Custer Survivor

It has been recorded in official government records that there were no survivors of the five companies of the Seventh Cavalry who were with General George Armstrong Custer at the battle at the Little Big Horn. Recently, uncovered records and forensic handwriting evidence, the latter verified by forensic handwriting experts, reveal that one trooper, a sergeant in "C" Company of the Seventh Cavalry, actually escaped the onslaught of Sioux and Cheyenne. The author has tracked the man and his activity during the battle and has brought them together in Custer Survivor.Custer Survivor, through documented accounts recreates the scene from the Sioux and Cheyenne encampment the night before the battle through the action the following day, the remarkable "escape" of the wounded survivor, the aftermath of the battle and his fascinating life thereafter. Professor Louise Barnett, a fellow of the Rutgers Center for Historical Analysis, Rutgers University, writes the Introduction.

It has been recorded in official government records that there were no survivors of the five companies of the Seventh Cavalry who were with General George Armstrong Custer at the battle at the Little Big Horn.

Recently, uncovered records and forensic handwriting evidence, the latter verified by forensic handwriting experts, reveal that one trooper, a sergeant in "C" Company of the Seventh Cavalry, actually escaped the onslaught of Sioux and Cheyenne.

The author has tracked the man and his activity during the battle and has brought them together in Custer Survivor.

Custer Survivor, through documented accounts recreates the scene from the Sioux and Cheyenne encampment the night before the battle through the action the following day, the remarkable "escape" of the wounded survivor, the aftermath of the battle and his fascinating life thereafter.

Professor Louise Barnett, a fellow of the Rutgers Center for Historical Analysis, Rutgers University, writes the Introduction.

Publishers Weekly

For decades, Custer's "Last Stand" at Little Big Horn has captured the American imagination. Remembered by some as the tragic result of imperialist policies and by others as a noble sacrifice for American expansion, the one thing everyone learns in school is that Custer's battle against Lakota and Cheyenne forces left no Americans alive. In this chronicle of meticulous research, handwriting analysis and document investigation, journalist Koster turns that myth on its ear: though a number of people claim to have fought at (and survived) Little Big Horn, Koster identifies the one reluctant claimant who actually did-Sergeant Frank Finkel of Company C. A carefully deconstructed historical mystery sure to thrill American history enthusiasts, Koster's narrative and methods are entirely transparent, presenting all the information and leaving readers to draw their own conclusions. Though Finkel's story isn't particularly dramatic, Koster's pursuit of the truth behind a great American myth makes for a compelling tale in itself.
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John Koster is known for his thorough knowledge of Native American history which has been translated into German, Czech, Russian and Japanese. His first book, The Road to Wounded Knee(Bantam, 1974) won the Sigma Delta Chi Award for Distinguished Public Service for his personal coverage and analytical research into the American Indian Movement.