Custer Survivor: The End of a Myth, the Beginning of a Legend

by John Koster, Louise Barnett (Introduction)

It has been recorded in official government records that there were no survivors of the five companies of the Seventh Cavalry who were with General George Armstrong Custer at the battle at the Little Big Horn. Recently, uncovered records and forensic handwriting evidence, the latter verified by forensic handwriting experts, reveal that one trooper, a sergeant in "C" Company of the Seventh Cavalry, actually escaped the onslaught of Sioux and Cheyenne. The author has tracked the man and his activity during the battle and has brought them together in Custer Survivor . Custer Survivor , through documented accounts recreates the scene from the Sioux and Cheyenne encampment the night before the battle through the action the following day, the remarkable "escape" of the wounded survivor, the aftermath of the battle and his fascinating life thereafter. Professor Louise Barnett, a fellow of the Rutgers Center for Historical Analysis, Rutgers University, writes the Introduction.

Genres: History

202 pages, Paperback

First published January 2, 2010

About the author

John Koster is the co-author of The Road To Wounded Knee, a best-seller which won the N.J. Sigma Delta Chi Award for Distinguished Public Service in 1974, and of Custer Survivor, which inspired a two-hour documentary on The History Channel. A volunteer Viet Nam-era veteran injured in training with U.S. Army Airborne in 1967, Koster writes regularly for Wild West, Military History, and American History. He has written for American Heritage and National Geographic. He is fluent and literate in French, German, Dutch, Italian, Spanish and rudimentary Lakota, the language of the Sioux. All five of his grandchildren are either part Cherokee or part Sioux.

Reviews

[Ó Ruairc · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Custer Survivor" is a book about Frank Finkel, otherwise known as August Finckle or Frank Hall, the only soldier marching with Custer who, supposedly, managed to escape death at the Little Bighorn. Finkel's story is nothing novel; nevertheless, the author of this book does a good job of introducing different and insightful specifics regarding the life and times of one Frank (August) Finkel, 7th Cavalry, U.S.A. In the years following the Battle of the Little Bighorn, hundreds of men have claimed to be a "sole survivor" of Custer's doomed command. For all of that, Finkel's story is the only one which seems somewhat plausible. Through meticulous research and by using up-to-date investigative measures, the author of this book excels at making Finkel's tale all the more convincing.

The book itself, however, is mainly a bio about the "survivor," Frank Finkel. If a reader is reading this book for the sake of discovering new insight or recently developed information about the actual battle, he or she will not find it here - only one chapter in the beginning is allotted to the infamous engagement. There is, however, a reason for this:

Frank Finkel, if his story is true, did not see Custer and his comrades come to grief. At the onset, when Custer's men initially encountered the village, Finkel and his horse were wounded by Sioux bullets. Finkel's horse, driven by pain and fear, bolted through the Indian village along the river. As good fortune would have it, this is how the sole Custer survivor managed to escape the slaughter. It must be duly noted that Finkel was only a participant during the nascent portion of the fight; he was not with Custer and his men during the tumultuous and climactic part of it. In other words, this "Custer Survivor" made his escape before the "last stand" of legend took place. Such as it is, Finkel's story proffers up nothing new, interesting, or compelling in regards to what happened at the Little Bighorn because he witnessed so little of the actual battle.

One other criticism I have regarding the book is this: if you are going to bestow the appellation of "Custer Survivor" on Frank Finkel, you may as well do it for Trumpeter John Martin (Giovanni Martini) as well. After all, when all things are considered, one finds Frank Finkel's story no more notable than the story about the man who, but for the delivering of a last minute message, would have perished with Custer too.

By and large, however, "Custer Survivor" is worth reading. Despite my so subtle censures, I enjoyed this book. I especially enjoyed, and admired, the passion, time, effort, and herculean research the author must have put into it.

