Custer Vindicated
by Jack Pennington
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Book Summary Information
Author: Jack PenningtonEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-09-12
ISBN: 0595455425
Number of pages: 234
Publisher: iUniverse, Inc.
Book Reviews of Custer Vindicated
Book Review: Detailed and Revealing Study of the Little Big Horn Cover Up: For the Well Read LBH Historian
Summary: 5 Stars
This book by Jack Pennington, who earlier wrote " Battle of Little Big Horn: A Comprehensive Study (Battle of Little Big Horn)", uses criticism of three hard study books on the Little Big Horn to substantiate his theory of a cover up by Major Reno and Captain Benteen (two wing commanders) to enhance their actions (or inactions) at the Little Big Horn (LBH) while also again restating his theory of why Custer's attack failed. This book is composed of serious anlysis of the failed cordination of the three attacking battalions at the LBH and it requires the reader to have a significant reading familiarity with the detailed controversies of the LBH battle. For those with limited reading on the subject, I recommend reading Utley's book on Custer as a primer, Gray's "Custer's Last Campaign: Mitch Boyer and the Little Bighorn Reconstructed" to understand some of the time analysis studies and to really crank up the controversial roles of Major Reno and Captain Benteen read "Abcs of Custer's Last Stand: Arrogance, Betrayal and Cowardice" by Arthur C. Unger. Essentially, Pennington challenges the testimonies of Reno and Benteen at Reno's court martial inquest held two years after the battle. The upper officer corp change the time sequences sinificfantly to place themselves in a better light and undermine the testimony of the enlisted couriers and other enlisted regarding the existence of attack orders. Pennington makes an excellent point that Custer was ahead of Reno in the attack phase echoing the well known fact that Custer was seen waving his hat from the bluffs above the LBH river before Reno made his attack and that Custer's attack across the ford at Medicine Coulee should have coincided with Reno's attack. The missing factor, Benteen's failed ability to support Reno, then Reno's dramtic giving away. By critiqing the other authors, it provides Pennington a platform, like an attorney, preseting his case through rebuttal. The final pages of the book are fascinating as Pennington expresses again his hypothesis that Custer was shot at the ford (Indian testimonies identify that an officer was shot) causing his battalion to lose funtional cohesion virtually losing the impetus to attack. This is a very challenging proposition but it is an interestig theory and a possible answer to what happened to Custer for at least 45 minutes where his attack seems to have stalled. Fox's great work "Archaeology, History, and Custer's Last Battle: The Little Big Horn Reexamined" theorizes that Custer was redirecting his attack to to another ford to chase the non-combatants and to take the energy out of the Indian's resistance. But Pennington makes a good point, why not keep the attack at Medicine Trail Coulee that was lightly defended and a direct route? Obviously, circumstances did change the plan, maybe not Custer's early loss but certianly a significant event. Greg Michno offers a theory of command consolidation that is very intriguing in his book "Lakota Moon". Indian testimony states that an officer was shot at the ford; the identity has not been exactly determined. Personally, I doubt that Custer was killed at the ford particularly since the command was seemingly structured for defensive (Calhoun Hill) and offensive action (Last Stand Hill) when the indians suddenly ruptured any plans in an abrupt and powerful attacking force. But this is a very interesting book particularly if one is willing to keep an open mind. The strength of the book is the detail on Benteen and Reno, two individuals who never completely spoke freely about what really happened. My only criticism is that a little more editting in the first part of the book may have made the reading a little more smoother as some points and statements seem to be repeated and a single chart showing the testified time conflicts between parties and what the more true estimated times were would have been a helpful reference to the arguments presented. It is quite fascinating if Reno and Benteen's junction was at least 2 hours sooner than they testified at the trial, then each had a vested interest to protect the other, not out of respect for each other but for survival.
Summary of Custer Vindicated
A controversial evaluation, Custer Vindicated challenges the historical views on the Battle of the Little Big Horn that depict Lt. Colonel George Armstrong Custer as an incompetent leader.In this his fourth book on Custer, Jack L. Pennington presents the results of his most recent research and the evidence that proves Custer was not at fault for the loss of his five companies or the defeat suffered by the 7th Cavalry. He critiques three well-known writers? views as he lays the groundwork for reassessment of the long-time inference that the decisions Lt. Colonel Custer made until he reached Medicine Tail Coulee were not militarily sound. Pennington also explores the roles played by the Reno Court of Inquiry and the 7th Cavalry officers in making Custer a historic scapegoat.
Whatever you have read about or heard from other experts on the Battle of the Little Big Horn, Pennington encourages you to consider questions that have never been asked regarding a famous battle that, to this day, still remains one of the greatest conflicts in U.S. history.
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