Inventing Custer

Custer’s Last Stand remains one of the most iconic events in American history and culture. Had Custer prevailed at the Little Bighorn, the victory would have been noteworthy at the moment, worthy of a few newspaper headlines, but only a few among the many battles with the Plains Indians. In defeat, however tactically inconsequential in the larger conflict, Custer became legend. In Inventing Custer, Edward Caudill and Paul Ashdown bridge the gap between the Custer who truly existed and the one we’ve immortalized and mythologized into legend in our generally accepted reading of American history and his significance to it.

Spanning countries and centuries, a “how-not-to” guide to leadership that reveals the most maladroit military commanders in history—now in paperback. For this book, fifteen distinguished historians were given a deceptively simple task: identify their choice for the worst military leader in history and then explain why theirs is the worst. From the clueless Conrad von Hötzendorf and George A. Custer to the criminal Baron Roman F. von Ungern-Sternberg and the bungling Garnet Wolseley, this book presents a rogues’ gallery of military incompetents. Rather than merely rehashing biographical details, the contributors take an original and unconventional look at military leadership in a way that appeals to both specialists and general readers alike. While there are plenty of books that analyze the keys to success, The Worst Military Leaders in History offers lessons of failure to avoid. In other words, this book is a “how-not-to” guide to leadership.

“Presents Custer’s Civil War accomplishments in clear and engaging prose, while its ample images and battle maps place unfamiliar readers in the action.” —The Civil War Monitor Through the passage of time, Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer’s last fight, the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876, has come to overshadow the rest of his military career, which had its brilliant beginning in the American Civil War. Plucked from obscurity by Maj. Gen. George McClellan, Custer served as a staff officer through the early stages of the war. His star began to rise in late June, 1863, when he catapulted several grades to brigadier general and was given brigade command. Shortly thereafter, at Gettysburg and Buckland Mills, he led his men—the Wolverines—in some of the heaviest cavalry fighting of the Eastern Theater. At Yellow Tavern, Custer’s assault broke the enemy line, and one of his troopers mortally wounded the legendary Confederate cavalryman, J.E.B. Stuart. At Trevilian Station, his brigade was nearly destroyed. At Third Winchester, he participated in an epic cavalry charge. Elevated to lead the Third Cavalry Division, Custer played a major role at Tom’s Brook and, later, at Appomattox, which ultimately led to the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia. Historian Daniel T. Davis, a long-time student of George Custer, has spent countless hours walking and studying the battlefields where Custer fought in Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. In The Most Desperate Acts of Gallantry, he chronicles the Civil War experiences of one of the most recognized individuals to emerge from that tragic chapter in American history. “A fast-paced study, engaging study.” —Journal of the Shenandoah Valley During the Civil War Era

From the hills and valleys of the eastern Confederate states to the sun-drenched plains of Missouri and "Bleeding Kansas," a vicious, clandestine war was fought behind the big-battle clashes of the American Civil War. In the east, John Singleton Mosby became renowned for the daring hit-and-run tactics of his rebel horsemen. Here a relatively civilized war was fought; women and children usually left with a roof over their heads. But along the Kansas-Missouri border it was a far more brutal clash; no quarter given. William Clarke Quantrill and William "Bloody Bill" Anderson became notorious for their savagery.

Iron Brigade officer Henry F. Young wrote 155 letters home during the Civil War, enabling readers to witness the war, society, and politics of 1860s America as he did. This honest and occasionally humorous autobiography reveals a rare portrait of a junior officer from America's western heartland.

Liberty is a recurring theme in science fiction. Here's a volume of explorations of this theme, combining landmark stories from science fiction's golden age with new stories by some of today's top writers, including Hugo winner and Grand Master Jack Williamson; Michael Resnick, winner of four Hugos and a Nebula, and author of the international bestseller, Santiago; Michael A. Stackpole, author of eight New York Times best sellers; best-selling novelist Jane Lindskold, New York Times best-selling author James P. Hogan, Robert J. Sawyer, winner of the Nebula Award for best novel of the year; and more. This stellar crew considers how a government-free society could operate, how a low-tech society might throw off the influence of more "advanced" intruders, how the right to own weapons is fundamental to freedom, and much more. In the future, liberty may be even more threatened than in our present-and this volume suggests very unusual ways of defending and advancing it. . . . At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).

The Collected Stories of Frank Herbert is the most complete collection of Herbert's short fiction ever assembled-thirty-seven stories originally published between 1952 and 1979, plus one story, "The Daddy Box," that has never been appeared before. Frank Herbert, the New York Times bestselling author of Dune, is one of the most celebrated and commercially successful science fiction writers of all time. But while best known for originating the character of Paul Atreides and the desert world of Arrakis, Herbert was also a prolific writer of short fiction. His stories were published individually in numerous pulps and anthologies spanning decades, but never collected. Until now. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

WHEN IN THE COURSE OF FUTURE EVENTS ... Liberty is a recurring theme in science fiction. Here's a volume of explorations of this theme, some even arguing that freedom can be best served by doing away with government entirely. As Thomas Jefferson wrote, "Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty." And in the future, eternal vigilance against our own government will be even more important than vigilance against hostile outsiders. A stellar roster of science fiction writers consider how a government-free society could operate, how the Soviet Union might have fallen apart even earlier because of an apparently harmless device, how a low-tech society might throw off the influence of more "advanced" intruders, how the right to own weapons is fundamental to freedom, and much more. In the future, liberty may be even more threatened than in our present¾and this volume suggests very unusual ways of defending it.... At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management). Praise for Martin Harry Greenberg: "Greenberg's choices are impeccable." ¾Booklist "Provocative and well-planned." ¾Kirkus Reviews "Sheer enjoyability. . . . A fine mix of stories provokes everything from meditation to laughter." ¾Library Journal