The Last Stand: Custer, Sitting Bull, and the Battle of the Little Bighorn

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The Last Stand: Custer, Sitting Bull, and the Battle of the Little Bighorn

3.92 of 5 stars 3.92 · rating details · 2,930 ratings · 417 reviews

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The bestselling author of Mayflower sheds new light on one of the iconic stories of the American West

Little Bighorn and Custer are names synonymous in the American imagination with unmatched bravery and spectacular defeat. Mythologized as Custer's Last Stand, the June 1876 battle has been equated with other famous l...more

Hardcover, 466 pages

Published May 4th 2010 by Viking Adult (first published January 1st 2010)

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Apr 22, 2013 Jeffrey Keeten rated it 5 of 5 stars

”You ask me if I will not be glad when the last battle is fought, so far as the country is concerned I, of course, must wish for peace, and will be glad when the war is ended, but if I answer for myself alone, I must say that I shall regret to see the war end.”
George Armstrong Custer

George Armstrong Custer at West Point

George Armstrong Custer was last in the graduating class of 1861 at West Point. They were graduated a year early due to the pressing need of the Union for officers, any officers,...more

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Jun 08, 2010 Matt rated it 3 of 5 stars

I was going to give this book one star. Two at the most. But my wife stopped me, and insisted on five. To keep her happy, I split the difference.

There are roughly two types of Little Big Horn book. The first is the type directed towards the Obsessed. These are the readers who pour over every detail, however minute, in a vain effort to fully understand an event that really won't impact their lives in the least. They are a lot like Trekkies, or Star Wars fanboys, except they, if possible, might l...more

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May 20, 2011 Trish rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: history, midwest, nonfiction

This history does what every nonfiction title aspires to do: makes the reader want to run out and read as much as they can on the subject. That is exactly what I found myself doing today--looking in my public library for more. The Last Stand doesn't so much slake your thirst as inflame it. When I looked over the books on similar subject matter, I can see why. It was clear Philbrick used primary sources, but also built on what had come before: he consolidated information and didn't impede the for...more This history does what every nonfiction title aspires to do: makes the reader want to run out and read as much as they can on the subject. That is exactly what I found myself doing today--looking in my public library for more. The Last Stand doesn't so much slake your thirst as inflame it. When I looked over the books on similar subject matter, I can see why. It was clear Philbrick used primary sources, but also built on what had come before: he consolidated information and didn't impede the forward momentum of the story. He added maps in the right places to clarify movements, and included photos which flesh out the characters.

This book is about the last stand of the Indians in America. Although the Battle of Little Bighorn was ostensibly a rout of the uniformed troops sent by the American government to move the Lakota off their given land to make way for gold rush settlers, it was also the end of Lakota way of life and was the last concerted attempt to save it. The story is mired in myth, due to the death of all in Custer’s party, though there were other battalions there led by surviving commanders. Due to the personalities involved, and the necessarily self-serving nature of their reports, these “truths” can be difficult to reconcile, one with the other. At the same time, the American government in Washington also had reason to interpret the facts so as to preserve the notion of manifest destiny, westward expansion, and the heroics (rather than the possible disgrace) of their fighting force. Surviving warriors from the Indians tribes were interviewed extensively in the years following the Battle, and much richness of detail (and contradiction with evidentiary evidence) can be gleaned from their accounts.

What does come clear from the story as told by Philbrick is the great-man nature of Chief Sitting Bull, the spiritual leader and warrior of the Hunkpapa Lakota Sioux. Many wise words are attributed to the man from reports at the time, and Sitting Bull’s attention always seemed to focus on the safety and welfare of his people, rather than on revenge or rage at betrayals. Later, after the battle recounted in such detail here, we learn that Sitting Bull did finally lay down his arms, and was shuttled to a reservation, where he was killed in 1890 by a Lakota policeman.

The apparently first-hand testimonies of survivors of The Battle of Little Bighorn do not paint complimentary portraitures of their commanding officers. The sound, smell, heat, and intensity of the battlefield come to life in this account, and we squirm with the uncomfortable knowledge of the end even as we begin reading. Learning the details of any military engagement brings its own horrors, but the facts of this devastation is particularly poignant when realizing that troops were being led by one commander deranged with drink, and another who felt no sense of urgency. All fought bravely in the end, to the end.
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Apr 18, 2013 Francis Gahren rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: leadership, military

Review #1

Nathaniel Philbrick is normally associated with nautical history, so it might be something of a surprise that in "The Last Stand" he has chronicled the Battle of the Little Bighorn, a military event that took place about as far from the ocean as you can get. But, it might be remembered that a large part of his "Mayflower" book was focused on the violent relations between the Pilgrims and Indians and on the slightly later King Phillip's War. Here in "The Last Stand", the author has retur...more Review #1

Nathaniel Philbrick is normally associated with nautical history, so it might be something of a surprise that in "The Last Stand" he has chronicled the Battle of the Little Bighorn, a military event that took place about as far from the ocean as you can get. But, it might be remembered that a large part of his "Mayflower" book was focused on the violent relations between the Pilgrims and Indians and on the slightly later King Phillip's War. Here in "The Last Stand", the author has returned to the subject of white-Indian relations and has created a vivid, engaging book.

Philbrick's "The Last Stand: Custer, Sitting Bull, and the Battle of the Little Bighorn" quite naturally invites comparison with 2008's "A Terrible Glory: Custer and the Little Bighorn" by James Donovan, about the same subject. Although both volumes present lengthy, quite comprehensive narratives, they do differ significantly. Donovan's book takes a more straightforward approach, while Philbrick's is more consciously "literary" in style, filled with numerous colorful incidents almost cinematic in impact. Additionally, Philbrick's "The Last Stand" devotes somewhat more attention to the Indian side of the story than does Donovan's volume.

Which book is "better"? The answer to that undoubtedly depends on the reader and his/her needs and expectations. Philbrick's volume is perhaps the more suited for random browsing or reading a chapter at a time, while Donovan's is probably better suited for focused, prolonged study. I personally enjoyed both Philbrick's and Donovan's volumes. Both books are representative of a much more balanced, even-handed approach to the Little Bighorn battle than had been characteristic of the past. Originally, accounts tended to overly laud Custer and his soldiers as peerless representatives of Civilization, done to death by a savage, scarcely human foe. By the latter part of the Twentieth century, however, it had become commonplace to reverse roles, depicting Custer and his men as mindless murderers and the Indians as peaceful, innocent victims. We now seem to have finally reached a point, as demonstrated in both Philbrick's "The Last Stand" and also Donovan's "A Terrible Glory", where the participants on both sides can be depicted as three-dimensional, realistic blends of virtue and flaw, neither demons nor angels.

Any serious student of the Little Bighorn battle - I count myself among them - can find elements in Philbrick's book (as in Donovan's) with which to disagree. The events are complex enough and the evidence sufficiently murky that this is inevitable. I cannot say that I learned anything wholly new here, but then again I've been studying the Little Bighorn battle for more than 40 years. An intelligent general reader, previously uninformed about the details, can come away from "The Last Stand" with a good understanding of the events and the people involved on both sides. If that reader should wish to proceed further with studying the battle, Philbrick supplies detailed notes and source lists.

Review #2

Two nights ago, due mostly to a casual interest in the folklore surrounding Custer's Last Stand, I attended a reading at a local bookstore by Mr. Nathaniel Philbrick regarding his just released work "The Last Stand". I hadn't read any of his earlier works and I'm not even a casual historian. I purchased his book that night mainly out of curiosity.

This morning I began reading his account of the events and personalities that intersected at the Battle of Little Big Horn. Within the first 20 pages I was gripped by a sustained eagerness to witness the lush detail of the introduction of each character and the unfolding of an historic event in exquisite slow motion. Pausing only for food and other necessities I devoured this book cover to cover. Having just finished the book I can say I found it satisfying on every level.

I certainly agree with other early reviews that Mr. Philbrick's account is painstakingly researched and goes to great length to be even-handed in how it treats both individuals and events. Inevitably, more time is spent focused on General Custer, Major Reno, Captain Benteen and the many other military and occasionally political figures among the "whites", but my sense is that this imbalance stems mainly from the more abundant information (interviews, journal entries, letters home, etc) that exists to flesh out that perspective. In the end Sitting Bull comes off the best overall but that seems to be a reasonable conclusion based on the accumulation of available evidence rather than the result of propagandizing. No character is painted as entirely good or evil and each portrait seems realistic. The addition of innumerable lesser characters adds richness and insight into each facet of the work.

Here is a story with which I was already sufficiently familiar that I knew every main character, knew the political and cultural dynamic, knew the geography and basic time line and, of course, knew how the story ended. Nevertheless, I found "The Last Stand" to be a spellbinding account made vivid not by fictionalizing or flowery prose but by letting the reader watch as what often seem to be minor events and trivial interpersonal relationships culminate in a deadly drama. I never had the impression that these elements were being artificially juxtaposed in such as way as to force them to hold special meaning. Rather, by the end I felt as though I had gotten to know how the strengths and weaknesses of each main character played a role in how the events unfolded. Mr. Philbrick invites conjecture as to how different personalities might have changed the events, prevented the battle or changed the outcome but he is remarkably restrained in indulging such conjecture himself.

I know that other early reviewers, as well as the author himself, have made a point to draw parallels between Sitting Bull and General Custer as charismatic leaders, how this in a way was each man's "last stand" and all that. I don't dispute it, I just didn't care about it. I immersed myself deeply in the sweat and sounds and courage and fear and dust and death that made up this violent entry in America's historic record. I don't have a lot of intellectual insights to add to these reviews. I just loved the book.
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Dec 02, 2012 Ann rated it 4 of 5 stars

This well-researched book adds another dimension to the characters involved in the Battle of the Little Bighorn, and adds detail to the logistics of the Battle. The part that I found most interesting was the dynamics of the relationship between the US Army and the Indians in 1876. The Army was composed of people like Custer who had served since the Civil War, and were still hooked on the adrenaline rush of combat. These folks suffered from PTSD, alcoholism, AD, VD and all sorts of demons that ma...more

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Dec 01, 2012 Mike Kershaw rated it 4 of 5 stars

