A Terrible Glory: Custer and the Little Bighorn - the Last Great Battle of the American West
Little, Brown and Company - Little, Brown and Company
Release date: 2008-03-24
Hardcover
Author: James Donovan
American history: c 1800 to c 1900, Battles & campaigns, Military History, c 1800 to c 1900, History, History - Military / War, Military, USA, History / Military / United States, Military - United States, Native American, United States - 19th Century/Old West, United States - Civil War, 1869-1934, 19th century, Army, Government relations, Indians of North America, Little Bighorn, Battle of the, Mont., 1876, United States.
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A Terrible Glory: Custer and the Little Bighorn - the Last Great Battle of the American West
Date undefinedThis book is sourced from primary accounts and field archaeology of the battle site.
It is the most insightful, defnitive and useful book on the Custer fight, having have read most others.
It explains the differences between Indian & Cavalry battle philosophies, and reveals why Custer could not win victory at Little Big Horn, and the reasons why such a talented experienced commander missed seeing it til too late.
The aftermath section of this comprehensive text shows how facts were blurred and a Custer legend, good and bad, came about.
For the first time I now understand what happened, and why. This book is required reading for anyone who wants to know what the true story was.
It is nice to rise above the fog of opinion and hear the tale as the ground tells it.
A Terrible Glory: Custer and the Little Bighorn - the Last Great Battle of the American West
Date undefinedThis is popular history done right. Grammar, punctuation and style all perfect; a fine-detail index, a thorough bibliography, and all conclusions documented in copious notes and references; maps at relevant scale spaced through the text, so you always know where you (and the combatants) are, and dozens of portraits, both native American and white, to help you keep track of who's who in the Northern Plains country; facts all organized, clear, and eminently readable, but not getting in the way of a horribly compelling story.
Best of all, Donovan is objective: from page to page you can see his continuing effort to be scrupulously factual, neither condemning, nor apologizing for, either side of this controversial conflict. His ubiquitous impartiality lends all the more credibility to his critical treatment of Reno's conduct during the battle. He blames the catastrophe mainly on the corruption of the Grant administration and the army's disastrous underestimation of the sioux potential for organized battle -- which is surely where it belongs.
Some drawings or aerial shots of the terrain would be helpful (the jacket photo is obscured by title etc), and a final opinionated summary of Donovan's own take would be a good idea. He has earned the right to one.
Bravo!
A Terrible Glory: Custer and the Little Bighorn - the Last Great Battle of the American West
Date undefinedThis was a wonderfuly written book. It had more facts about the Last Stand than any other book I have ever read. The history in this book was well written and the book was an interesting read.
