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A Terrible Glory: Custer and the Little Bighorn
In June of 1876, on a hill above a winding river called "the Little Bighorn," George Armstrong Custer and all 210 men under his direct command were annihilated by nearly 2,000 Sioux and Cheyenne. This devastating loss caused an uproar, and public figures pointed fingers in order to avoid responsibility. Custer, who was conveniently dead, took the brunt of the blame. The truth, however, was far more complex.
A Terrible Glory is the first book to relate the entire story of this endlessly fascinating battle, and the first to call upon all the vital new forensic research of the past quarter century. It is also the first book to bring to light the details of the army cover-up - and unravel one of the greatest mysteries in US military history.
Scrupulously researched, A Terrible Glory will stand as a landmark work. Brimming with authentic detail and an unforgettable cast of characters - from Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse to Ulysses Grant and Custer himself - this is history with the sweep of a great novel.
A Terrible Glory is the first book to relate the entire story of this endlessly fascinating battle, and the first to call upon all the vital new forensic research of the past quarter century. It is also the first book to bring to light the details of the army cover-up - and unravel one of the greatest mysteries in US military history.
Scrupulously researched, A Terrible Glory will stand as a landmark work. Brimming with authentic detail and an unforgettable cast of characters - from Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse to Ulysses Grant and Custer himself - this is history with the sweep of a great novel.
560 pages, Paperback
First published March 24, 2008
381 people are currently reading
2857 people want to read
About the author
James Donovan
6 books124 followersJames Donovan is the author of the bestselling books The Blood of Heroes: The 13-Day Struggle for the Alamo–and the Sacrifice That Forged a Nation and A Terrible Glory: Custer and the Little Bighorn-the Last Great Battle of the American West. He lives in Dallas, Texas.
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August 21, 2020
“From the ridges to the east and the north, Indians kept up a relentless fire. From the wide ridge the column had just left, and from the ravines and ridges to the southwest, arrows rained down on the few still alive. The troopers hunkered down behind their makeshift breastworks and returned the fire, but the Indians were difficult targets, raising their heads from cover only to shoot a quick round, then ducking down to move to another spot before the soldiers could aim below the small burst of telltale black powder smoke. The bowmen remained well hidden in the gullies behind the ridges surrounding the hill. Horsemen circled the hill at a distance; beyond them, even farther out of range, a crowd of women, old men, and young boys gathered on horseback, the outcome no longer in doubt…”
- James Donovan, A Terrible Glory: Custer and the Little Bighorn, The Last Great Battle of the American West
In Little Big Man, the 1974 film based on Thomas Berger's fine novel, an unhinged George Armstrong Custer, facing death at the hands of Lakota and Cheyenne Indians at the Little Bighorn, decides to spend the last moments of his life delivering a seriocomic tirade to Dustin Hoffman’s Jack Crabb. This version of Custer rants about the drunkenness of Ulysses S. Grant, appears ready to kill Crabb, and is ultimately felled by an arrow. About the only thing historically accurate about this portrayal is Custer’s fate, though even that is partially incorrect, as Custer died from two gunshot wounds.
Nevertheless, it is an excellent, bleakly hilarious cinematic moment, and worth the viewing. Both the film and literary versions of Little Big Man fit the bill of the revisionist western. The novel was published just as America was getting into Vietnam, and the movie came out just before we left. In the context of national handwringing about questionable geopolitical decision-making, America’s western expansion was ripe for reevaluation. No longer a simple tale of striving and conquest, of pioneers turning wilderness into civilization, portrayals of the American West became darker and more complex.
As this period was reevaluated, its heroes were given a second, more penetrating look. Among the figures whose reputation changed the most was George Armstrong Custer. Always a lightning rod – both loved and hated in life, as he is loved and hated in death – Custer was a Civil War hero with some dim political aspirations and a rather flimsy reputation as an “Indian fighter.” His chief claim to fame – to immortality, really – is that he died spectacularly, on a lonely hill, surrounded and outnumbered, like some latter-day Spartan obedient to his oath.
In the decades immediately following Custer’s death at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, he was a hero, dying with his boots on, blazing away with six-guns in any number of adoring films and novels. As Americans took stock of the cost of their continental empire, however, Custer’s standing fell. He became a fool, then a genocidal maniac, and later a symbol of white expansionism. It is not for nothing that Vine Deloria titled his engaging polemic Custer Died for Your Sins.
James Donovan’s A Terrible Glory is a more nuanced look at the life and death – mainly death – of George Custer. In his hands, Custer is not the plaster saint created by his adoring wife Libbie in the 19th century. But he is also not the homicidal lunatic of Little Big Man, shouldering the burden of every crime committed in the Trans-Mississippi West. Instead, he is presented as a soldier, and his actions filtered through the lens of military judgment.
(For those interested in what Custer means in symbolic terms, I recommend T.J. Stiles’s Custer’s Trials. You will still want to read this, however, since Custer’s Trials ends without covering Custer’s famed final battle).
Having read about Custer’s Last Stand since I first attained literacy, I have seen my share of books on this subject, both good and bad. For the most part, the field is populated by amateurs. Indeed, most of the Indian testimony that we have today was gathered by interested laymen in the 19th and early 20th century, rather than professional historians. These men and women found the mystery of Custer’s demise to be the motivating factor of their lives. The passions of those people have kept this relatively small and indecisive battle alive, generation after generation.
Unfortunately, while passion can take you so far, it does not necessarily make you a good writer. Researching an event and crafting prose are two very different things, the result being that while there are many, many books about Custer, there are few that are exceptionally readable.
Thankfully, in Donovan, we have a professional writer in the house. He does not aspire to florid sentences or fancy structuring (as can be found in Evan S. Connell’s excellent Son of the Morning Star), but he tells a really lucid tale that incorporates Indian testimony, archaeological evidence, and just about every available theory to provide a very satisfying account.
In a hair less than 400-pages of text, A Terrible Glory gives an overview of the American Army of the West, of Custer, and of the Indians’ situation on the verge of their climatic meeting with the United States Seventh Cavalry.
Rightfully so, given the book’s title, Donovan then spends the bulk of the book examining the fateful battle, fought on June 25-26, 1876.
The Little Bighorn was a classic encounter battle, with Custer’s regiment coming upon a massive village of Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho Indians long after the sun had risen. Knowing that he had likely been seen, and unable to recreate the dawn attack he’d used at the Washita, Custer hastily divided his force into four battalions (or wings). One wing, under an experienced, Custer-hating captain named Frederick Benteen, was sent to cut off any escape. One wing was commanded by Major Marcus Reno, a tippler who – reasonably enough, in my opinion – decided to tie one on as things got dicey. Reno was ordered to attack the village from its southern end, with Custer on the ridge above – with two wings of his own – ready to support. (A lone company was left to guard the pack train).
Partway into his charge, Reno stopped and formed a skirmish line that was quickly flanked. As he ran for the hills, one of Custer’s wings headed for the Little Bighorn River, possibly to search for a place to ford. Indians stopped this approach, and Custer’s two wings later joined back together, with Custer still attempting – in Donovan’s theory of events – to capture hostages in order to bluff his way out of a deteriorating situation (again, as he did at the Washita). While Custer maneuvered, however, the Indians swarming from the village infiltrated his lines and surrounded his five companies.
