Custer
From the Civil War's Boy General to the Battle of the Little Big Horn
Ted Behncke and Gary Bloomfield, Casemate, 2020, 230 pages
Book Review published on: August 07, 2025
On 27 June 1876, U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Alfred Terry marched into the valley of the Little Big Horn River with a force of cavalry and infantry and was shocked to find that much of the Seventh Cavalry Regiment, including its commander, Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer, had been killed in action by Sioux and Cheyenne warriors. Never had Terry or his superiors ever envisioned that the U.S. Army would suffer such a defeat during its campaign to force roaming Indians back to their reservations. The American public was also stunned on 4 July 1876, amid celebrating their Nation's centennial, to learn of Custer's death and the Seventh Cavalry's defeat; Custer was famous for his daring exploits as a cavalry commander, and it was difficult to believe that he was gone. Ever since, Custer has remained a significant figure in American history and questions persist about him and his actions at the Little Big Horn River on 25 June 1876. In their book Custer: From the Civil War's Boy General to the Battle of the Little Big Horn, authors Ted Behncke and Gary Bloomfield chronicle Custer's Army career and analyze some interesting things about his past actions that may explain how he and many soldiers of the Seventh Cavalry met their fate.
In the lead chapters of the book, Behncke and Bloomfield describe how Custer grew to become a maverick in the U.S. Army. At an early age, Custer was an adventurous individual who was not afraid to challenge authority. Even while attending the United States Military Academy, he appeared unafraid in testing the institution's strict regime of discipline. This daring boldness was to his detriment as a cadet, and he frequently racked up an excessive number of demerits. However, the authors note that while Custer tested the patience of the faculty and upper classmen, he enjoyed being a part of the Army and straightened up when necessary to avoid dismissal from the academy. The advent of the American Civil War was somewhat fortuitous for Custer because he and his class graduated one year early to report for duty as the Army was rapidly mobilizing for the conflict. Free from clashing with the strict academic policies of West Point, the audacious Custer was able to demonstrate his mettle in battle. By the end of the war, he advanced to the brevet rank of major general and was recognized for playing key roles in several U.S. Army victories. Custer's aggressive and flamboyant nature enabled him to become a national hero.
While Custer's rise in rank and fame during the Civil War was almost too good to be true, the latter part of the book covers his fall back to reality, which enables readers to realize that this famous cavalry officer had his share of challenges after transitioning to a post-war army in a new operating environment. With the United States' western expansion across the American frontier, he and the U.S. Army found that fighting a low-intensity conflict with hostile, but elusive, American Indian tribes to be considerably difficult. No longer able to defeat enemy forces head-on in decisive mounted assaults, Custer had to embark his cavalry forces on long-range search-and-attack operations, constrained by limited means of sustainment, that could often result in no gains. In addition to trying to find a stealthy enemy across vast expanses of wilderness, Custer had to deal with low troop morale as soldiers were required to serve in remote locations under austere conditions. It is during this part of the book that readers will attain a more realistic view of Custer and the difficult trials that he and the Army faced with stabilizing the western territories.
In the final chapter, Behncke and Bloomfield give readers an account of the Battle of the Little Big Horn River. The authors supplement the facts with logical analysis to help readers comprehend how Custer and a sizable portion of his cavalry regiment were destroyed by a large force of Sioux and Cheyenne warriors. Since there were no survivors in Custer's battalion, which had separated from the rest of the regiment in a bold attempt to score a dramatic victory against the Indians at the Little Big Horn, the authors provide a thorough forensic analysis of what probably occurred, to include Indians' accounts, during the final moments at "Last Stand Hill." Readers will gain better insight in how the battle likely transpired and why this iconic cavalry officer led the Seventh Cavalry into a historic defeat.
Custer: From the Civil War's Boy General to the Battle of the Little Big Horn is an excellent book for readers interested in learning about Custer and how he and many of his soldiers of the Seventh Cavalry met their end at the Little Big Horn River. The authors' analysis highlights Custers' successes on the battlefield, as well as his faults, that are relevant lessons in reconnaissance and security operations. While this book might not reveal anything new to some readers who have studied numerous other works about Custer and the Battle of the Little Big Horn, Behncke's and Bloomfield's effort remains a worthwhile reading for most people interested in learning more about this well-known cavalry officer and the role he played in this famous battle of the Indian Wars.
Book Review written by: Dirk C. Blackdeer, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas