Notes
CHAPTER 1
1. E. B. Custer, Tenting on the Plains, p. 284; M. Merington, Custer Story, p. 4.
2. E. B. Custer, Tenting on the Plains, p. 239.
3. Custer to John Chamberlain, April 7, 1860 (Janet Brown collection).
4. D. Hunter, Before Life Began, pp. 5–6; R. Hunter, The Judge Rode a Sorrel Horse, pp. 16–17.
5. G. A. Custer, My Life on the Plains (Quaife ed.), p. xxiv; M. M. Quaife, “Some Monroe Memories,” pp. 9–12.
6. M. Merington, The Custer Story, p. 7; F. Whittaker, Complete Life of . . . Custer . . . , p. 8.
7. Memo at Custer Battlefield National Monument.
8. Letter to John Chamberlain, May 5, 1860.
9. These boyhood documents were called to my attention by Milton Ronsheim of Cadiz, Ohio.
10. M. Schaff, Spirit of Old West Point, p. 2.
11. J. M. Wright, “West Point before the War,” p. 14.
CHAPTER 2
1. Record Book (West Point).
2. J. P. Farley, West Point in the Early Sixties, picture opposite p. 44.
3. E. B. Custer, Tenting on the Plains, p. 320.
4. P. Michie, “Reminiscences,” p. 187.
5. M. Schaff, Spirit of Old West Point, pp. 40, 68; J. P. Farley, West Point in the Early Sixties, p. 78; Michie, “Reminiscences,” p. 196.
6. M. Schaff, Spirit of Old West Point, pp. 37 ff.
7. Personal account book of Cadet A. R. Buffington, who graduated in 1861 (West Point).
8. E. B. Custer, Tenting on the Plains, p. 206.
9. J. H. Wilson, Under the Old Flag, I, p. 12.
10. W. L. Fleming, “Jefferson Davis at West Point,” p. 263; O. L. Hein, Memories of Long Ago, p. 51; M. E. Sergent, “Classmates Divided,” p. 34.
11. To John Chamberlain, May 5, 1860 (Janet Brown collection).
12. G. A. Custer, “Battling with the Sioux,” p. 92; Sergent, “Classmates Divided,” p. 35; J. M. Wright, “West Point before the War,” p. 15.
13. M. Schaff, Spirit of Old West Point, pp. 193–194.
14. Letter to John Chamberlain, May 5, 1860.
15. J. P. Farley, West Point in the Early Sixties, pp. 188–189.
16. Post Orders, No. 5, p. 112 (West Point).
CHAPTER 3
1. Letter to John Chamberlain, April 7, 1860.
2. M. Schaff, Spirit of Old West Point, p. 27.
3. To “Brother and Sister,” June 30, 1858 (West Point).
4. F. Whittaker, Complete Life of . . . Custer . . . , p. 148.
5. J. P. Farley, West Point in the Early Sixties, p. 75; F. Whittaker, Complete Life of . . . Custer . . . , pp. 33, 66.
6. Package #15 (Ms.) at Custer Battlefield National Monument.
7. G. A. Custer, My Life on the Plains (Quaife ed.), p. xxv.
8. M. Schaff, Spirit of Old West Point, p. 116; J. M. Wright, “West Point before the War,” p. 17.
9. To Lydia Reed, May 29, 1860, and fragment of letter to father (West Point).
10. M. Merington, Custer Story, p. 8; Wright, “West Point before the War,” p. 18; J. B. Washington Ms. One source states that this happened in French class.
11. P. Michie, “Reminiscences,” p. 194; F. Whittaker, Complete Life of . . . Custer . . . , p. 43.
12. J. M. Wright, “West Point before the War,” p. 15.
13. J. H. Wilson, Under the Old Flag, I, 369.
14. G. A. Custer, “War Memories,” pp. 44–95.
15. M. Schaff, Spirit of Old West Point, pp. 180, 183; F. Whittaker, Complete Life of . . . Custer . . . , p. 39.
16. J. H. Wilson, Under the Old Flag, I, 369; M. Schaff, Spirit of Old West Point, p. 168.
17. M. Schaff, Spirit of Old West Point, pp. 207–208.
18. F. Whittaker, Complete Life of . . . Custer . . . , p. 37.
19. M. Schaff, Spirit of Old West Point, p. 84.
20. J. Moore, Kilpatrick and Our Cavalry, p. 30; J. M. Wright, “West Point before the War,” p. 14.
21. Letter of E. B. Custer to Mrs. Hoxie (no date).
22. May 31, 1861.
23. J. B. Washington Ms.; Michie, “Reminiscences,” p. 194.
CHAPTER 4
1. Special Order Book (West Point); M. Schaff, Spirit of Old West Point, p. 260; F. Whittaker, Complete Life of . . . Custer . . . , p. 44. F. F. Van de Water, in Glory Hunter, pp. 31–32, failing to find any record of this trial, concluded that it was never held. In this instance, Van de Water’s work, which reveals more thorough research than any Custer book preceding it, demonstrates the danger of assuming that documents do not exist.
2. F. Whittaker, Complete Life . . . of Custer . . . , p. 55.
3. K. P. Williams, Lincoln Finds a General, I, p. 76; A. G. Brackett, History of the United States Cavalry, p. 212.
4. F. Whittaker, Complete Life . . . of Custer . . . , pp. 64–65.
5. M. Schaff, Battle of the Wilderness, p. 88; K. P. Williams, Lincoln Finds a General, p. 94.
6. F. Whittaker, Complete Life . . . of Custer . . . , pp. 64–65.
7. John A. Bingham’s reminiscences in M. Merington, Custer Story, p. 13.
CHAPTER 5
1. F. Whittaker, Complete Life of . . . Custer . . . , p. 83.
2. F. Whittaker, Complete Life of . . . Custer . . . , p. 87.
3. G. A. Custer, My Life on the Plains (Quaife ed.), p. xxiv.
4. M. Merington, Custer Story, p. 48; F. Whittaker, Complete Life of . . . Custer . . . , p. 90.
5. M. Merington, Custer Story, p. 26.
6. F. Denison, Sabres and Spurs, p. 56; W. Glazier, Three Years in the Federal Cavalry, p. 56.
7. Letter to parents, March 17, 1862; F. Whittaker, . . . Life . . . , p. 95.
8. Letter to parents, March 17, 1862.
CHAPTER 6
1. To Lydia Reed, April 11, 1862.
2. To Lydia Reed, April 20, 1862; G. A. Custer, “War Memoirs,” p. 685; L. P. Paris, History of the Civil War, II, p. 10.
3. O. S. Barrett, Reminiscences, p. 11.
4. O. R., I, XI, pt. 1, p. 534; G. A. Custer, “War Memoirs,” pp. 686–687.
5. O. R., I, XI, pt. 1, p. 526.
6. O. R., I, XI, pt. 3, p. 140; J. M. Favill, Diary of a Young Officer, p. 91.
7. F. Whittaker, Complete Life of . . . Custer . . . , p. 105.
8. D. C. Fletcher, Reminiscences, p. 139; W. L. Goss, Recollections, p. 42; T. L. Livermore, Numbers & Losses in the Civil War, p. 80.
9. Letter, Custer to Lydia Reed, May 5, 1862 (West Point). M. Merington, Custer Story, pp. 29–30, dates this letter May 15, 1862.
