Custer and Merritt, Battling from Gettysburg to the Shenandoah

This is the second of Ovies’s three volume study of the lives and careers of George Custer and Wesley Merritt, two young cavalrymen, “who were both promoted to brigadier general on the eve of Gettysburg,” and proved themselves in the field. The two men had different philosophies as to the role of the mounted arm, and both played a part in shaping the U.S. Cavalry during the Civil War and for many years afterwards.

While readers will find the book full of stirring actions by the mounted troops, and also get looks at many other leaders of the Union cavalry, Ovies’s main idea is to explore the dysfunctional relationship between Custer and Merritt, a thread running through all of his three volumes. This is the human story of two individuals who came to detest each other. Where volume one covered their early careers, promotion to brigadier, and roles at Gettysburg, this volume opens with their roles in the pursuit of Lee's beaten army, then follows them through the Overland campaign, the Battle of Trevilian Station, and the opening of the Shenandoah Valley campaign.

As he recounts the tale of the rivalry between the two officers, Ovies looks at how each man handled his press relations, which was a factor in the enmity between the two, because they had different views on maintaining relations with reporters and sketch artists attached to the cavalry.

Ovies throws some interesting light on why the brigades of the two were not able to race down the east side of the Blue Ridge Mountains in 1863 to prevent General Lee’s wounded army from reaching Culpeper, and makes an important point about the Union decision to attempt to cut through the Blue Ridge Mountains and into the Valley by way of the northernmost gaps. Although these were easily defended by the Confederates, Ovies argues that both officers provided great leadership for their troopers.

Ovies offers a look at how Custer successfully defied Judson Kilpatrick's orders to keep advancing at Buckland Mills, saving the Michigan Brigade to fight another day, and how Custer helped save his men during the Bristoe Station and the Mine Run Campaigns

The author attributes the breakdown of the initially cordial relationship between the two officers, which grew into a fierce rivalry and eventually bitter enmity, to personality. Custer’s resourcefulness, flamboyance, and thirst for publicity, meshed badly with Merritt’s reserved, “hard-nosed disciplinarian” with little interest in “glory”. Ovies also argues that Philip H. Sheridan’s combustible personality intensified the animosity between Custer and Merritt, perhaps most notably when he promoted Merritt over Custer, who believed himself to be the superior soldier yet was subordinated to his rival throughout Sheridan's tenure in command.

This reviewer highly recommends this work to anyone interested in cavalry and Union leadership during the Civil War.

Note: The Boy Generals is also available in e-editions.

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