For obvious evidentiary reasons, Donovan does not delve overlong into the Custer portion of the fight. There is simply not enough hard evidence. While the Indian testimony is exceptionally useful, it is still difficult – for a variety of reasons – to actually trace the flow and movement of Custer’s various companies. After all, the Indian warriors did not know the identification of Custer’s companies, or their officers, and they certainly did not have standard names for all the geographical features of a rather forgettable river valley. The result is that while individual Indian accounts are accurate, as perceived, it is hard to place them all in sequence.
(I hasten to add that this is not a failing of Indian witnesses, but of human witnesses. Anyone who has spent any time with primary sources recounting a battle knows that piecing things together is hard: times are compressed or expanded due to stress; firsthand knowledge can merge unconsciously with hearsay; and memories worsen with age).
In my opinion, Donovan actually does not very good detective work on this issue. Regrettably, most of this detective work is confined to the annotated endnotes, which is super annoying for two reasons. First, this is important information, and would have been better served in the text. Second, to get the most out of this book, you have to endlessly flip back and forth. The chief flaw of A Terrible Glory, then, is that is strives too much toward popular history, sacrificing depth, detail, and the weighing of evidence for narrative ease (the flaw is compounded since Donovan’s description of the battle sometimes slips the bounds of supporting evidence).
Just as fascinating as Custer’s doom is Donovan’s account of the fight on Reno Hill. He puts a bullet into Reno's already flagging reputation, repeatedly mentioning accounts of the Major's drunkenness. Benteen comes across as the most complex character: he ignores Custer's order to “come quick,” sneers at his commander's dead body, but also has the presence of mind and coolness under fire to direct the defense of Reno Hill while his putative superior is drunkenly cowering in a hole.
Any book that takes on the Battle of the Little Bighorn is required to explain the reason for Custer’s defeat. It is as though Custer could only have lost if he had some glaring character flaw (race-based hubris, overweening ambition) or suddenly lost all tactical ability (failing to properly reconnoiter, splitting his force) or that he was betrayed by his subordinates (Reno halting his attack, Benteen dawdling to the rescue). To his credit, Donovan doesn’t press hard for a single theory, but rather draws from a lot of different sources to present a possible scenario, leaving it to the reader to decide.
In the end, of course, the central question may be an artifact of a less-enlightened past. That is, it is quite possible – if not probable – that Custer did not lose the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Rather, after devising some rather sophisticated tactics of their own, on the fly, the Indians simply won.
- James Donovan, A Terrible Glory: Custer and the Little Bighorn, The Last Great Battle of the American West
In Little Big Man, the 1974 film based on Thomas Berger's fine novel, an unhinged George Armstrong Custer, facing death at the hands of Lakota and Cheyenne Indians at the Little Bighorn, decides to spend the last moments of his life delivering a seriocomic tirade to Dustin Hoffman’s Jack Crabb. This version of Custer rants about the drunkenness of Ulysses S. Grant, appears ready to kill Crabb, and is ultimately felled by an arrow. About the only thing historically accurate about this portrayal is Custer’s fate, though even that is partially incorrect, as Custer died from two gunshot wounds.
Nevertheless, it is an excellent, bleakly hilarious cinematic moment, and worth the viewing. Both the film and literary versions of Little Big Man fit the bill of the revisionist western. The novel was published just as America was getting into Vietnam, and the movie came out just before we left. In the context of national handwringing about questionable geopolitical decision-making, America’s western expansion was ripe for reevaluation. No longer a simple tale of striving and conquest, of pioneers turning wilderness into civilization, portrayals of the American West became darker and more complex.
As this period was reevaluated, its heroes were given a second, more penetrating look. Among the figures whose reputation changed the most was George Armstrong Custer. Always a lightning rod – both loved and hated in life, as he is loved and hated in death – Custer was a Civil War hero with some dim political aspirations and a rather flimsy reputation as an “Indian fighter.” His chief claim to fame – to immortality, really – is that he died spectacularly, on a lonely hill, surrounded and outnumbered, like some latter-day Spartan obedient to his oath.
In the decades immediately following Custer’s death at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, he was a hero, dying with his boots on, blazing away with six-guns in any number of adoring films and novels. As Americans took stock of the cost of their continental empire, however, Custer’s standing fell. He became a fool, then a genocidal maniac, and later a symbol of white expansionism. It is not for nothing that Vine Deloria titled his engaging polemic Custer Died for Your Sins.
James Donovan’s A Terrible Glory is a more nuanced look at the life and death – mainly death – of George Custer. In his hands, Custer is not the plaster saint created by his adoring wife Libbie in the 19th century. But he is also not the homicidal lunatic of Little Big Man, shouldering the burden of every crime committed in the Trans-Mississippi West. Instead, he is presented as a soldier, and his actions filtered through the lens of military judgment.
(For those interested in what Custer means in symbolic terms, I recommend T.J. Stiles’s Custer’s Trials. You will still want to read this, however, since Custer’s Trials ends without covering Custer’s famed final battle).
Having read about Custer’s Last Stand since I first attained literacy, I have seen my share of books on this subject, both good and bad. For the most part, the field is populated by amateurs. Indeed, most of the Indian testimony that we have today was gathered by interested laymen in the 19th and early 20th century, rather than professional historians. These men and women found the mystery of Custer’s demise to be the motivating factor of their lives. The passions of those people have kept this relatively small and indecisive battle alive, generation after generation.
Unfortunately, while passion can take you so far, it does not necessarily make you a good writer. Researching an event and crafting prose are two very different things, the result being that while there are many, many books about Custer, there are few that are exceptionally readable.
Thankfully, in Donovan, we have a professional writer in the house. He does not aspire to florid sentences or fancy structuring (as can be found in Evan S. Connell’s excellent Son of the Morning Star), but he tells a really lucid tale that incorporates Indian testimony, archaeological evidence, and just about every available theory to provide a very satisfying account.
In a hair less than 400-pages of text, A Terrible Glory gives an overview of the American Army of the West, of Custer, and of the Indians’ situation on the verge of their climatic meeting with the United States Seventh Cavalry.
Rightfully so, given the book’s title, Donovan then spends the bulk of the book examining the fateful battle, fought on June 25-26, 1876.
The Little Bighorn was a classic encounter battle, with Custer’s regiment coming upon a massive village of Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho Indians long after the sun had risen. Knowing that he had likely been seen, and unable to recreate the dawn attack he’d used at the Washita, Custer hastily divided his force into four battalions (or wings). One wing, under an experienced, Custer-hating captain named Frederick Benteen, was sent to cut off any escape. One wing was commanded by Major Marcus Reno, a tippler who – reasonably enough, in my opinion – decided to tie one on as things got dicey. Reno was ordered to attack the village from its southern end, with Custer on the ridge above – with two wings of his own – ready to support. (A lone company was left to guard the pack train).
