The Court-Martial of General George Armstrong Custer

General George Armstrong Custer is a figure in American history, right or wrong, because of Little Big Horn. Many people have tried to understand what drove him to take such dangerous and, in some cases, unethical actions on that bloody day. These series of events that happened so many years before may hold the answer. The book covers the events, from Hancock's actions in Kansas, to the Kidder massacre, to the relationship with Indian tribes and even the condition of the military forces, from the horses right down to the water. So when Custer carries out the actions that got him into so much trouble you, yourself, can decide if he was guilty or not. And you can decide if it brought about that one day that burned his name into the books of military history. A great book for people interested in military history, American history or history of the Old West.

Custer was a fascinating personality and this book offers a good look into how Custer operated from a military, staff and personal vantage point. The Court Martial is based on his performance in the 1867 campaign against the Cheyenne, Kiowa and Arapaho and it reveals a lot about Custer under both professional and personal pressure. Custer was charged primarily with shooting and mistreating deserters, abandoning his post and not moving against Indians that killed two members of a detachment from his command that allegedly killed two of his men. Since desertions were epidemic in the commands at this time in the field, Custer, after a bold group left virtually in daylight announced that deserters would be shot. They in fact were when they resisted capture and he made the announcement that medical care would be denied which had a profound of affect limiting future desertions drastically. The desertions were incredulously almost a third of the command and occurred during field maneuvers jeopardizing the entire command. However, the staff physician spoke at the trial in Custer's behalf that Custer announcing no medical treatment was more shows for effect than truth. The other charge concerns Custer leaving his tired and played out command to go east 270 miles to see Libby. Historians have noted that he may have left in a drastic hurry with 72 men as an escort because of jealousy due to the implied attentions of Lt. Weir or that he was worried about her due to cholera that was spreading across several commands. Although some historians lean to the jealousy angle, it appears that Custer may simply have been worried about his wife due to lack of letters and her failed ability to come further west as planned.However, not pursuing the Indians that shot two members of a detachment is the most interesting charge. Did Custer in a driven pursuit of a rendezvous with his wife leave behind two men that were shot, one of which survived? That is the most fascinating issue and if true paints a picture of a man more concerned with his personal desire to see his wife than taking care of fallen members of his regiment. The trial in my mind never completely addresses the situation because it is not clear that Custer knew that a man was wounded, only that two men were shot and killed and abandoned by the rest of the detachment that never put up a fight to save them but ran. An infantry unit went out and recovered the bodies one of which turned out to be a wounded soldier. His defense has been challenged as he states that he was told that two men were killed, that the Indians had evaporated long before he could get there and that the infantry was able to perform a body retrieval service. More than any other aspect of the trial, I wish the author had explored this further. In addition, I wish the author reviewed the courts findings and offered an opinion whether the findings were valid and whether the suspension for one year was as lenient as suggested by General Grant. E

This non-fiction work reviews the court-martial of Brvt. Maj. Geg. G. A. Custer. Following an unsuccessful campaign against the Indians in Kansas, Nebraska, and Colorado, Custer was charged with a multitude of infractions, including absence without leave and murder. This book traces the evolution of both the historical and legal aspects of this unique case, and it includes the verbatim court transcript and record. It also traces Custer's return to command after he was declared guilty.