Post by fred on Aug 3, 2013 11:04:40 GMT -5
I have had a number of people ask me about my so-called "Book II," so I have decided to let the cat out of the bag... though not entirely, and it will not be found yet on the McFarland Website.
They have agreed to publish it, so that is step one. Everything is complete except for the map work, which will be extremely detailed and very difficult to assemble and print, simply because I intend to have "markers" showing the general area where every trooper fell.
The book will prove to be extremely controversial, for its blows away a number of cherished beliefs... and silly theories... but it is driven almost entirely by some 215 accounts of people who fought the battle and it presents both sides of each argument, then the reasoning behind various acceptances. The book is designed to be nothing more than a "military and timing analysis" of the June 25 fighting. It mentions, but does not discuss, the Reno retreat from the timber... I find little to be learned from that brief event, other than to do it differently... maybe. The book also does not discuss June 26... other than the initial dispositions atop Reno Hill. Again, this is an analysis, not just another historical dissertation, done too well by too many far better writers and historians than myself. If you want history, read Liddic, Stewart, Gray, Donovan, et al.; if you want to see the battle, than this will be for you. I consider this work a critical analysis, not a condemnation or pre-conceived stab at anyone. In my opinion the book will stand by its dual merits: (1) the timeline, driven almost entirely by what those participants told us; and (2) the army's "lessons learned."
This will also be the first time in the 137 years since the battle, that a minute-by-minute breakdown of the Custer fighting will be offered. If any of you have seen the most recent edition of the LBHA's Research Review, you will know what to expect.
I also have several other projects planned, all of which are in various states of completion. One will probably be a multi-volume set recording commentary over the years and in different places of more than 200 participants and contemporaries. It is a one-stop edition of heaven-only-knows how many other books. This work is complete and only needs to be edited.
Another project is a fictionalized account-- a historical novel-- of the battle. That is also complete except for editing.
Another project I started several months ago is an analysis of the marker placement and the usage of ammunition by Custer's command, i. e., where it was expended, how much was expended, how much remained, etc., and the effect on morale and individual performance during the battle.
And then there is another project... yep!, yet another. But I'll save that for a rainy day, especially since it is about 90% complete.
Best wishes,
Fred.
They have agreed to publish it, so that is step one. Everything is complete except for the map work, which will be extremely detailed and very difficult to assemble and print, simply because I intend to have "markers" showing the general area where every trooper fell.
The book will prove to be extremely controversial, for its blows away a number of cherished beliefs... and silly theories... but it is driven almost entirely by some 215 accounts of people who fought the battle and it presents both sides of each argument, then the reasoning behind various acceptances. The book is designed to be nothing more than a "military and timing analysis" of the June 25 fighting. It mentions, but does not discuss, the Reno retreat from the timber... I find little to be learned from that brief event, other than to do it differently... maybe. The book also does not discuss June 26... other than the initial dispositions atop Reno Hill. Again, this is an analysis, not just another historical dissertation, done too well by too many far better writers and historians than myself. If you want history, read Liddic, Stewart, Gray, Donovan, et al.; if you want to see the battle, than this will be for you. I consider this work a critical analysis, not a condemnation or pre-conceived stab at anyone. In my opinion the book will stand by its dual merits: (1) the timeline, driven almost entirely by what those participants told us; and (2) the army's "lessons learned."
This will also be the first time in the 137 years since the battle, that a minute-by-minute breakdown of the Custer fighting will be offered. If any of you have seen the most recent edition of the LBHA's Research Review, you will know what to expect.
I also have several other projects planned, all of which are in various states of completion. One will probably be a multi-volume set recording commentary over the years and in different places of more than 200 participants and contemporaries. It is a one-stop edition of heaven-only-knows how many other books. This work is complete and only needs to be edited.
Another project is a fictionalized account-- a historical novel-- of the battle. That is also complete except for editing.
Another project I started several months ago is an analysis of the marker placement and the usage of ammunition by Custer's command, i. e., where it was expended, how much was expended, how much remained, etc., and the effect on morale and individual performance during the battle.
And then there is another project... yep!, yet another. But I'll save that for a rainy day, especially since it is about 90% complete.
Best wishes,
Fred.
