After reading this book I only wish that I had read it before I visited the LBH this past September. Dr. Fox provides great detail to properly explain how the excavations and laboratory findings were done and in explaining what they mean. This detail is neccessary to understand Dr. Fox's explanation of what he thinks ocurred at Custer's battleridge. After reading the evidence first, then his well researched literary quotes, his conclusions on the Custer portion of the battle are very believable and fit well with the Indian oral histories. I found it very revealing and immensely stimulating. The early chapters may seem slow to someone who does not appreciate archaelogy but it picks up speed as Fox moves to his conclusion which is virtually a climax of the battle. I have reread several sections and it's a mainstay in my Custer library.

While I doubt that many Custerphiles and Little Big Horn enthusiasts will agree with me, this book may well be the definitive work on the Battle of the Little Big Horn. It starts with a summary of the results of Fox's 1984 archaeological investigations conducted at the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument. After reviewing his methodology, Fox examines standard U.S. Cavalry tactics of the Plains Indian War period. Using tactical doctrine as the framework for his discussion, Fox examines the archaeological evidence discovered at the battlefield to arrive at some very startling and novel conclusions about the development of George Armstrong Custer's last battle. The evidence Fox musters is impressive, and his reasoning so cogent and persuasive, that it is clear that any writer attempting to explain the course of the Battle of the Little Big Horn ignores this work at his/her peril.

As a cultural anthropologist with emphasis on plains indian tribes and history and a frequent visitor to the Little Big Horn Battlefield Monument, I have read Mr. Fox's book a number of times and have gone over the ground with it in hand. I have also read many of the other accounts, both contemporary and historical to attempt an understanding of what occurred at the Little Big Horn. Fox's precise, analytical and well-reasoned account, taking into consideration the physical evidence at the site, seems irrefutable. Contrary to one reviewer, I found no evidence of "rambling" at all, but a thorough analysis of all aspects of the battle from archeological evidence, oral and written histories to US Army Calvary tacitcs in use at the time, that support Fox's thesis, which is different and original from all that have preceeded it. Congratulations to Mr. Fox for a model of historical, archeological and anthropological research. I believe he has indeed broken new ground in the field. If you have any interest at all in the plains tribes, Custer or western history you owe it to yourself to read this fine book.

A very entertaining read. A suberb story-teller, Dee Brown takes us into the lives of 19 participants in the slaughter that was Little Big Horn. We get to meet and ride along with some of the most colorful characters that seem to have gotten lost between the pages of history. Dee Brown has used eye witness accounts, diaries, letters, and the testimonies of the civilians,and soldiers that participated in this battle.
It wasn't just Custer's undertaking, but a full Army battle group.

First time author Robert Nightengale introduces an interesting theory about 'Custer's Last Stand', however, he is not a professional historian, nor is he, unfortunately, a professional or trained researcher. His theories are simply not supported by historical fact. His theories seem to derive from the concept of "what would I have done if I were in Custer's shoes". We end up with what Mr. Nightengale would have done had he been George Armstrong Custer. I agree with his theory that Custer was betrayed by his subordinate battalian commanders, and there certainly is plenty of evidence to support the notion of an official cover-up of the scandal by Washington, however, Nightengale loses all credibility with his unsupported theories concerning Custer leaving a detachment of troops atop Weir Point, and that Custer got across the river and into the Indian camp, where he proceeded to burn several lodges. There is simply no credible evidence to support this view. Overall, it is an interesting work written by an amateur historian.

I've read a few books on LBH and Custer and this one takes the cake for going after Capt. Benteen. If Custer had attacked the Indians with half the vigor that Nightengale goes after Benteen, Custer would have died in a rockingchair in the 1930s instead of the dusty plains of Montana in 1876.

I imagine someone with more knowledge of the fight could take the arguments presented in this book to task. I found the points raised provocative, fun and funny.

My biggest beef is the high price. The book is crammed with glossy photos and old paintings but hardly any worth looking at and many only vaguely connected to the text. Stylistically, it reminds me of a "coffee table" book--the type you'll often see in the 50%-70%-off pile at the national bookstores. This book would make a good paperback and would have gotten five stars if $10 were taken off the price. If you're a LBH nut go ahead and buy the book--you'll enjoy the unique perspectives. If you're a beginner you'd be better off buying two or three other titles for the same price.

