Who were the youngest Generals?
The youngest Brigadier General in the US Army was Galusha Pennypacker, who was nominated at the age of 20 years and 8 months. At the time of his nomination, he was not old enough to vote. It’s often suggested that George Custer was the youngest, but apart from Pennypacker, Charles Cleveland Dodge and Edmund Kirby were also younger than Custer when they were nominated. The youngest Brigadier General in the Confederate Army was William Paul Roberts, who was nominated in February 1865 at the age of 23 years, 7 months and 10 days – 6 days younger than John Herbert Kelly was when he was nominated in November 1863.
