Custer Victorious: The Civil War Battles of General George Armstrong Custer [Hardcover]

Gregory J. W. Urwin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1996

"Custer found himself in the one dilemma all soldiers most dread—he was outnumbered and completely surrounded. With disaster looming in every quarter and no chance of escape. . . ." So Gregory J. W Urwin pulls the reader into a scene describing not the Battle of the Little Big Horn but a Civil War engagement that George Armstrong Custer and his troop survived, thanks to strategy as much as naked courage.

Many books have focused on Custer's Last Stand in 1876, making legend of total defeat. Custer Victorious is the first to examine at length, with attention to primary sources, his brilliant Civil War career.

Urwin writes: "None of Custer's exploits against the Plains Indians could compare with those he performed while with the Army of the Potomac." The leader of a brigade called "the Wolverines," Custer was promoted to major general and the helm of the Third Cavalry Division when he was only twenty-four. Urwin describes the Boy General's vital contributions to Union victories from Gettysburg to Appomattox.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The best examination of Custer''s Civil War career."—Robert M. Utley, author of Cavalier in Buckskin: George Armstrong Custer and the Western Military Frontier

(Robert M. Utley )

"The strength of the book lies . . . in its description of the nature of Civil War cavalry fighting, [which was] swift, fluid, and difficult to understand, both for those who were in it and for those who would write about it."—Jeffrey Kimball, The Old Northwest

(Jeffrey Kimball The Old Northwest ) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Gregory J. W Urwin, an associate professor of history at the University of Central Arkansas, has written a new preface for this Bison Book edition.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 308 pages
• Publisher: Book Sales (August 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785807489
• ISBN-13: 978-0785807483
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.2 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,810,674 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I am a professor of history at Temple University. I earned my Ph.D. in 1984 from the University of Notre Dame, and taught in Kansas and Arkansas before coming to Temple in 1999. I have published eight books, including _Custer Victorious: The Civil War Battles of General George Armstrong Custer_, _Facing Fearful Odds: The Siege of Wake Island_, and _Black Flag over Dixie: Racial Atrocities and Reprisals in the Civil War_. My ninth book, _Victory in Defeat: The Wake Island Defenders in Captivity, 1941-1945_, was released by Naval Institute Press in November 2010. Aided by fellowships from the William L. Clements Library at the University of Michigan and the Society of the Cincinnati, I am now hard at work researching my tenth book, which is tentatively titled, "When Freedom Wore a Red Coat: A Social History of Cornwallis' 1781 Virginia Campaign."


My publications have won the General Wallace M. Greene, Jr., Award from the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation and the Harold L. Peterson Award from the Eastern National Park and Monuments Association. I have lectured at the U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Military Academy, American Philosophical Society, David Library of the American Revolution, U.S. Army War College, National World War 2 Museum, Fort Ticonderoga, and Philadelphia's Union League. I am vice president of the Society for Military History, a fellow of the Company of Military Historians, an academic fellow of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, and general editor of the Campaigns and Commanders Series from University of Oklahoma Press. I have appeared in numerous documentaries on the History Channel, A&E, PBS, and commercial television (including _Wake Island-Alamo of the Pacific_, _Washington the Warrior_, the six-part _Washington's Generals_, and the twenty-six-part series _The Last Days of World War II_). I also worked as a troop trainer and extra in the Oscar-winning Civil War epic film, _Glory_.

I like writing military history from the bottom up. As the son and grandson of U.S. Army enlisted men, my heart is with the rank and file who bear brunt of all wars, although I appreciate the importance of effective leadership. I am also interested in the role that race has played in American military, social, and political history. My next book on Cornwallis' 1781 Virginia Campaign will focus on how that British general's liberation of thousands of slaves exposed the vulnerability of the revolutionary cause.

