I, Varnum. The Autobiographical Reminiscences Of Custer's Chief Of Scouts Including His Testimony At The Reno Court Of Inquiry

CARROLL, JOHN M. [EDITOR]

Publication: The Arthur H Clark Company, 1982, Glendale

First Edition. 8vo. Limited edition of 350 numbered and signed copies by John M. Carroll and Charles K. Mills. This is copy 312.. Light blue cloth, titles in gilt on the front cover and spine, red and blue guidon on the front cover, 194 pp., frontispiece, acknowledgements, introduction, foreword, illustrated from photographs, portraits, appendices, index. Introduction and Biographical Chronology by Charles K. Mills. Volume VII of the Hidden Springs of Custeriana series.

First published autobiography of Lieutenant Charles A. Varnum, who served as chief of scouts for General George Armstrong Custer's 7th U.S. Cavalry during the Indian Wars. The narrative spans several key military campaigns of the 1870s, including the Yellowstone Expedition (1873) and the Black Hills Expedition (1874), culminating in the dramatic Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876. Varnum recounts his experiences scouting ahead of the cavalry, his meetings with Custer on the eve of battle, and the chaos of the fighting ... especially as he rode with Major Marcus Reno's force on June 25, 1876. One of the relatively few officers untainted by controversy after the battle, Varnum's narrative offers a rare inside view of military life on the frontier.

"Gives Varnum's accounts of the Yellowstone Expedition of 1873, the Black Hills Expedition of 1874, the Battle of the Little Big Horn, and the Battle of Wounded Knee. Varnum's 1879 testimony at the Reno Court of Inquiry is included as Appendix B. Varnum was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions the day after Wounded Knee."--O'Keefe 2438.

Fine bright and unread copy in the original glassine unprinted dust jacket as issued that is protected by a transparent polyester dust jacket.