Custer's Cavalier

by Thom Nicholson

John Whyte, disgraced son of an English Lord, has quit the British Army and cometo America to join the Union cause. He is assigned to command of the 5thMichigan Cavalry under his former assistant, now Brigadier General GeorgeCuster. Whyte follows the dashing Custer into battle against the Confederatecavalry of JEB Stuart at Gettysburg, into the 1864 Valley Campaign, and iscaptured at the Battle of Cedar Creek. Incarcerated in the infamous Libby Prisonin Richmond, VA, Whyte is under a death sentence for his actions in breaking theRose Greenhow spy ring. If Custer's Cavalier is to survive the ordeal, it willtake all his courage and cunning.

326 pages, Hardcover

First published December 16, 2015

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting story set in the Civil War about an Englishman, Lieutenant Colonel John Whyte, serving as the commanding officer of the 5th Michigan Cavalry Regiment under Brigadier General George Custer. We follow him through the cavalry actions during the Gettysburg Campaign to the Shenandoah Valley Campaign of General Sheridan. It is at the decisive battle of Cedar Creek that Col. Whyte is captured by the Rebels and incarcerated in the infamous Libby Prison, a prison for Union officers in Richmond.
A good story, but I believe author Thom Nicholson takes some liberties with history in his story. He has Col. Whyte shoot and kill General "Jeb" Stuart at the Battle of Yellow Tavern. Stuart was killed in that battle but it was by a private of the 5th Michigan. The soldier was on foot and saw his opportunity to shoot the mounted Confederate general--and did so, with his pistol. OK, it makes for a better story to have the hero of the story kill the enemy general. But, there should be an Afterward stating that the credit for the killing of Jeb Stuart belongs to Private John A. Huff.

[Clay Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best Civil War fiction I have read this year. The book's title is not used in this story and General Custer is not in much of the story in the last half of the book. A better title would be British Yankee Cavalier. The book jacket description does give awary a few of the plot's important points. There is a shocking plot twist at the end.