GDG- Custer: G'burg, LBH & Philbrick

[Batrinque at aol.com]

In a message dated 1/20/2012 9:03:21 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
madpd2001 at yahoo.com writes:

I did  not see a reference to Nathaniel Philbrick's recent book on Custer & 
LBH.  He was a 'talking head' on the AE/PBS show. Thought it was great,  
comprehensive, and broke new ground. Perhaps I am prejudiced....he's a  
favorite author of mine. Would like to hear other's thoughts on the  book. BTW his 
most recent book on why we should all read/re-read Moby  Dick has several 
references to the ACW and Melville's anticipation of it in  MD.

I have read Philbrick's LBH and liked it, but I think James Donovan's  
"Terrible Glory" an even better book.  (But I do give high marks to  Philbrick's 
Moby-Dick book and find it interesting that he connects the writing  of 
Moby-Dick with the great crisis in America over slavery.)
 


4. I  seem to recall reading somewhere about the # of ACW vets who suffered 
from  PTSD. Just slightly better than speculation but makes perfect sense 
when  thinking about the conduct of several of Custer's officers (Reno?) 
drinking,  depression, etc.
 
I'm not sure that Reno's drinking and depression can be attributed to PTSD, 
 but I think it is clear that the phenomenon was far more widely spread 
than was  acknowledged at the time.  If you do much research into the lives of 
CW  combat veterans after the war, inevitably you come upon stories of men 
who just  could not function well in civilian society, looking very much like 
certain  veterans of the Viet Nam, Iraqi, and Afghani wars.  Not all the 
casualties  at Gettysburg were hit by bullets.

Bruce  Trinque
Amston, CT