Partway into his charge, Reno stopped and formed a skirmish line that was quickly flanked. As he ran for the hills, one of Custer’s wings headed for the Little Bighorn River, possibly to search for a place to ford. Indians stopped this approach, and Custer’s two wings later joined back together, with Custer still attempting – in Donovan’s theory of events – to capture hostages in order to bluff his way out of a deteriorating situation (again, as he did at the Washita). While Custer maneuvered, however, the Indians swarming from the village infiltrated his lines and surrounded his five companies.
For obvious evidentiary reasons, Donovan does not delve overlong into the Custer portion of the fight. There is simply not enough hard evidence. While the Indian testimony is exceptionally useful, it is still difficult – for a variety of reasons – to actually trace the flow and movement of Custer’s various companies. After all, the Indian warriors did not know the identification of Custer’s companies, or their officers, and they certainly did not have standard names for all the geographical features of a rather forgettable river valley. The result is that while individual Indian accounts are accurate, as perceived, it is hard to place them all in sequence.
(I hasten to add that this is not a failing of Indian witnesses, but of human witnesses. Anyone who has spent any time with primary sources recounting a battle knows that piecing things together is hard: times are compressed or expanded due to stress; firsthand knowledge can merge unconsciously with hearsay; and memories worsen with age).
In my opinion, Donovan actually does not very good detective work on this issue. Regrettably, most of this detective work is confined to the annotated endnotes, which is super annoying for two reasons. First, this is important information, and would have been better served in the text. Second, to get the most out of this book, you have to endlessly flip back and forth. The chief flaw of A Terrible Glory, then, is that is strives too much toward popular history, sacrificing depth, detail, and the weighing of evidence for narrative ease (the flaw is compounded since Donovan’s description of the battle sometimes slips the bounds of supporting evidence).
Just as fascinating as Custer’s doom is Donovan’s account of the fight on Reno Hill. He puts a bullet into Reno's already flagging reputation, repeatedly mentioning accounts of the Major's drunkenness. Benteen comes across as the most complex character: he ignores Custer's order to “come quick,” sneers at his commander's dead body, but also has the presence of mind and coolness under fire to direct the defense of Reno Hill while his putative superior is drunkenly cowering in a hole.
Any book that takes on the Battle of the Little Bighorn is required to explain the reason for Custer’s defeat. It is as though Custer could only have lost if he had some glaring character flaw (race-based hubris, overweening ambition) or suddenly lost all tactical ability (failing to properly reconnoiter, splitting his force) or that he was betrayed by his subordinates (Reno halting his attack, Benteen dawdling to the rescue). To his credit, Donovan doesn’t press hard for a single theory, but rather draws from a lot of different sources to present a possible scenario, leaving it to the reader to decide.
In the end, of course, the central question may be an artifact of a less-enlightened past. That is, it is quite possible – if not probable – that Custer did not lose the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Rather, after devising some rather sophisticated tactics of their own, on the fly, the Indians simply won.
November 23, 2023
A decent if not lifeless account of Custer and the Battle of the Greasy Grass. It neither paints a vivid picture of the notorious general nor does it fully explore all of the people and factions involved - but it is still worth a read if you want an ok overview.
June 13, 2009
Excellent and detailed account of the Battle of the Little Bighorn - the book to read if you want to know what really happened.
July 12, 2018
I have previously read a few other books about Custer and the Battle at the Little Bighorn but this one was the easiest in following a rather complex situation. Well written and well researched as is shown by the 107 pages of notes and bibliography. If you are interested in this battle this is probably one of the best books to read about it.
August 10, 2025
A solid and very engaging read - for nonfiction, the pages flew by.
My main problem is that about halfway through the battle I knew we had shifted from facts to "informed speculation" (the participants were all dead so...), but the author gave no warnings about having done so, or indications that we were now on less-than-solid historical footing. I think he should've been clearer about what was speculation and what wasn't, and how he arrived at the conclusions he did. Maybe that was in the footnotes, but it should've been front and center - it felt slightly deceptive the way it was done.
My main problem is that about halfway through the battle I knew we had shifted from facts to "informed speculation" (the participants were all dead so...), but the author gave no warnings about having done so, or indications that we were now on less-than-solid historical footing. I think he should've been clearer about what was speculation and what wasn't, and how he arrived at the conclusions he did. Maybe that was in the footnotes, but it should've been front and center - it felt slightly deceptive the way it was done.
June 18, 2022
Really enjoyable read. Well researched, not too much extra information.
September 27, 2021
A Terrible Glory: Custer and the Little Bighorn -the Last Great Battle of the American West by James Donovan June 25,1876 The air is filled with smoke, arrows and the roar of hundreds of rifles.George Armstrong Custer and five undermanned companies of his famed Seventh Cavalry are trapped on a hill overlooking a river called the Little Bighorn. They are surrounded by more than a thousand Lakota and Cheyenne warriors, and slowly, inexorably, the Indians are moving closer, forming a tighter noose around Custer's position. In February 1878, A report of the total cost of the Sioux War was $992,807.78. I was always fascinated but just didn't know the whole truth behind it. Love the book but didn't like what happened to the Native American Indians.
December 5, 2012
Stilted writing in a Custer hagiography
First, Donovan's writing style, while not necessarily pedestrian, is definitely stilted at times and also grating at times. For instance, I think I would have torn out what's left of my hair if I heard the phrase "dundreary Cooke" one more time.
This is nowhere near "Son of the Morning Star" stylistically. And, it has some copy editing problems.
But, let's get to the meat of the book.
While Custer's reputation, certainly among his surviving contemporaries in the Army officer corps, may have been more sinned against than sinning, Donovan's fulcrum for the book is a false dichotomy: Reno's cowardice/drunkenness/incompentence vs. Custer's incompetence/disobedience/arrogance.
There IS no dichotomy. Both are possible; more than that, both are actual, and were actual.
Yes, Terry's orders were discretionary. Nonetheless, if Custer had listened to his scouts, he might have waited a day for battle. If the Greasy Grass encampment started to scatter, he could pick off fair-sized chunks before it got too small. Also, of course, if had listened to his scouts, he never would have divided his forces. (Nathaniel Philbrick, in his new book, says Terry deliberately set Custer up.)
And, yes, there was the hurry of battle, but the hurry was not so hurried for Custer to more carefully make his decisions and deployments. Most sinful of all was splitting his own five companies into two.
Well, maybe not retreating when he had the chance was the most sinful of all.
And, the "Custer luck" was by no means a sure thing before June 25, 1876. He escaped with not a lot more than his skin at Trevilian Station in 1864, as one other reviewer notes.
And, there are errors, not all of them mild.
Donovan says Custer was on post-war Reconstruction duty in Elizabethtown, Ky. As Kentucky never seceded, this was not Reconstruction duty.
He also glosses lightly over Custer's political activity in Reconstruction years. During the start of that time, he openly called for moderation toward the South.
Lesser errors: The Little Missouri flows into the Missouri, not the Yellowstone. 1876 gave the Dems the first shot at winning an election in 16 years, not 20. President Monroe moved Indian tribes east of the Mississippi, not west, to Indian Territory.
Finally, the book is a hybrid. It attempts to background Custer without doing as well as it could, and it attempts to go more in-depth into the battle itself than, say, Connell, without doing as well as a more technical book.
First, Donovan's writing style, while not necessarily pedestrian, is definitely stilted at times and also grating at times. For instance, I think I would have torn out what's left of my hair if I heard the phrase "dundreary Cooke" one more time.
This is nowhere near "Son of the Morning Star" stylistically. And, it has some copy editing problems.
But, let's get to the meat of the book.
While Custer's reputation, certainly among his surviving contemporaries in the Army officer corps, may have been more sinned against than sinning, Donovan's fulcrum for the book is a false dichotomy: Reno's cowardice/drunkenness/incompentence vs. Custer's incompetence/disobedience/arrogance.
There IS no dichotomy. Both are possible; more than that, both are actual, and were actual.
Yes, Terry's orders were discretionary. Nonetheless, if Custer had listened to his scouts, he might have waited a day for battle. If the Greasy Grass encampment started to scatter, he could pick off fair-sized chunks before it got too small. Also, of course, if had listened to his scouts, he never would have divided his forces. (Nathaniel Philbrick, in his new book, says Terry deliberately set Custer up.)
And, yes, there was the hurry of battle, but the hurry was not so hurried for Custer to more carefully make his decisions and deployments. Most sinful of all was splitting his own five companies into two.
Well, maybe not retreating when he had the chance was the most sinful of all.
And, the "Custer luck" was by no means a sure thing before June 25, 1876. He escaped with not a lot more than his skin at Trevilian Station in 1864, as one other reviewer notes.
And, there are errors, not all of them mild.
Donovan says Custer was on post-war Reconstruction duty in Elizabethtown, Ky. As Kentucky never seceded, this was not Reconstruction duty.
He also glosses lightly over Custer's political activity in Reconstruction years. During the start of that time, he openly called for moderation toward the South.
Lesser errors: The Little Missouri flows into the Missouri, not the Yellowstone. 1876 gave the Dems the first shot at winning an election in 16 years, not 20. President Monroe moved Indian tribes east of the Mississippi, not west, to Indian Territory.
Finally, the book is a hybrid. It attempts to background Custer without doing as well as it could, and it attempts to go more in-depth into the battle itself than, say, Connell, without doing as well as a more technical book.
September 18, 2014
Custer’s Last Stand, The Battle of the Little Bighorn, Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse are all names my generation grew up with but until I visited the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument Battlefield and purchased this book I had no idea of the untold story. To put the event in a time perspective, it occurred a hundred years after the Declaration of Independence and in fact news of the battle reached the east coast during the Centennial celebration. It was the worst national event following the death of President Lincoln eleven years earlier and yet Custer’s wife Libby lived till, the age of 90 and died in her Park Avenue Apartment in 1933. We are a young nation changing fast and this book lets us take a look at where we have come from so fast.
This book tells far more than what occurred on June 25th and 26th 1876 along the banks of the Little Bighorn River sixty miles south of Billings, Montana. It covers the history of the Plains Indians, the state of the army following the Civil War and the growth and development of the main characters. It touches on the good and bad in human nature the politics that pervaded so much as they do today but mostly the sad collision of what the author calls " a small tribe of savages one step out of the Stone Age” and the expansion of white settlers into the western United States. The discovery of gold in the Black Hills and the decimated buffalo herds set in motion an inevitable outcome that the nation is still wrestling with today
It would be desirable to have a supplement that showed how the army is divided up so the reader could get an idea of the size of brigade, a company, platoon, etc. Most readers will not be able to appreciate how Custer divided the troops. It would be nice to have the chain of command for the 7th Calvary diagramed. . I highly recommend this book. It is thoroughly researched with over eighty pages of notes documenting the content and a vast bibliography. There are maps showing the lay of the land and the movements of the troops.
This book tells far more than what occurred on June 25th and 26th 1876 along the banks of the Little Bighorn River sixty miles south of Billings, Montana. It covers the history of the Plains Indians, the state of the army following the Civil War and the growth and development of the main characters. It touches on the good and bad in human nature the politics that pervaded so much as they do today but mostly the sad collision of what the author calls " a small tribe of savages one step out of the Stone Age” and the expansion of white settlers into the western United States. The discovery of gold in the Black Hills and the decimated buffalo herds set in motion an inevitable outcome that the nation is still wrestling with today
It would be desirable to have a supplement that showed how the army is divided up so the reader could get an idea of the size of brigade, a company, platoon, etc. Most readers will not be able to appreciate how Custer divided the troops. It would be nice to have the chain of command for the 7th Calvary diagramed. . I highly recommend this book. It is thoroughly researched with over eighty pages of notes documenting the content and a vast bibliography. There are maps showing the lay of the land and the movements of the troops.
Read
August 5, 2011Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer remains one of the most controversial figures in American history. It seems that for every act of nobility there was an equal act of juvenility. His deep love and devotion to his wife Elizabeth was countered with his boastfulness and arrogance regarding his military ability. He graduated last in his class from West Point, yet led the Third Division during the Civil War, which played vital parts in securing Union lines and, the day before Lee's surrender, seized trains carrying Confederate ammunition and supplies. His mentor, General Philip Sheradon, adored Custer and upon the surrender of the south, bought the table where Lee and Grant signed the conditions of the surrender and gave it to Custer as a present to his wife. These contradictions of his character and military prowess make it difficult to form a singular opinion about Custer's role in the infamous Battle of the Little Bighorn.
Custer is popularly regarded as a buffoon who rashly led his company of 210 men into a slaughterhouse of 1500-2000 Sioux and Cheyenne Indians. But the story as James Donovan reveals is much more complex, and while it doesn't completely vindicate Custer from any wrongdoing, it certainly lifts the load of blame off his shoulders and attributes it to other men of the Seventh Cavalry responsible for its disorganization and unpreparedness, men who later used the deceased Custer as a scapegoat for their own mistakes. Most notably, Maj. Marcus Reno, who's literal drunken ineptness (and some would argue cowardice) in the field caused his men to lose confidence in him. For example, both Reno and Gen. Terry (Custer's commanding officer) claimed that Custer had deliberately disobeyed orders by pulling off his trail, moving into the Little Bighorn valley, and attacking the Sioux village a day early. But in reality, Custer was given some leeway to navigate as he saw fit, and only attacked early because Indian scouts had spotted their regiment, giving him no choice but to attack as soon as possible.
Donovan's narrative is relatively straightforward and easy to follow, though he does tend to get indulgent with the details which bog down the pace and sometimes make the reading tedious. The focus is mostly on the point of view of Custer and the Seventh Cavalry, but he does spend a significant amount of time on Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, Inkpaduta and their oppressions by the "white man." This makes it difficult to decide which side to root for. While the Indians inherently deserved the right to their land, they were also vicious warriors who scalped and mutilated the men they killed. And while Custer was a supporter of Indian rights and peaceful relations (a couple months before the battle, he testified before Congress against President Grant's Secretary of War, who was suspected of manipulating funds meant to go to Indian Agencies), he also prided himself as the military's greatest fighter of non-cooperative Indians.
This story is a wonderful example of history slowly being changed and manipulated through years of slight inaccuracies finding their way into the common acceptance. And while nobody may ever know what exactly happened on that hill in June of 1876, Donovan's account of the battle and the events preceding and succeeding it is an engrossing and important story for all who wish to know more about this country, and the brutality which surrounds its sustenance.
Custer is popularly regarded as a buffoon who rashly led his company of 210 men into a slaughterhouse of 1500-2000 Sioux and Cheyenne Indians. But the story as James Donovan reveals is much more complex, and while it doesn't completely vindicate Custer from any wrongdoing, it certainly lifts the load of blame off his shoulders and attributes it to other men of the Seventh Cavalry responsible for its disorganization and unpreparedness, men who later used the deceased Custer as a scapegoat for their own mistakes. Most notably, Maj. Marcus Reno, who's literal drunken ineptness (and some would argue cowardice) in the field caused his men to lose confidence in him. For example, both Reno and Gen. Terry (Custer's commanding officer) claimed that Custer had deliberately disobeyed orders by pulling off his trail, moving into the Little Bighorn valley, and attacking the Sioux village a day early. But in reality, Custer was given some leeway to navigate as he saw fit, and only attacked early because Indian scouts had spotted their regiment, giving him no choice but to attack as soon as possible.
Donovan's narrative is relatively straightforward and easy to follow, though he does tend to get indulgent with the details which bog down the pace and sometimes make the reading tedious. The focus is mostly on the point of view of Custer and the Seventh Cavalry, but he does spend a significant amount of time on Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, Inkpaduta and their oppressions by the "white man." This makes it difficult to decide which side to root for. While the Indians inherently deserved the right to their land, they were also vicious warriors who scalped and mutilated the men they killed. And while Custer was a supporter of Indian rights and peaceful relations (a couple months before the battle, he testified before Congress against President Grant's Secretary of War, who was suspected of manipulating funds meant to go to Indian Agencies), he also prided himself as the military's greatest fighter of non-cooperative Indians.
This story is a wonderful example of history slowly being changed and manipulated through years of slight inaccuracies finding their way into the common acceptance. And while nobody may ever know what exactly happened on that hill in June of 1876, Donovan's account of the battle and the events preceding and succeeding it is an engrossing and important story for all who wish to know more about this country, and the brutality which surrounds its sustenance.
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August 2, 2011I recommend this book. The author presents an overview of the battles with the Plains Indian tribes from the Sioux uprising in Minnesota and the Sand Creek Massacre in Colorado during the Civil War to Wounded Knee. He presents the perspective of the Indians, including the Crow and Arikara Indians who were mortal enemies of the Sioux and served as army scouts.
The author also describes life in the cavalry during the Indian wars. The soldiers were largely poorly trained, poorly equipped and often poorly led. Many of the officers had drinking problems.
The author's description of Custer's Battle of the Washita highli8ghts Custer's failure to conduct proper reconnaissance before he attacked an Indian village. He wasn't aware that there were other Indian villages nearby. That failure led to the destruction of a small cavalry detachment and caused Custer a great deal of trouble.
The author points out that Custer, Crook, Gibbon & Terry all were most concerned that the Indians would scatter before Custer's, Gibbon's & Terry's columns could converge. Nobody considered the possibility that the Indians would stand and fight.
Custer and the leaders of his detachments at the Little Bighorn, Maj. Marcus Reno and Capt. Frederick Benteen, hated each other. Reno comes across as a drunken coward who failed to form a rear guard, leading to the deaths of many of his soldiers when they retreated across the Little Bighorn. Benteen saved his and Reno's detachments. But neither Benteen nor Reno went to Custer's aid.
The author uses forensic evidence to retrace the locations of Custer's detachment and the timing of their deaths. He also describes in gruesome detail the mutilations of the dead soldiers.
Maj. Reno had a court of inquiry 3 years after the Little Bighorn and was found not guilty. The author describes the testimony and points out numerous instances of perjury and failures of the counsels on both sides to get to the truth.
After Wounded Knee, we hear about the fates of the survivors of the 7th Cavalry, many of whom probably suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. We also hear about the efforts of Libbie Custer to rehabilitate her husband's reputation.
The author also describes life in the cavalry during the Indian wars. The soldiers were largely poorly trained, poorly equipped and often poorly led. Many of the officers had drinking problems.
The author's description of Custer's Battle of the Washita highli8ghts Custer's failure to conduct proper reconnaissance before he attacked an Indian village. He wasn't aware that there were other Indian villages nearby. That failure led to the destruction of a small cavalry detachment and caused Custer a great deal of trouble.
The author points out that Custer, Crook, Gibbon & Terry all were most concerned that the Indians would scatter before Custer's, Gibbon's & Terry's columns could converge. Nobody considered the possibility that the Indians would stand and fight.
Custer and the leaders of his detachments at the Little Bighorn, Maj. Marcus Reno and Capt. Frederick Benteen, hated each other. Reno comes across as a drunken coward who failed to form a rear guard, leading to the deaths of many of his soldiers when they retreated across the Little Bighorn. Benteen saved his and Reno's detachments. But neither Benteen nor Reno went to Custer's aid.
The author uses forensic evidence to retrace the locations of Custer's detachment and the timing of their deaths. He also describes in gruesome detail the mutilations of the dead soldiers.
Maj. Reno had a court of inquiry 3 years after the Little Bighorn and was found not guilty. The author describes the testimony and points out numerous instances of perjury and failures of the counsels on both sides to get to the truth.
After Wounded Knee, we hear about the fates of the survivors of the 7th Cavalry, many of whom probably suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. We also hear about the efforts of Libbie Custer to rehabilitate her husband's reputation.
August 27, 2012
This was one of the best historical accounts I have read in a very long time. It is incredibly well researched and documented. I reread the chapter on Custer's last few minutes a couple of times, it was so well written and descriptive. The confusion of the battlefield is captured as Custer and his men come to realize that while other forces are in the area, help is not likely to show up. Spoiler alert: They all die. Custer, two of his brothers, and one of their nephews were all killed in the battle. Donovan also presents the narrow escape of the the troops of Major Reno and Captain Benteen, who were saved from Custer's fate only by nightfall.
Donovan makes an excellent case against the popular notion that Custer was nothing more than an egotistical rashly-behaving boy-general that believed his own hype. While very sure of himself, he is even more confident in his "fighting 7th" and their ability to find victory, even against superior numbers. He was one of th emost experienced Indian fighters in the US Army at the time. Donovan argues that poor communications and the personal feelings and behavior of some of Custer's subordinates (Reno and Benteen in particular) brought about the catastrophic "Last Stand". Donovan's account of the 1879 Army Investigation of Reno further supports this notion. The cast of characters having a hand in this story is wide and interesting, from President Grant down to the lowliest private soldier, who may or may not have had a horse.
This book gives a real feel for what life on the frontier of the American West was like in the 1870s for the "blue coats" and the native Americans struggling to maintain their freedom and millenniums long customs. It isn't a pretty story, but in this case, it is told very well.
Donovan makes an excellent case against the popular notion that Custer was nothing more than an egotistical rashly-behaving boy-general that believed his own hype. While very sure of himself, he is even more confident in his "fighting 7th" and their ability to find victory, even against superior numbers. He was one of th emost experienced Indian fighters in the US Army at the time. Donovan argues that poor communications and the personal feelings and behavior of some of Custer's subordinates (Reno and Benteen in particular) brought about the catastrophic "Last Stand". Donovan's account of the 1879 Army Investigation of Reno further supports this notion. The cast of characters having a hand in this story is wide and interesting, from President Grant down to the lowliest private soldier, who may or may not have had a horse.
This book gives a real feel for what life on the frontier of the American West was like in the 1870s for the "blue coats" and the native Americans struggling to maintain their freedom and millenniums long customs. It isn't a pretty story, but in this case, it is told very well.
January 31, 2013
I have been a student of Custer and the Battle of the Little Bighorn for many years, and James Donovan's book is among the best I have ever read on the subject. I agree with historian Robert Utley that the author's use of first-hand sources are superior.
Opinions about Custer are everywhere to be found; however, it has been my experience that most of those who have a strong opinion on either side of the debate have no real knowledge of the subject. Donovan's book is one of the best places to start for those who know little or nothing of the battle and its participants.
The author does not glorify or denigrate Custer, as most books do, but examines and presents the evidence of the battle, its precursors, and its aftermath. After reading this book, I was left with the impression that Lieutenant Charles Varnum's performance in the battle was commendable, Major Reno's was quite poor, Captain Benteen's was tactically skillful - if somewhat tainted in many ways, and Custer's seemed to fall somewhere in the middle.
When taken together with Paul Hutton's masterful book "The Custer Reader," Donovan's book allows the best understanding of this battle to-date. First-rate!
Opinions about Custer are everywhere to be found; however, it has been my experience that most of those who have a strong opinion on either side of the debate have no real knowledge of the subject. Donovan's book is one of the best places to start for those who know little or nothing of the battle and its participants.
The author does not glorify or denigrate Custer, as most books do, but examines and presents the evidence of the battle, its precursors, and its aftermath. After reading this book, I was left with the impression that Lieutenant Charles Varnum's performance in the battle was commendable, Major Reno's was quite poor, Captain Benteen's was tactically skillful - if somewhat tainted in many ways, and Custer's seemed to fall somewhere in the middle.
When taken together with Paul Hutton's masterful book "The Custer Reader," Donovan's book allows the best understanding of this battle to-date. First-rate!
February 6, 2025
"His primary responsibility was necessarily to the safety of his regiment."
I wrote a paper about Custer in my college American West class, but my historical obsession with him is entirely thanks to Bill Hader in Night at the Museum 2. This book was one of my sources for the paper, but I never fully read it until now. It's prime evidence that things, and people, are not always black and white. One person is not always wholly responsible. Things are not always as they seem. History has so many layers, and the stories we were taught in school are far more complicated than we were initially led to believe.
I wrote a paper about Custer in my college American West class, but my historical obsession with him is entirely thanks to Bill Hader in Night at the Museum 2. This book was one of my sources for the paper, but I never fully read it until now. It's prime evidence that things, and people, are not always black and white. One person is not always wholly responsible. Things are not always as they seem. History has so many layers, and the stories we were taught in school are far more complicated than we were initially led to believe.
January 14, 2019
I rarely give 5 stars to "history books". I find most seem to target academia and come across boring to a history fan like me. And while the first half of the book was slow in my opinion, the second half was outstanding and more than made up for it. The book is the best work on the Little Big Horn battle I have every read and probably the most accurate. Also, if you have never visited this National Monument it has a very special feel to it. I highly recommend both the book and a visit.
December 27, 2025
Oh to be a cavalry officer on the plains in the years between the civil war and Spanish-American war. Being at Little Big Horn would've been a bummer for sure though.
Overall a really great read detailing the Custer's last command on the northern plains. The politics between officers, the rapid fire orders telegraphed from Washington to Chicago to Bismarck up the Missouri and back again, and intel being delayed days because riders got lost in the deep ravines of the badlands paints a fascinating picture of how the Army operated during the Indian Wars.
It's a great addition to the books on the American West I've read. The biggest take away is that Little Bighorn is way more complicated than "Custer's Hubris."
Overall a really great read detailing the Custer's last command on the northern plains. The politics between officers, the rapid fire orders telegraphed from Washington to Chicago to Bismarck up the Missouri and back again, and intel being delayed days because riders got lost in the deep ravines of the badlands paints a fascinating picture of how the Army operated during the Indian Wars.
It's a great addition to the books on the American West I've read. The biggest take away is that Little Bighorn is way more complicated than "Custer's Hubris."
July 19, 2011
This is the third book I've read on the Little Bighorn incident. It was well written and informative. This book follows a straight chronological sequence.
I actually read this book after reading the Philbrick book on this battle, even though this one was written first. I'd say they are broadly similar, covering the same basic ground, with good maps and fairly easy to follow. Critics who say that Philbrick did not substantially add to Donovan's book, therefore, have a valid point. I found Donovan a bit easier to follow at the start. On the other hand the telling is just enough different, and Philbrick does add some material and fill in details here and there, so that you can profitably read both if you are interested in the subject.
One thing I really liked about Donovan's book that was not in Philbrick was the extensive discussion of the Reno court of inquiry afterwards. This shows how subtle alterations in the telling of key events could completely change the perception of Reno as "hero" versus "goat." By exploring the motivations that people had, it shows how our perceptions of history become perhaps more important than what actually happened.
The one book of the three that I've read which really is quite different is "Lakota Noon," a fascinating discussion of the Indian's perception of events. But it is easiest to get into "Lakota Noon" if you've already read either Philbrick or Donovan (or read some other overall account of the battle).
I actually read this book after reading the Philbrick book on this battle, even though this one was written first. I'd say they are broadly similar, covering the same basic ground, with good maps and fairly easy to follow. Critics who say that Philbrick did not substantially add to Donovan's book, therefore, have a valid point. I found Donovan a bit easier to follow at the start. On the other hand the telling is just enough different, and Philbrick does add some material and fill in details here and there, so that you can profitably read both if you are interested in the subject.
One thing I really liked about Donovan's book that was not in Philbrick was the extensive discussion of the Reno court of inquiry afterwards. This shows how subtle alterations in the telling of key events could completely change the perception of Reno as "hero" versus "goat." By exploring the motivations that people had, it shows how our perceptions of history become perhaps more important than what actually happened.
The one book of the three that I've read which really is quite different is "Lakota Noon," a fascinating discussion of the Indian's perception of events. But it is easiest to get into "Lakota Noon" if you've already read either Philbrick or Donovan (or read some other overall account of the battle).
June 17, 2009
Oof. This book rates somewhere between the low twos to the mid fours depending on what chapter your in. I suppose it's my hatred of media frenzies in general that made the whole book difficult to read. After all, the actual important history of Custer's Last Stand was it's effect on America and its culture. The fact that Custer dies and Sitting Bull lives is really only important to the speculative fiction crowd.
I know it isn't fair to blame the author for a history that I just can't find fascinating. It's just... well he's just too much of a historian for me, and not enough of a circus barker. The story is told with perfect pitch from beginning to end, but I'm a 'throw the paint against the canvas' sort of guy. If I just wanted fact, I could go to Wikipedia (and yes, I understand the failures of that statement). This book just feels like a bad novel: starting with no particular goal, reaching a zigzag crescendo of action, then petering out into nothing toward the end.
I know it isn't fair to blame the author for a history that I just can't find fascinating. It's just... well he's just too much of a historian for me, and not enough of a circus barker. The story is told with perfect pitch from beginning to end, but I'm a 'throw the paint against the canvas' sort of guy. If I just wanted fact, I could go to Wikipedia (and yes, I understand the failures of that statement). This book just feels like a bad novel: starting with no particular goal, reaching a zigzag crescendo of action, then petering out into nothing toward the end.
August 13, 2012
Most history books refer to Custer's battle at the Little Bighorn as merely a historical footnote - more popular mythology than anything else. Read this book and find out the detail and events surrounding the story taking it from footnote to turning point. Custer's days as a Civil War Calvary officer lead him to posting in the west as commander of the 7th Calvary. His goal - passification of the west against the non-treaty "hostiles" or Sioux. Here his path will tragically cross with Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, ending as we all know on the plains near the Little Bighorn River. James Donovan brings to life G. A. Custer's wife Libbie, his commanding officer - General Terry, his relationship with Phil Sheridan, President Grant as well as his subordinates. This is a very interesting book adding a great deal of background to an event that Americans know very little about.
March 20, 2015
A perfect example of why I love a good history book. Before reading this, I had only a glimmer of an idea of what happened at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, complete with the customary demonization of General Custer that everyone seems to get from their high school teachers. James Donovan has clearly done an exhaustive amount of research to craft what is an engaging work that covers the battle, its antecedents, and its aftermath. Better than just a dull retelling of the details of this history, Donovan's research has prompted him to argue a different perspective on Custer, Reno and many other participants in this history. Agreeing with his perspective is not necessary to appreciate the novelty of being able to interact with such fascinating historical figures in a new light.
February 26, 2009
A wonderfully detailed view of the arc leading George Amstrong Custer to his catastrophic defeat at the Little Bighorn. Much detail. We learn a lot about the context in which the campaign began and a great deal about key characters in the drama. A good book if you are interested in the subject.
February 15, 2018
granular-level examination of the day of battle. Not hagiographic. Perfectly attuned to the mistakes of a megalomaniac.
February 5, 2020
This was a fascinating read, filling many gaps in my knowledge about this infamous portion of U.S. history. When I read it in 2010, I wrote a longer review for my website.
June 21, 2024
Very good read. Really appreciated the research that went into this. It was 398 pages with 130 extra citing all of the sources. Impressive and a fun book to learn more about this part of American history that is a bit glosses over.
June 3, 2024
The year is not quite halfway through but I’m already calling it; this will be the best book I read this year. Donovan’s description of the battle itself….wow!!
You can smell the gunsmoke. You can feel the sun beating down on your neck and the parched throats choked with dust. You can feel the utter confusion and desperation of the beleaguered men of the 7th Cavalry regiment as thousands of Native American warriors tightened the noose around their dwindling numbers. You can feel the rage of the Native Americans, their very way of life on the ropes. And when it’s all done, you can sense the nervous energy of General Terry’s relief column as they closed in on the battlefield and begin to see the signs of a catastrophe. You can sense their disbelief as they discover an entire battalion of their comrades, the finest fighting men the US had to offer, annihilated and butchered on the side of some nameless hill thousands of miles from home.
Incredible read. This book will be stuck in my brain for a while.
You can smell the gunsmoke. You can feel the sun beating down on your neck and the parched throats choked with dust. You can feel the utter confusion and desperation of the beleaguered men of the 7th Cavalry regiment as thousands of Native American warriors tightened the noose around their dwindling numbers. You can feel the rage of the Native Americans, their very way of life on the ropes. And when it’s all done, you can sense the nervous energy of General Terry’s relief column as they closed in on the battlefield and begin to see the signs of a catastrophe. You can sense their disbelief as they discover an entire battalion of their comrades, the finest fighting men the US had to offer, annihilated and butchered on the side of some nameless hill thousands of miles from home.
Incredible read. This book will be stuck in my brain for a while.
July 31, 2024
A good read on Custer and the little big horn. Learned some new things about Custer's officers, none liked him very much.
August 30, 2024
The history of the Unites States is full of great battles, but never a disastrous defeat such as the Battle of Little Bighorn has created worldwide fame to their participants: General Custer and the 7th Cavalry.
Fame that has endured for generations and still is cause of great controversy.
The author divides the book in four parts:
1- Putting history events and characters into context.
2- A description of the Indian Campaign in 1876
3- A detailed account of the battle and Custer Last Stand.
4-The aftermath on Army's history and the survivors.
With all this information the readers will be able to reach their own conclusions.
Fame that has endured for generations and still is cause of great controversy.
The author divides the book in four parts:
1- Putting history events and characters into context.
2- A description of the Indian Campaign in 1876
3- A detailed account of the battle and Custer Last Stand.
4-The aftermath on Army's history and the survivors.
With all this information the readers will be able to reach their own conclusions.
July 20, 2016
If you want a thorough and well researched account of events, personalities and conflicts both cultural and personal leading up to the Battle of the Little Bighorn and an understanding of the politics, collusion and betrayals in its aftermath this book will satisfy that itch.
While most media portrayals of Custer at the Little Bighorn often make Custer out to be either the hero or the goat, Donovan looks at the evidence and from this we see the human Custer. Here the reader can set aside Custer the myth and discover Custer the man. Donovan tries to be thorough about the back-story so some parts of the first half of the book drag a little but by mid-book it takes off and thereafter I found it hard to put down.
Until Donovan's book I never undertook any special effort to learn about Custer and the Battle of the Little Bighorn other than a visit to the battlefield in the early 80's. However, I grew up in eastern Montana and so I was surrounded with the debris of the Custer legacy. The battle took place in 1876 and within 20 years of that date most of the places that are now towns and villages in south and eastern Montana today were named or incorporated and the closer they were to the battlefield the more likely they were to have names associated with Custer or the aftermath, especially along the Yellowstone River. With the Indian uprisings and their success at the Battle of the Little Bighorn the people of the region at the time were very grateful for the protection of the military and it showed in the names they gave their towns, streets and other landmarks. For example:
Custer County, Montana – a county northeast of the battlefield.
Custer, Montana – a small village on the Yellowstone north of the battlefield.
Miles City, Montana – a town along the Yellowstone River named after General Miles who was instrumental in pacifying the Indians after the Battle of the Little Bighorn.
Sheridan, Wyoming – a town in northern Wyoming named after General Sheridan, Custer's commander (and supporter).
Terry, Montana – a town on the Yellowstone River named after General Alfred Terry who found the massacred Custer and his troops. He participated in pacification of and negotiations with the Indians following the battle.
