The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1876-12-11
The Battle of Five Forks.
Taken from General Custer's "Life.u -

Taken from General Custer's "Life."l
"For such a series of movements as
distinguished the Five Forks campaign
to Appomattox, Devin was too slow,
and when compared to the brilliant,
keen-Wltted Custer, appeared to singular
disadvantage, save at the battle OF Five
Forks, where his division had nothing to
do but straight bulldog fighting. He ut
terly lacked that keen instinct, which
seemed inborn in Custer, that told him
where an enemy might be safely pushed,
and when the most reckless audacity
would pay. While Devin was recon-
noitering and getting ready to fight,
Custer was already half way through
his battle; anG before Devin was fairly
engaged, on several occasions he found
Custer mad snatched away the prize from
under his very nose, gaining glory, guns,
and flags, with little comparative
danger, while Devin was wondering
what it was all about, and when
the enemy were going to charge,
The trouble was that Devin was
old. and Custer you g. The quick
wit of the latter made nlm inyincible; (;
and Merritt, who was paralyzed by the
divided nature OF his command, appeared
TO the same disadvantage as DeVln. The
result OF the Wnoe campaign was that
Custer was invariably triumpbant.
Everything he did succeeded, failure
seemed unknown to HIM, aud the sur
render at AppomattoX lett him with
the highest individual fame as a
cavalry commander of any one
except Sheridan. His name and
figure, when only a division command
er, were better known all through the
Union, and attracted more compliments
from Cuntederates, than those OF any
corps commander then in the Army of the
Potomac, and we question muen whether
at that time there was not far more curl
osity to see custer than either Meade,
Hancock, Burnside or Hooker, or indeed
any one short of Grant, Sherman and
Sheridan. Custer came right behind
them in the popular favor anu enthusi-
asm; and it was mainly owing to his Sc
ries Of brilliant successes in This, his last
campaign against a civilized Toe.
''Ol course this tact popular favor
attracted much envy W custer, aud
much detraction from him. Hardly Il
cavalry officer outside Of his own COM
mands but was intensely jealous of him,
AMI detraetion Was ready to Delittle all
Of his exploits. "A great deal OF this
was due TO the boasting aud sarcastic
remarks of his injudicIous friends,
who coulu not be satisfied with prais-
| ing their own chief without depreciat-
| lug others. This caused Il good deal
Of bitter feeling at the time; and,
added to the fact that part OF Gus
| ter's success in the last campaign was
due to his perception Of the dem0raliZa-
| tion Of the enemy, gave rise TO many
lsneers at Clusters captures, which were
ascribed by his detract0rs 10 IN ere luck,
without serious lighting. A cool ana
candid examination oil the evidence,
however, shows that Clusters luck was
peculiar to Custer himself, and, coming
10 Otner men, would have been lost. Ii
consisted mainly III the quickness with
which he seized every opportunity as
soon as it occurred, and this quickness
was entirely owing to the Inference OF
dis method Of directing battle from
Ethat adopted by most general oilicers."