One of the best accounts of the Custer Battle. I particularly enjoyed Philbrick's focus on the events leading up to the Battle of the Little Bighorn -- the campaign, the reconnaissance operations, the various Indians moving to and from the encampment and the role of the Riverboat/Steamer, "The Far West" -- the causes of so many inevitable frictions that affect battles but we have a tendency to gloss over. I also enjoyed the fact that he spent some time on lesser known, but inarguable, aspects of...more One of the best accounts of the Custer Battle. I particularly enjoyed Philbrick's focus on the events leading up to the Battle of the Little Bighorn -- the campaign, the reconnaissance operations, the various Indians moving to and from the encampment and the role of the Riverboat/Steamer, "The Far West" -- the causes of so many inevitable frictions that affect battles but we have a tendency to gloss over. I also enjoyed the fact that he spent some time on lesser known, but inarguable, aspects of the battle -- the stragglers, the casualties and the horses -- so critical to the Cavalry's ability to engage the Indians on anything close to their own terms. And he provided a solid break when he described the events that happened after the last spotting of Custer and his battalion as they rode to their fate -- recognizing that he is truly speculating and acknowledging that the Indian accounts are both confusing and contradictory. To those of us who've dealt with men who have been under fire in AARs -- especially those from another culture -- this should be no surprise. I've become fairly familiar with the battle over the past few years, reading most of the recent scholarship, both archaeological and native American oral accounts, which he integrates into his narrative. His weight toward these aspects bring him in the camp of many contemporary authors as he spends a great deal of effort in debunking the "Erol Flynn" version of history and the "Marlborough Man" portrayal (Fredrick Remington) of the US Cavalryman. Maybe this is necessary for the public at large but I found it tedious and it led me to question some other aspects of his work. All professional militaries become a haven for immigrants (don't we herald that?), those who are one step ahead of the law (Wellington's 'scum of the earth'), etc...during peacetime. For example, he spends a great deal of time recounting the Cavalry's indiscipline: desecration of Indian gravesites, the rape of Indian women, etc.... without reminding us all that these were features of the Plains Indian life -- ie. that they regularly did this to each other. He also spends way too much time, in my opinion, recounting premonitions, visions and the like -- and while these were an important part of the Indian culture as well as the inevitable lot of a Soldier, the quality of a person's testimony seems to be based on how accurate their supposed 'premonitions' were before the battle -- although how many people haven't thought they were going to be killed at some time or another when going into battle? However, the book is exceptionally well supplied with maps -- one of my pet peeves of contemporary military history is absence of geography -- which to me makes it worth the read.
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Nov 08, 2012 Socraticgadfly rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: history

Not bad overall. It's not as in-depth in its degree of analysis of some of the other new books, but, it does have one new angle on the issue of "fault" that makes it worth reading.

SPOILER ALERT!

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Philbrick faults Custer's superior, Gen. Alfred Terry, to a fair degree.

Other books all cover the issue as to whether or not Terry's orders to Custer had much discretionary latitude or not. To the degree that some authors thin...more

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Sep 30, 2012 Ms.pegasus rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone interested in history

Shelves: history, nonfiction, the-american-west

After sifting through a staggering quantity of contradictory interviews, testimony, historical opinion, and even bald speculation, Philbrick succeeds in creating a new narrative of the ill-fated Custer and the Battle of the Little Bighorn. It is a narrative that bypasses ideology and blame, to refocus on the unbroken connection between historical events and their consequences. It is also a narrative that captures the very human actions that are lost in the approach of a formal inquiry which assu...more After sifting through a staggering quantity of contradictory interviews, testimony, historical opinion, and even bald speculation, Philbrick succeeds in creating a new narrative of the ill-fated Custer and the Battle of the Little Bighorn. It is a narrative that bypasses ideology and blame, to refocus on the unbroken connection between historical events and their consequences. It is also a narrative that captures the very human actions that are lost in the approach of a formal inquiry which assumes a fictive and mechanical rationality not unlike the decision-making model posited by an earlier generation of economists.

The tribes of the Great Plains were part of a larger, century-long westward displacement due to white settlement. Inter-tribal warfare was a cultural focal point, with emphasis on individual bravery, swift raids conducted on horseback, and traditional enmities, as between the Sioux and the Crow. The apparent coalition evidenced in June of 1876 was a product of ecology more than politics. The southern herds had been decimated by the building of the railroad and the predations of buffalo hunters. Tribes had been forced from the Black Hills when gold was discovered. Failure to supply the reservations with food caused many bands to leave rather than starve. It was only natural to seek out the encampment of Sitting Bull where these refugees were welcomed and fed. Added to that was Custer's eagerness to corner the massed Indians before they could again disperse – an inevitability due to the constant need for fresh pastures for the horses, and the pursuit of game. What should a society do when confronted with imminent collapse, Philbrick inquires: “The future is never more important than to a people on the verge of a cataclysm...fear of the future can imbue even the most trivial event with overwhelming significance.” Thus, Sitting Bull's visions had a powerful resonance that enhanced his importance as a leader.

Custer's impulsiveness, flamboyance, and daring have often been blamed for his faulty decisions leading up to the events of June 25. Philbrick examines the question of character more carefully. On the one hand, it was part of his charisma. Common soldiers were inspired by him. His independence from authority and quick-thinking were critical in securing victory for the Union in the Battle of Gettysburg. Even after his death, the 7th Cavalry was said to still reflect the imprint of his “dash.” The same characteristics, however, instilled strong dislikes. Philbrick recounts a dynamic of animosity between Custer and his senior officers. Resentfulness, doubt, the suspicion that Custer's decisions were self-serving rather than prudent, and a reluctance to be targeted by Custer's mercurial emotions all fused in a passive aggressive Capt. Benteen, an alcoholically impaired Capt. Reno, back-biting among the senior officers, and a poorly conceived strategy that ignored the warnings of his own Indian scouts. Nor was Custer's superior, General Terry blameless. With a lawyer's ambiguity, he first instructed Custer to follow a cautious plan, but then added that Custer should use his own judgment if they located the Indians earlier than anticipated. His earlier appointment of Major Reno over Custer to lead a key scouting patrol did little to enhance a spirit of cooperation. Emotion-driven decisions bring this story to life.

It also causes us to reflect: What is the source of personal charisma? Wise decision-making, deep reflection, effective management skills – perhaps all are trumped by the perception of good luck. Do we flock to those whom luck favors, hoping some of that radiance will shower down on us the followers? Custer had charm, but he was also very lucky. At the Little Bighorn, his luck finally ran out.

