Custer: The Life of General George Armstrong Custer (Bison Book) [Paperback]

Jay Monaghan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1971 | Series: Bison Book

"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. . . ."

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Not that Monaghan has written an argumentative book. Far from it. He has written a narrative, and what a narrative! With imagination as well as judgment, he tells the story with well-chosen details taken from reliable sources. . . . All together, this is much the best of many Custer books. It brings the reader as close to the real man as any book is likely ever to do."—New York Herald-Tribune Books

(New York Herald-Tribune Books )

Product Details

• Paperback: 479 pages
• Publisher: University of Nebraska Press; Soft Cover edition (September 1, 1971)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803257325
• ISBN-13: 978-0803257320
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,248,720 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extensively researched. Best book written on Custer, December 13, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Custer: The Life of General George Armstrong Custer (Bison Book) (Paperback)

After reading and researching many of authors sources, this is the best book written about one of our nations most controversial figures.From his impeccable Civil War record through his record in the Indian Wars which shaped development of this nation, we can all be proud of this man. If you thought the worst of this man, as I, you will reconsider and admire him.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Custer: Easy Victim., January 13, 2004

By 

Michael E. Fitzgerald (Kingwood, Texas USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Custer: The Life of General George Armstrong Custer (Bison Book) (Paperback)

In these days of political correctness George Armstrong Custer is an obvious target. Like so many of us who have trained hard for a profession, something you are really good at, it is a tough thing to put it down. Custer peaked early, unbelievably early. Six months after graduating West Point he was an officer engaged in the Civil War. By war's end he was a Brigadier General, the youngest ever. He was a 4 year combat veteran used to command, possessing the easy confidence of youth. He was at the top of his game and the pinnacle of his military career. He was only 25.

After the war, like so many others, his services were no longer required. He was out of work. So he did what most of us do, he went back to doing what he did best, in his case fighting. Make no mistake, Custer was a brave man. He was also a young one, guilty of the arrogance of youth. His death, at the Battle of the Little Big Horn, happened to occur when the United States was at war with the Sioux Nation. This is a small point most historians forget.

Today we are embarrassed by the genocide the United States practiced against Native Americans. We should be. But we need to remember that Custer himself was nothing more than a tool in the manipulation and ultimate eradication of Native peoples. Love him or hate him he was a professional soldier, following orders in a time of war. His current role as history's fall guy for an awful Indian policy that in many ways is no better today is truly undeserved. Jay Monaghan has written one interesting look at a man who did nothing more than follow his county's orders.

5 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A Cautious Read, August 20, 2005

By 

Rick Lester "RRRICKLES" (Houston) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Custer: The Life of General George Armstrong Custer (Bison Book) (Paperback)

Monaghan's inconsistent research or editing gets in the way! He gets a number of things right, like the discovery of the missing breadbox forcing Custer's hand a day early. However, at the beginning of his Last Stand chapter, he states that Custer leads 2700 men out of Fort Lincoln. He seemingly counts Crook, Gibbon, and Terry's commands all at one place at the same time ... behind Custer! Then at the end of the chapter, he tells us Lt. Bradley finds the bodies of more than 250 men scattered across the grass. While that number was about right for the total battle, he carelessly lumped the losses from Reno into Custer's battle, with out distinction. I liked the insight he offered about the wives in the final chapter.