Men With Custer

IN THE NEWS

[1] A NEW BOOK by CAGB member Gordon Richard

• A REVIEW
• Gordon Richard was born in 1936 in Jersey, Channel Islands, where he was educated at Victoria College and gained honours in English History. He took an early interest in William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody, whose family originated from Jersey, and through him to George Armstrong Custer and the Battle of the Little Bighorn, which he has studied over the last 50 years. Richard has written articles for the Custer Battlefield Historical & Museum Association and the Custer Association of Great Britain. He is a member of both associations, as well as Friends of the Little Bighorn. Through the message boards of the Little Bighorn History Alliance he became friendly with Gordon Clinton Harper, who was writing a book about the events of June 25-26, 1876. When Harper died, Richard took over the project and co-authored the book “Fights on the Little Horn”.The Battle of the Little Bighorn remains one of the most debated events in American Military History. In this collection of meticulously researched essays, the author challenges long-standing myths, examines key decisions made by Custer and his superiors, and re-evaluates the evidence surrounding the battle and it’s participants.
• There are two schools of thought when the issue of The Battle of the Little Bighorn is discussed; you are either for or against Custer. Those against will be of the opinion that he was a talent less, over-hyped narcissist, concerned only with his appearance and how well he was reported in the news of the day. On the other hand, those for him will consider that he was under-valued, a fighter of some renown and a first -class soldier. I form part of a small third group who are neither for nor against him. I am prepared to take on board facts and form my own opinion of the man.
• Gordon Richard has done an excellent job of researching the subject and while you immediately from the opinion that he is in the “For” group, he sets out interesting arguments as to why that should be the case. Unlike so many other commentators, Richard does not dismiss our of hand reports made by participants because they do not fit the populists point of view, nor does he side with the “poor, down-trodden Native Americans”. What he does do is identify that the Native Americans were a formidable foe, who gave no quarter and expected none.
• Richard often refers to comparisons made by senior officers with modern military tactics. He quite rightly dismisses these comparisons for what they are – fiction! It is indeed laughable that modern-day officers would consider that Custer did not implement TOE, a Table of Organisation and Equipment. That particular idea was not introduced by the US Army until 1943, so one could accurately assume that neither Custer or his officers were completely unaware of it in 1876! It is completely wrong to apply any modern mission planning to the events of Little Bighorn.
• The book is an excellent study for any student of military history inasmuch as it examines the whole story of the battle rather than the choicest pieces. The author cleverly inserts his opinion into the picture and backs it up with viable statements from witnesses. He also exposes the desire of the US Government to find a scapegoat at all costs; the obvious choice was Custer as dead men tell no tales!
• This book is not another re-telling of the Little Bighorn story, rather it is a collection of well-researched studies into what actually happened. For this reason alone, the book is a masterpiece! While one can pick up Richard’s sympathies for Custer, the book actually explains why and it is for that reason that I recommend it to anyone interested in this area of US Military History.

