The efforts of Custer's widow to sustain her husband's reputation after the Little Big Horn battle in 1876 provide a rich fund of insight into the frontier army. This book, compiled from notes she made during her lifetime, tells the storys of the Custers during the Civil War. Reynolds, who portrayed Elizabeth in the TV series The Real West, deserves praise for editing raw material. War bride ``Libbie'' followed ``Autie'' in his rise to fame as the Union's best frontline cavalry general. Her descriptions of the campaigns of 1864-1865 belong in the library of every student of the Civil War. Her candid evaluations of army routines and personalities bring a much-needed perspective to a field still dominated by operational analysis. And her unvarnished descriptions of her own maturing under the stress of war make this a useful contribution to women's studies as well. Photos.
Copyright 1994 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
The North's youngest general proposed to his lady with all the vigor of a cavalry charge. They married in 1864; imme-diately, he scooped her up and carried her off to war. Elizabeth ("Libbie") Custer lived a soldier's life with George Armstrong Custer on campaigns or awaiting his safe return. For years she kept journals, and though she was a respected author after Custer's death, she never completed their Civil War story. Enter Reynolds, a writer and actress who played Libbie on television and in plays; discovering Libbie's diaries, Reynolds was determined to finish the story. She allows Libbie her voice: whether she is decrying her lack of courage on the road or describing the men of the regiment, Libbie's love and admiration for her husband shine through. We're allowed a glimpse of a gentler, albeit beleaguered general through the eyes of his beloved wife. Recommended for larger public library Civil War collections.
Nancy L. Whitfield, Meriden P.L., Ct.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
See all Editorial Reviews
