Sitting Bull: “Custer, you magnificent bastard. I read your book!”
It was Custer who rode up to Longstreet and ORDERED him to have his General Lee report to a particular house to sign the terms of final surrender.
As he rode away Longstreet wondered who was this punk.
They make them read maudlin crap in schools. No wonder they hate reading.
Actually, he was called Armstrong throughout his life although his nickname was “Autie.”
I’m sure the usual Custer-haters will show up soon to denounce this.
Wonderful World of Disney used to do many series on Americana - Davy Crockett, the Swamp Fox, Elfego Baca, Texas John Slaughter. The ‘50s and early ‘60s were filled with similar shows - Death Valley Days, Daniel Boone, Adventures of Jim Bowie. Youngsters have nothing like this stuff, just mind-bending video games and the commie crap dished out in schools.
Get them excited bout American History.
Last I saw, they are no longer teaching any American History much further back than when the Beatles landed in the USA.
Custer was born in Monroe, MI., arguably the walleye fishing capital of the world. I wonder if he fished?
Custer was a lot like John McCain....both graduated at the bottom of their classes at Military academies, both had good friends on the enemy’s side in their war, both were womanizer, and both got good men killed with their recklessness and incompetence.
Fraser's (genuinely) autobiographical book about WWII in the Pacific ("Quartered Safe Out Here") is a good read in itself.
I like some alternate history novels. I’m not sure that I will like this one.
Looks like I’ll have another book to read.
However, for anyone wanting the real story of the Battle of Little Bighorn, Fox’s book “Archeology, History, and Custer’s Last Battle” is a must.
He and his massive team of grad students surveyed and combed the entire battlefield with metal detectors after the fires in the 1980s and placed every single remaining cartridge shell. The result was that the physical evidence told a much different story than the legends. There was no “last stand,” no circle, indeed the troopers never even formed a skirmish line. The battle lasted about an hour, but the actual Indian assault lasted less than 20 minutes, as Fox shows they had infiltrated the cavalry’s ranks. Custer’s troops and Keough’s men were divided on two separate hills, never joining forces. The scattered nature of the cartridges down the opposite slope from the village suggested that the soldiers were running, firing as they went.
It’s a must read if the Last Stand interests you.
Ping
Harry Turtledove already did that.
He wasnt a bad commander for most of his career, he just made arrogant blunders at one battle, that were properly exploited by an opposing force.
Sadly that one blunder humiliatingly did him in for all time. Even here in Michigan he is all but forgotten as a state hero.
Why do you think the Army sent Custer as far away as possible?
NO thanks.
Pretty sure the Southern Generals knew who Custer was.
He was the man most responsible for their surrender at Appomattox.
To quote one of my favorite bumper stickers from the 1970’s - Custer was an idiot.
From what I’ve read, Custer biggest mistake at Little Big Horn was to not take his two Gatling guns with him because he thought they’d slow him down.
What’s bad about historical novels is they are often made into even worse movies, like the very funny but totally inaccurate LITTLE BIG MAN.
Most people today believe Custer woke up one morning in 1868 and 1876, looked out the window and said...”It’s such a nice day I think I will go out and kill me a bunch of Indians!”
I personally like REAL history such as MASSACRES OF THE MOUNTAINS by Dunn Jr, ON THE BORDER WITH CROOK by Bourke, MY LIFE ON THE PLAINS by Custer, THE INDIAN WAR OF 1864 by Capt Eugene Ware, THE ROMANCE AND TRAGEDY OF PIONEER LIFE by Augustus Lynch Mason, THE SAVAGE YEARS edited by S. Rifkin, written at that time in history.