CUSTER: FROM THE CIVIL WAR’S BOY GENERAL TO THE BATTLE OF THE LITTLE BIGHORN
◗ Ted Behncke and Gary Bloomfeld
◗ Casemate (2020)
◗ £25
◗ 264 pages (hardback)
◗ ISBN:981612008899
◗ casematepublishing.co.uk
Do we really need another book about General Custer and the Little Bighorn?
Well, perhaps... The authors of this book are former US Army officers, one an experienced battalion commander, the other a military press officer. This combination – of one author dealing with the nitty gritty of how a unit works in peace and war, and the other expert at explaining military actions in the best possible light – links the two major themes of the Custer story. Yes, he was a brave and successful cavalry leader in the American Civil War, and – yes – he was very good at making sure that everyone knew it.
The authors take us through Custer’s five glory years up to the end of the war and on to a detailed review of his post-war career. Then the US Army shrank almost to its pre-war strength; those who chose to stay in uniform reverted to their substantive rank (for Custer a demotion of five grades). The Army’s main mission became protection of westwards expansion, by the railroad and by immigrants to fill in the gaps in the almost empty centre of the country. But the ‘almost empty’ country was home to its original inhabitants, the nomadic Native Indian Tribes, who were understandably reluctant to be violently evicted from their tribal grounds.
Custer’s career on the Plains lasted fully ten years, and the book’s middle third covers this little-known period. Custer was well regarded by those running the Army so promoted to command a cavalry regiment; in return he was assigned to active combat for the duration. The risks to him and to his family were very real, and his concern for his wife’s safety triggered rash actions, endangering his command. The result was a court martial. The authors pull no punches over his erratic behaviour, to a degree judging him against modern standards of conduct. (Few ACW commanders would stand up to such scrutiny!).
But Custer’s driven nature was based on his formative years in the Civil War, when commanders could be less careful with their men’s lives than they could later on the Plains. His successes came at a human cost and set his officers into opposing cliques. The case of Major Elliot is quoted at length. He was Custer’s number two, and he was killed, together with the regimental sergeant major and 18 troopers when they were separated from the rest of the unit in an attack on an Indian camp in the winter of 1868. While the attack was officially a success, Elliott’s loss raised questions as to why Custer seemingly abandoned the detachment.
The reality of the 7th Cavalry, over the next eight years, was not one of a well-trained, seasoned, cohesive unit. The officers were either for or against Custer; the sergeants, who were most of the long service cadre, had lost their senior ranker, which must have had some effect; the junior soldiers were mainly immigrants with scanty training; turnover was high and desertion was rife.
It is hard to imagine the enervating effect of eight years in the same unit, in the same area, doing the same operational task. This context puts the action at the Little Bighorn into a different light. Custer had developed his tactics over an exceptionally long time, had packed his unit with relatives and colleagues who were unlikely to disagree with his methods, and was probably worn out and somewhat stale. He may have thought that he was the smartest man in the unit, hence his reluctance to believe the scouts’ reports that he was dangerously outnumbered. Custer’s fight is described in detail. Benteen’s decision to remain back with Reno, and not to try to cut his way through to Custer, is linked to Benteen’s grudge, stemming from the abandonment of Elliott all those years before.
I have two niggles with this otherwise excellent book. First, and this is a regular gripe, the maps are only average. To fully understand the terrain at the Little Bighorn I turned to Wikipedia, which has better maps (you are right,John: this seems to be a regular complaint of published material – by reviewers in this magazine as much as anywhere! It seems a shame that one has to turn to the web to supplement a printed book. Ed.). The other issue is that the majority of the references listed are more than a century old. Original sources are valuable, but critical comment back then was restrained by the need to avoid offending Custer’s long-lived widow, who was the selfappointed guardian of his image.
That aside, this is a readable and wellpaced book. It argues its case well and significantly changes my understanding of the Custer story. As is so often the case, the undercurrent of personal issues – and the questions on Custer’s leadership style – affect the perception of the action. Any wargame of the Little Bighorn needs to include some debate on Benteen’s dilemma. A gripping and enjoyable read: it is recommended.