[Jeffrey Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Battle of Little Bighorn is intriguing enough, and a dirth of material has already been written about it, mostly from the perspective of the 7th Cavalry. I had previously read accounts of the battle from the perspectives of the Indians - interviews with surviving Indian warriors and Custer's Crow Indian Scouts who were dismissed from service on the eve of the battle. The Indian accounts not only differs from the well established myths that have surrounded this battle for over 140 years, but a forensic analysis of the battlefield meshes very well with the Indian version of the events that unfolded.

Koster's account of Frank Finckel, who enlisted in the 7th Cavalry under the name August Finckle, fits nicely with the Indian narrative. Furthermore, instead of just giving us the narrative of this soldier survivor, Koster shows us how he arrived to this conclusion with a proper explanation of his methology, exhaustive bibliography, and an examination of how the Finckel story was altered over the years. Koster makes a very believable and compelling case.

However, if you are looking for an actual account of the battle, you will get very little of it here. Finckel's role was rather brief, and thus, the accounting is also brief. Most of the book involves Koster trying to prove/disprove the identity of Finckel as it relates to the 7th Cavalry, and only the beginning and end revolve around the specifics of the battle and battlefield.

If this book could be improved, I would recommend adding a little bit more specifics of the battle and more about Custer's trek from Fort Lincoln to the battle location to provide more context to how and why everybody appears exhausted in this opening chapter. It would also strengthen the connections and interest with the rest of the book to make it a more interesting read. Still, if you have read previous works on Little Bighorn, then this easy read should be an addition to your bookshelf.

[Erwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

One Survived?

After reading Custer Survivor you realize the knowledge gained makes no difference. Because Frank Finkel survived, the plight of our Native Americans will not change. Those who fought at the Little Big Horn will not be brought back. That said it may be nice to know that Mrs Custer’s rampage across the country to maintain her husband’s heroism was really for naught. Thanks to John Koster and others we know that Custer went after women, children and the old. We are told once more that traders sold the Native Americans better weapons than the Army issued the 7th Calvary. In short we are told again that all this country has done historically has not been for good. Koster has written an interesting, well documented book that will inform the reader regarding the battle and the consternation Frank Finkel must have gone through while carrying his secret all those years.

[E.J. Cullen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is about the fourth book I've read about the Little Big Horn and I'm still not down with exactly how the whole wide thing evolved. The reason for this is probably that there was, at the time, so much finger-pointing and so many self-serving accusations and defenses proffered that, unless you blithely accept the final (also self-serving) government version, you're left to re-create the situation in your own imagination.

That the government bureaucracy under-gunned these troopers (the indians had superior weaponry) seems obvious. Custer underestimated the sheer numbers of his adversaries. His forces were not coordinated. Help he counted on never arrived or became frozen as a result of the chaos.

This story is about a sergeant who was wounded and escaped - and never returned because he feared being tried as a deserter and who lived out his long life as a prosperous businessman. All in all, this book tells you little about the battle, as such, but simply purports to prove that there was at least one survivor.

[Ralph · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting book. I had not known there were any survivors from Custer's group at the battle of the little bighorn but this book tells the story of a man that claims to be one. The author has done a lot of research and presents a very believable story of the life of Frank Finkel, the man who survived and lived to tell the story.

[Lynne Burns · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting concept that there was an actual survivor of Custer's men at the Battle of the Little Big Horn. However, because so much time has elapsed it is hard to prove. The author provides some interesting food for thought on this theory.

[Carolyn Doyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Riveting story...a version of history we have not heard until now.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting book not only of a survivor of the Little Big Horn and his life after the battle but of that time period and how people at that time reacted.

[Gerald Hickman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interestiing book. Franks' wife was alot like Libbie Custer. The book is thought provoking and fits the remarks made by several warriors who were there.

[Mark Burcham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read. Horse runs away from the battlefield with a severely wounded Sergeant. If true, and it seems a likely story, it is a new piece of information for me. I enjoyed this.

[Susie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding read. Makes you stop and think that it could be true.