10. O. S. Barrett, Reminiscences, p. 12.
11. O. R., I, XI, pt. 1, pp. 153, 639–640.
12. Same, p. 111.
13. McClellan to E. B. Custer, August 6, 1876; F. Whittaker, Complete Life of . . . Custer . . . , pp. 113–114; G. B. McClellan, Own Story, p. 123.
14. J. H. Wilson, Under the Old Flag, I, p. 102; B. Catton, Mr. Lincoln’s Army, pp. 117–118.
CHAPTER 7
1. O. R., I, XI, pt. 1, pp. 652–653; O. S. Barrett, Reminiscences, p. 13.
2. F. Whittaker, Complete Life of . . . Custer . . . , p. 116.
3. O. R., I, XI, pt. 1, p. 654.
4. O. R., I, XI, pt. 1, pp. 153, 651; Barrett, Reminiscences, p. 13.
5. He was appointed as of May 28, 1862. O. R., I, XI, pt. 3, pp. 198–199; letter of McClellan to E. B. Custer, August 6, 1876; G. B. McClellan, Own Story, pp. 364–365.
6. O. R., I, XI, pt. 1, p. 914. The main secondary sources for these battles are L. P. Paris, History of the Civil War, II; W. Swinton, Campaigns of the Army of the Potomac; and H. J. Eckenrode and Bryan Conrad, George B. McClellan, pp. 73–117.
7. O. R., I, XI, pt. 2, p. 75; W. L. Goss, Recollections, p. 48. The quotation has been constructed from these sources.
8. J. M. Favill, Diary of a Young Officer, p. 143.
9. Custer to Lydia Reed, July 13, 1862; J. M. Favill, Diary of a Young Officer, pp. 130–133; F. Whittaker, Complete Life of . . . Custer . . . , p. 120.
10. F. Whittaker, Complete Life of . . . Custer . . . , p. 121.
11. O. R., I, XI, pt. 2, pp. 947, 954; F. Whittaker, . . . Life . . . . . , p. 122.
12. E. B. Custer, Tenting on the Plains, p. 85, and Boots and Saddles, p. 177; M. Merington, Custer Story, p. 36; F. Whittaker, Complete Life of . . . Custer . . . , p. 122.
CHAPTER 8
1. J. H. Wilson, Under the Old Flag, I, p. 106.
2. K. P. Williams, Lincoln Finds a General, I, p. 368.
3. O. R., I, XIX, pt. 1, p. 210; F. W. Palfrey, Antietam and Fredericksburg, p. 46.
4. T. L. Livermore, Numbers & Losses in the Civil War, p. 92.
5. Letter to Lydia Reed, September 21, 1862, in F. Whittaker, Complete Life of . . . Custer . . . , p. 125–129.
6. Letter to Lydia Reed, September 27, 1862, in M. Merington, Custer Story, p. 35, and at West Point. This is a good example of the way the same letter appears differently in different sources.
7. The same letter as Note 6.
8. Quotation constructed from accounts in J. H. Wilson, Under the Old Flag, I, p. 126, and F. Whittaker, Complete Life of . . . Custer . . . , p. 133.
CHAPTER 9
1. M. Merington, Custer Story, pp. 22, 24.
2. M. Merington, Custer Story, pp. 38, 39, 41, 42.
3. E. B. Custer, Tenting on the Plains, p. 251.
4. E. B. Custer, Tenting on the Plains, p. 73.
5. M. Merington, Custer Story, pp. 43–44.
6. M. Merington, p. 235; E. B. Custer, Tenting on the Plains, pp. 186, 269.
7. M. Merington, Custer Story, pp. 47, 64; F. Whittaker, Complete Life of . . . Custer . . . , p. 208.
8. M. Merington, Custer Story, p. 51.
9. F. W. Palfrey, Antietam and Fredericksburg, p. 39.
10. Special Order (Custer Battlefield National Monument).
11. F. Whittaker, Complete Life of . . . Custer . . . , p. 148.
12. A. Pleasonton, “Testimony,” Report of the Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War, p. 28; P. Huey, True History of the Charge of the Eighth Pennsylvania Cavalry.
13. Letter to Lydia Reed, May 16, 1862.
CHAPTER 10
1. Letter, G. A. Custer to Judge Christiancy, May 31, 1863.
2. F. Whittaker, Complete Life of . . . Custer . . . , p. 162 fn.
3. Letter of G. A. Custer to Lydia Reed, May 27, 1863 (West Point).
4. Letters to Judge Christiancy and to Lydia Reed, both May 31, 1863 (West Point).
5. To Lydia Reed, June 8, 1863 (West Point); D. M’M. Gregg, “Union Cavalry at Gettysburg,” p. 375; F. C. Newhall, “Battle of Beverly Ford,” p. 137; K. P. Williams, Lincoln Finds a General, II, p. 629.
6. O. R., I, XXVII, pt. 1, p. 1046; H. Norton, Deeds of Daring, p. 64; C. D. Rhodes, History of the Cavalry of the Army of the Potomac, p. 45.
7. Harper’s Weekly, July 4, 1863; L. P. Paris, History of the Civil War, III, p. 462; G. F. R. Henderson, Science of War, p. 270; K. P. Williams, Lincoln Finds a General, p. 623. (Paris, III, and Swinton are used as background for this chapter.)
8. O. R., I, XXVII, pt. 1, pp. 903, 905, 1046.
9. F. B. Heitman, Historical Register of the United States Army, p. 669.
10. New York Tribune, June 24, 1863; J. H. Chamberlayne, Ham Chamberlayne—Virginian, p. 188; J. H. Kidd, Personal Recollections of a Cavalryman, p. 112.
11. B. W. Crowninshield, History of the First . . . Massachusetts Cavalry, p. 144; W. Glazier, Three Years in the Federal Cavalry, p. 226.
12. M. Merington, Custer Story, p. 55; F. Whittaker, Complete Life of . . . Custer . . . , p. 159.
13. Joseph Gould, Story of the Forty-eighth . . . Pennsylvania . . . Infantry, p. 35; K. P. Williams, Lincoln Finds a General, p. 662.
14. F. Whittaker, Complete Life of . . . Custer . . . , pp. 161–162.
15. Letter in National Archives.
16. O. R., I, XXVII, pt. 1, p. 167, pt. 3, p. 376; L. M. Boudrye, Historic Records of the Fifth New York Cavalry, p. 63; H. J. Hunt, “First Day at Gettysburg,” p. 259. The order is at Custer Battlefield National Monument.
17. A. Pleasonton, “Testimony,” Report of the Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War, pp. 359, 365.
18. M. Merington, Custer Story, p. 85; F. Whittaker, Complete Life of . . . Custer . . . , pp. 160, 163, 169–170.
CHAPTER 11
1. O. R., I, XXVII, pt. 1, p. 144; pt. 3, p. 400.
2. J. H. Kidd, Personal Recollections of a Cavalryman, pp. 121, 129.
3. O. R., I, XXVII, pt. 1, p. 992; W. Glazier, Three Years in the Federal Cavalry, p. 244; J. H. Kidd, Personal Recollections . . . , p. 126; F. Whittaker, Complete Life of . . . Custer . . . p. 168.