Philbrick approaches his material to assess the flawed accounts of the events. We should not be surprised to learn that eye-witness accounts can be unreliable. The mind fashions narratives that support opinions of ourselves and others. As these narratives are repeated, we are increasingly persuaded of their accuracy. It is from this vantage point that Philbrick examines what has been said about Custer and the events surrounding the battle – with the wisdom of hindsight. A stray remark could easily have been merely a joke, or a theatrical gesture. Certainly the survivors of that day had reason to cast themselves in the best possible light.

What makes this a book to be enjoyed by the widest possible audience is its superlative writing. He sets up the completely unexpected observation: “Custer did not drink; he didn't have to. His emotional effusions unhinged his judgment in ways that went far beyond alcohol's ability to interfere with clear thinking” (p.17). The most polished comedian could not have done a better job of delivery.

At another point, the uninspired and uncharismatic Major Reno is sent out on a prescribed path by Terry. “Marcus Reno was edging toward a momentous, potentially insubordinate decision. Instead of simply finding, as he later put it, 'where the Indians are not,' why not try to find where they are? Contrary to nearly everyone's expectations – especially General Terry's – Reno decided to do the obvious: find the Indians' trail and follow it” (p.78).

Philbrick's description of a 1200 man outdoor encampment crowded into a protective quadrilateral formation along with horses & mules instills a visceral assault on our senses. Details such as the “grasshoppering” of a steamboat up the river, and the problems of the Springfield single-shot carbine immerse the reader in another time and place. His depiction of characters and their intertwined histories is so vivid that despite the scores of names and roles, the reader retains an individual sense of each of them.

Reading this book did not change my overall opinion of Custer. It did, however, ignite a sense of connection with events I had previously considered to be musty history.

NOTE: I read the hard-cover edition published by Viking and highly recommend it. This is a beautifully made book. Ample maps are distributed throughout the text. Two sections of photographs are printed on heavy, quality stock. In addition to the extensive notes and bibliography, the book is indexed. The cover art shows a vast and cloud-darkened sky. The silhouettes of a company of cavalry rides two abreast across the crest of a hill. We sense they are disappearing into history, not through perspective, but through the composition. The band is grouped with flags unfurled at the head, and trails off to single stragglers at the rear. The whole is framed by a huge low-lying gray ceiling of clouds.(less)

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Aug 29, 2012 Motorcycle rated it 2 of 5 stars

Wrong sort of book for periodic perrusal. About half way through it starts describing the battle in detail through the experiences of a lot of different characters that either didn't have enough characterization for me to recognize them, or enough interest for me to remember. The result was that I became lost in the descrption, and it all became kind of meaningless to me. It could have as well been described for me in a sentence or two. But I like the biographical details in the beginning, which...more

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Aug 18, 2012 Mary Margaret rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Last Christmas I was away from home for nearly a week with only one audiobook on my iPod. Thank goodness it was The Last Stand: Custer, Sitting Bull, and the Battle of the Little Bighorn because I ended up listening to it several times.

I was reading it because I’d borrowed Black Hills by Dan Simmons from a friend and wanted to learn more about the Little Bighorn—this was the first book I read on the subject. It held me captivated. After reading Black Hills, I was interested in BOTH sides of the...more

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Jul 02, 2012 DR rated it 3 of 5 stars

Philbrick seldom strays from primary sources in his careful analysis of what is positively known about this lopsided "battle," which is so misrepresented in the Myth of the American West. Serious research & careful organization are hallmarks of this re-telling (the period illustrations are good, too), but I wish Philbrick had shared more of his own surmises and feelings about it all, personalized the book some.

From a biographical standpoint, the Little Bighorn was a comeuppance for George Ar...more

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May 22, 2012 Dale rated it 5 of 5 stars

Well-written, I learned quite a bit and I've been to the battlefield

You just cannot talk about George Armstrong Custer without stirring controversy. Depending on the writer, Custer was a true American hero who was betrayed by his superiors and failed by his subordinates or he was a self-absorbed crazy racist imperialist that finally found someone that could fight back and taught him a lesson.

Our movies have shown this as well. Errol Flynn's They Died With Their Boots On (1941) made a hero of Cu...more

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Dec 02, 2011 Zakariah Johnson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: war-and-politics

Philbrick has become my co-favorite historian (along with Sarah Vowell.) I thought the best part of The Last Stand was correcting the current perception given to us by the film "Little Big Man" that Custer was a coward and a buffoon. He was neither, and his over-the-top heroics arguably won the Battle of Gettysburg for the Union. His brother Tom, who died with him, was even braver. But he wasn't an admirable person, nor were many of his officers: a rag-tag collection of drunks, self-serving liar...more

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Nov 01, 2011 Kurt rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: history, native-american, non-fiction, war

Nathaniel Philbrick has become one of my favorite authors. I've still yet to read his perhaps most famous book In the Heart of the Sea, but I have read, and thoroughly enjoyed, his Sea of Glory and Mayflower; and now I have finished his latest: The Last Stand.

Each of these books was intriguing and interesting from the first page to the last. The Last Stand of course is the story of George Armstrong Custer and the last days of the free Lakota people. My sentiments are always with the Lakota. Thei...more

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Jun 23, 2011 Keith Akers rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was the first and only book about the battle of the Little Bighorn that I've read, so I can't compare it to other books. I was impressed by the author's command of the material and conveying so many of the realities that went into making "Custer's Last Stand." He discusses the relative abundance of buffalo that year, the different Indian tribes and their relationships to each other, Custer and all the people he didn't get along with, what "warfare" was like and what" winning" the battle mea...more This was the first and only book about the battle of the Little Bighorn that I've read, so I can't compare it to other books. I was impressed by the author's command of the material and conveying so many of the realities that went into making "Custer's Last Stand." He discusses the relative abundance of buffalo that year, the different Indian tribes and their relationships to each other, Custer and all the people he didn't get along with, what "warfare" was like and what" winning" the battle meant to the different sides and how it was accomplished.

