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Published six months after Custer's death, Frederick Whittaker's "A Complete Life of General George A. Custer" traces the American icon's life from his boyhood in Ohio through his cadet years at West Point, his Civil War exploits, his impressive rise to the rank of Major General of cavalry in the Army of the Potomac and his transition to the peacetime army. All the foundation elements of the Custer story are stated in Vol. I of Whittaker's book. They are supported by the first person accounts of Custer and other of his peers, and in my opinion, clearly define the reasons for Custer being rightfully considered a genuine, homegrown American hero based on his Civil War exploits alone! [See also: "Custer Victorious"/Urwin; "Custer and His Wolverines"/Longacre; "Touched by Fire"/Barnett] My reading of this book was enriched by the fact that, as a Custer contemporary, Whittaker was not only in touch with the the 19th century ambience, but that he had the added advantages of active service as a trooper in the 6th New York Cavalry and access to Custer's papers, Civil War memoirs and personal anecdotes through his collaboration with Custer's widow, Elizabeth. As a result, the book is replete with knowledgeable commentaries on the customs, mores and military standards of the times. Of special interest to me were the final three chapters devoted to Custer's transition from the wartime to the peacetime army [Book Six, Chapters 1-3]. In these chapters Whittaker gives a clear and perceptive overview of the postwar military structure; the social psychology of the men Custer would come to command; the negative public perception of the postwar enlistee; the deficiencies in the formation of the 7th Cavalry; and the intense political intrigues which seem to surround and infect the military, particularly in peacetime. [For a contemporary example, see "Patton: A Genius for War"/D'Este]. In a clear and interesting fashion Whittaker enunciates the undercurrents which produced the "four D's" (demoralization; disobedience; dipsomania; desertion) which Custer had no part in creating but over which he was expected to exert appropriate control. Whittaker makes it clear that it was Custer's efforts in this direction, coupled with his own naivete, that set the stage for many of his future difficulties with the command structure. Whittaker's "A Complete Life of General George A. Custer" is the spiritual and intellectual great granddaddy of most subsequent writings on the subject. I found that, in spite of its venerability, the book is still productive of provocative thought pieces. As an example, it contains perhaps the first published mention of Custer having been offered a full colonelcy in the 9th Cavalry, a black regiment, which he allegedly refused , ". . .preferring a lower step to a lower grade of service. . ." One may speculate as to how the acceptance of that command might have influenced Custer's subsequent career. In this regard, it is interesting to note that the acceptance of command of a black regiment (the 94th Massachusetts) provided an upward step for Col. Robert Gould Shaw, and Gen. John J. Pershing's early command experience with the all-black 10th Cavalry Regiment (and the resulting sobriquet "Black Jack") may well have called attention to this officer and advanced his career. In spite of Whittaker's lapses into florid prose and blatant hero-worship, I found Volume I of his complete biography of Custer to be emminently readable and informative. I would highly recommend this as a "must-read" for both Custerophile and casual history reader alike.

Custer was a fascinating personality and this book offers a good look into how Custer operated from a military, staff and personal vantage point. The Court Martial is based on his performance in the 1867 campaign against the Cheyenne, Kiowa and Arapaho and it reveals a lot about Custer under both professional and personal pressure. Custer was charged primarily with shooting and mistreating deserters, abandoning his post and not moving against Indians that killed two members of a detachment from his command that allegedly killed two of his men. Since desertions were epidemic in the commands at this time in the field, Custer, after a bold group left virtually in daylight announced that deserters would be shot. They in fact were when they resisted capture and he made the announcement that medical care would be denied which had a profound of affect limiting future desertions drastically. The desertions were incredulously almost a third of the command and occurred during field maneuvers jeopardizing the entire command. However, the staff physician spoke at the trial in Custer's behalf that Custer announcing no medical treatment was more shows for effect than truth. The other charge concerns Custer leaving his tired and played out command to go east 270 miles to see Libby. Historians have noted that he may have left in a drastic hurry with 72 men as an escort because of jealousy due to the implied attentions of Lt. Weir or that he was worried about her due to cholera that was spreading across several commands. Although some historians lean to the jealousy angle, it appears that Custer may simply have been worried about his wife due to lack of letters and her failed ability to come further west as planned.

However, not pursuing the Indians that shot two members of a detachment is the most interesting charge. Did Custer in a driven pursuit of a rendezvous with his wife leave behind two men that were shot, one of which survived? That is the most fascinating issue and if true paints a picture of a man more concerned with his personal desire to see his wife than taking care of fallen members of his regiment. The trial in my mind never completely addresses the situation because it is not clear that Custer knew that a man was wounded, only that two men were shot and killed and abandoned by the rest of the detachment that never put up a fight to save them but ran. An infantry unit went out and recovered the bodies one of which turned out to be a wounded soldier. His defense has been challenged as he states that he was told that two men were killed, that the Indians had evaporated long before he could get there and that the infantry was able to perform a body retrieval service. More than any other aspect of the trial, I wish the author had explored this further. In addition, I wish the author reviewed the courts findings and offered an opinion whether the findings were valid and whether the suspension for one year was as lenient as suggested by General Grant. Excellent descriptions of the campaign and the loss of Lt. Kidder and his escort that was trying to deliver a message to Custer. Custer did in fact make an active arduous search for the elusive Indians such as Pawnee Killer who ended up massacring Lt. Kidder's party. The other half of the book covers the trial, actual witness transcripts, defense statements along with the prosecution's argument, newspaper accounts and the controversy over the Court Martial board that included several officers junior to Custer that was an item of complaint since it is improper and since 3 or more members were associated with General Hancock who made the charges against Custer. Interesting that Custer's commanding officer, Colonel Smith, actually gave Custer his regards to his wife after Custer left to board a train to see her a few miles east. Does appear to be more retribution against Custer by Hancock for a failed campaign. Interesting that after 9 months of a failed Indian campaign that Custer was recalled to do the aggressive fieldwork, which was his role in the LBH campaign.

This non-fiction work reviews the court-martial of Brvt. Maj. Geg. G. A. Custer. Following an unsuccessful campaign against the Indians in Kansas, Nebraska, and Colorado, Custer was charged with a multitude of infractions, including absence without leave and murder. This book traces the evolution of both the historical and legal aspects of this unique case, and it includes the verbatim court transcript and record. It also traces Custer's return to command after he was declared guilty.

I consider this to be the best historical novel about 'Custer's Last Stand' ever written. The historical facts are for the most part quite accurate, and the story is extremely interesting. The author has the unique ability to bring lesser known historical characters to life in a most engaging and believable manner. His interpretation of the Last Stand is also quite unique and dramatic. I think this book would perfect for the basis of a TV mini-series that would capture the imagination of the general public. Only I would change the title to "The Betrayal of George Armstrong Custer".

As an amature historian and Western buff I found the new historical novel on General Custer to not only be a page turner and a very good read but that it also offers the finest insight that I have encountered of the Sioux War of 1876 and Custers involvement in it. It has been the politically correct fashion in these last many yearts to portray the doings and actions of the U.S./Indian fighting as those of a bunch of sporting, blood thirsty racists beating up a "Lo, the poor Indian". And Custer has been made out to be an inept glory hunter who ordered the murder of Indians while bedding down with one of his captive Cheyenne maidens. Romain Wilhelmsen's book, "The Curse of Destiny", parts the lie to these myths. Although a novel , there is more authentic Western history in his book than in most of the non-fiction books I've read on the subject. His research is meticulous. THe fact is brough out that Custer admired the warriors of the Plains. He wrote in one of his books that if he were an Indian he would do exactly as the Indians were doing - resisting the white mans take over of their hunting grounds and means of exsistence. The book tells the story of President Grant's antipathy to the general. Custer had done much to expose the corrupt U.S. Indian Agency system of which Grant was a part. In mean spiritual rancor Grant took away from one of his ablest field commanders the honor of leading his army west to confront the gathering Indian tribes. THe generalship of that campaign was given to General Alfred Terry who was much more lawyer than soldier. THe whole thing was mismanaged, and in the end General Custer was sent off with but some of 600 of his Seventh Cavalry to oppose perhaps 3,000 very angry and blood thirsty highly skilled Indian warriors. This book tells it all. Not only from the army's view-point but also from the Indians. It is obvious that the author liked many of the original Americans. He treats them fairly, and when the final encounter takes place in the Valley of Little Big Horn all the principals come together in as fine a description of that battle as we are likely to get. THe use of a few fictional characters helps to bring together motive and color to what often comes out as statistical history. THe role of Kitty Kildeen, the beatiful but flawed lover of Captain Myles Keough adds a dash of romance to this book and she could become one of Western fictions finest heorines.The same can be said of The Cheyenne woman, Buffalo Calf Woman who gives us an insight into the life among the hostiles. Abraham Lincoln once said of General Custer "....He's my brigadier. He's a fighter, and we can all afford to hold our fighters back..." This story shows just how held backt his man of Destiny was - by his president and by the two officers of his command who could have turned his defeat into a victory but turned away from him when the guns began to go off. If you like a good story that tells it like it is, read "The Curse of Destiny".

Early book by the great western writer Robert Utley provides a brief description of the Indian situation that evolved before the LBH and then he provides an abbreviated but well described sequence of battle events. Utley then describes the press' role in developing the story that caught General Sherman and Sheridan off guard as Sherman provides Terry's second controversial report to a reporter by accident. Utley describes the fireworks that arises between Custer supporters such as his old classmate Confederate Rosser and Reno and other military men such as Colonel Hughes, Terry's adjutant and relative. The controversy is even made even more complex by the chapter spent on the Indian's version of events that has elements of truth combined with confusing facts or half truths perhaps aggravated by poor translations and the Indians unique individualistic versions of battle that lack time and spatial realities. Finally, Utley tackles a number of the mythical stories about Custer and the LBH including Frederick Whitacker's quick print and fanciful book on Custer that became a best seller. The best part of this chapter is the discussion about the last four crow scouts to see Custer particularly the debate over when Curley departed from Custer. An excellent book that frames the controversies about Custer's battle which also explains the fascination, nothing is totally certian but amongst all the testimony and physical evidence, somewhere lies the truth.

Good reading offers some good insight into the whole Custer and Little Bighorn 'fiasco'! I'm more prepared now to find out what possibly happened on that fateful day. The case has been well made that there may 'never' be a definitive conclusion?

I have used Kathy Casey's book to plan several parties. The recipies are not complicated and she includes tips on making items ahead of time.
I was able to enjoy my own party and not worry about last minute details. My guests raved about the appetizers.

I have just started reading this cookbook and cannot wait to get cooking. I rearranged my Thanksgiving menu just to try some of these recipes. The recipes are original, not overly complicated and are sure to please. If you have enjoyed Simply Classic (Seattle Junior League) or the Contessa's earlier books, you will love this. This will be my newest favorite gift to give.

Joyce Armstrong Carroll is the CoDirector of the New Jersey Writing Project in Texas. She has written several books on writing, mostly aimed at the K-12 population. Her writing is full of humor and is aimed at improving the quality of writing.

Dr. JAC's Guide to Writing with Depth is meant to take up where other writing books leave off. Most people have learned the mechanics of writing, but few have an idea of what writing in depth is all about. Dr. JAC makes it easier...writing is never easy. She takes on what others fear to talk about, or just don't want to talk about. After all, these are the tricks that make for the best sellers! She tackles such subjects as humor; dialogue; setting; showing versus telling; repetition; and many other subjects that writers struggle to comprehend:

"No one really wants to experience drowning, but if the writer crafts the experience by showing not telling then we experience the virtual reality of drowning. It works this way because of the sensory signals the words conjure, the brain makes a connection and consequently makes meaning. Since our senses are the primary information gatherers, constantly sending signals to the brain, Hobbs invites you to stimulate all five senses through the power of words. That way, after the brain has reconstructed and synthesized the signals, it identifies and we understand. Helping that connection equates good writing."

Ms. Carroll strives to make writing fun. Her book is entertaining and accessible. Most importantly, she encourages us as writers to find our own style, or voice. This is a very powerful message in the midst of so many writing books that demand narrowly crafted rules, producing many books that are simply replicas of one another.

Ms. Armstrong Carroll performs an invaluable service in the crafting of this highly useful writing, that of good, sound advice that most writers can understand and identify with. This reviewer means to keep this book within handy reach when writing. Ms. Carroll deserves a note of thanks for writing an honest "how to write" bible for those of us who are ready for the next level of writing expertise.

Shelley Glodowsky
Reviewer

Dr. Jac's Guide to Writing With Depth reminds us that in a world of instant replay, televized wars, fast food and e-mail, we need literature that appeals to the senses, touches the emotions and helps us escape the madness. The book shows us how to develop and express our inner most thoughts in easily understood writing that is exciting and entertaining. Author Carroll helps us focus and strengthen our work by using anecdotes, comparison and contrast. This guide offers proven stratergies for developing deep writing, using coherence, sketching structure, practicing the craft and recognizing inspiration. It tells how to use sensual details, find a topic sentence and elaborate upon that sentence, so that it becomes a clear, framed picture.
We learn how to let the reader know a character well in a few carefully chosen detailed sensuous sentences and how to enrich our characterization through precise dialogue. The book helps us create fresh work by avoiding cliches, by using original metaphors and similes, by including quotations, by exploring repetition, using memory and developing our own unique voice. Then writing becomes challenging, interesting, fun and potential writers of all ages can become published writers.
Review by Maryanne Raphael, Writers World

This is a beautifully written book, and very readable. Having read a lot about the history of the period I already knew how fiercely the widow Custer guarded her husband's reputation and how much she did to enhance it. Unlike many female authors might do, however, Leckie does not judge Libby by modern standards, but puts her in the context of her time. She also touches on the possibility that remaining Autie's widow may have been far more liberating for her, in her times, than it would have been to become Mrs. Someone else. During her husband's lifetime she lived in his shadow, but after his death she was able to use that connection to become an author and lecturer in her own right. She also left an estate valued at over $300,000, after her husband had managed only to put them into debt. Having read her memoirs like Boots and Saddles and Tenting on the Plains, it was clear that Mrs.Custer never gave much insite into her true feelings. Nothing seemed to upset her except a criticism of her husband. Inspite of this, though, Leckie does manage to make her into a real person. I found her epilogue truly moving, and I came away with an understanding of an historical character, whom up to this point, I hadn't much cared for.

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Sometimes, it's not how good you are, but how good your P.R. is that determines your reputation. And in the case of the (in)famous U.S. cavalry commander George Armstrong Custer, the P.R. was definitely good. Immediately after Custer's death (along with 200+ of his troops in what was, and arguably still is, the worst battle loss ever suffered by U.S. forces), his widow, Libbie Bacon Custer, began a propaganda campaign designed to secure her beloved husband's place in history. Unfortunately for history, she succeeded far too well. This book, a biography of Custer's widow, gives real insight into how she manipulated the media available to her in order to glorify her husband--or to be more accurate, to glorify her idealized portrait of her husband. Had Libbie not done her work so well, Custer would have been only a footnote in American History. In addition to providing a valuable supplement to the historical record concerning Custer, Ms. Leckie's book paints a masterly portrait of an exceptional woman, which is well worth the time of readers with little interest in Custer

I loved this book very much. I really felt like I was standing there next to emily and Blount. How the author discribes Blount, he stole my heart.

Emily MacKenzie lives in Marblehead, Massachusetts, in 1858, and helps run her family's inn. Lucy, Emily's best friend and adopted sister, is a free black who falls in love with the slave of a Southern family staying a the inn. Emily is in love with the family's son, Blount. Will Emily do what is right or sacrafice her beliefs for love?

I finished the Kindling last night, and loved it soooo much. The cliffhanger really made me want to read more. This is a really great book to read anytime, for anything. I suggest that anyone who wants a good book should read the Kindling.

The first book in a trilogy, The Kindling is an engrossing read with compelling characters. I immediately felt attached to this "family" of children trying to survive in the aftermath of a plague-like "Fire-Us" that killed off all the adults and was completely caught up in their struggles and hopes. It's a story so absorbing it's tempting to read the book in one sitting. The book, however late it keeps you up, is not only a page-turner, but a richly imagined account of a world that is somehow recognizably ours even as it has been made strange and often menacing. The Kindling plays on the fantasy all children have of being in charge of the world (there's something thrilling about the idea of scavenging for food and salvage in the unpeopled strip malls and abandoned houses of post-apocalypse America without adults to supervise or set rules even as such "hunting" (as it's called in the book) is a life-and-death necessity for these kids), but given the damaged landcape and psychologically scarred inheritors of this world, that fantasy is turned here to something perilous and completely absorbing. That the authors have made this world so strange, familiar, and utterly convincing is a testament to their fine prose and deep powers of imagination. We care about the way their characters must face this world and themselves in order to survive and when they take to the road in search of answers, we go with them, attuned to their every action and nearly breathless for their survival and success. I can't wait for part two!

The second in a projected three-volume series, this well-crafted tome brings together the early sources on Francis of Assisi (1182-1226), arguably one of the most popular saints among Christians and non-Christians alike, shedding light on his role as religious founder. The writings of Francis himself were collected in the first volume, as were the earliest lives of Francis and some liturgical documents. The editors represent the three branches of traditional Franciscanism, and together offer what are as far as I can tell all of the primary sources dealing with the first years of the Order, along with introductions and copious notes. While much of the material is repetitious, what emerges is a portrait of Francis from several different perspectives, not all of them flattering. The documents collected here represent that period of time in the life of the Order when the followers of Francis were trying to determine how to live the life that he had left them. They show various attempts to interpret his wishes for his followers. Even the different biographies were written with a view toward advancing one or another interpretation of the Franciscan Rule. Presented in roughly chronological order, the documents show the developing views on Francis and his legacy. The first, The Beginning or Founding of the Order, treats of the development from a group of companions informally gathered around him to the beginnings of what would become the Order of Saint Francis. The Assisi Compilation, dated 1244-1269, collects personal reminiscences of Francis, and offers a multi-faceted portrait. In introducing the legends and sermons by Bonaventure of Bagnoregio, the editors show how Bonaventure used the information at his disposal to a certain extent to his own ends. They note that Bonaventure's portrait of Francis became normative for a time, but was later contested. What results is a fascinating collection of documents illustrating the influence of this great man, and the struggles his followers went through in their attempts to interpret his rule in changing circumstances. Scripture quotations are put in italics, and the reference supplied in the margin. I did note one mistake: On p. 168, the reference is given as Rv. 4:12, a verse that does not exist. Surely the reference is to one of Paul's epistles. The editors have critically examined the documents, and indicate where one is dependent on another. The footnotes make reference to varying interpretations of certain passages, and relate the works to earlier Christian writings. An appendix has eleven maps, some showing the geographical or political features of the area, and two showing Assisi at the time of Francis. While the critical apparatus make this work especially valuable for scholars, all those interested in Francis of Assisi or the history of Christianity at the time will appreciate having all of these text gathered into a convenient volume.

No more bird bath type view of who Francis is. With the most up to date scholarship, Franciscan scholars have put together the best English translations with a commentary that can guide you through the medieval world in wich these early documents of Francis of Assisi were written. I find the commentary particularly useful in my own personal study as well as meditation so as to make Franciscan spirituality meaningful to today. The Volume Two focuses on Francis as the founder of the Franciscan movement of communities of lesser brothers (friars minor), poor ladies (poor Clares nuns) and the tertiaries (regulars and seculars). This is essential reading for Franciscans and franciscans-at-heart to find out what Francis has wanted his followers to do.