4. O. R., I, XXVII, pt. 1, p. 992; L. N. Boudrye, Historic Records of the Fifth New York Cavalry, p. 64; F. Whittaker, Complete Life of . . . Custer . . . , pp. 168, 172; J. Moore, Kilpatrick and Our Cavalry, p. 85; History of the Eighteenth Regiment of Cavalry, p. 87.
5. O. R., I, XXVII, pt. 1, p. 992; W. Brooke Rawle, “The Right Flank at Gettysburg,” p. 468 fn.; J. Moore, Kilpatrick and Our Cavalry, p. 88.
6. O. R., I, XXVII, pt. 1, pp. 914, 916, 992.
7. J. H. Kidd, Personal Recollections . . . , p. 133; G. Meade, Life and Letters, II, p. 94.
8. G. F. R. Henderson, Science of War, pp. 294–296; J. Moore, Kilpatrick and Our Cavalry, p. 92.
9. J. H. Kidd, Personal Recollections . . . , p. 135; C. D. Rhodes, History of the Cavalry of the Army of the Potomac, p. 67; J. M. Hanson, “The Civil War Custer,” p. 27; W. E. Miller, “The Cavalry Battle near Gettysburg,” p. 403. Kilpatrick, in his report, considered Custer’s act a mistake, not disobedience (O. R., I, XXVII, pt. 1, p. 993).
10. W. Brooke Rawle, “The Right Flank . . . ,” p. 468; J. M. Favill, Diary of a Young Officer, p. 247; W. Kempster, “Cavalry at Gettysburg,” p. 22.
11. C. F. Adams, Autobiography, p. 153.
12. J. H. Kidd, Personal Recollections . . . , p. 138.
13. W. Brooke Rawle, “The Right Flank . . . ,” p. 480; J. H. Kidd, Personal Recollections . . . , p. 148.
14. O. R., I. XXVII, pt. 2, p. 725; History of the Third Pennsylvania Cavalry, p. 277.
15. W. Brooke Rawle, “The Right Flank . . . ,” p. 481; J. H. Kidd, Personal Recollections . . . , p. 154; History of the Third Pennsylvania Cavalry, p. 278; W. E. Miller, “The Cavalry . . . ,” p. 400.
16. O. R., I, XXVII, pt. 2, pp. 697, 724, 725; E. P. Tobie, History of the First Maine Cavalry, p. 177.
17. F. Whittaker, Complete Life of . . . Custer . . . , p. 180; O. R., I, XXVII, pt. 1, p. 998. Such extravagant language was common at that time. (See O. R., I, XXIX, pt. 1, p. 126).
CHAPTER 12
1. M. E. Sergent, “Classmates Divided,” p. 35.
2. H. C. Parsons, “Farnsworth’s Charge,” p. 394.
3. O. R., I, XXVII, pt. 1, pp. 988, 993, 998, 1005–1006; F. Whittaker, Complete Life of . . . Custer . . . , p. 182.
4. F. Whittaker, Complete Life of . . . Custer . . . , p. 185; J. C. Andrews, The North Reports the Civil War, p. 417.
5. O. R., I, XXVI, pt. 1, p. 144.
6. J. Sedgwick, Correspondence, II, p. 138.
7. O. R., I, XXVI, pt. 1, pp. 990, 999; F. Whittaker, Complete Life of . . . Custer . . . , p. 188; J. Longstreet, “Lee in Pennsylvania,” p. 443.
8. J. H. Kidd, Personal Recollections, pp. 184–185.
9. O. R., I, XXVII, pt. 1, pp. 990, 998; Harper’s Weekly, August 15, 1863; F. Whittaker, Complete Life of . . . Custer . . . , p. 189.
10. O. R., I, XXVII, pt. 1, pp. 148, 1004; W. Glazier, Three Years in the Federal Cavalry, p. 294; M. T. McMahon, “From Gettysburg to the Coming of Grant,” p. 83.
11. To Annette Humphrey, July 19, 1863.
12. O. R., I, XXVII, pt. 1, pp. 1001, 1004; pt. 3, pp. 753, 754.
13. O. R., I, XXVII, pt. 1, p. 1004; pt. 3, p. 792; A. Pleasonton, “Testimony,” Report of the Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War, p. 364.
14. O. R., I, XXVII, pt. 3, p. 830; O. R., I, XXIX, pt. 1, p. 78; J. M. Crawford, Mosby and His Men, p. 254.
15. E. B. Custer, Tenting on the Plains, pp. 40, 477; M. Merington, Custer Story, p. 61.
16. Letter printed in part in Merington, Custer Story, p. 63, and F. Whittaker, Complete Life of . . . Custer . . . , p. 206.
17. O. R., I, XXIX, pt. 1, pp. 120, 224; G. G. Benedict, Vermont in the Civil War, II, p. 611; F. Whittaker, Complete Life of . . . Custer . . . , pp. 193, 194.
18. O. R., I, XXIX, pt. 1, pp. 112, 127; G. R. Agassiz, Meade’s Headquarters, p. 17.
19. E. B. Custer, Boots and Saddles, p. 9; Merington, Custer Story, p. 64; F. Whittaker, Complete Life of . . . Custer . . . , pp. 207–211. Custer’s statement has been placed in direct quotations. According to one story, Judge Bacon left town to evade the interview.
20. Letter to Lydia Reed, October 25, 1863 (West Point).
CHAPTER 13
1. To Annette Humphrey, October 9, 1863; M. Merington, Custer Story, p. 65; F. Whittaker, Complete Life of . . . Custer . . . , pp. 212–213.
2. O. R, I, XXIX, pt. 1, pp. 374, 381, 389, 390; F. Whittaker, Complete Life of . . . Custer . . . , p. 197.
3. O. R, I, XXIX, pt. 1, pp. 390, 393, 394; L. N. Boudrye, Historic Records of the Fifth New York Cavalry, p. 80; J. Robertson, Michigan in the War, p. 588; F. Whittaker, Complete Life of . . . Custer . . . , pp. 201, 213.
4. O. R., I, XXIX, pt. 1, pp. 381, 390; letter to Annette Humphrey, October 12, 1863, in M. Merington, Custer Story, pp. 65–66.
5. M. Merington, Custer Story, p. 67; F. Whittaker, Complete Life of . . . Custer . . . , p. 214.
6. O. R., I, XXIX, pt. 1, pp. 387, 391, 397; letter to Lydia Reed, November 6, 1863; U. R. Brooks, ed., Stories of the Confederacy, pp. 207–208; M. T. McMahon, “From Gettysburg to the Coming of Grant,” p. 85; J. M. Hanson, “The Civil War Custer,” p. 28; C. D. Rhodes, History of the Cavalry of the Army of the Potomac, p. 89; Robertson, Michigan in the War, p. 591.
7. M. Merington, Custer Story, p. 70; F. Whittaker, Complete Life of . . . Custer . . . , p. 215.
8. Letters from Custer, October 25, November 1, December 7, 1863, a letter fragment, October 29, 1863; all at West Point.
9. Letters from Custer, October 12, 25, November 6, December 7, 1863; O. R., I, XXIX, pt. 1, p. 655.
10. O. R., I, XXIX, pt. 1, pp. 13, 811; Rhodes, History of the Cavalry . . . , p. 93.
11. Letter to Lydia Reed, December 7, 1863 (West Point); Merington, Custer Story, p. 74; F. Whittaker, Complete Life of . . . Custer . . . , pp. 215–216.
