The Custer Reader

by Paul Andrew Hutton (Editor)

'Interest in the career of George Armstrong Custer has been unflagging since his death in battle near the Little Bighorn River in 1876, and books and articles about him have flowed steadily. It is time, then, that a diligent scholar and able editor should seek out the best that has been written by and about Custer, both by contemporaries and modern scholars, and package it for those who thrive on Custeriana as well as for those who would simply like to know more about him. Mr. Hutton has done a fine job of presenting both the man and the many myths that have grown up around the boy general of the Civil War and the colorful Indian fighter of the plains' - "Washington Times".'[These] well-illustrated pages contain just about everything you'd want to know about the impetuous, courageous but not overly clever [Custer]...Some of the most gripping reports are those of officers who actually participated in the fatal expedition and its maneuvers in the Black Hills of Dakota Territory. The Indians get their word in, too, most notably a grisly account of the 1876 battle by an eighty-year-old Cheyenne woman named Kate Bighead...Certainly the dashing, war-loving Long Hair - which is what the Indians called their implacable enemy - never seemed more vivid a figure than in this unusual anthology' - "Parade Magazine". 'Very seldom is a book a pure joy to read; "The Custer Reader" is such a book. It offers standard texts and fresh insights about the United States' most famous - and most maligned - military figure' - "True West". 'May well become the definitive book on this mythical and thoroughly controversial figure' - "AB Bookman Weekly". Paul Andrew Hutton, the editor, is an associate professor of history at the University of New Mexico. His books include the prize-winning "Phil Sheridan and His Army" (Nebraska, 1985).

Genres: History

585 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1992

Reviews

[Schoppie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hutton has done a great job gathering some of the most important Custer articles on subjects ranging from the Civil War, Indians Wars, his famous "last stand," and the films, artwork, and myths surrounding the general. The ways in which Custer has been re-invented by novelists, films, and artwork since his death are described in great detail in this work. I highly recommend this book as "required reading" for anyone seeking a true understanding (if such can be acquired) of Custer and his place in history and myth.

[Nate Hendrix · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very interesting collection of writings both about and by Custer. Some of the passages were written soon after the massacre. I do find it interesting that Little Big Horn is referred to as a massacre and Gettysburg or the Falaise Gap are referred to as battles. This book was mentioned in Indian Yell by Michael Blake the author of Dances With Wolves.