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Personal Recollections of a Cavalryman With Custer's Michigan Cavalry Brigade in the Civil War
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334 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1908
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
May 2, 2018
Having served under Custer during the American Civil War and receiving a general's rank, Kidd writes a fawning history of Custer and the Michigan Brigade. While there are descriptions of several battles, Kidd's version is suspect due to his relationship with Custer.
September 13, 2020
Quite informative but considering the book was written in 1908 it is sometimes tough to follow and actually after a while gets quite boring.
Another thing - The book says that it includes a rare photo insert but there are NO photos at all.
Another thing - The book says that it includes a rare photo insert but there are NO photos at all.
June 8, 2023
Interesting photos
I liked the photos but they needed captions. Most books add them so I know what I am viewing. As it is, I had to use previous knowledge or guess.
I liked the photos but they needed captions. Most books add them so I know what I am viewing. As it is, I had to use previous knowledge or guess.
September 22, 2015
Although at times somewhat interesting and even marginally entertaining, J.H. Kidd's account of serving in General Custer's Michigan cavalry regiment during the American Civil War is certainly not what most folks would probably call "light reading." For starters, there really isn't much of a narrative at all, despite the fact that the book is well over 500 pages in length!
It's certainly not that Kidd's lengthy list of wartime reminiscences isn't competently written overall, mind you. In fact, in a number of instances (though sadly, too few and far between), the author seems to genuinely have had a way with words. He also surely had only the best of intentions when putting it all on paper for the sake of posterity; at least in terms of how much thoughtful detail he consistently strove to add to each and every event chronicled within his seemingly endless account.
But that's just exactly the problem, you see. Because perhaps the best way to describe the book is by invoking the old adage, "too much, too little, too late." Too much text, too little editing of the original manuscript, and it's far, far too late to change any of that now. Yes, too many details that most likely won't mean much to most readers who aren't deeply interested in the nuts and bolts, blow by blow, day to day slog of what it was like to serve in a civil war era Michigan cavalry regiment. For even in that regard, the author fails to deliver much of real substance.
Case in point: although Kidd mentions infamous general, George Armstrong Custer, from time to time (and the book even conspicuously bears his name in the title), the famed fair haired, but ill fated, military man is seldom given much more than a sentence or two in most chapters of the book - where and when he actually does show up at all, that is. So, too little Custer - despite the fact that the man's civil war era portrait appears prominently on the cover of the book.
Worst of all, though the writing is quite good in spots, there was obviously far too little done for the original manuscript in the editing department. As a result, I'd even wager that cutting the book down to half (or even a third) its needlessly robust length would have made a vast improvement in terms of sheer readability. Seriously! So much of the book really is just that terribly verbose. Facts, figures, dry observations, idle speculation, and page after page, in many cases, of superfluous fluff that really doesn't help the book, the author, or the average reader out much at all. Don't believe me? Have a crack at reading every word yourself. I did it. And it took me a good long while too, let me tell ya!
So, if the book is really that lackluster, why did I, if you'll pardon the pun, "soldier on"? Well, I hate to abandon books, as I do love them so, in most cases. I even somewhat enjoyed latent process of getting to know J.H. Kidd via his long winded penmanship, believe it or not! Because honestly, much of what attracted me to read the book in the first place really is within its voluminous pages. History in all its up close and personal intimate glory is very much alive in Kidd's wordy narrative, too be sure. I only wish it wasn't way, way too late to edit the hell out of an otherwise remarkable firsthand account of day to day life in the American Civil War.
It's certainly not that Kidd's lengthy list of wartime reminiscences isn't competently written overall, mind you. In fact, in a number of instances (though sadly, too few and far between), the author seems to genuinely have had a way with words. He also surely had only the best of intentions when putting it all on paper for the sake of posterity; at least in terms of how much thoughtful detail he consistently strove to add to each and every event chronicled within his seemingly endless account.
But that's just exactly the problem, you see. Because perhaps the best way to describe the book is by invoking the old adage, "too much, too little, too late." Too much text, too little editing of the original manuscript, and it's far, far too late to change any of that now. Yes, too many details that most likely won't mean much to most readers who aren't deeply interested in the nuts and bolts, blow by blow, day to day slog of what it was like to serve in a civil war era Michigan cavalry regiment. For even in that regard, the author fails to deliver much of real substance.
Case in point: although Kidd mentions infamous general, George Armstrong Custer, from time to time (and the book even conspicuously bears his name in the title), the famed fair haired, but ill fated, military man is seldom given much more than a sentence or two in most chapters of the book - where and when he actually does show up at all, that is. So, too little Custer - despite the fact that the man's civil war era portrait appears prominently on the cover of the book.