12. M. Merington, Custer Story, pp. 74, 75, 77–79.
13. Letters to Christiancy, January 7, 1864 (West Point); letter from Christiancy, January 20, 1864 (Custer Battlefield National Monument).
14. T. E. Wing, History of Monroe County, p. 318.
15. M. Merington, Custer Story, pp. 84–85. Some statements in letters have been edited slightly.
CHAPTER 14
1. E. B. Custer, Boots and Saddles, p. 10, and Tenting on the Plains, p. 479; F. Whittaker, Complete Life of . . . Custer . . . , p. 218.
2. O. R., I, XXXIII, pp. 161, 164, 599; LI, pt. 2, sup. p. 823; Harper’s Weekly, March 26, 1864; E. B. Custer, Tenting on the Plains, p. 480; G. R. Agassiz, Meade’s Headquarters, p. 77; G. Meade, Life and Letters, II, p. 168; M. T. McMahon, “From Gettysburg to the Coming of Grant,” p. 94. Custer’s reply to Sedgwick has been put in the first person.
3. Statements of Annie Jones, February 2, 1863, March 14, 22, 1864 (National Archives); Harper’s Weekly, April 4, 1863.
4. Harper’s Weekly, March 19, 26, 1864; New York Tribune, March 4, 1864; E. B. Custer’s letter to parents, March 28, 1864.
5. E. B. Custer to Mrs. Hoxie [1880] in Hoxie Papers (Library of Congress).
6. Letter, G. A. Custer to Annette Humphrey, November 1, 1863; to Lydia Reed, December 7, 1863; Jacob Greene to Custer, April 7, 1864; F. Whittaker, Complete Life of . . . Custer . . . , p. 221.
7. O. R., I, XXXVI, pt. 1, p. 115; W. C. King, Camp-Fire Sketches and Battle-Field Echoes, p. 405; T. F. Rodenbough, “Sheridan’s Richmond Raid,” p. 188.
8. M. Merington, Custer Story, pp. 89–93.
9. To E. B. Custer, May 1, 1864.
10. O. R., I, XXXVI, pt. 2, p. 429; A. B. Isham, “Through the Wilderness,” p. 198; J. Robertson, Michigan in the War, p. 595.
11. O. R., I, XXXVI, pt. 1, p. 803; [F. C. Newhall], With General Sheridan in Lee’s Last Campaign, p. 228.
12. O. R., I, XXXVI, pt. 1, pp. 774, 788; pt. 2, pp. 466–467; J. M. Favill, Diary, p. 291; T. F. Rodenbough, “Sheridan’s Richmond Raid,” p. 193.
CHAPTER 15
1. O. R., I, XXXVI, pt. 1, pp. 790, 862; J. Robertson, Michigan in the War, p. 596; P. H. Sheridan, Personal Memoirs, I, p. 373.
2. [F. C. Newhall], With General Sheridan in Lee’s Last Campaign, p. 228.
3. O. R., I, XXXVI, pt. 1, pp. 790, 813, 818, 847; King, Camp-Fire Sketches . . . , pp. 408–409; M. Schaff, Battle of the Wilderness, p. 282.
4. A. B. Isham, “Through the Wilderness to Richmond,” p. 215.
5. J. H. Wilson, Under the Old Flag, I, p. 407.
6. J. H. Kidd, Personal Recollections, p. 308; T. F. Rodenbough, comp., From Everglade to Cañon, p. 306; same author, “Sheridan’s Richmond Raid,” pp. 188, 191; J. H. Wilson, Under the Old Flag, I, p. 414.
7. To E. B. Custer, May 14, 1864.
8. M. Merington, Custer Story, pp. 97–99.
9. J. H. Wilson, Under the Old Flag, I, p. 424.
CHAPTER 16
1. O. R., I, XXXVI, pt. 1, pp. 793, 804, 829, 854, 861; G. R. Agassiz, Meade’s Headquarters, p. 139.
2. T. F. Rodenbough, “Sheridan’s Trevilian Raid,” p. 233; F. Whittaker, “General George A. Custer,” p. 365.
3. G. A. Custer to E. B. Custer, June 21, 1864; E. B. Custer to Laura Noble, July 18, 1864; E. B. Custer to G. A. Custer, June 10, 1864; M. Merington, Custer Story, pp. 105–106.
4. O. R., I, XLIII, pt. 1, pp. 722, 730.
5. G. A. Custer to Lydia Reed, August 24, 1864; O. R., I, XLIII, pt. 1, p. 19; E. B. Custer diary in Merington, Custer Story, p. 130; W. Merritt, “Sheridan in the Shenandoah Valley,” p. 502.
6. O. R., I, XLIII, pt. 1, pp. 502, 822, 841; O. R., I, LI, pt. 2, sup., p. 823.
7. O. R., I, XLIII, pt. 1, pp. 816, 921–922, 948; F. Denison, Sabres and Spurs, p. 384.
8. E. B. Custer to G. A. Custer, September 6, 1864; M. Merington, Custer Story, p. 121; G. A. Custer to Lydia Reed, September 17, 1864; G. A. Custer to Judge Christiancy. September 16, 1864.
9. J. W. De Forest, A Volunteer’s Adventures, p. 172; R. B. Irwin, History of the Nineteenth Army Corps, p. 377.
10. O. R., I, XLIII, pt. 1, pp. 427, 443.
11. O. R., I, XLIII, pt. 1, pp. 454–459.
12. O. R., I, XLIII, pt. 1, pp. 454–459.
13. J. M. Hanson, “The Civil War Custer,” p. 29; Harper’s Weekly, October 8, 1864.
14. H. A. Du Pont, The Campaign of 1864 in the Valley of Virginia, p. 138; R. B. Irwin, History of the Nineteenth . . . , p. 400.
15. F. Whittaker, Complete Life of . . . Custer . . . , p. 250, and “General George A. Custer,” p. 365.
16. P. H. Sheridan, Personal Memoirs, II, pp. 51–52.
17. O. R., I, XLIII, pt. 1, pp. 30–31, 430–431, 520; pt. 2, pp. 320, 327.
18. O. R., I, XLIII, pt. 1, pp. 447, 521, 578; J. M. Hanson, “The Civil War Custer,” p. 29; F. Whittaker, Complete Life of . . . Custer . . . , pp. 256–258; B. W. Crowninshield, History of the First . . . Massachusetts Cavalry, p. 27.
19. O. R., I, XL, pt. 1, pp. 431, 520–522; O. R., I, XLIII, pt. 1, pp. 521–522; O. R., I, LI, pt. 1, p. 1199; T. F. Rodenbough, comp., From Everglades to Cañon, p. 551.
20. R. B. Irwin, History of the Nineteenth . . . , p. 409.
21. M. Merington, Custer Story, pp. 122–123.
22. G. A. Custer to father, October 16, 1864.
23. O. R., I, XLIII, pt. 1, pp. 522–527; J. W. De Forest, A Volunteer’s Adventures, p. 229; G. A. Forsyth, “Sheridan’s Ride,” p. 179; I. Gause, Four Years with Five Armies, p. 335; H. P. Moyer, comp., History of the Seventeenth . . . Pennsylvania . . . Cavalry, p. 118; R. O’Connor, Sheridan, the Inevitable, p. 230.
