Custer 1861-1865: The Custer America Forgot

George Armstrong Custer stands as the classic example of a fallen American hero. During his lifetime, he was revered by a grateful nation as the youngest, bravest, most colorful, and most successful general of the Civil War. Then, almost immediately after his death at the Little Bighorn, he was reviled as an incompetent, immature butcher who had recklessly led his regiment into a needless slaughter in the search for glory.

In The Custer America Forgot, 1861–1865, author Paul D. Walker narrates the untold story of the young general, a man who had a special fearless determination and natural ability to win battle after battle for Union forces and who led more than one hundred battles that produced significant victories. Thoroughly researched, this study takes an in-depth look at Custer—his birth in 1839, his childhood, his schooling at West Point, his young adulthood, his exploits as a military leader, his marriage to Libby, and his legendary last stand.

Walker reveals the story of one of the United States’ Greatest national heroes and restores Custer to his rightful place in American history.