Custer in ’76:Walter Camps Notes on the Custer Fight

Description

“Solid| firsthand material bearing on the Custer fight| invaluable to anyone studying the Little Bighorn.”-Robert Utley| author of Cavalier in Buckskin: George Armstrong Custer and the Western Military Frontier “Custer in ’76 is a treasure trove of information| and stands as one of the few essential books in the vast Custer bibliography.”-Paul A. Hutton| editor of The Custer Reader This collection of exciting| absorbing personal accounts from survivors of the Battle of the Little Bighorn| includes interviews with John Martin| trumpeter and orderly to Lt. Col. George Armstong Custer; Medal of Honor winner Stanislas Roy; Second Lt. Winfield Edgerly; Second Lt. Charles DeRudio; Private Roman Rutten; Sergeant Daniel Knipe; and other Seventh Cavalry men and officers. It also includes accounts from Custer’s Indian scouts: Goes Ahead| Hairy Moccasin| Little Sioux| Strike Two| and notably| Curley| the Crow scout who witnessed the attack on the Custer Column. Most importantly| here for the first time are memorable accounts from American Indians who actually fought against Custer: Turtle Rib| Black Bear| He Dog| White Bull| Sturdy Bear| and Foolish Elk| who fought with Crazy Horse on the day of the battle. These American Indian interviews are an important source for scholars of Native American cultures| as well as students of the Indian Wars and Custer’s “Last Stand.” Walter Mason Camp| a railroad construction engineer| began interviewing the survivors of the Little Bighorn battle in the late 1890s. He died in 1925 and the bulk of his notes were acquired by the Harold B. Lee Library at Brigham Young University. Kenneth Hammer| the Custer authority who edited them for publication| was professor emeritus of Economics| University of Wisconsin| Whitewater| and the author of Men with Custer: Biographies of the 7th Cavalry| June 25| 1876.