heroically during the two-day battle, good men who were not interested in an appropriateending to their military careers, but decent men who were a microcosm of the U.S. Army on thefrontier, overworked, underpaid, misunderstood, underappreciated, or just plain forgotten.Written by military historians French MacLean, James Klokner, and Lee Chambers, their booksare the most-detailed works on a single company and leader at the Little Bighorn yet written – –three titles the products of multi-years of research at archives across the country, to saynothing of endless detailed visits to the Little Big Horn battlefield. Servicemen and combatveterans who understood fields of fire, weapons’ effects, training, morale, decision-making,unit cohesion and the value of outstanding non-commissioned officer, each has given his all forhis particular angle and slant for our understanding and insight.In “Fort Abraham Lincoln, Dakota Territory”, the fort commanded by General Custer at thetime of the Little Big Horn, we discover and learn about one of the most important 19 th Centuryforts in American history. It had been initially constructed for infantry troops in the Dakotaterritory and later was changed to house both infantry and cavalry troops to protectconstruction crews building the Northern Pacific Railroad. For us, it is important because CivilWar hero Major General George Custer with his famous 7 th Cavalry was in command of FortLincoln at the time of his fateful expedition to the Little Big Horn. This is the book for you if youwant to really “be there”, side-by-side with George for vivid accounts of the typical soldier’s lifeserving in the 7 th , including his food, entertainment, and weapons. Every building is described indetail, some 200 blueprints shown. Historic and recent photos are included. Friend, buff, youcan’t help but want to read and read and read, day and night. At the end of reading this text,and perusing the photos and floorplans, you’ll feel an overwhelming urge to not only sit downwith pen and ink and write a very personal letter to the Schiffer editorial staff, including theowners of the company, of heartfelt appreciation, but also visit Little Big Horn! WithoutSchiffer, a publishing company would be hard-pressed to not only locate writers like LeeChambers, Jim Klokner, and Frenchie MacLean, but also to afford the cost of such elaborate,VERY elaborate, texts. In the end, you must take a stand and decide what so many of us havehad to answer, “Did George and his boys really have it coming to them?”“The Officer Corps of Custer’s Seventh Cavalry, 1866-1876”, by James B. Klokner, is yetanother brilliant publishing masterpiece, lest we forget those who were slaughtered in anexpedition and battle that was truly unnecessary, after all was said and done. For almost acentury and a half, the officer corps of the most famous regiment in the history of the SeventhCavalry had been overshadowed and unsung. Cast as the finest regiment in the service, duringand after the Civil War, we are now privy to what most of those fellas looked like, who theywere, most with brief biographical sketches outlining their lives – and, I mean, what lives!Adventurers, criminals, opportunists, mercenaries, etc.Admit it, reader, male or female enthusiast or not, you’ve wondered who it was that wastrapped, how it must have felt, firing away, realizing no cavalry was on its way to save you,knowing death and mutilation were imminent. Admit, too, you have been confused about whatyou were told, read, and heard about “cocky” George Armstrong. Did he and his helpless 7 th
deserve that ending? And, of the Indians? Especially them! Do we really know the full story of
what WE perpetrated against them via our calvaries and other troops? Here are three classicsthat challenge you to read books published by one of the elite publishing companies the worldhad yet known, placing them neatly at your front door. And, at inordinately low prices, at that!Darn it, buff, or “wanna”-be-buff, get off you’re a-double-s and call 610-593-1777, 8:30am –
5:30pm EST.