Forsyth, Montana – a town on the Yellowstone River named after General Forsyth who has the dubious honor of being in command of the Seventh Cavalry at the time of the Wounded Knee Massacre (1890).
Marsh, Montana – a now abandoned railroad station and town on the Yellowstone River between Glendive and Fallon, Montana named after Grant Marsh who captained the Far West, a steamboat that navigated the Yellowstone River as far as the Bighorn River to supply Custer and then ferried wounded soldiers from Reno's and Benteen's commands back to Bismarck, North Dakota after the battle.
Merrill Street (main street in Glendive, MT) – named after Major Lewis Merrill, an officer of the Seventh Cavalry who was reassigned a few months before the Battle of the Little Bighorn but in 1877 returned to the Seventh Cavalry and assisted in Indian pacification efforts.
etc., etc.
While most media portrayals of Custer at the Little Bighorn often make Custer out to be either the hero or the goat, Donovan looks at the evidence and from this we see the human Custer. Here the reader can set aside Custer the myth and discover Custer the man. Donovan tries to be thorough about the back-story so some parts of the first half of the book drag a little but by mid-book it takes off and thereafter I found it hard to put down.
Until Donovan's book I never undertook any special effort to learn about Custer and the Battle of the Little Bighorn other than a visit to the battlefield in the early 80's. However, I grew up in eastern Montana and so I was surrounded with the debris of the Custer legacy. The battle took place in 1876 and within 20 years of that date most of the places that are now towns and villages in south and eastern Montana today were named or incorporated and the closer they were to the battlefield the more likely they were to have names associated with Custer or the aftermath, especially along the Yellowstone River. With the Indian uprisings and their success at the Battle of the Little Bighorn the people of the region at the time were very grateful for the protection of the military and it showed in the names they gave their towns, streets and other landmarks. For example:
Custer County, Montana – a county northeast of the battlefield.
Custer, Montana – a small village on the Yellowstone north of the battlefield.
Miles City, Montana – a town along the Yellowstone River named after General Miles who was instrumental in pacifying the Indians after the Battle of the Little Bighorn.
Sheridan, Wyoming – a town in northern Wyoming named after General Sheridan, Custer's commander (and supporter).
Terry, Montana – a town on the Yellowstone River named after General Alfred Terry who found the massacred Custer and his troops. He participated in pacification of and negotiations with the Indians following the battle.
Forsyth, Montana – a town on the Yellowstone River named after General Forsyth who has the dubious honor of being in command of the Seventh Cavalry at the time of the Wounded Knee Massacre (1890).
Marsh, Montana – a now abandoned railroad station and town on the Yellowstone River between Glendive and Fallon, Montana named after Grant Marsh who captained the Far West, a steamboat that navigated the Yellowstone River as far as the Bighorn River to supply Custer and then ferried wounded soldiers from Reno's and Benteen's commands back to Bismarck, North Dakota after the battle.
Merrill Street (main street in Glendive, MT) – named after Major Lewis Merrill, an officer of the Seventh Cavalry who was reassigned a few months before the Battle of the Little Bighorn but in 1877 returned to the Seventh Cavalry and assisted in Indian pacification efforts.
etc., etc.
May 28, 2014
General Custer has always been a topic I wanted to read. so much aura of romanticism built around his last charge. So it was all but natural that I grabbed this one with both hands though I went to buy some other book.
The author builds the story with a lot of poise and effort. Though the title says that this one is about the battle at Big Horn but author goes and builds the character of Custer through his history though it s not very detailed to be counted as a biography but gets you in the groove to understand his personality. In the same way a brief description with the help of important incidents is given about all the important characters. and all this is done in a very interesting way as it builds the story on oneself and one feels like turning more n more pages.
The author also takes care to describe in some detail about the history of native indians and their evolution to the ways of white man and builds the prevailing atmosphere of post civil war USA on native Indian question along with an effort to peep into the mindset of important indian leaders and the general mind set of different tribes.
One point of irritation for me was the lack of maps with every campaign or battle. there is just one map on inner cover and then a couple of small ones depicting moves of convoys or expeditions. one has to re read a couple of times the moment author starts telling about the expedition to make sure who is where and moving whereto.
The low side for me was the description of the main event at Little Big Horn. after building everything up so nicely there is a kind of drop scene there and I honestly think that this most important phase could have been done much more nicely.
Over all a great read. would have been better with more maps. definitely a book which grips you and yearns to be finished in a long sitting until the final phase where I think the flare diminishes definitely. would have happily given 4 stars had there been maps and a bit notch up ending .
on the plus side this one has prompted me to read more about native indian question and laws
The author builds the story with a lot of poise and effort. Though the title says that this one is about the battle at Big Horn but author goes and builds the character of Custer through his history though it s not very detailed to be counted as a biography but gets you in the groove to understand his personality. In the same way a brief description with the help of important incidents is given about all the important characters. and all this is done in a very interesting way as it builds the story on oneself and one feels like turning more n more pages.
The author also takes care to describe in some detail about the history of native indians and their evolution to the ways of white man and builds the prevailing atmosphere of post civil war USA on native Indian question along with an effort to peep into the mindset of important indian leaders and the general mind set of different tribes.
One point of irritation for me was the lack of maps with every campaign or battle. there is just one map on inner cover and then a couple of small ones depicting moves of convoys or expeditions. one has to re read a couple of times the moment author starts telling about the expedition to make sure who is where and moving whereto.
The low side for me was the description of the main event at Little Big Horn. after building everything up so nicely there is a kind of drop scene there and I honestly think that this most important phase could have been done much more nicely.
Over all a great read. would have been better with more maps. definitely a book which grips you and yearns to be finished in a long sitting until the final phase where I think the flare diminishes definitely. would have happily given 4 stars had there been maps and a bit notch up ending .
on the plus side this one has prompted me to read more about native indian question and laws
May 23, 2015
Having read numerous accounts of the various battles of the U.S. war against the western native nations, I found that this account provided more detail from all sides of the conflict, yet, inevitably, left me confused. The author's exhaustive research, inclusion of accounts from natives, scouts, enlisted men, and letters, showed how impossible it is for anyone to assess performances during battle. This book did not appear to attempt to lay blame for the results of the Battle on the Little Big Horn, it just laid out the extensive available evidence. As a thinking person, I appreciate that. As a reader, I was overwhelmed by the plethora of information. I found I could only read 20-30 pages before I had to stop and think about what I had read. I found the maps that were included in the book to be almost useless since battle positions are fluid, and showing where one group was at one minute did not help one understand the play-by-play. I would have preferred that the author include several maps with the moving positions, and refer to them as he went.
I have visited the battle site and spent several hours walking among the hilltops and gullies. I admit that I would like to be able to take the book with me and revisit the site.
While slow-going, Reading this book was time well-spent, and I found it fairly unpartisan for a description of an event that was driven by politics and ambition.
I have visited the battle site and spent several hours walking among the hilltops and gullies. I admit that I would like to be able to take the book with me and revisit the site.
While slow-going, Reading this book was time well-spent, and I found it fairly unpartisan for a description of an event that was driven by politics and ambition.
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