Endless books have been written about George Armstrong Custer, "boy
general" of the Union Army and golden-curled Indian fighter whose
death on the Little Big Horn at the hands of the Sioux in 1876
turned him into a figure of controversy. In spite of its obvious,
effort at fairness this last book, long and carefully documented,
carries a flavor of bias, perhaps because the author presents much
of the narrative from Custer's viewpoint. It does, however, give a
full picture of a brilliant adolescent, dashing in battle, unduly
severe in discipline, lacking in judgment, sympathy and a fondness
for stark truth, and of his blindly adoring wife Libby, his "little
Durl" who believed with him that he could do no wrong. Born in Ohio
in 1839 of a large family, known as "Armstrong" or "Autie," Custer
graduated from West Point into the Civil War; gaining fame for
reckless courage, a record aided by his own accounts, at 24 a Major
General wearing curls and self-designed uniforms, he was sent West
after the war to fight Indians; taking with him Libby, his own
cook, staghounds and silk sheets, gaining more fame at the battle
of the Washita, he was later courtmartialed and suspended for
disobedience, cruelty, shooting deserters and leaving soldiers to
be killed by Indians, although some of these charges may be
questioned; sent in the 1870's to the Dakotas to fight the Sioux,
he got into more trouble by unverified criticism of men in high
places; on June 25, 1876, with yet more trouble before him, he led
250 soldiers and himself to death on the Little Big Horn, a battle
without survivors and still hidden in mystery. Well annotated, the
result of careful research but at times marred by a too-fictional
viewpoint and too many unimportant details, this book should appeal
to all writers and students of the West and to addicts of Western
history and biography; admirers and detractors of Custer will
criticize it, but it should find a place in public libraries and is
a must for all Western historical collections. (Kirkus Reviews)
"The Custer literature is voluminous and most of it is highly
controversial. Through the tangle of charges and countercharges Jay
Monaghan cuts a clear path in his fresh account of Custer's whole
career. Where possible, Monaghan relies on original sources, and he
appraises them with the sound judgment of the practiced historian
he is. He is sympathetic with Custer but does not hesitate to show
the man's foibles and failures. He presents no attorney's brief and
yet he disproves a number of ill-founded accusations. . . ."
General
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