Customer Reviews

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

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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.

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.

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.

For years I have thoroughly researched Custer and his years on the plains, so I purchased this book primarily to learn more about Custer during the Civil War. I don't have a frame of reference to adequately state any inaccuracies during this Civil War period. However, I have to say that the part of this book, dealing with Custer and his years on the plains, is full of inaccuracies. I was very disappointed and troubled when I realized this. I would have thought the author's research would have been more in-depth or accurate. As one example, and a major one at that, the author refers to Crazy Horse as a Cheyenne chief, which is a blatant error. Crazy Horse was NEVER a chief and, furthermore, he was NOT a Cheyenne. He was, in fact, an Oglala Sioux. Other examples of mistakes deal with events on the battlefield that were omitted. Furthermore, there were discrepancies concerning cavalry troops and time sequences. If I wanted to list each mistake, it would make this review way too long. Had I known that this book would have such inaccuracies, I would have never purchased it. But what troubles me even more is that there are people who will read this book, not being knowledgeable about Custer and this period of his life, and mistakenly feel they have learned an accurate account of his life on the plains.