Goodbye General Custer

About the Book

“Goodbye General Custer”... a synopsis “Goodbye General Custer” is my first attempt at writing a combination fictional novel and screenplay using Final Draft. I’m not sure I did it right, but the storyline is excellent and should provide enough fodder for either a great novel or film. Based partially on fact, the Little Big Horn Battle serves as a backdrop for the one unidentified officer, Lt. James Garland “Jack” Sturgis, who fled the scene on Gen. George Custer’s own thoroughbred horse, Vic. The son of the actual commandant of the 7th Cavalry, Lt. Col. Samuel Sturgis, young Jack is afraid of what his father might say in deserting his fellow troopers as they were annihilated one by one. He heads for the Black Hills where he hopes to get lost, and possibly strike it rich at the same time. He adopts the Indian ways to survive the winters and one night rescues the widow and baby of a murdered miner who gives out right by his teepee. He takes them in as his own. In Deadwood he befriends a number of people including two matronly women with whom he finally joins in partnership of their restaurant. He hunts buffalo and other exotic game and the restaurant becomes a hit with all who enter it. Jack, who has adopted the name Dixon, starts his own community, Dixon’s Landing, and opens his land to Indians, Jews, Buffalo Soldiers and all others who can abide by the simple rules. When the bison are near extinction, he applies for and receives thousands more Black Hills acres of land for the buffalo. Jack was elected that community’s only Sheriff to keep the peace because of his honesty. Then one night, while he was away, rustlers hit his own ranch and steal all the stock including Lil Vic, the Stallion son of old friend, Vic, the stallion that had outrun the Indians at the Little Big Horn. In his pursuit of the scoundrels, Jack finds they have inadvertently killed Lil Vic and as he dismounted and ran to the fallen horse, they kill him too. Although he had never told his family who he actually was, Jack Sturgis, he had confided in Mary McDonald, his longtime friend, but she died before he could confess to the others he loved. Nine years later, while his stepdaughter is rummaging around in her mother’s basement, she comes upon Vic’s dusty saddle and saddlebags. She knew her father would not have let them deteriorate like this and so she began polishing them, but as she did, found an old diary in which he confesses everything. During his lifetime, Jack has a number of confrontations, shootouts, and a seemingly endless friendship with everyone from Indians to Blacks. He also becomes wealthy because of his many inventions, but generously gives much of his money away building churches, schools and Civic Centers. Although based on certain facts, this is strictly a work of fiction, looking to just what might have happened had young Sturgis survived. Would his father have been any more proud of him?

About the Author

ABOUT THE ARTIST... John Torma is a native of Ashtabula, graduating from St. John’s High School; and a 1969 graduate of the Famous Artists Schools of West Port, Conn. He illustrates everything from vans to restaurant signs and everything in between. Torma is “low-key” and religious, but always finds time to donate to community projects like Lights On The Lake displays held every season at Lake Shore Park. And, he has provided the artwork for several other aspiring authors in the past as well. He is scheduled to do the artwork for another semi-fictional book now in the writing stages: The Failing Of Captain Lovewell”. ABOUT THE AUTHOR... Sterling R. (Bob) Minnoch spent more than 20 years off and on researching the Little Big Horn Battlefield. In the end, he decided too many other fine writers such as Evan S. Connell, who authored Son Of Morning Star, set the facts down better than he could himself. Yet, having been a newspaper Editor during that same time, he was compelled to write something about his favorite subject...the battle. This book is the end result, and is purely fictional. There were at least 43 troopers who fled either before or during the actual battle over and above the many Indian Scouts who ran away rather than die. Three officers were never identified, but two were later determined to have been killed either on the field of battle ; or several miles away: Lieutenants Porter and Harrington. But James G. Sturgis, the son of Samuel, was never identified, but presumed dead. Just suppose however that he wasn’t? What would he have possibly accomplished...and where? Minnoch resides in Ashtabula, Ohio where he spends his days of retirement involved in volunteering, writing, photography and remodeling a turn-of-the-century house.