“A fresh and lively look at George Armstrong Custer, America’s most fascinating—and controversial—cavalry commander, and his action-packed life. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.” —James Donovan, author of A Terrible Glory: Custer and the Little Bighorn—The Last Great Battle of the American West
“An ancillary addition to the Custer shelves.”—Kirkus “No American soldier has attracted as much historical attention as George Armstrong Custer. Thousands of books and articles, and a fair number of movies and television shows have featured him in whole or in part, and the fascination with the officer is unlikely to end anytime soon. In this biography, James E. Mueller, a journalism professor at the University of North Texas, takes a new approach to his subject by stressing his artistic instincts. The author presents a well-researched account of Custer’s life. Throughout his text, he takes the new approach of emphasizing Custer’s artistic nature — from his garish general’s uniform worn during the Civil War; to his close friendship with artists and actors (such as Lawrence Barrett); to his instituting distinct colors for the horses in each of the Seventh’s twelve companies, so that they would look better on parade. Ambitious Honor is a fine addition to the ever-growing body of work on the namesake for “Custer’s Last Stand.”— Journal of America’s Military Past
“Ambitious Honor by James Mueller is a succinct, easy-to-follow biography of perhaps one of the US Army’s most enigmatic figures…[and] revives the image of George Armstrong Custer as an American hero and legend. Though there are missed windows to fully develop the complex nature of Custer, this book provides a narrative that engages the reader in the life of this emblematic figure in our nation’s history.”— The Chronicles of Oklahoma
"Professor Mueller has thus written not only an articulate version of the Custer story, but also a fresh interpretation of the multi-faceted man that transcends the traditional image of only a soldier" —The Journal of Army History
