Custer: The Making of a Young General

by Edward G. Longacre

Overview

"Longacre has provided excellent contribution to the literature on George Custer. This work is a fine addition to any Civil War bookshelf." —The Civil War Monitor

The name George Armstrong Custer looms large in American history, specifically for his leadership in the American Indian Wars and unfortunate fall at the Battle of Little Bighorn. But before his time in the West, Custer began his career fighting for the Union in the Civil War.

In Custer: The Making of a Young General, legendary Civil War historian Edward G. Longacre provides fascinating insight into this often-overlooked period in Custer's life. In 1863, under the patronage of General Alfred Pleasonton, commander of the Army of the Potomac's horsemen, a young but promising twenty-three-year-old Custer rose to the unprecedented rank of brigadier general and was placed in charge of the untried Michigan Calvary Brigade. Although over time Custer would bring out excellence in his charges, eventually leading the Wolverines to prominence, his first test came just days later at Hanover, then Hunterstown, and finally Gettysburg. In these campaigns and subsequent ones, Custer's reputation for surging ahead regardless of the odds (almost always with successful results that appeared to validate his calculating recklessness) was firmly established.

More than just a history book, Custer: The Making of a Young General is a study of Custer's formative years, his character and personality; his attitudes toward leadership; his tactical preferences, especially for the mounted charge; his trademark brashness and fearlessness; his relations with his subordinates; and his attitudes toward the enemy with whom he clashed repeatedly in Pennsylvania and Virginia.

Custer goes into great depth and detail than any other study of Custer's Civil War career, while firmly refuting many of the myths and misconceptions regarding his personal life and military service. Fascinating and insightful, it belongs on the shelf of every history buff.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781510733190
Publisher:	Skyhorse
Publication date:	08/14/2018
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	1,167,267
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Edward G. Longacre is the award-winning author of numerous books on the Civil War, including The Cavalry at Gettysburg, Lincoln's Cavalrymen, and Custer and His Wolverines. His books have garnered numerous awards, including the Fletcher Pratt Award, the Douglas Southall Freeman History Award, and the James Robertson Literary Prize for Confederate History. He lives in Newport News, Virginia.

Table of Contents

Introduction ix

Acknowledgments xi

Chapter I Impulsive Youth 1

Chapter II Immortality at West Point 16

Chapter III To the Field of Battle 37

Chapter IV Rising Star 56

Chapter V Serving the Young Napoleon 76

Chapter VI War Lover 95

Chapter VII A Resurrected Career 113

Chapter VIII Boy General of the Golden Locks 131

Chapter IX Charge, and Charge Again 153

Chapter X Driving out the Rebels 175

Chapter XI Apprenticeship Complete 195

Endnotes 217

Bibliography 250

Index 263

Editorial Reviews

"Longacre has provided excellent contribution to the literature on George Custer. This work is a fine addition to any Civil War bookshelf."  —The Civil War Monitor

From the Publisher

2018-04-11
A look at the early career of one of the most controversial figures in American military history.George Armstrong Custer's place in American history was secured on June 25, 1876, when he and more than 260 of his men perished at the Battle of Little Bighorn. In his latest book, award-winning Civil War historian Longacre (The Early Morning of War: Bull Run, 1861, 2014, etc.) aims to highlight Custer's Civil War career while "correct[ing] the myths, misconceptions, and misinterpretations that have distorted readers' impressions of the soldier and the man." The son of an Ohio blacksmith and farmer, Custer earned admission to West Point, where his indifference toward his studies and predilection for pranks led to graduation at the bottom of his class in 1861. Yet the Civil War provided opportunity for the young soldier. Commissioned as a second lieutenant of cavalry, he saw action in First Bull Run, the Peninsula Campaign, and Antietam. In 1863, under Alfred Pleasonton, commander of the Army of the Potomac's Cavalry Corps, the 23-year-old Custer won promotion to brigadier general of volunteers. Following his bold and brave fighting in the Gettysburg campaign, he returned home to propose to Elizabeth Clift Bacon, which is where this book ends. Longacre effectively deconstructs several of the myths surrounding Custer, particularly the mysterious circumstances of his admission to West Point. The author also relates a few savory tidbits, including the acrophobic Custer's periodic balloon ascents during the Peninsula Campaign and the fact that George's brother Thomas was a two-time recipient of the Medal of Honor. Yet there are several mistakes and errors, including misnaming P.G.T. Beauregard. Furthermore, Longacre's thorough detailing of military maneuvers and battles slows the narrative.A book that should appeal to military history enthusiasts, but those seeking a more standard biography should look elsewhere.

Kirkus Reviews