A Complete Life of General George A. Custer (2-Vol. Set) [Paperback]

Frederick Whittaker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1993

In the election year of 1876 the Battle of the Little Big Horn was horrifyingly fresh to opinion makers, who divided along political lines in assigning blame. The late General George A. Custer, who had been a Democrat with aspirations to high office, was more pilloried than praised by President Grant and influential editors of Republican newspapers. Coming to the defense of Custer was Frederick Whittaker, who less than six months after the disaster published this first biography of him. A Complete Life was the beginning of a legend, and Whittaker did more than anyone else except Libby Custer to make the flamboyant Boy General a permanent resident of the national consciousness.

Quite aside from its contribution to the public image of Custer, this important book placed him and his associates against a concrete background of onrushing events. Drawing on newspaper reports and the general's own words, Whittaker captures the excitement of the era. In Volume 1 a boy's life in Ohio is made immediate. Then Custer's escapades as a cadet at West Point (where he was called Fanny because of his golden locks), his courtship of Judge Bacon's saucy daughter, and his singular service as a cavalryman in the Civil War are described in vivid circumstantial detail. From the first Battle of Bull Run through Gettysburg and the Virginia campaign he is seen in action, conspicuously defying death and winning promotion. Volume 2 deals with Custer's fighting in the West, ending with a memorable description of his last stand at the Little Big Horn in June 1876.

The introduction to Volume 1 is by Gregory J. W. Urwin, who won praise for Custer Victorious: The Civil War Battles of General George Armstrong Custer, also a Bison Book.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"No Custer library is complete without Whittaker's work, which is essential to understanding the Custer Legend."-Robert M. Utley (Robert M. Utley ) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Gregory J. W. Urwin is an associate professor of history at the University of Central Arkansas.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Univ of Nebraska Pr (July 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803297440
• ISBN-13: 978-0803297449
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,773,445 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Informative; Authentic; Required reading for Custerophiles!, August 29, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: A Complete Life of General George A. Custer, Volume 1: Through the Civil War (Paperback)

Published six months after Custer's death, Frederick Whittaker's "A Complete Life of General George A. Custer" traces the American icon's life from his boyhood in Ohio through his cadet years at West Point, his Civil War exploits, his impressive rise to the rank of Major General of cavalry in the Army of the Potomac and his transition to the peacetime army. All the foundation elements of the Custer story are stated in Vol. I of Whittaker's book. They are supported by the first person accounts of Custer and other of his peers, and in my opinion, clearly define the reasons for Custer being rightfully considered a genuine, homegrown American hero based on his Civil War exploits alone! [See also: "Custer Victorious"/Urwin; "Custer and His Wolverines"/Longacre; "Touched by Fire"/Barnett] My reading of this book was enriched by the fact that, as a Custer contemporary, Whittaker was not only in touch with the the 19th century ambience, but that he had the added advantages of active service as a trooper in the 6th New York Cavalry and access to Custer's papers, Civil War memoirs and personal anecdotes through his collaboration with Custer's widow, Elizabeth. As a result, the book is replete with knowledgeable commentaries on the customs, mores and military standards of the times. Of special interest to me were the final three chapters devoted to Custer's transition from the wartime to the peacetime army [Book Six, Chapters 1-3]. In these chapters Whittaker gives a clear and perceptive overview of the postwar military structure; the social psychology of the men Custer would come to command; the negative public perception of the postwar enlistee; the deficiencies in the formation of the 7th Cavalry; and the intense political intrigues which seem to surround and infect the military, particularly in peacetime. [For a contemporary example, see "Patton: A Genius for War"/D'Este]. In a clear and interesting fashion Whittaker enunciates the undercurrents which produced the "four D's" (demoralization; disobedience; dipsomania; desertion) which Custer had no part in creating but over which he was expected to exert appropriate control. Whittaker makes it clear that it was Custer's efforts in this direction, coupled with his own naivete, that set the stage for many of his future difficulties with the command structure. Whittaker's "A Complete Life of General George A. Custer" is the spiritual and intellectual great granddaddy of most subsequent writings on the subject. I found that, in spite of its venerability, the book is still productive of provocative thought pieces. As an example, it contains perhaps the first published mention of Custer having been offered a full colonelcy in the 9th Cavalry, a black regiment, which he allegedly refused , ". . .preferring a lower step to a lower grade of service. . ." One may speculate as to how the acceptance of that command might have influenced Custer's subsequent career. In this regard, it is interesting to note that the acceptance of command of a black regiment (the 94th Massachusetts) provided an upward step for Col. Robert Gould Shaw, and Gen. John J. Pershing's early command experience with the all-black 10th Cavalry Regiment (and the resulting sobriquet "Black Jack") may well have called attention to this officer and advanced his career. In spite of Whittaker's lapses into florid prose and blatant hero-worship, I found Volume I of his complete biography of Custer to be emminently readable and informative. I would highly recommend this as a "must-read" for both Custerophile and casual history reader alike.

5.0 out of 5 stars I just want to share summaries with other costomers, December 18, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: A Complete Life of General George A. Custer, Volume 2: From Appomattox to the Little Big Horn (Paperback)

I just want to share summaries with other costomers

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I just want to share summaries with other costomers, December 17, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: A Complete Life of General George A. Custer, Volume 2: From Appomattox to the Little Big Horn (Paperback)

I just want to share summaries with other costomers