[2] Atlas of the Lakota Sioux Wars   1854 – 1891 Lakota, Cheyenne, Arapaho

• VOLUME I
• First Sioux War   1854 – 1855
•   1:  Grattan Fight, Aug. 19, 1854 (2 maps)
•   2:  Blue Water Creek Massacre, Sept. 3, 1855 (2 maps)
•  Southern Cheyenne War   1864
•   3:   Sand Creek Massacre, Nov. 29, 1864
• Indian War of 1865
•   4:  Platte River Bridge Station    July 26, 1865
•   5:  Connor’s 1865 Expedition – Wyoming Overview
•   6:  Connor Fight – Tongue River   Aug. 29, 1865
•   7:  Sawyer Fight – Tongue River   Sept. 1, 1865  
•   8:  Connor’s 1865 Expedition – Montana Overview
• Red Cloud’s War   1866 – 1868
•   9:   Fort Phil Kearny   July 1866 – Aug. 1868
•  10:  Carrington Fight   Dec. 6, 1866   (2 maps)
•  11:   Fetterman Fight   Dec. 21, 1866   (5 maps)
•  12:  Hayfield Fight, Ft. C.F. Smith   Aug. 1, 1867
•  13:  Wagon Box Fight   Aug. 2, 1867    (2 maps) 
• Southern Plains War    1867 – 1869
•   14:  Beecher Island   Sept. 17 – 25, 1868   (2 maps) 
•  
• VOLUME II
• Crook’s Big Horn Expedition   March 1, 1876
•    15:  Powder River Fight   March 17, 1876  (3 maps)
• Terry’s Campaign   June 10 – 14, 1876
•    16:  Tongue River Heights Skirmish   June 9, 1876     
•    17:  Rosebud   June 17, 1876      (14 maps)
•    18:  Little Big Horn  June 25 – 26, 1876    (26 maps)
•    19:  Sibley Scout    July 5 – 8, 1876
•    20:  Warbonnet Creek   July 17, 1876  
• Crook’s Big Horn and Yellowstone 2nd Expedition   Aug. 5 – Oct. 24, 1876
•     21:  Slim Buttes  Sept. 9, 1876   (2 maps)
• The Closing End Period   Oct. 20 – Dec.19, 1876     
• Miles’ Yellowstone – Ft. Peck Expedition  
•     22:  Cedar Creek   Oct. 21, 1876
•     23:  Bark Creek   Dec. 7, 1876     
•     24:  Ash Creek   Dec. 18, 1876
• Crook’s Powder River Expedition   Nov. 14 – Dec. 29, 1876   
•     25:  Dull Knife Red Fork of Powder River   Nov. 25, 1876
• Final Action  Jan. – May 1877     
• Miles’ Wolf Mountain Expedition
•      26:  Wolf Mountain   Jan. 8, 1877
•      27:   Lame Deer   May 7,  1877
• The Last Days of Crazy Horse  1877
•      28:  Attack on Crazy Horse’s Village Sept. 4, 1877
•      29:  Last Day of Crazy Horse   Sept. 5, 1877
•      30:  Last Hours of Crazy Horse   Sept. 5, 1877
• Northern Cheyenne Breakout  1879
•      31:  Fort Robinson and Antelope Creek
•              Jan. 9 – 22, 1879  (2 maps)
• Pine Ridge Agency and Wounded Knee   1890 – 1891    
•      32:   Regional Map
•      33:   Pine Ridge Agency
•      34:   Pine Ridge Agency
•      35:   Wounded Knee   Dec. 28 – 29, 1890  Prelude
•      36:   Wounded Knee   Dec. 29, 1890  Massacre
•      37:   Wounded Knee   Jan. 3, 1891   Burial Detail
•      38:   Last Action – Catholic Mission
•               Pine Ridge Agency

[3] LBHA Conventions of Yesteryear

• In January 2003, the late Bruce Liddic, Syracuse, New York, a valued associate member of the CAGB, kindly sent me two delightful little booklets (above) which were printed especially for members of the Little Big Horn Associates attending their annual conventions.
• ‘The happy children of Howlett Hill’, by Elizabeth B. Custer, was presented at the Thirteenth Annual Convention (1986) in Auburn, New York.  My copy is number 107 of 200.  Elizabeth “Libbie” Bacon attended the Auburn Young Ladies Institute, 1858-59.
• ‘Stories of the Civil War’, by Samuel Harris, was presented at the Seventeenth Annual Convention (1990) in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.  My copy is number 194 of 300.
• I wonder how many current members of the CAGB have one or both of these booklets plus, perhaps, others dating from around the same period. If so, I would very much like to hear from you – menwithcuster.uk@btinternet.com –
• When did LBHA conventions become conferences and are similar booklets still given to attendees?
• U.S. member Dale Kozman, who attended his first ‘convention’ in 1994, has #110 (1986) and #113 (1990). In addition, Dale has an original hard copy of Harris’s 1897 volume Personal Reminiscences of Samuel Harris which compiled several little pamphlets he distributed to customers of his Chicago Tool & Die Shop.
• Chuck Merkel says a member objected to the word convention because it was used by political parties, so the name was changed to conference, although the year was not specified.