A Life of George Armstrong Custer

The object of Custer is to analyze the ideas and judgements that helped shape the man’s military decisions, his behavior in battle and in life, and the failure that caused him to be court martialed in Kansas and arguably killed at the Little Big Horn. It is a study of five decades in the life of this very interesting and heroic American soldier, probing his character development, including lesser-known influences of his life. Behncke and Bloomfield reveal deep emotional and physical scars that Custer carried away from the Civil War and the Indian Wars. Their meticulous research and engrossing writing bring Custer to vivid life, particularly in his relationship with his wife Libby.

Behncke, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel with 30 years in varied leadership positions throughout the world has been interested in George Custer since he was seven years old. His co-author Bloomfield is a former Army “Reporter of the Year” and managing editor of VFW magazine.

The authors devote four chapters that cover Custer’s life from boyhood to West Point, his Civil War rise to “Boy General”, his experiences in the Indian Wars, and, an excellent look at the events that unfolded at the Little Big Horn, ending with conclusion. We get to see Custer in numerous battles, from First Bull Run through Appomattox in the Civil War, and the Washita to the Little Big Horn in the Indian Wars. They explain how Custer deliberately sought assistance and mentorship from many generals, including Winfield Scott, George McClellan, Alfred Pleasanton, and Phil Sheridan, as he sought promotion and influence during his military career, though they could have thrown more light on why he failed to gain acceptance from William Tecumseh Sherman and Ulysses S. Grant, even making an enemy of the 18^th U.S. President.

Behncke and Bloomfield note that initial impression Custer had on many fellow soldiers, because of his longish curly hair and uniquely designed uniforms was not always favorable, but that his style of fighting and the results won him acceptance by many, but not all generals, fellow officers, and common soldiers.

They offer a very effectively look at Custer’s relationship with his wife, Libby, to the point where early in their marriage his devotion to her led him to make some critical errors, leading to a court martial.

As they tell the story of Custer’s life and death, Behncke and Bloomfield examine his personal views. While he felt strongly about his southern friends, he fought ferociously to help end slavery, yet did not completely understand the people whom he had he helped free from slavery. Similarly, although he admired Native Americans in many ways, he fought them, often brutally, to crush their resistance, in accordance with his orders.

In preparing this volume, the authors perused, letters between Custer and his Libby, official correspondence between numerous military officers, and many other sources, making for a full bibliography, but the book lacks footnotes, and there are some errors that better editing might have caught.

While very devoted students of Custer will not find a great deal of new information, for those less familiar with the subject, Custer will prove a useful, even challenging read.

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Note: Custer is also available in several e-editions.

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