24. P. H. Sheridan, Personal Memoirs, II, p. 89; L. M. Starr, Bohemian Brigade, p. 331.
25. O. R., I, XLIII, pt. 1, pp. 53, 59, 435, 547, 582.
26. J. C. Andrews, The North Reports the Civil War, p. 607; F. Whittaker, Complete Life of . . . Custer . . . , p. 302.
27. F. Denison, Sabres and Spurs . . . , p. 415.
28. O. R., I, XLIII, pt. 2, p. 437.
29. M. Merington, Custer Story, p. 124.
CHAPTER 17
1. O. R., I, LI, pt. 1, p. 1199; New York Times, February 26, 1865; Syracuse, N.Y., Post-Standard, August 12, 1920.
2. O. R., I, XXXIX, pt. 3, p. 444.
3. New York Times, November 10, 12, 1864.
4. O. R., I, XLIII, pt. 1, p. 508.
5. Petition is at Custer Battlefield National Monument.
6. O. R., I, XLIII, pt. 1, pp. 56, 674–676; pt. 2, pp. 821, 825–826; P. H. Sheridan, Personal Memoirs, II, p. 102.
7. E. B. Custer, Boots and Saddles, p. 223.
8. Rev. G. Duffield to George Stuart, March 2, 1865 (George H. Stuart Collection).
9. [F. C. Newhall], With General Sheridan in Lee’s Last Campaign, p. 17.
10. G. A. Custer to Rev. G. Duffield, February 19, 1865.
11. O. R., I, XLVI, pt. 2, pp. 549, 725.
12. Memo, G. A. Custer to Sheridan, March 2, 1865 (Hart Papers); O. R., I, XLVI, pt. 1, pp. 124, 476, 502; pt. 2, pp. 792, 794; P. H. Sheridan, Personal Memoirs, II, p. 116; F. Whittaker, Complete Life of . . . Custer . . . , p. 273.
13. O. R., I, XLVI, pt. 1, pp. 124, 477, 503; pt. 2, p. 918; New York Times, March 20, 1865; P. Van D. Stern, An End to Valor, p. 5. Pennington’s account is printed in M. Merington, Custer Story, p. 138. Custer was ordered to keep his men out of Charlottesville, by O. R., I, XLVI, pt. 2, p. 834.
14. G. A. Custer to E. Custer, March 16, 1865; O. R., I, XLVI, pt. 2, p. 982; F. Whittaker, Complete Life of . . . Custer . . . , p. 277.
CHAPTER 18
1. G. A. Custer to E. B. Custer, March 30, 1865; O. R., I, XLVI, pt. 3, p. 234; New York Times, April 2, 1865; F. Whittaker, Complete Life of . . . Custer . . . , p. 280.
2. O. R., I, XLVI, pt. 1, p. 1130; H. E. Tremain, Last Hours of Sheridan’s Cavalry, p. 21.
3. G. A. Townsend, Campaigns of a Non-Combatant, p. 320.
4. O. R., I, XLVI, pt. 1, pp. 1103–1104, 1110, 1117; P. Van D. Stern, An End to Valor, p. 129. Statements regarding the time of arrival vary from midmorning to 2 P.M.
5. G. A. Townsend, Campaigns . . . , pp. 326, 329; P. Van D. Stern, An End to Valor, p. 145.
6. H. Porter, “Five Forks and the Pursuit of Lee,” in Battles and Leaders of the Civil War, IV, p. 715.
7. I, XLVI, pt. 1, p. 1131; pt. 3, p. 529; F. B. Heitman, Historical Register of the United States Army; M. Merington, Custer Story, p. 151; H. E. Tremain, Last Hours . . . , p. 111.
8. O. R., I, XLVI, pt. 1, pp. 1107, 1115, 1258; E. B. Custer, “Beau Sabreur,” p. 301; Confederate Soldier, “Custer at the Surrender,” pp. 76–77; M. Merington, Custer Story, p. 151; H. P. Moyer, comp., History of the Seventeenth . . . Pennsylvania . . . Cavalry, p. 315; H. E. Tremain, Last Hours . . . , pp. 144–152; F. Whittaker, Complete Life of . . . Custer . . . , pp. 301–303; B. Catton, Stillness at Appomattox, p. 371.
9. O. R., I, XLVI, pt. 3, p. 610; J. M. Hanson, “The Civil War Custer,” p. 31; H. Porter, “Five Forks . . . ,” in Battles and Leaders of the Civil War, IV, p. 721; M. Schaff, Battle of the Wilderness, p. 146; H. E. Tremain, Last Hours . . . , p. 155.
10. Kershaw’s account in M. Merington, Custer Story, p. 153; Confederate Soldier, “Custer at the Surrender,” pp. 76–77.
11. O. R., I, XLVI, pt. 1, pp. 1109, 1132; pt. 3, pp. 652, 653; J. Gibbon, “Personal Recollections,” p. 939; H. Porter, “Surrender at Appomattox Court House,” p. 734; Moyer, comp., History of the Seventeenth, pp. 315, 363, 364; P. Van D. Stern, An End to Valor, pp. 236–238; H. E. Tremain, Last Hours, p. 227; F. Whittaker, Complete Life of . . . Custer . . . , pp. 305–306.
12. H. E. Tremain, Last Hours . . . , p. 238.
13. Custer’s report, O. R., I, XLVI, pt. 1, pp. 1129–1133; Sheridan’s report, O. R., I, XLVI, pt. 1, pp. 1101–1110; G. Lemmon, “Story of Appomattox,” p. 10; [F. C. Newhall], With General Sheridan in Lee’s Last Campaign, p. 211; P. H. Sheridan, Personal Memoirs, II, p. 193; S. M. Thompson, Thirteenth . . . New Hampshire . . . Infantry, p. 586; H. E. Tremain, Last Hours . . . , pp. 239 ff.
14. M. Schaff, Spirit of Old West Point, pp. 169–170.
15. J. Gibbon, “Personal Recollections,” p. 939; [F. C. Newhall], With General Sheridan . . . , pp. 221–222. M. Merington (Custer Story, p. 159) quotes Sheridan as saying, at the Illinois Commandery of Loyal Legion in Chicago, that Custer carried off the table on his head, but Sheridan seems not to have said this in this address.
16. G. A. Custer to Lydia Reed, April 21, 1865 (Custer Battlefield National Monument); M. Merington, Custer Story, p. 160.
17. O. R., I, XLVI, pt. 1, pp. 1133–1134; pt. 3, p. 813.
18. G. A. Custer to E. B. Custer, April 11, 1865; San Francisco Chronicle, January 12, 1890; M. Merington, Custer Story, p. 164.
19. New York Times, May 24, 1865; O. L. Hein, Memories of Long Ago, p. 37; H. E. Tremain, Last Hours . . . , p. 319; F. Whittaker, Complete Life of . . . Custer . . . , p. 313.
20. To Lydia Reed, April 21, 1865.
CHAPTER 19
1. E. B. Custer, Tenting on the Plains, p. 50.
2. O. R., I, LIII, Sup., p. 608; Congressional Globe, Appendix, 2nd Sess., 39th Cong. pt. 3, pp. 29–30.
3. G. A. Custer to brother and sister, June 23, 1865 (West Point); E. B. Custer, Tenting . . . , p. 110; M. Merington, Custer Story, p. 175.
