Personal Recollections of a Cavalryman With Custer's Michigan Cavalry Brigade in the Civil War (Expanded, Annotated)

Book excerpt: Envision 10,000 mounted men of one of the best cavalries the world has ever produced strung out along 13 miles, marching around Robert E. Lee's right flank, taunting J.E.B. Stuart to come out and fight. In one of the most thrilling and detailed accounts of one of the most important battles of the American Civil War that most people know nothing of, James Kidd tells this story and much more of the Michigan Wolverine Cavalry under the command of George Armstrong Custer. The popular image of General Custer, James Kidd wrote in 1908, is incorrect. He was not reckless or wasteful of men. The battle was Yellow Tavern, part of the Spottslyvania fight, and Phil Sheridan later said he believed it was the greatest cavalry engagement of the Civil War. J.E.B. Stuart was fatally wounded in the fight. At Gettysburg, Brandy Station, the Trevillian Raid, Kilpatrick's Richmond raid, and the Shennandoah Valley, the Wolverines played a crucial role in the Union victory. Kidd also provides wonderful details about the movement of large cavalry units, especially when they must be turned in battle. In one of the best-written memoirs of the Civil War, Kidd has presented a picture of the Michigan Cavalry and its unforgettable leader that helps complete the image of Custer as a soldier. For less than you'd spend on gas going to the library, this long out-of-print volume is available as an affordable, well-formatted book for e-readers and smartphones. Be sure to LOOK INSIDE by clicking the cover above or download a sample.