Custer: Lessons in Leadership

Duane Schultz

St. Martin's Publishing Group, Sep 14, 2010 - Biography & Autobiography - 224 pages

Custer presents a fresh portrait of the Civil War commander whose actions were credited with saving the Union at crucial times

Colorful, charismatic, and controversial, George Armstrong Custer became a national hero at the age of twenty-three when he was promoted to the rank of brigadier general—barely two years after graduating at the bottom of his class from West Point. He was idolized both by his men and by the American public, though he endured two courts-martial and temporary dismissal from the Army.

Custer pushed himself harder and longer than most, owing to an intense ambition to succeed and a hunger for glory and fame. He was contemptuous of danger, taking chances that no one else would take, which earned him the reputation among some observers of being reckless. Redeeming himself through his actions at the front, he resurrected his former glory with a stunning victory over the Cheyenne Indians using tactics he had perfected during the Civil War. General Custer was one of those larger-than-life figures whose flamboyant personality, daring, and seeming invincibility became legendary.

Here, author Duane Schultz shows why he remains one of the most fascinating figures in American military history.

Contents

• Introduction The Boy General: 1
• Chapter 1 Born to Be a Soldier: 5
• Chapter 2 A Gallant Reckless Boy: 13
• Chapter 3 Glorious War: 27
• Chapter 4 Dreams of Glory: 43
• Chapter 5 We Shall Have War: 55
• Chapter 6 It Was a Glorious Sight: 67
• Chapter 7 Guilty on All Counts: 83
• Chapter 8 Can You Come at Once?: 99
• Chapter 9 The Snow Was Made Red with Blood: 111
• Chapter 10 In the Most Savage Manner: 127
• Chapter 11 Precious Boy: 143
• Chapter 12 Oh What a Slaughter: 159
• Epilogue He Died as He Had Lived: 177
• Bibliography: 185
• Notes: 189
• Index: 199

About the author

Duane Schultz is a psychologist and the author of several books of military history, including Quantrill's War and The Most Glorious Fourth: Vicksburg and Gettysburg, July 4th, 1863. He lives in Clearwater, Florida.

General Wesley K. Clark (ret.) served in the United States Army for thirty-four years and rose to the rank of four-star general as NATO's Supreme Allied Commander, Europe. He is the author of A Time to Lead, as well as the best-selling books Waging Modern War and Winning Modern Wars. He lives in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Custer: Lessons in Leadership; Great Generals
• Author: Duane Schultz
• Contributor: Wesley K. Clark
• Publisher: St. Martin's Publishing Group, 2010
• ISBN: 0230111998, 9780230111998
• Length: 224 pages
• Subjects: Biography & Autobiography / Military; History / Military / United States