Worst of all, though the writing is quite good in spots, there was obviously far too little done for the original manuscript in the editing department. As a result, I'd even wager that cutting the book down to half (or even a third) its needlessly robust length would have made a vast improvement in terms of sheer readability. Seriously! So much of the book really is just that terribly verbose. Facts, figures, dry observations, idle speculation, and page after page, in many cases, of superfluous fluff that really doesn't help the book, the author, or the average reader out much at all. Don't believe me? Have a crack at reading every word yourself. I did it. And it took me a good long while too, let me tell ya!
So, if the book is really that lackluster, why did I, if you'll pardon the pun, "soldier on"? Well, I hate to abandon books, as I do love them so, in most cases. I even somewhat enjoyed latent process of getting to know J.H. Kidd via his long winded penmanship, believe it or not! Because honestly, much of what attracted me to read the book in the first place really is within its voluminous pages. History in all its up close and personal intimate glory is very much alive in Kidd's wordy narrative, too be sure. I only wish it wasn't way, way too late to edit the hell out of an otherwise remarkable firsthand account of day to day life in the American Civil War.
August 22, 2024
This is a good book and enjoyable to read, but the author was writing for an audience that had a living memory of the Civil War. For modern readers, a lot more context is required to really enjoy this book.
For my part, I spent the summer reading about the Civil War. I started with Grant's memoir, then read Sears's book on Gettysburg. I also read "The Cavalry at Gettysburg," and listened to a Great Courses audio book on the Civil War. With that background, I could put Kidd's experiences into context. Within that larger context, this book is very enjoyable. Kidd's writing is conversational and gets better as the book progresses. Where early on he tends to fall back on patriotic cliche and refer to himself in the third person, the latter half of the book is more immediate and in the first person. He does a better job describing the battles, and his part in them, in the latter half of the book too.
The real strength of this book is the ground-level view of what it was like to be a Civil War cavalry officer. Kidd describes the day-to-day routine, the long hours in the saddle, and the business of battle with a clearness that makes a reader feel involved in the action. Kidd also keenly felt the loss of friends and comrades; he devotes a few pages to a number of lost friends, describing them in life and noting the circumstances of their deaths.
The bottom line is that Kidd's title for this book is perfectly appropriate — it is his personal recollections. There is some valuable history here, but this is not a general history. Rather, this book is a wonderful personal narrative that brings the general history to life.
On a personal note, I have a slight connection to this story. One of my dad's grandfathers had a grandfather who was a Pennsylvania cavalryman involved in most of the same battles covered in this book. By reading about Kidd's experiences, I got a better idea of what my ancestor experienced.
For my part, I spent the summer reading about the Civil War. I started with Grant's memoir, then read Sears's book on Gettysburg. I also read "The Cavalry at Gettysburg," and listened to a Great Courses audio book on the Civil War. With that background, I could put Kidd's experiences into context. Within that larger context, this book is very enjoyable. Kidd's writing is conversational and gets better as the book progresses. Where early on he tends to fall back on patriotic cliche and refer to himself in the third person, the latter half of the book is more immediate and in the first person. He does a better job describing the battles, and his part in them, in the latter half of the book too.
The real strength of this book is the ground-level view of what it was like to be a Civil War cavalry officer. Kidd describes the day-to-day routine, the long hours in the saddle, and the business of battle with a clearness that makes a reader feel involved in the action. Kidd also keenly felt the loss of friends and comrades; he devotes a few pages to a number of lost friends, describing them in life and noting the circumstances of their deaths.
The bottom line is that Kidd's title for this book is perfectly appropriate — it is his personal recollections. There is some valuable history here, but this is not a general history. Rather, this book is a wonderful personal narrative that brings the general history to life.
On a personal note, I have a slight connection to this story. One of my dad's grandfathers had a grandfather who was a Pennsylvania cavalryman involved in most of the same battles covered in this book. By reading about Kidd's experiences, I got a better idea of what my ancestor experienced.
June 23, 2012
Part narrative, part chronicle is how I'd guess you'd describe this work. Not especially polished prose but an intersting account of one of the lesser-known (at least by me) theatres of the American Civil War. Also intesting for the author's view of Custer as a measured leader of men which contrasts greatly with the popular view of him as a glory hunter whose demise at Little Big Horn was entirely self-inflicted.
January 10, 2012
This is a good book. It reads easily and gives the personal story of a cavalry officer with Custer and the Michigan cavalry brigade. They were in a lot of key battles in the final two years of the war and this book is a good source for the events and background on how this brigade fought.
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March 20, 2015Good read
This book was refreshing in the way it was written. When the writer lives the history as it happens, and has the ability to relate it in a manner that J H Kidd does, the reader has an enjoyable experience.
This book was refreshing in the way it was written. When the writer lives the history as it happens, and has the ability to relate it in a manner that J H Kidd does, the reader has an enjoyable experience.
March 21, 2021
Available at Open Library:
https://openlibrary.org/works/OL26870...
https://openlibrary.org/works/OL26870...
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews