Canadians with Custer * Mary Thomas

Seventeen volunteers from Canada rode alongside a famous United States cavalry regiment during a legendary 1876 military campaign, blending their individual fates into one of the most thoroughly analyzed battles in North American history.

The Story: Written by prominent journalist and broadcaster Mary Thomas, this meticulously researched 2012 volume transforms an iconic American military event into a fascinating, cross-border biographical workspace. The text focuses on a unique angle often skipped over in mainstream textbooks, exploring the hidden historical paths that led seventeen specific Canadians to enlist in the U.S. 7th Cavalry Regiment right before its fatal clash at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. The book traces the varied backgrounds of these volunteers, showing that their motives ranged from simple adventure-seeking to deep admiration for the military leadership. Among these figures was William Winer Cooke, a native of Upper Canada who rose through the ranks to become a top right-hand officer on the campaign. Another notable individual was Mark Kellogg, a Canadian-American journalist who attached himself to the expedition to report on the unfolding events for eastern newspapers. Thomas uncovers the distinct parameters of their lives, tracking their journeys through the American Civil War and onto the hot plains of Montana. The narrative brings these personal accounts to a head as the regiment collides with the massive coalition of Sioux and Cheyenne warriors led by Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse. By reconstructing the movements, battlefield letters, and archival records of these specific soldiers, the text highlights the shared historical ties between Canada and the United States. This history book is a remarkable addition to military and regional history collections, providing a fresh perspective on a classic Western chronicle.

Perfect For: Devotees of traditional, deeply researched military history and frontier biographies like the works of Evan S. Connell or Nathaniel Philbrick; readers interested in Canadian-American military heritage and the migration of northern volunteers; and libraries looking to preserve specialized accounts of the Battle of the Little Bighorn.

First Published 2012. This Edition 2012 by Dundurn Press.

Military History & Cavalry Regiments / 19th-Century American West / Canadian-American Relations / Biographies of the Little Bighorn