4. G. A. Custer to brother and sister, June 23, 1865; E. B. Custer, Tenting . . . , p. 117.
5. E. B. Custer, Tenting . . . , pp. 128, 130, 180.
6. M. Merington, Custer Story, pp. 172–174; F. Denison, Sabres and Spurs, p. 310. Sheridan’s recommendation, dated December 9, 1865, is at Custer Battlefield National Monument.
7. G. A. Custer to the Bacons, October 5, 1865; to brother and sister, October 15, 1865; to Lydia Reed, January 12, 1866; E. B. Custer, Tenting . . . , pp. 205, 220, 243. A photograph of the Blind Asylum is at Custer Battlefield National Monument.
8. To Lydia Reed, January 12, February 1, 1866. Custer was mustered out of the Volunteers on January 31, 1866 (National Archives).
9. M. Ronsheim, Life of Custer, pp. 23–24.
10. Custer Battlefield National Monument.
CHAPTER 20
1. Service Record in National Archives, Bingham’s letter at Custer Battlefield National Monument. F. Whittaker, Complete Life of . . . Custer . . . , p. 333.
2. To E. B. Custer, March 16, 18, 1866, in M. Merington, Custer Story, pp. 178–179.
3. F. Whittaker, Complete Life of . . . Custer . . . , pp. 340–341.
4. To E. B. Custer, April 3, 14, 1866.
5. M. Merington, Custer Story, pp. 187–188.
6. New York Times, August 13, 15, 17, 22, 1866; Springfield Illinois State Register, August 20, 1866.
7. To Andrew Johnson, August 13, 1866.
8. New York Times, August 30, 31, 1866.
9. September 3, 1866.
10. Springfield Illinois State Journal, August 28, 1866; M. Sandoz, Buffalo Hunters, p. 27.
11. H. K. Beale, Critical Year, p. 308; C. G. Bowers, Tragic Era, pp. 134–135; G. Welles, Diary, II, p. 593.
12. G. F. Milton, Age of Hate, p. 363.
13. New York Times, September 5, 1866.
14. New York Times, September 14, 1866; Springfield Illinois State Register, September 4, 18, 1866.
15. Springfield Illinois State Journal, September 8, 12, 1866.
16. New York Times, September 9, 1866; H. K. Beale, Critical Year, p. 366; G. F. Milton, Age of Hate, p. 366.
17. New York Times, September 11, 12, 14, 1866; New York Tribune, September 13, 1866, in L. P. Stryker, Andrew Johnson, p. 374; Springfield Illinois State Journal, September 13, 1866; Illinois State Register, September 12, 1866; H. K. Beale, Critical Year, p. 366.
18. New York Times, September 18, 19, 1866; M. Ronsheim, Life of Custer, p. [23].
CHAPTER 21
1. E. B. Custer, Tenting on the Plains, p. 337; M. Ronsheim, Life of Custer, pp. 23–24.
2. E. B. Custer, Tenting . . . , p. 366; C. G. Leland, Union Pacific Railway, p. 43.
3. Box 5, Custer Battlefield National Monument; Godfrey Papers; R. G. Athearn, William Tecumseh Sherman, p. 55; C. F. Bates, Custer’s Indian Battles, p. 8; G. A. Custer, My Life on the Plains, p. 48 fn.; telegram from A. J. Smith, March 1, 1867 (National Archives).
4. E. B. Custer, “Beau Sabreur,” p. 302; F. Whittaker, Complete Life . . . of Custer . . . , p. 332; same author, “General George A. Custer,” p. 367.
5. Harper’s Weekly, December 5, 1868; picture of Myles Keogh, Myrick Collection; F. F. Van de Water, Glory Hunter, p. 152; F. Whittaker, Complete Life . . . of Custer . . . , p. 604; G. A. Custer, My Life on the Plains, p. 173 fn.
6. C. G. Leland, Memoirs . . . , p. 333.
7. Interview with T. R. Davis’s grandson, Ted Parmelee, Los Angeles; T. R. Davis, Henry M. Stanley’s Indian Campaign, p. 193, and With Generals in their Camp Homes, p. 115.
8. Leland, Union Pacific Railway, p. 43.
9. G. A. Custer, My Life on the Plains, pp. 39, 51; H. M. Stanley, My Early Travels and Adventures, pp. 25, 35, 240.
10. G. A. Custer, My Life on the Plains, pp. 58, 64; G. B. Grinnell, Fighting Cheyennes, p. 244; H. M. Stanley, My Early Travels . . . , pp. 39, 41, 43, 241.
11. E. B. Custer, Tenting on the Plains, p. 693; E. S. Watson and Don Russell, “The Battle of the Washita . . . ,” p. 104.
12. E. B. Custer, Tenting on the Plains, p. 546; C. G. Leland, Memoirs, p. 324, H. M. Stanley, My Early Travels . . . , pp. 83, 84, 86, 241.
13. Notes of instruction for Custer, June, 1867 (Custer Battlefield National Monument); G. A. Custer, My Life on the Plains, p. 132; G. B. Grinnell, Fighting Cheyennes, pp. 250–251.
14. E. B. Custer, Tenting on the Plains, pp. 653–654.
15. G. A. Custer, My Life on the Plains, p. 201 fn.; G. B. Grinnell, Fighting Cheyennes, pp. 252–253.
CHAPTER 22
1. E. B. Custer, Tenting on the Plains, pp. 699, 702.
2. H. M. Stanley, My Early Travels and Adventures, p. 121.
3. M. Merington, Custer Story, p. 211.
4. Custer’s memos in National Archives and Custer Battlefield National Monument; G. A. Custer, My Life on the Plains, p. 212.
5. M. Merington, Custer Story, pp. 212, 215.
6. November 20, 1867 (National Archives).
CHAPTER 23
1. R. G. Athearn, William Tecumseh Sherman, pp. 213, 223; C. C. Rister, Border Command, pp. 77, 91; Paul Wellman, “Sheridan’s Operations on Washita,” Dictionary of American History, V, p. 420.
2. Letters, G. A. Custer to E. B. Custer, October 2, 4, 1868; G. A. Custer, My Life on the Plains, p. 217; P. H. Sheridan, Personal Memoirs, II, p. 307.
3. Letters, G. A. Custer to E. B. Custer, October 7, 10, 22, 24, 28, November 4, 5, 22, 23, 1868; W. S. Harvey, diary; Harper’s Weekly, December 5, 1868; DeB. R. Keim, Sheridan’s Troopers, p. 102; C. C. Rister, Border Command, p. 97.
4. Harvey diary; G. A. Custer, My Life on the Plains, pp. 282–284, 289, 301. Some of the facts in these sources have been edited into direct quotations.
5. G. A. Custer, My Life on the Plains, p. 315.
6. G. A. Forsyth, Story of the Soldier, p. 245; C. P. Godfrey, “General Edward S. Godfrey,” p. 83.
7. C. J. Brill, Conquest of the Southern Plains, pp. 160 n., 173–174; F. S. Dellenbaugh, George Armstrong Custer, pp. 128, 132; G. A. Custer, My Life on the Plains, pp. 336, 388; C. F. Bates, Custer’s Indian Battles, p. 14; E. S. Godfrey, “Some Reminiscences of the Battle of the Washita,” p. 493; C. P. Godfrey, “General Edward S. Godfrey,” p. 75; E. S. Watson and Don Russell, “The Battle of the Washita, or Custer’s Massacre?” in which Mr. Russell gives examples of the way in which F. F. Van de Water has taken Custer’s statements out of context to malign his character.
