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

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

Nathaniel Philbrick is one of America's best and most popular historians. An expert in naval matters he turns his attention to the Battle of the Little Bighorn fought on June 25, 1876. This battle has spilled more bottles of ink than any other single military engagement ever fought on American soil. Philbrick the author of such bestsellers as "Mayflower"and "The Sea of Glory" has done an excellent job of writing, researching and telling the familiar story of "Custer's Last Stand" with new insights on the battle. Among the fascinating lead players in this book:
1. George Armstrong Custer (1838-1876) was a flamboyant genuine hero of the Civil War. He won the crucial cavalry battle at Gettysburg and was given the surrender table at Appamattox by General Sheridan. His brother Tom Custer who died with him at the Little Bighorn won two Congressional Medals of Honor during the Civil War. Custer was a, well read man who graduated last in his West Point Class. His best friend was Shakespearean actor Lawerence Barrett. His gods were fame, glory and power. Custer wanted to win a big victory over the Indians in 1876 so he could star on the lecture circuit back East. He loved the smell of battle and was fun loving, unorthodox and clannish. Custer was criticized for his actions at the battle of the Washita in 1868 and his military service in the Black Hills in 1874 forcing Indians out of their sacred region. He was a womanizer but his wife Libby and he loved each other. The couple was childless. She became the Custer spin doctor following "Audie's" death at Little Big Horn. Custer was a native of Ohio; his brothers Boston and Tom died with him on June 25. His body was mutilated; he died with a smile on his face that is mysterious. He has become a mythic figure in American history.
2. Sitting Bull was the leader of the Sioux and Cheyenne warriors who defeated the 7th Cavalry on June 25. He, like Custer, died a violent death being murdered by Indian police from the reservation in 1890. He was a brave warrior who had killed a Crow Chief in his youth. He was also a spiritual chief dancing the Sun Dance and seeing visions of his people's future. He made one tour with the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show and was famous.
3. Custer had enemies in the 7th Cavalry most notably Marcus Reno and Fredrick Benteen. These two men despised Custer. They both failed to unite their forces with Custer on the day of the battle. Reno retreated and fought against the Indians despite his drunken condition. Benteen did not bring the needed ammunition and supplies to Custer in time to save lives. One reason for the defeat was the divided command. Alfred Terry was the overall commander of the expedition but did not participate in the battle. Nor did General George Crook force was was seeking to reach the 7th in time to save the day.
4. Grant Marsh was the riverboat pilot who transported the army up the Yellowstone River; he was the first man to report about the disaster.
5. Many Indian warriors are profiled in this long book. We see pictographs of the battle and learn about the warrior culture of the plains Indians. Their survival depended on the buffalo but that beast had been slaughtered by the white hunters who roamed the West.
Phibrick is to be commended for letting the reader hear the Indian side of the story. The book has over 100 pages of footnotes, an extensive bibliography and beautiful black and white and color photos of the Little Bighorn region. Helpful maps are also included.
If you are only going to read one book on the Little Bighorn battle this is the one! Excellent!

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

• ISBN13: 9780670021727
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The Last Stand: Custer, Sitting Bull, and the Battle of the Little Bighorn Overview

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 last stands, from the Spartans' defeat at Thermopylae to Davy Crockett at the Alamo.

In his tightly structured narrative, Nathaniel Philbrick brilliantly sketches the two larger-than-life antagonists: Sitting Bull, whose charisma and political savvy earned him the position of leader of the Plains Indians, and George Armstrong Custer, one of the Union's greatest cavalry officers and a man with a reputation for fearless and often reckless courage. Philbrick reminds readers that the Battle of the Little Bighorn was also, even in victory, the last stand for the Sioux and Cheyenne Indian nations. Increasingly outraged by the government's Indian policies, the Plains tribes allied themselves and held their ground in southern Montana. Within a few years of Little Bighorn, however, all the major tribal leaders would be confined to Indian reservations.

Throughout, Philbrick beautifully evokes the history and geography of the Great Plains with his characteristic grace and sense of drama. The Last Stand is a mesmerizing account of the archetypal story of the American West, one that continues to haunt our collective imagination.

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Customer Reviews

Great Read! - Robert F. Moore - Bedford, TX USA
Excellent book with some remarkable insight as to what happened both before - during - and after the Battle at Litte Bighorn. The Native American narrative alone, is worth the read. Obviously meticulously researched and documented on all sides of the matter. Difficult to keep all the players straight - but interesting just the same. Highly recommended.





Disappointingly superficial - D. Epstein - Bahama, NC United States
I was very disappointed in this book. Although it was interesting to learn a few new historical facts, there was little character insight into George Custer or Sitting Bull. In particular Sitting Bull was only superficially sketched as one might obtain from an encyclopedia or school textbook. The whole entity is too superficial.










Excellent book - Neil Farlow - Mesa AZ USA
This is a superbly researched account of the famous battle, its build-up and consequences. I gained a greater knowledge of the many facets of the fight and cleared up some misconceptions I had about Reno's involvement. I have visited the Little Bighorn battle location several times, but this book clarifies the setting. The last 154 pages of the book, about 1/4 of the volume, is the Appendix consisting of the author's research notes and attributions. Unless you are a researcher on this subject, it is best skipped.

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