Being there . . . . to become personally involved with George Armstrong Custer (1839 – 1876)
via a new slant a la Schiffer Publishing style. Three new titles are introduced by the young
nonpareil, each with its own oblique opinions, new inclinations, the chief book by Lee
Chambers, a controversial revelation in itself. See Lee’s book below, “Fort Abraham Lincoln,
Dakota Territory – – The Fort Commanded by General Custer at the Time of the Little Big Horn”.
DEBATE IS OVER. THREE SCHIFFERS TELL YOU PRECISELY WHO GENERAL GEORGE CUSTER WAS
Really, did he honestly have it coming to him and his 7 Th Cavalry?
Reviewed and HIGHLY,HIGHLY Recommended by Don DeNevi
“FORT ABRAHAM LINCOLN – – Dakota Territory, The Fort Commanded by General Custer at the
Time of the Little Big Horn” by Lee Chambers. Schiffer Publishing Ltd.: 2008, 172 pages,
softcover, 6” x 9”; $19.99. Visit, www.schifferbooks.com, email, [email protected].
“THE OFFICER CORPS OF CUSTER’S SEVENTH CAVALR, 1866 – 1876”, by James B. Klokner. A
Schiffer Military History Book, Schiffer Publishing Ltd.: 2007, 128 pages, hardcover, 9” x 12”;
$59.95. Visit, www.schifferbooks.com, email, [email protected].
“CUSTER’S BEST – – The Story of Company M, 7 th Cavalry a.t the Little Bighorn”, by Colonel
French L. MacLean. A Schiffer Military History Book, Schiffer Publishing Ltd.: 2011, 239 pages,
hardcover, 9” x 12”; $69.99. Visit, www.schifferbooks.com, email, [email protected].
Ever since those two fateful days of June 25 -26 in 1876, the Battle of the Little Bighorn, the
American mood can best be summed up by the initial comment of General William T. Sherman,
the commander of the United States Army upon first hearing the news of the 7 th and Custer’s
demise,
“I don’t believe it, and I don’t want to believe it, if I can help it.”
Contemporary historians were still attempting to capture the mood of the nation long after
the battle. As late as 1973, one scribe, almost a century after the battle, tried to get his arms
around the nation’s mood she learned of the tragic defeat.
“George Armstrong Custer, after four years of resounding success against one of the best
armies in American history, the South, had been destroyed with his command by the warriors
of a Neolithic culture. Occurring in the centennial year of American independence, the blow
came as a rude shock to a nation proudly surveying its growth and achievements in the face of
serious threats to its united existence. The deaths of five companies of the Seventh Cavalry and
of its illustrious leader shook the faith and stability of the country, albeit briefly, in the military
leadership that vanquished Lee.”
The goal of each of these three books is to shed as much historical light as possible on one of
these surviving units –Company M – the sergeants and junior soldiers of which performed
heroically during the two-day battle, good men who were not interested in an appropriate
ending to their military careers, but decent men who were a microcosm of the U.S. Army on the
frontier, overworked, underpaid, misunderstood, underappreciated, or just plain forgotten.
Written by military historians French MacLean, James Klokner, and Lee Chambers, their books
are 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 say
nothing of endless detailed visits to the Little Big Horn battlefield. Servicemen and combat
veterans 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 for
his particular angle and slant for our understanding and insight.
In “Fort Abraham Lincoln, Dakota Territory”, the fort commanded by General Custer at the
time of the Little Big Horn, we discover and learn about one of the most important 19 th Century
forts in American history. It had been initially constructed for infantry troops in the Dakota
territory and later was changed to house both infantry and cavalry troops to protect
construction crews building the Northern Pacific Railroad. For us, it is important because Civil
War hero Major General George Custer with his famous 7 th Cavalry was in command of Fort
Lincoln at the time of his fateful expedition to the Little Big Horn. This is the book for you if you
want to really “be there”, side-by-side with George for vivid accounts of the typical soldier’s life
serving in the 7 th , including his food, entertainment, and weapons. Every building is described in
detail, some 200 blueprints shown. Historic and recent photos are included. Friend, buff, you
can’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 down
with pen and ink and write a very personal letter to the Schiffer editorial staff, including the
owners of the company, of heartfelt appreciation, but also visit Little Big Horn! Without
Schiffer, a publishing company would be hard-pressed to not only locate writers like Lee
Chambers, 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 have
had 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 yet
another brilliant publishing masterpiece, lest we forget those who were slaughtered in an
expedition and battle that was truly unnecessary, after all was said and done. For almost a
century and a half, the officer corps of the most famous regiment in the history of the Seventh
Cavalry had been overshadowed and unsung. Cast as the finest regiment in the service, during
and after the Civil War, we are now privy to what most of those fellas looked like, who they
were, 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 was
trapped, 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 what
you 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 classics
that challenge you to read books published by one of the elite publishing companies the world
had 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.
