You will be influenced by this book. | A Terrible Glory: Custer and the Little Bighorn

A good read... not the final word... must be read with caution | A Terrible Glory: Custer and the Little Bighorn - the Last Great Battle of the American West | James Donovan

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	• A Terrible Glory: Custer and the Little Bighorn - the Last Great Battle of the American West James Donovan Little, Brown and Company, 2008 - 544 pages average customer review:based on 55 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

beyond heart-wrenching

I finished this book last nite. Gads, what did we do? How was this extermination of the Indians allowed by a loving god, let alone by us Christian white people? I wonder we can live with ourselves. I know it's easy to judge the dead, the times and dangers were so different,..still I can't believe our policy, even our glory, was to kill women and children and old men. As a Republican white middle class guy,..after reading this book I just feel tremendously ashamed. Like I committed a murder and never got punished for it. I want to make amends for what we did to the native americans. I want to take my family to Little Big Horn Park, ..I want to show my kids the whole story from both sides. Thank you, author, for an exceptional labor of love in this very moving book.

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You will be influenced by this book.

This is a well-documented reference that provides an interesting insight into the political workings and influences within the U.S. army at this time in history. It also provides a sad awareness of the utterly irresponsible actions of the U.S. government, and the "White Man" in general, as it pertains to the treatment of the native Indian tribes of North America------a sad tale of how "The end justifies the means." seemed to be the operational motto for the U.S. government.

A good read... not the final word... must be read with caution

I am 3/4 of the way through this book. Yes, it reads well. Yes, there are some errors and even some questionable use of source material (in my opinion). But still, it is a good story that Donovan tells. But it should be read in conjuction with other books on the topic and not as the final word. And Donovan does slant things against Reno. Yes, Reno may be guilty of not fulfilling his duty that day (and quite honestly, not being a war veteran, I don't feel completely comfortable criticizing the guy) but the following is a clear example of how Donovan clearly has it in for him:
p. 461 (bottom)-- Captain Thomas French told a New York Times reporter that Reno had been DRUNK during the hilltop fight and had hidden himself from the command..." NY Times, January 19, 1879.
Now here are the actual words from that newspaper clipping:
"Capt. French, of the Seventh Cavalry, who is credited with great bravery at the battle of Little Big Horn, and a coming witness before the Reno Court of Inquiry at Chicago, stated today that he saw nothing of Major Reno from the evening of June 25 until noon of June 26; that Reno was out of sight, and that he (French) could not find any one who did see him; in other words, that Reno slunk away in a hole and left the command to Benteen."

Please, will someone tell me where French said Reno was drunk?

Again, the book must be read with caution and with so many footnotes, many that are hard to confirm without seeing the original material, it is a painstaking task!!!

9-25-08
Well, I have finished reading this book a couple of days ago. My rating remains the same. I have located several errors (including an error in his bibliography giving credit to an author for a book he didn't write and some errors of fact elsewhere in the book). However, seeing as my initial review has not received a warm welcome with two "not helpful" votes, I prefer to let those who enjoy wallowing in their own lack of knowledge continue to do so. The book was a valiant effort but falls short of being a classic (in its current state) in my opinion. I have suggestions, but again, my thoughts appear to be unwelcome.

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"Courage, boys, we've got them"

"Courage, boys, we've got them." These are reported to have been among the last known words of George Armstrong Custer as he lead 210 men of the U.S. 7th Cavalry into combat with more than a 1,000 Sioux and Cheyenne warriors.

"A Terrible Glory" is James Donovan's 388-page account of the principle Indian and non-Indian characters and their actions in the events leading up to, during and after the legendary Battle of the Little Bighorn on 25 June 1876. Donovan documents his fast moving, well crafted but almost matter of fact narrative with 83 pages of footnotes and a 24-page bibliography. There are also generalized maps showing troop movements and the location of events (most of which, apart from the largest one reproduced three times - on both end pages and just after the title page - being too small to easily read) and 48 photographs of American soldiers, civilian, Crow and Arikara army scouts and Sioux war chiefs.

In addition to his detailed telling of the 25 June combat itself, among the more interesting aspects of the story as told by Donovan, in my opinion, are:

1. The role and character of Custer's civilian, Crow and Arikara scouts: they all warned Custer that the Sioux gathering was the largest assembly of Indian warriors they had ever seen and advised him - to no effect - that it was too dangerous for him to engage such a large force. All reportedly acquitted themselves well according to their assigned tasks and the army's expectations.

2. Custer's failure to learn from prior experience leading the 7th against Indians in the Battle of Washita eight years earlier: in that action Custer skirted disaster - and lost a number of men who were detached from the main force - because he attacked without adequate reconnaissance and divided his tired troops. That experience failed to prevent him from making the same mistakes on a larger sale in 1876.

3. The lack of training and readiness among the majority of the 7th's troops: according to Donovan many of the soldiers had little or no competence in marksmanship or horsemanship, and the 7th's officers made no systematic attempt to train them prior to the 1876 campaign.

4. The whitewash of Major Reno's drunkenness and poor behavior at the Little Bighorn at the army's official 1879 court of inquiry: due to an apparent desire to preserve their regiment's honor and their personal reputations - at the expense of Custer's and that of the other men who died - the 7th's officers lied or disingenuously shaded the truth about Reno in contrast to their damning descriptions of Reno in newspaper interviews, reported conversations and private letters that have since come to light.

5. It was the 7th Cavalry, under some of the same officers who fought at Little Bighorn, that committed atrocities - that were whitewashed by the official inquiry - at Wounded Knee in 1890, apparently in an act of revenge for their prior defeat by the Sioux.

My conclusion is that "A Terrible Glory" provides an interesting and reasonably comprehensive and balanced account of Custer's last stand that will satisfy the needs of non-historians seeking an understanding of the events and context of "last great battle of the American West". Highly recommended.

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In June of 1876, on a desolate hill above a winding river called "the Little Bighorn," George Armstrong Custer and all 210 men under his direct command were annihilated by almost 2,000 Sioux and Cheyenne. The news of this devastating loss caused a public uproar, and those in positions of power promptly began to point 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 significant research and findings of the past twenty-five years--which have changed significantly how this controversial event is perceived. Furthermore, it is the first book to bring to light the details of the U.S. Army cover-up--and unravel one of the greatest mysteries in U.S. military history.

Scrupulously researched, A TERRIBLE GLORY will stand as ta 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.

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