27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Man Behind the Myth, December 25, 2005
This review is from: My Life on the Plains: Or, Personal Experiences with Indians (Western Frontier Library) (Paperback)
Custer's autobiography, covering a very limited period of his life, is a remarkable document, first, as an important piece of historical information regarding the events covered, and second as an intriguing look at one of the most mythologized figures in US history. Being Native American on my mother's side, I was prepared to thoroughly dislike the man, but I was pleasantly surprised by the individual I met in the pages of this book.
Custer is an excellent writer and storyteller, and his famous prankish sense of humor shows up on several occassions. The man had the ability to laugh at himself and was willing to tell tales on himself, which goes a long way to endear him to the reader. It's a powerful contradiction of the Myth of Custer, conventionally portrayed as a stupid, arrogant, racist, and humorless figure. It's hard to continue viewing him as the symbol of American Evil when he goes to battle against the Indians dressed in his bathrobe. (They attacked at night, darn them. He didn't have time to put on his uniform.)
The comic relief is absolutely essential -- Custer's eyewitness account of the atrocities committed by Pawnee Killer will turn the stomach. Unlike every other author covering the Indian Wars, Custer presents the information in a straight forward matter and neither glosses over it nor demonizes the Indians. And, to the man's credit, he understood very clearly that the mutilated bodies he had to identify and bury were the work of a particular individual who happened to be an Indian, and did not let it prejudice him against the entire Native American race. The same cannot be said for most of his contemporaries. Custer clearly understood that Indians, like anybody else, were people who had to be judged according their individual actions, and not stereotyped and condemned in whole. In short, whatever his shortcomings might be, he does not deserve to be the poster boy for American Racism Against Indians.
Custer, the man, is far more complex. He detailed his part in the first assault on Black Kettle's village; being the tracker assigned to trail Pawnee Killer, he knew that Pawnee Killer's trail did not go to Black Kettle's village and that Black Kettle and his people were peaceful Indians. When given the order to attack anyhow, he and other officers protested. General Hancock, the commanding officer, threatened them with court martial -- in those days that an order was immoral was not grounds for an officer to refuse to carry it out; a principle that was not established in the US Army until the public outrage over the massacre at Mai Lai during the Vietnam War. Custer caved in and did as he was told. If he had not, his military career would have been over. Certainly Custer was culpable of moral cowardice, but that is entirely different from the myth of reckless disregard for the humanity of others that clings to his name.
In short, the real Custer is a fascinating, articulate, funny, tragic, complex, flawed, and ultimately human individual. His eyewitness account of the Indian Wars and his role in it are a riveting read. Anyone who has found the usual 19th century authors dreary beyond belief will find Custer's writing lively, wry, unflinching, and far more educational than his contemporaries.
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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great book by a great mind, September 29, 2004
This review is from: My Life on the Plains: Or, Personal Experiences with Indians (Western Frontier Library) (Paperback)
No one can read My Life on the Plains without coming away with a changed view of Custer as a military leader and an important historical figure. I often tell people that Custer was a great writer and direct people to read this book. I am occasionally met with laughter and suspicion--except by those who take my advice and read it. Amazingly well-written, and very descriptive.
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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
My life with this book, March 28, 2002
By A Customer
This review is from: My Life on the Plains: Or, Personal Experiences with Indians (Western Frontier Library) (Paperback)
Wow, all I can is wow. This is a very interesting read. What a great way to see how life was out on the plains and during the war. Also, it's very trippy to read all about what Custer thought of "Indians" and the views that he held for them.
What really got me was the reality of this book. Getting an intimate look at the life of not only Custer's, but the soldiers and scouts that he commanded and worked with.
Very good and easy read. Custer does like to go off and get very wordy and talkative about subject matter that must have been important back in the 1870's. Still, it does not detract from the book, but only makes it that much more interesting.
Pick this one up.
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