Touched by Fire

I have read several books about Custer, and I have to say this is one that I both learned and enjoyed! It readied like a fine novel but was also a fine rendering of facts! The researching was a work of art!

I just re-read this biography, after several years, and I was reminded again what a great book it is. Barnett's Custer is not Custer-the-awful or Custer-the-hero -- but Custer-the-human. She is solid on her sources, and tells a story about Custer that develops his relationship with his wife in ways that I find fascinating. You get a sense from this about a person who was three-dimensional. Her description of the battles are solid, though if you want more detail, you will need to find that in other books. If you want to learn about the person behind the fighting, though, this is the book for you.

I agree with Bob Reece on that score. At the time _Touched By Fire_ was published, we also saw publication of another Custer biography by Jeffery Wert. Barnett's bio was by far and away the better of the two. Custer comes to life for modern readers in a way few authors have made him come alive. My personal favorite Custer "bio" is still Evan Connell's _Son of the Morning Star_, but Barnett's work is also one that I refer to regularly.Bob Reece spends a lot of his review addressing the issues raised by "a reader from San Francisco" covering the "experiment" that was illustrated in the A & E (and possibly the History Channel as well) documentary in "The New Explorers" series. The New Explorers documentary was seriously marred, I think, in swallowing hook, line, and sinker author Robert Nightengale's almost paranoiac ravings against Benteen and Reno. Any reader interested can refer to Nightengale's _Little Big Horn_ for details there. What I want to note about the "experiment" mentioned is an interesting fact, namely that it appears that those in the Reno-Benteen contingent who claimed to hear firing in the distance were also those who were younger officers who were not Civil War veterans. It is very probable that Reno and Benteen simply did not hear any firing in the distance owing to partial hearing loss induced by their Civil War service.But that's irrelevant to Barnett's biography. Don't ignore Connell's _Son of the Morning Star_ in your Custer researches, but for an excellent introduction to the life of one of the most colorful Army officers in U.S. History, you can't beat _Touched by Fire_.

I adamantly disagree with the reviewer, below, from San Francisco. This is one of the best biographies of Custer's life with his wife, Libbie. Their relationship comes to life in Barnett's book. The reviewer mentions the "New Explorers" program on the History Channel and its reference to Reno and Benteen not coming to Custer's aid when they knew he was under attack was a sham to historical research. Frankly, I was embarrassed for the History Channel when I viewed this program. It has always been understood by historians of the Battle of the Little Bighorn that the men under Reno and Benteen's command heard firing to the north coming from the Custer Battalion. Reno had just got whipped soundly by the Sioux and Cheyenne warriors in the river valley forcing him to retreat to the high bluffs overlooking the river (now known as the Reno/Benteen defense site); it was from this position that they heard firing to the north. Reno had lost over 30 men during the valley fight and retreat. His men were demoralized and there were many men wounded. Custer was five miles to the north beyond the hills; it might as well been a 100 miles. The "New Explorers" premise is that it's some great mystery whether the soldiers' heard gun firing or not. So, they conduct a makeshift "experiment" with a tape recorder on the Reno/Benteen defense site. Over the hills, to the north, they have a few guys waiting to fire some carbines. So, the guys with the tape recorder are talking through walkie-talkies to the men who are waiting to fire their carbines and they begin to countdown to zero. At zero, the men fire their carbines and it's recorded on the tape. Wow! The "researchers" got all excited and said this was proof that Reno heard the firing and, because, he didn't come to Custer's aid, Custer met his death. What a joke! This "experiment" was conducted on a quiet afternoon. The "researchers" didn't take into consideration that the Reno/Benteen site, during the battle, would not have been so quiet. Most importantly, their premise is nothing new. It's their conclusions that are subjective and childish. Barnett doesn't stoop to such stupidity like these "researchers." She portrays the life of Custer and Libbie as one of genuine caring. After Custer's death, Libbie resolves to spend the rest of her life protecting her husband's reputation. Libbie was ahead of her time; she was a strong, independent woman who faced all kinds of hardships with courage and strength. And, Custer? He was a man like some people today. He was ambitious and wanted to move forward with his career, yet he didn't let his ambitions affect his decisions on the battlefield. Once you start reading TOUCHED BY FIRE, you will find it hard to put down. It is a moving story.

Sometimes overlooked in this book are Louise Barnett's fascinating sidebars on women on the frontier. She could make another book out of her research in this area.