8. Harvey diary, November 27, 28, 1868; letter, G. A. Custer to Sheridan, November 28, 1868 (Custer Battlefield National Monument); R. G. Athearn, . . . Sherman, p. 272; P. H. Sheridan, Personal Memoirs, p. 319; G. A. Custer, . . . Plains, p. 397.
CHAPTER 24
1. February 9, 1869.
2. Letter dated December 6, 1868 (Custer Battlefield National Monument).
3. G. A. Custer, My Life on the Plains, p. 415.
4. Harvey diary, December 11, 1868; G. A. Custer, My Life on the Plains, p. 428; C. C. Rister, Border Command, p. 118.
5. S. J. Crawford, Kansas in the Sixties, p. 328; G. A. Custer, My Life on the Plains, p. 436; DeB. R. Keim, Sheridan’s Troopers, p. 155. Some of the facts obtained from these accounts have been placed in direct quotations. The text has summarized more complicated negotiations.
6. R. G. Athearn, William Tecumseh Sherman, p. 274; E. B. Custer, Following the Guidon, p. 53.
7. Letter, G. A. Custer to E. B. Custer, December 26, 1868; P. H. Sheridan, Personal Memoirs, II, p. 334.
8. E. B. Custer, Following the Guidon, p. 49.
9. G. A. Custer, My Life on the Plains, pp. 564 ff.; see note in same by Quaife, p. 596; S. J. Crawford, Kansas . . . , pp. 332–334; G. B. Grinnell, Fighting Cheyennes, p. 297; C. C. Rister, Border Command, p. 142.
10. E. B. Custer, Following the Guidon, pp. 50, 64; G. A. Custer, My Life on the Plains, p. 509.
11. R. H. McKay, Little Pills, p. 9.
12. E. B. Custer, Tenting on the Plains, pp. 620–621; photographs of Fort Hays at Custer Battlefield National Monument.
13. Letter, G. A. Custer to Sherman, June 29, 1869; E. B. Custer, Following the Guidon, p. 246.
14. Notes on guest hunters as well as on Custer’s magazine articles are in Custer Battlefield National Monument. J. E. Parsons and J. S. duMont, Firearms in the Custer Battle, p. 20; M. Merington, Custer Story, p. 231.
15. Harvey diary, June 11, September 26, 1870; Custer’s Service Record (in National Archives) shows his leave began Jan. 11.
16. M. Merington, Custer Story, p. 239.
17. February 13, 1871 (Hoxie Papers).
18. M. Merington, Custer Story, pp. 234, 236, 237, 242.
19. M. Merington, Custer Story, p. 238.
20. M. Merington, Custer Story, p. 239.
21. R. G. McMurtry, “Residence of Gen. George A. Custer,” pp. 119–123; M. Merington, Custer Story, p. 241.
22. Springfield Illinois State Register, October 11, 1871; Louisville [Ky.] Times, January 20, 1949; Service Record (National Archives).
23. C. C. Rister, Border Command, p. 167.
24. Louisville [Ky.] Times, January 20, 1949; C. F. Bates, Custer’s Indian Battles, p. 22; F. S. Dellenbaugh, George Armstrong Custer, p. 47.
25. M. Merington, Custer Story, p. 247.
26. E. B. Custer, Tenting on the Plains, pp. 317–318; F. Whittaker, Complete Life of . . . Custer . . . , p. 596; M. Merington, Custer Story, p. 244. See also New York Times, December 25, 1868.
27. Louisville [Ky.] Times, January 20, 1949.
28. M. Merington, Custer Story, p. 242; F. Whittaker, Complete Life of . . . Custer . . . , p. 632.
29. Service Record (National Archives).
CHAPTER 25
1. E. B. Custer, Boots and Saddles, pp. 37–48.
2. Godfrey Papers; R. Bruce, The Fighting Norths, p. 20; E. B. Custer, Boots . . . , p. 240; G. B. Grinnell, Fighting Cheyennes, p. 343; D. S. Stanley, Personal Memoirs, p. 247.
3. E. B. Custer, Boots . . . , p. 69; M. Merington, Custer Story, p. 258.
4. E. B. Custer, Boots . . . , pp. 273, 274, 276, 279; D. S. Stanley, Personal Memoirs, pp. 240, 246, Appendix p. [239].
5. E. B. Custer, Boots . . . , pp. 90–91; G. A. Custer, “Battling with the Sioux,” p. 92.
6. M. Merington, Custer Story, pp. 253, 264.
7. G. A. Custer, “Battling with the Sioux,” p. 93.
8. E. B. Custer, Boots . . . , p. 208; D. S. Stanley, Personal Memoirs, p. 241.
9. G. A. Custer report in E. B. Custer, Boots . . . , p. 288; D. S. Stanley, Personal Memoirs, pp. 242, 250, 251.
10. Custer’s letter of October 5, 1873, is in J. E. Parsons and J. S. duMont, Firearms in the Custer Battle.
11. M. Merington, Custer Story, p. 265.
12. E. B. Custer, Boots . . . , p. 98; J. M. De Wolf, Diary, April 16, 1876; M. Merington, Custer Story, p. 267.
CHAPTER 26
1. Custer to father, December 13, 1873.
2. G. A. Custer, My Life on the Plains, p. 609.
3. Letter, Custer to Barrett, May 19, 1874 (Personal Miscellany, MS Division, Library of Congress); Custer to “Insurance Agent,” June 24, 1874 (Filson Club, Louisville, Ky.); Army and Navy Journal, March 30, 1874; C. C. O’Harra, “Custer’s Black Hills Expedition,” p. 266.
4. Letter, Custer to Barrett, May 19, 1874; M. Merington, Custer Story, pp. 245, 273.
5. The first part of this account of the Black Hills Expedition is based on a letter of Custer to his wife, August 2, 1874, and also on R. Bruce, The Fighting Norths, p. 20; E. B. Custer, Boots and Saddles, pp. 299–303; W. Ludlow, Report . . . of the Black Hills, pp. 32, 54–57, 60; C. C. O’Harra, Custer’s Black Hills Expedition, pp. 234, 287.
6. C. F. Bates, Custer’s Indian Battles, p. 23; E. B. Custer, Boots . . . , p. 216; F. Whittaker, Complete Life of . . . Custer . . . , p. 636.
7. M. Merington, Custer Story, p. 244.
8. C. T. Brady, Indian Fights and Fighters, p. 213; E. B. Custer, “Beau Sabreur,” p. 303; E. I. Stewart, Custer’s Luck, p. 59.
9. Letter of Custer, February 2, 1875 (Johnson Papers); G. F. Milton, Age of Hate, p. 669.
10. C. F. Bates, Custer’s Indian Battles, p. 24; Index to Reports of Committees, pp. 154–157; E. I. Stewart, Custer’s Luck, p. 127.
11. New York Tribune, February 29, 1876; Louisville [Ky.] Times, January 20, 1949; E. B. Custer, Boots . . . , pp. 250–251, and Tenting on the Plains, p. 347; F. Whittaker, Complete Life of . . . Custer . . . , p. 635.