Three nice touches about the book: (1) the maps, which turned what otherwise would have been an impossibly difficult task of understanding what happened into a manageable task; (2) nearly an entire chapter on the account of one of the white survivors, Peter Thompson, whose account was dismissed as impossible but which seems to shed light on where Custer was just before the Last Stand; (3) the fact that the siege on the second day of the battle was told before the "last stand" itself -- that is, from the point of view of the white survivors who, on the second day, were asking themselves "where is Custer?" and only found out that he had been killed after the battle.

The main negative of this book is that there is so much material that it is sometimes hard to follow, especially at the very beginning when you are first being introduced to the different personalities. My impression is that this is a function of the complexity of telling a huge story in a short number of pages, and that to make the story more readable the author would have needed to expand the narrative, going into more detail and being very clear about who everyone was and what their significance and relationship to events was, or he would have needed to eliminate significant parts of the narrative by making executive decisions about certain topics (e. g., he could have just decided what he thought about Peter Thompson's narrative and integrated his narrative into the story as appropriate). The first would have made it very clear but long-winded, the second would have skipped some of the really interesting stuff about how we decide what history is and what "really" happened.

This is very even-handed and tells both sides, recounting atrocities, bravery, etc. on both sides, which reminds me of many of the accounts of the Civil War battles by the really great historians. (less)

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Mar 23, 2011 Courtney rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book was a must read thanks to my work-related research on Custer and the Battle of Little Big Horn, and I thought that Philbrick did a wonderful job of bringing the battle to life as a very human experience. It combines a great overview of the battle with small details and personal stories that lend it its humanity and make it more than a dry textbook analogy of the battle. Philbrick does a good job of looking at Custer in multiple lights - as a born warrior and a peacemaker, a man who lov...more This book was a must read thanks to my work-related research on Custer and the Battle of Little Big Horn, and I thought that Philbrick did a wonderful job of bringing the battle to life as a very human experience. It combines a great overview of the battle with small details and personal stories that lend it its humanity and make it more than a dry textbook analogy of the battle. Philbrick does a good job of looking at Custer in multiple lights - as a born warrior and a peacemaker, a man who loved the Indians, but reveled in desecrating their graves, an officer who was both adored and detested by his compatriots, but overall, as a man completely larger than life. Ultimately, he paints sympathetic pictures of both Custer and Sitting Bull, pictures that are throughout the book overshadowed by the knowledge that June 25, 1876 is a crushing defeat not only for them, but for their ways of life. There is a subtle sense of nostalgia here, and then, at times, the more aggressive sense of hopelessness - when you remember that none of the men under Custer's command survived, and that many of the Indians who participated in the battle were soon afterwards touring with Buffalo Bill's road show.

Favorite parts: Towards the beginning, Philbrick recounts one of the soldiers describing the suffocating sense of freedom on the plains. It was so unlikely, so surprising, that one would feel suffocated under the huge expanse of endless blue sky and horizon lines, but when I read that sentence it clicked perfectly in my mind. Now, when I imagine the plains, I don't feel the wind on my face or the giddy sense of being completely unbound; I feel claustrophobic and nauseous. It seems a much more realistic and apt description of wide open space. Indeed, shortly after reading this passage, we brought an exact, earlier twin of the first manned space capsule into Sotheby's. All I could imagine was the intense cotton suffocation that Yuri Gagarin might have experienced in being surrounded by this huge primordial stillness.

My other favorite part was towards the end. Yellow Nose describes Tom Custer as having tears in his eyes, but no sign of fear, when he realizes that he is out of bullets. The Indian smashes his skull with the broadside of a sword, and he fell swiftly to the ground. For some reason, that image really affected me - the sadness of Tom, knowing it was the end. (less)

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Feb 20, 2011 Paul Pessolano rated it 4 of 5 stars

I can just imagine what comes to mind when one hears the names: Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, General George Armstrong Custer, Major Marcus Reno, and The Battle of the Little Big Horn. Whatever the image it is probably wrong.

Nathaniel Philbrick, noted author of "Mayflower" and "In the Heart of the Sea" puts together a formidable history of what really happened that day. He probes the life of both Sitting Bull and General (he wasn't really a General) Custer. The actions that both men took that fatef...more

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Feb 02, 2011 M. D. Hudson rated it 3 of 5 stars

Like a lot of people, I have a low grade obsession with the Battle of Little Big Horn aka Custer’s Last Stand, and I’ve read several of the general reader accounts and even a few of the more scholarly things on the archaeology of the battlefield site. When I heard about Philbrick’s book, I was somewhat suspicious because it is being touted as the first time somebody tried to write a book incorporating the Indians’ point of view. Not true at all. Even back in the benighted 19th century people rea...more Like a lot of people, I have a low grade obsession with the Battle of Little Big Horn aka Custer’s Last Stand, and I’ve read several of the general reader accounts and even a few of the more scholarly things on the archaeology of the battlefield site. When I heard about Philbrick’s book, I was somewhat suspicious because it is being touted as the first time somebody tried to write a book incorporating the Indians’ point of view. Not true at all. Even back in the benighted 19th century people realized that when it came to the Last Stand, the only accounts available were going to be from the Indians. Virtually everything ever written about the Last Stand relies heavily on Indian accounts. So boo to the public relations arm at Viking. But this misleading PR is not the book’s fault. In fact I liked it a lot. Although I am not sure it covers much by way of new ground beyond some recent archaeological evidence, it is really put together well. Here are a few of my thoughts on it:

Philbrick is a clean writer. By which he avoids the Simon Winchester (or Stephen Ambrose, for that matter) school of history writing wherein the author makes himself constantly obtrusive with humorous asides and blatantly weepy emotionalism. Philbrick tells the story and stays the hell out of the way.

