Pete, you're probably right about Fredricksburg, I read the quote a long time ago and am probably remembering wrong. And I totally agree with what you just said about Custer, and his soldiers. Some of them were inexperienced and didn't even speak good English, and some were seasoned veterans. They were all as good soldiers as they could manage, and I think some large number of Medals of Honor were given out for that battle, to the water carriers. The men were also screwed by the bureaucracy, as usual, since their weapons didn't work well in hot weather (!) and jammed up after a few rounds were fired.

So--I'm not familiar with Custer's Luck off the top of my head, but I also liked Fraser's fictional account, as well as the portrayal in Little Big Man. Do you know anything about David Humphries Miller? He says he interviewed Lakota and Cheyenne participants himself, in their own languages, in the 20's and 30's, when they were still alive, and they made him promise not to publish until after they were dead, for fear of retribution. His book came out in the late 50's I think, and maintained that Custer was killed crossing the ford, whereupon the rest of his battalion retreated up Custer Hill, hauling Custer with them. I always took this at face value until, as I said, I saw it described as "laughable" and I wonder why. There is also a new one called Little Bighorn Remembered, by Herman J. Viola, that just came out last year, all Indian accounts.