RE: [DL] Custer and Serendipity

[Frempath2@netscape.net]

Uh, no.
"They Died With Their Boots On" is not meant as a historical documentation.  Its just a rousing Errol Flynn adventure movie.
Custer rose through the ranks very rapidly for two basic reasons:
1) Custer had the good fortune to be close friends with persons who were in positions of power and needed able assistants.  Custer was very able and had a tendency to get promoted to a new position just prior to his former benefactor falling from grace.  In short, Custer was a rising star because he was in the circle of other rising stars of the Union Army.
2) Custer was many things, but most of all, durring the Civil War he was a bold and successful cavalry commander when the Union had few of those.

Custer was breveted to Brigader right before Gettysburg, that is true.  But was George Armstrong Custer that they wanted at the head of the Michigan Brigade, not someone else.

Kevin Jameson

John Vogel <velvetandiron@yahoo.com> wrote:

>Howdy Pa'dners!
>
>I'm new to the list, this will be my first post.  It
>concerns historical background material for my
>campaign, which is mostly set back east where the
>Civil War is still going on hot and heavy.
>
>What I need to know, is whether the following is
>history or legend:
>
>Supposedly, General Custer was a captain immediately
>prior to Gettysburg.  He gets into a fight, and is
>placed in the guard house to await his court martial. 
>Meanwhile, in the War Department, two sets of orders
>get screwed up.  Custer's court martial order is sent
>to some colonel, and Custer gets an order promoting
>him to brigadier general and putting him in command of
>the Michigan Cavalry Brigade.
>
>He then beats Jeb Stuart, and keeps him from getting
>to Gettysburg on time, possibly costing the
>Confederacy the war.
>
>Can anybody confirm or deny this?  I have been to
>several sources, but nobody hits the issue directly.
>
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