his commission into the U.S. Army as a Colonel.
“There is a reason we do not refer to Colonel Custer as General Custer even though he held that rank for a bit.”
I’ve read that the officers in the post-Civil War Regular Army referred to each other by their former ranks. All unofficial, of course, but they considered it a courtesy amongst themselves. I guess it was also part of being in the West point club. So, Custer was referred to as General.