12. The Barren Lands is imprinted “Cincinnati, 1875,” and was published in the New York Tribune, January 22, 1876. Further details on the argument over the Washita fight are in G. A. Custer, My Life on the Plains, pp. 353 fn., 397, and F. Whittaker, Complete Life of . . . Custer . . . , p. 457.
13. New York Tribune, March 3, 7, 30, 1876.
14. Extensions were granted on January 11 and February 5, 1876 (Custer file, National Archives). E. B. Custer, Boots . . . , p. 250; M. Merington, Custer Story, p. 277; F. Whittaker, Complete Life of . . . Custer . . . , pp. 635–637.
15. E. B. Custer, Boots . . . , p. 258. Index to Reports of Committees, p. 161, notes that Custer was called back to Washington within a week. M. Merington, Custer Story, p. 290; F. Whittaker, Complete Life of . . . Custer . . . , pp. 549, 562, 639.
16. W. A. Graham, Custer Myth, p. 332.
17. Manchester Guardian Weekly, May 23, 1957; O. L. Hein, Memories, p. 108.
18. New York Herald, March 31, 1876. Statements involving Orvil Grant were published in New York Tribune, March 6, 1876; Index to Reports of Committees, pp. 155, 161, 234; M. Merington, Custer Story, pp. 284, 289; E. I. Stewart, Custer’s Luck, p. 121; M. Schaff, Battle of the Wilderness, p. 45.
19. Arlington, Va., no date given (Hoxie Papers).
20. New York Times, April 5, 19, May 5, 1876; E. I. Stewart, Custer’s Luck, p. 123; F. Whittaker, Complete Life . . . , p. 549.
21. E. B. Custer, Boots . . . , p. 128. The adjutant’s refusal is dated March 30, 1876 (Custer file, National Archives).
22. J. I. C. Clarke, My Life and Memories, p. 158.
23. Telegram, Sherman to Sheridan, May 2, 1876 (National Archives); Custer’s letter to President, May 6, 1876 (Sherman Papers); New York Tribune, April 7, 1876; F. Whittaker, Complete Life of . . . Custer . . . , p. 559.
24. Los Angeles Herald, May 3, 11, 1876.
25. Los Angeles Herald, May 11, 1876.
CHAPTER 27
1. T. M. Coughlan, “The Battle of the Little Big Horn,” p. 14; F. Dustin, The Custer Fight, p. 19.
2. C. F. Bates, Custer’s Indian Battles, p. 29; W. A. Graham, Story of the Little Big Horn, p. 141; J. M. De Wolf, Diary, May 30, 1876; J. McLaughlin, My Friend the Indian, p. 126, states that 350 lodges had passed. M. Merington, Custer Story, p. 305; A. Terry, diary, June 19, 1876 (Library of Congress).
3. De Wolf, Diary, p. 46.
4. J. E. Parsons and J. S. duMont, Firearms in the Custer Battle, p. 48.
5. Dustin, The Custer Fight, p. 19; De Wolf, Diary, p. 52; Los Angeles Times, November 8, 1884.
6. F. Whittaker, Complete Life of . . . Custer . . . , pp. 575–576.
7. Copy of letter, George B. Heredeen to wife, January 4, 1878 (Library of Congress); C. F. Bates, Custer’s Indian Battles, p. 31; W. A. Graham, Custer Myth, p. 234.
8. Letter, G. A. Custer to E. B. Custer, June 22, 1876; copy of letter, Bailey to wife, July 4, 1876 (Godfrey Papers); A. Terry, diary, June 22, 23, 1876; W. A. Graham, Story of the Little Big Horn, pp. xx, 118; J. S. Hutchins, “The Cavalry Campaign Outfit,” p. 101; Parsons and duMont, Firearms in the Custer Battle, p. 12.
9. The description of the first afternoon’s march is based on Benteen’s account in the Godfrey Papers. See also Graham, Custer Myth, p. 177; C. F. Bates, Custer’s Indian Battles, p. 31; W. S. Edgerly in M. Merington, Custer Story, pp. 310, 318–320; E. S. Godfrey, Field Diary, pp. 8–10; T. M. Coughlan, “The Battle of the Little Big Horn,” p. 15.
10. Copy of letter, Bailey to wife, July 4, 1876.
11. E. S. Godfrey, notebook, in Godfrey Papers.
12. T. M. Coughlan, “The Battle of the Little Big Horn,” p. 13; W. A. Graham, Story of the Little Big Horn, pp. 24, 122; E. I. Stewart, Custer’s Luck, p. 139.
13. F. B. Heitman, Historical Register, p. 681.
14. E. S. Godfrey, notebook, in Godfrey Papers.
15. Letter of George B. Heredeen to wife, January 4, 1878; W. A. Graham, comp., Abstract . . . Reno Court of Inquiry, p. 108.
16. G. B. Grinnell, Fighting Cheyennes, p. 342.
17. E. S. Godfrey, “Death of General Custer,” p. 470; R. Taft, “Pictorial Record of . . . Custer’s Last Stand,” p. 365.
CHAPTER 28
1. G. A. Forsyth, Story of the Soldier, p. 328; G. B. McClellan, Own Story, p. 365; M. Schaff, Spirit of Old West Point, p. 209.
2. New York Times, July 10, 13, 16, 1876. The cap and sash, now at Custer Battlefield National Monument, were sent to Libbie on July 13, 1886. The Metropolitan (1876), pub. by Metropolitan Life Insurance Co.
3. F. Whittaker, “General George A. Custer,” p. 371.
4. Letter of G. A. Custer to E. B. Custer, April 23, 1876, M. Merington, Custer Story, p. 291.
5. F. Whittaker, Complete Life of . . . Custer . . . , pp. 607–608.
6. E. B. Custer, Tenting on the Plains, p. 302; C. Wheeler, Yesterdays, p. 219.
7. August 11, 1877.
8. New York Times, October 11, 1877; Harper’s Weekly, October 27, 1877.
9. W. A. Graham, comp., Abstract of . . . The Reno Court of Inquiry, pp. iv, 184, 187, 212, 228, 229, and author, Story of the Little Big Horn, pp. 158–162.
10. Letters, E. B. Custer to Vinnie Ream Hoxie, March 15, August 13, September 16, 19, 29, 1879; to Lawrence Barrett, April 6, 1880 (Library of Congress).
11. Notes in Myrick Collection.
12. Letter to Vinnie Ream Hoxie, January 2, 1882; to W. T. Sherman, October 15, 1882.
13. January 2, 1882 (Hoxie Papers).
14. Letters to Vinnie Ream Hoxie, January 13, 1886, June 5, 1888.
15. T. B. Whitman Papers; Los Angeles Times, July 5, 1885.
16. Letter, E. B. Custer to Vinnie Ream Hoxie, December 24, 1892; C. Wheeler, Yesterdays, pp. 279, 287–288, 313, 317.
17. W. A. Graham, Custer Myth, p. 52; J. E. Parsons and J. S. duMont, Firearms in the Custer Battle, pp. 33–35.
18. N. A. Miles, Personal Recollections, pp. 289–290.
19. For this inscription I am indebted to Mrs. Florence Kirtland, Monroe, Michigan.
20. The New York Times, June 26, 1931, tells of interview at Libbie’s apartment. April 6, 1933, is the date of Libbie Custer’s death, not her burial.