A study of Custer’s frontier service, 1866–1869, examining leadership, tactics, and adaptation to frontier warfare. The story of General George Armstrong Custer’s early years on the American Frontier has been told before but this book, covering the period 1866 to 1869, focuses on aspects not previously covered in detail. The character and competence of the main US Army actors in the book are examined as to their performance when faced with a new foe and combat conditions in a geographic area that their prior experience in the Civil War did not prepare them for. US Army tactics, equipment and logistics are detailed as are Indian warfare techniques, all within the context of combat—both skirmishes and battles. Drawing on firsthand accounts, this is a fresh exploration of this crucial period in Custer’s life and the evolution of the U.S. Army. Table of Contents Introduction Part I: Custer to the West 1. Texas Unconquered, Mexico in Turmoil 2 Custer’s March to Texas 3 Farewell to the Lone Star State 4 Custer’s Kansas 5 With Arrows and Fire Part II: Custer’s Frontier Army 6 The Old Army 7 Tools of War and Military Tactics 8 Custer’s Commands Part III: Custer’s Opponents 9 Cheyenne and their Allies Part IV: Custer’s Early Indian Campaigns 10 Hancock’s and Custer’s War 11 Blood on the Washita 12 Unsubdued Epilogue Arnold Blumberg is an attorney residing in Baltimore, Maryland, with his wife Marsha. He worked for over 35 years in Maryland State government. Over that period he was a Visiting Scholar with the History Department at the Johns Hopkins University, and a Fellow by Invitation with the Classics Department at that same institution. He is the author of When Washington Burned: A Pictorial History of the War of 1812 (Casemate, 2012). Mr. Blumberg is a regular contributor to numerous military history publications, domestic and foreign, including Army History Magazine and JSMH, covering a wide range of topics. In addition to his articles, he writes book reviews for a number of military journals.