I liked the way he organized the thing. I was tempted to be annoyed with the Battle of Washita (1868 I think) showing up as a kind of flashback about a third of the way into the book. But this actually turned out to be a good way to compare and contrast Custer’s tactics. Also, the Indian vs. Cavalry accounts are nicely balanced against each other.

For the first time in a while I got a book of history where the photo sections are printed on glossy paper! The trend has been recently to print the illustrations on the same standard paper the text is printed on, which means loss of clarity and difficulty in flipping back to the pictures while reading. Huzzah to Viking for not cheapening the thing. If you want people to keep buying books, quit making them lousier.

Great maps. I am a military map dunce and have a hard time following stuff on them. The maps in this book are coherent, imbedded in the text where they are needed (so the reader doesn’t have to hunt them down) and are easy to figure out. My only complaint is that they are rather small.

Better than any other account I’ve read, the personalities of Custer, Marcus Reno and Frederick Benteen (the leaders of the three separate columns the 7th Cavalry was divided into just before the attack) emerge. Reno, the poltroon of the group, is given a fair shake except for the question of how drunk he was – Philbrick makes it sound like a fact that he was trashed, whereas this is a very controversial point among the Last Stand devotees. He was functioning too well (and on horseback!) to have been as besotted as Philbrick says he was, in my amateur opinion. Philbrick has a good time with Benteen, who was a fascinating and complicated character, vindictive and courageous to an almost looney extent but also intermittently brilliant. Other characters in the Army also came clear for me, in particular the remarkably devious General Alfred Terry, Custer’s commander, who issued lawyerly ass-covering commands that could be seen as setting Custer up for a fall (if not a Last Stand).

For the hoopla about this book’s Indian angle, the principal Lakotas are rendered a tad less vividly than the Cavalry, with the exception of Sitting Bull. Crazy Horse doesn’t get a lot of airtime. Gall is barely mentioned. And the puzzling (to us 21st century Americans) interrelationship between the whites and the “friendlies” is not addressed much at all (I mean the fact of all those loyal Arikara 7th Cav scouts).

This book is not what I’d call “definitive” by any means, this is still a worthy introduction to Little Big Horn and our weirdo, often tragic history of The West.
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Oct 24, 2010 Stephanie rated it 4 of 5 stars

I’m not particularly familiar with the history of the American Old West, but thought it was probably about time that I brushed up on at least some of that.

This was a good book to start out with. The author didn’t seem to be pushing any agendas like some historians might, though something easily could have slipped past me as a total and complete novice in this field. The analysis seemed balanced, and when stories and theories conflicted and there was no way to know for certain one way or the othe...more I’m not particularly familiar with the history of the American Old West, but thought it was probably about time that I brushed up on at least some of that.

This was a good book to start out with. The author didn’t seem to be pushing any agendas like some historians might, though something easily could have slipped past me as a total and complete novice in this field. The analysis seemed balanced, and when stories and theories conflicted and there was no way to know for certain one way or the other, the author said so. He pretty much explained the theories and evidence and left it at that.

I was surprised and found it a little anticlimactic that the sections regarding the commands of Reno and Benteen were discussed in so much detail compared to that of Custer and his command, but I suppose it couldn’t be helped. After all, none of Custer’s command survived to tell the tale. It was difficult to collect accounts from the Lakota involved, given the language and cultural barriers and tensions between whites and Indians at the time, the passage of time before many of the extant accounts were collected, battle haze, and the near impossibility of identifying from the sparse details that could be provided any individual soldiers the Lakota might have remembered. What’s more, the slaughter of Custer’s soldiers was evidently pretty quick, so there probably wouldn’t be great deal to say about it even if we could know more for certain.

I was fascinated by what I learned of the Lakota. These aren’t exactly your Hollywood Indians. First, I hadn’t known that any particular group of Indians was as numerous as the Lakota gathered near the Little Bighorn that fateful day back in 1876, nor how many horses and ponies they had to provide for. They must have left a pretty impressive swath of used and depleted land in their wake. No wonder they were constantly moving and the buffalo herds were struggling…especially if the U.S. Army was hurrying the demise of the herds along, knowing that without the buffalo, the Lakota would be forced to accept reservation life. And though many Lakota were quite peaceful, their culture encouraged the young men in particular to steal and raid and make violent reprisals on those that wronged them…and even some that didn’t. They, like countless other human cultures, intensely mistrusted (with good reason) and had pretty limited respect for the life and property of anyone outside of their immediate tribal group. They fought constantly with other Indian groups and lived by hunting and raiding. They were also wily, resourceful, courageous, spiritual, and often more patient and tolerant of outsiders than might have been expected under the circumstances. Without much in the way of agriculture or industries or education available at their time, their lifestyle was, ultimately, unsustainable.