As a professional historian, I feel a responsibility to broaden the frontiers of knowledge through scholarly work. At the same time, I believe that history should be well written to make its lessons accessible to the widest possible audience.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Much more than a famous loser., May 15, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Custer Victorious: The Civil War Battles of General George Armstrong Custer (Paperback)

Even people with above-average knowledge of American history usually associate the name Custer with defeat. But what most don't know is that, 11 or 12 years before his last stand at the Little Big Horn, Custer's name was almost synonymous with victory. What made his defeat at the Little Big Horn so shocking was his brilliant record in the Civil War. The Indians did what the Rebels were never able to do. Those who are not specialists in the American Civil War have also been taught that Confederate cavalry was far superior to Union cavalry. While this was usually true in the early years of the war (1861-2), exactly the opposite was true by 1864. And one of the best, if not THE best of the Union cavalry commanders was George Armstrong Custer. Phil Sheridan, no slouch himself, once called Custer "the best man in the Cavalry Corps." One of the youngest generals in the Union army (he graduated from West Point just in time to take part in the first battle of Bull Run as a 2nd lieutenant), Custer took command of a cavalry brigade just in time for the battle of Gettysburg and played an important part in that battle (often ignored). In the fall of 1864 he was promoted to division command and played a crucial role in the Appomattox campaign. Urwin (who is a friend of mine, though we've never met--we've corresponded) presents Custer's little-known Civil War career in very readable prose, and I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Custer, the Civil War, or military history in general

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thrilling Stories of an American Hero, February 8, 2001

By 

Bruce L. Nelson "'Alone Across Alaska' and '7... (Fairbanks, Alaska USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Custer Victorious: The Civil War Battles of General George Armstrong Custer (Hardcover)

Popular opinion of George Armstrong Custer has changed dramatically through the years. During the Civil War and for decades afterword, he was regarded as a true American Hero. Then sentiment switched, based almost entirely on his death in what has become a politically incorrect battle.

Custer's value in preserving the Union during the Civil War was so profound, General Phil Sheridan presented the table upon which the surrender was signed to Custer's wife and said "...there is scarcely an individual in our service who has contributed more to bring about this desirable result than your gallant husband."

This book relates many accounts of how Custer, arriving upon a battle, could instantly size up the situation and seize the initiative. He inspired his men in battle and when he ordered them to charge he would lead them personally, miraculously escaping the hundreds of bullets fired at him by an enemy who could easily recognize him by his long blonde hair and flamboyant dress. One of his cavalry troopers said, "Under him a man is ashamed to be cowardly. Under HIM our men can achieve wonders."

Following is a quote from the book, about Custer in the battle of Five Forks: " 'We are going to take those works and we are not coming back until we get them!' The Red Ties lunged ahead...Old Curly and his staff in front as always...General Custer's Bugler, Color Bearer, and Orderly...All went down...Miraculously, Custer was untouched by that scything fusillade. Swinging down from his saddle like a stunt rider, he grabbed his fallen guidon without dismounting, swirled it over his head, jammed his spurs into his horse, streaked right up to the enemy, and leaped his charger over the earthworks."

Custer's actions in the Civil War are now allowed to speak for themselves in Urwin's outstanding book. If you are interested in the Civil War and admire personal courage, you will enjoy "Custer Victorious."

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Story of a great man, August 24, 2004

By 

Walrus Rex "rexferal" (Grand Junction, CO United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Custer Victorious: The Civil War Battles of General George Armstrong Custer (Hardcover)

This book tells the fascinating story of George Armstrong Custer's Civil War career. The self-confidence of this man, followed by his real accomplishment, is amazing. Prior to reading this book, I was aware of only Custer's battle with Jeb Stuart at Gettysburg. Now I find that Custer met Stuart on numerous occasions and, in fact, it was his brigade that was responsible for Stuart's death at Yellow Tavern. For the life of me, I can't figure out why this epic rivalry between these two great cavalry leaders is not better known.

The bad news is that the writing is merely adequate. The prose is a tad purple and the last chapter, in which the author summarizes his theory that Custer was truly a great military leader, is superfluous in that the author has done a much more convincing job in merely telling the tale. Finally, I might quibble about the title. I almost didn't buy this book because I thought it was an alternative history of Little Big Horn.

We live in an age with a scarcity of heroes. This book presents us a hero in the classic mold. We could do worse than to emulate this man. It is perhaps telling of our times, however, that rather than to acknowledge Custer's heroism, we defame his memory.