The Court-Martial of George Armstrong Custer

by Douglas C. Jones

Book Overview

George Armstrong Custer, the golden-boy of the 7th Cavalry, is miraculously found alive among the hundreds of dead soldiers. Then, as a stunned nation looks on, he is put on trial for disobeying orders. While the prosecutor shows Custer as a murderous grandstander, reckless with the lives of his men, the public wants desperately to believe that their hero made a simple mistake. Finally, it's Custer's turn to reveal what really happened that sweltering...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0684147386
• ISBN13: 9780684147383
• Release Date: January 1976
• Publisher: Scribner Book Company
• Length: 291 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.

Customer Reviews

A Post-Mortem of the Massacre

This historical novel asks: what if Custer had survived the Battle of Little Big Horn? It uses historical characters in a late 19th century setting to tell its story and educate you about details of times long forgotten. People were much as they are today, but different. You may be entertained as much as by other novels from that long-ago time. The author must have studied many books and newspapers of that time to gather the details needed to create this story. The book explains the politics involved. Custer had testified during the impeachment hearings of Secretary of War Belknap early in 1876. Custer was favored by the Democrats, while Grant was the Republican President. Sherman's brother was an important Republican Senator (Sherman Anti-Trust Act). [Does this remind you of recent events?] Custer would be tried for what he did before he split his command; they had witnesses (p.74). Jones must have searched many old records to recreate the setting for this court-martial on Governor's Island.The crux of the charges are on page 90: Custer did not determine the size and strength of the enemy that morning. [Other books say the Indian warriors would defend against an attack while the women and children escaped, and then would join them. Waiting would let them all escape, so Custer attacked at dawn.] "But all the Sioux had fled" (p.152). While Custer was criticized for engaging the enemy on the 25th, a day earlier than planned, Colonel Gibbon's forces did not arrive until the 27th, a day later (p.156)! Page 175 tells how politicians were paid to appoint a post trader. (Does this still occur today?) Page 185 tells of newspaper rivalry over the trial. Page 191 says the Massacre at Little Big Horn caused Congress to loosen the purse strings. Page 213 tells of the training problems: unfit pack mules, sparse mounts untrained to gunfire, not enough ammunition to train recruits. Custer's forces were to rest that day, and attack the next day. Their discovery by Sioux scouts changed that plan (p.219). The troops would form battalions in line to locate the enemy. The scouts were as far ahead as possible (p.221). Prior to June 17 the Plains Indians did not attempt a pitched battle; it was strike and run (p.223). Nelson Miles would have done the same as Custer (p.225). Custer's talents are summarized in a left-handed way (p.253). Page 262 has Custer's lawyer guessing about the voting.You should be knowledgeable about the events to appreciate this novel. This book lacks a bibliography of sources that could provide an education. While fictional, it explains the events of June 25, 1876 to the general reader. Most of all, it absolves Custer by pointing out that if he did not attack until June 26 (the original plan), then the same result could have occurred since the other troops didn't arrive until June 27, a day late!This book implicitly raises the question: was Custer set up? Did they withhold information on the number of Indians who left the reservation? Custer te