Unfortunately, the U.S. Government and Army of the time didn’t make it any easier for the Lakota to adapt. They were prejudiced and disrespectful, though the Indian fighters (ironically) learned to respect the Lakota best. Government authorities tacitly allowed miners and others to trespass on land already claimed and acknowledged as property of the Lakota by a treaty with the U.S. Government, then blamed the Lakota if any reported trouble came of it. They offered little to nothing at the reservations except a place to live and handouts, which couldn’t even be relied on. They had no respect for Lakota culture or the challenges the Lakota were facing in terms of redefining themselves and where (and in what) the Lakota found a sense of value and accomplishment and valor. They used flimsy, phony pretexts to justify sending the U.S. Army against the Lakota. They played various Indian groups and factions against each other. Custer himself had once wiped out a village of Indians that were at least allegedly friendly…though he did, evidently, try to redeem that mistake and be more of a negotiator afterwards. But in June 1876, Custer’s goal wasn’t to peacefully negotiate…it was to make a sneak attack on the Lakota, win a “glorious” victory, and thereby rehabilitate his career and reputation. It’s tempting and sad to speculate as to what could have happened had Custer taken a more conciliatory and less hostile approach, considering that the Lakota (evidently) thought at first that Custer’s forces had come to talk and Sitting Bull was reportedly willing to listen. Instead, Custer and the men directly with him were wiped out and much of the rest of his command was killed or wounded. Sitting Bull, in his turn, was undermined by reservation authorities until he faced a last stand of his own and was gunned down by power-hungry elements among his own people. There’s nothing particularly romantic about either last stand, really.(less)

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Sep 12, 2010 Jim Leffert rated it 4 of 5 stars

Here is the full story of General Custer, Sitting Bull, their forces, and the Battle of Little Big Horn. The story told here offers more shades of gray than the popular myths. At times the detail is kind of numbing but the overall effect is a powerful one.

The American government was determined to subdue the Indians and to evict them from their sacred Black Hills, guaranteed to them by treaty but increasingly swarming with prospectors and miners determined to exploit the area for gold and minera...more Here is the full story of General Custer, Sitting Bull, their forces, and the Battle of Little Big Horn. The story told here offers more shades of gray than the popular myths. At times the detail is kind of numbing but the overall effect is a powerful one.

The American government was determined to subdue the Indians and to evict them from their sacred Black Hills, guaranteed to them by treaty but increasingly swarming with prospectors and miners determined to exploit the area for gold and mineral wealth. Custer was America’s most famous and successful Indian fighter—impetuous and aggressive; willing, unlike some other top officers, to fight; outspoken; a publicity seeker; and a man hated by two of his main subordinate officers. Custer could have negotiated with the Indians—he had the authority to do so and had done so once in the past—but this time, he anticipated a decisive victory on the battlefield and was determined to proceed.

Sitting Bull, a legendary and charismatic leader, had resisted the Whites’ efforts to displace the Indians and keep them on reservations, and his following had been dwindling. However, conditions on the reservations were so desperate that large numbers of Indians left, swelling Sitting Bull’s ranks. When the two forces collided, Custer’s force managed to get wiped out by the numerically superior Indians (and their superior weaponry consisting of repeating rifles and bows and arrows), and the book gives a detailed picture of how this happened. In the end, of course, the Indians got the worst of the deal and America got a legendary hero. Sitting Bull also became a legendary figure and celebrity, but he suffered an ignominious end fourteen years later, at Wounded Knee.

The Indians were hardly Noble Savages, but their savagery and internecine conflicts paled in comparison to the devastation that the White People, and Indians in their employ, brought on the remaining natives. Philbrick tells us the whole story, conveying the broad picture as well as the personal experiences of individual officers, soldiers, and warriors.
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Sep 11, 2010 Jay Connor rated it 4 of 5 stars

"Some are remembered because they transcend the failings of their age. Custer is remembered because he so perfectly embodies the failings of his." With this epilogue, Philbrick not only captures the lasting power Custer has on the American imagination, but also explains the power of history to continue to inform the present. Apply this test to our present portfolio of leaders and schemers and see if it helps to clarify which is which.

I listened to Philbrick's "The Last Stand" while driving acros...more

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Sep 08, 2010 jillian rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: history, nonfiction

This amazingly detailed and colorful account of the Little Bighorn battle transformed my impression of Custer's Last Stand. I have picked up the Last Stand only in its mythological context, as part of the American collective history. Philbrick brought it into full focus, and put it into multiple greater contexts. He shows it as part of Custer's battalion's history, comparing it to past battles and the commanders' histories. He shows the battle as part of the Lakota people's history, and tells as...more

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Aug 09, 2010 Bill Preston rated it 4 of 5 stars

Having read Son of the Morning Stars and several other books about Custer I found myself wondering what else could there to be said about the topic. But, having read a couple of Nathaniel Philbrick's other books, I decided to trust his storytelling again and plunged in. I was not disappointed. Philbrick provides the usual background on Custer and Libby (with a couple of suggestive hints about his personal life I had not heard or remembered from other sources) but takes a different tack with his...more

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Jun 22, 2010 Spencer rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: history

I was very excited to read this book after having had a chance to finally meet the author, Nathaniel Philbrick, who is one of my favorite authors, and hear him give a lecture on the topic. However, I must say I was a little disappointed, and not really so much in the book but in the subject. This book covers the story of the Battle of Little Bighorn, where Custer famously made his "last stand" and was wiped out along with all of the soldiers in his command by Sitting Bull and his group of overpo...more

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May 19, 2013 Caroline rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: american-history

The reputation of most military 'heroes' has a tendency to rise and fall with the prevailing attitudes of each era. In his day Custer was considered the archetypal American hero: brave, swaggering, uncompromising, a physical representation of the great American spirit in buckskin and spurs. To me, all I've ever known of him was the flipside of that: an arrogant, reckless, vainglorious soldier whose unquenchable quest for personal glory got him and his entire command slaughtered.

Philbrick doesn't...more

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Feb 11, 2013 Owen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Nathaniel Philbrick does nice work. As always, I am impressed by how deep into the minds of people long dead he can go. His character portraits of Custer, the men he worked for, and the men who worked for him, are incredible. On a personal note as a member of the modern US military I'm fascinated by this look into what was our first colonial enterprise, our manifest destiny. I had known Custer was a major player but did not understand the extent of his rule in the contemporary American zeitgeist...more

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Sep 20, 2010 Jim Good rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, history

The book covers the events leading up to the Battle of Little Bighorn. The history is at it’s best when highlighting Custer’s past and speculating on his motives as well as the reason he was chosen. It also highlights his relationship with those he directly reported to as well as those who reported to him.

The actual recreation of the battle is murky when dealing with Custer’s actual front, but great when describing events at other parts of the battle through the survivor’s stories. The history a...more

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Aug 01, 2011 ☯Emily rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: history

This is a new look at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, where Custer met his death and Sitting Bull began his last stand against the white man's encroachment of his people's land. He fought desperately against the government's "final solution" for the Indians...the reservations system. It is easy to read with several sections of pictures. The author tries to give a balanced view of both Custer and Sitting Bull. He recreates the final battle of Custer through the words of the Indians since there...more

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Jun 16, 2010 Bookmarks Magazine rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: july-aug-2010

Exchanging maritime history for the landlocked Battle of the Little Bighorn, Philbrick explores the volatile political, economic, and social forces that led to the infamous confrontation. Drawing on a multitude of sources, he has produced an absorbing page-turner rich with complex characters and fast-paced action, and he demolishes commonly held myths along the way. However, despite his extraordinary research and writing skills, Philbrick doesn't have much to add to the debate surrounding the ba...more

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Jan 11, 2013 Ben Hallman rated it 4 of 5 stars

Nathaniel Philbrick’s greatest strength as a historian is his ability to weave personal stories from his subjects’ past into the overall narrative of his work. He humanizes history; the names and facts he presents are accompanied by personalities, by the small episodes that make up the lives of legendary historical figures. And in The Last Stand, Philbrick makes the slaughter of George Armstrong Custer and 267 fellow cavalrymen at the Little Bighorn River a vivid, heartbreaking story of hubris a...more Nathaniel Philbrick’s greatest strength as a historian is his ability to weave personal stories from his subjects’ past into the overall narrative of his work. He humanizes history; the names and facts he presents are accompanied by personalities, by the small episodes that make up the lives of legendary historical figures. And in The Last Stand, Philbrick makes the slaughter of George Armstrong Custer and 267 fellow cavalrymen at the Little Bighorn River a vivid, heartbreaking story of hubris and survival.

The smartest aspect of this retelling of Custer’s crushing defeat is the intense focus on the Native Americans, thus rounding out a story that is often one-sided in its telling. Philbrick presents Sitting Bull not as a mythical shamanistic wise man, but as a contemplative leader of various Indian nations being culled together by internal strife and the constant geographical and cultural encroachment of the whites. Sitting Bull faces the decline of his people with sorrow and sagacity, and ultimately comes off as a very romantic, sympathetic figure in The Last Stand, much more so than the mercurial, vain Custer.

The various members of the Seventh Cavalry are quite the assortment of characters, reprobates, and heroes, and Philbrick relates their personalities, grudges, and valor with great technical and literary skill. The history between these officers and soldiers is rich and deep, and Philbrick makes sure that we know how the petty squabbles and lifetime friendships between the men colored their reactions during an insurmountable task.

Custer himself is as complex a hero/antihero as you can wish for. He has great aspirations for his future, from taming the remaining Indian nations to running for President of the United States (!), yet his pandering and philandering, his need for positive press and his schemes to attain glory, his gaudy appearance and his rough-and-tumble lifestyle-- these things complicate the man and make him all the more fascinating as his ultimate downfall approaches. Custer deserved his fate, no doubt, but I’m left curious at just how far this ball of fire and ego could have eventually risen in American society, had he not been dealt such a terrible, blood-soaked defeat.

The Last Stand is Philbrick expanding his repertoire and succeeding immensely. No tales of the sea here (although there is some river piloting,) yet he handles this new territory with the master historian’s eye he’s shown time and time again. The Last Stand shocks, it humanizes, it educates, and it never fails to entertain.
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About Nathaniel Philbrick

Philbrick was Brown’s first Intercollegiate All-American sailor in 1978; that year he won the Sunfish North Americans in Barrington, RI; today he and his wife Melissa sail their Beetle Cat Clio and their Tiffany Jane 34 Marie-J in the waters surrounding Nantucket Island.

After grad school, Philbrick worked for four years at Sailing World magazine; was a freelancer for a number of years, during whic...more

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Books by Nathaniel Philbrick

In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex

Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War

Sea of Glory: America's Voyage of Discovery, the U.S. Exploring Expedition, 1838-1842

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“We interact with one another as individuals responding to a complex haze of factors: professional responsibilities, personal likes and dislikes, ambition, jealousy, self-interest, and, in at least some instances, genuine altruism. Living in the here and now, we are awash with sensations of the present, memories of the past, and expectations and fears for the future. Our actions are not determined by any one cause; they are the fulfillment of who we are at that particular moment. After that moment passes, we continue to evolve, to change, and our memories of that moment inevitably change with us as we live with the consequences of our past actions, consequences we were unaware of at the time.” — 3 people liked it

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