We finally have a view of the battlefield from an amateur. what a breath of fresh air i've recieved! it's a game that we as a country have been playing for so long. cover the facts, hide the blame, dead men tell no tales. Mr Nightengale has brought forth a version of this battle and it's clear that custer followed military protocol of that era. the question is, why, when reno was on the hill,and the enemy was carrying the 7th's gidion, did he not acknowledge custer needing support? Benteen, was told to bring up the packs, big village. He watered his horses on the way! The battle field in Montana is littered with graves. this book is the closest i've been to the truth of what happins when a command breaks down. Military duty on the western frontier was a dirty business. Farm boys looking to get off the farm, and thieves,lowlifes,con-men,gamblers, looking for a free ride to the west. This wasn't the civil war days. Custer had an unruly cast of deserters. I commend Bob Nightengale for letting us see the cowards, and the brave men that made up the 7TH calvary.

Classic account by Graham who appraises the LBH battle objectively in one sense but clearly seems to favor Reno's and Benteen's actions over Custer. The Reno Court of Inquiry testimony which Graham obtained in the 1920s in a limited release fueled much of the book.What was most interesting was a lengthy letter from a member of General Terry's staff officer who wrote the letter just after Terry's death. The letter is a defense of Terry who is characterized as a kind man who did not want to criticize Custer after death too harshly. The letter details how in the opinion of the staff officer, how Custer disobeyed orders particularly in the lack of use of scouts that were suppose to contact Colonel Gibbon's column prior to attacking. Fuels more fire in the controversy. The Custer Myth is the better of the two Graham books.

This is one of the classic books on the Little Big Horn fight. The author, W.A. Graham, was a retired Army lawyer who spent his retirement in the study of the 1876 Sioux Campaigns. Graham is almost unique within the tightly knit universe of Little Big Horn scholarship. His training and career as a lawyer made him attempt to be as objective as possible in his gathering and assessment of the evidence he presents. Graham indulges in little, if any, of the polemics and special pleading which seems to characterize much writing about Little Big Horn. For that reason alone, this volume is recommended highly. While somewhat dated by more recent scholarship (this is a reprint of the 1941 Second Edition) it is a "must have" in the library of anyone interested in this famous battle of the Plains Indian Wars.

This particular map didn't live up to my expectations. I guess I'd call it nice. The green watercolor wash obliterated much of the finer detail I was expecting and there wasn't much captioning. From reading other reviews, I'm guessing other maps in this series are much better.

Harry Combs book, "At the Battle of the Little Big Horn Where Was Custer?" is truly an interesting book; that is if you also like JFK conspiracy books. I am not sure where the author got his research from, but this book is jam packed (in it's 120 pages) with inaccurate statements. I've been reading and researching the Battle of the Little Big Horn for a few years now and have never come across this story of how the famed Scout, Mitch Boyer, lead Custer into an ambush. If the author wanted to purport this theory then it was OK by me; except when he tries to rewrite history to make his theory work. One can forgive an author when he makes several mistakes of history like writing "Fourteenth Cavalry" (no such unit) or that Gall was an Ogalala instead of a Hunkpapa. But, you do get terribly turned off to the book when the author make the mistakes like CPT Weir was on Reno Hill prior to the arrival of Benteen or that Custer made a tactical error by sending Giovanni Martini with the note to Benteen; thus depriving himself of a trumpeter. A very casual amateur historian knows that Weir was part of Benteen's Battalion and that Martini was only orderly of the day (actually assigned to Company H (Benteen) and that Custer's trumpeter was Chief Trumpeter Henry Voss. Additionaly, the author does a disservice to the Crow Scouts who fought with Reno in the Valley Fight and, for a few, died trying to save the formation by implying that they purposely lead Custer to his death. After that, this book was down hill for me. I wouldn't give this book a passing mark. I have given this book a one star rating because that is the lowest I was allowed to give. My advice is invest your money in a well documented work from authors like Utley, Gray, or Graham.

A great detailed account of the epic battle from the men who fought in it. Rich with information with the flow of a story book - great balance and a great piece of literature.

I picked this book up recently because I like the Indian Wars and saw "Savas" on the spine. I have every one of their books, and all of them are of high quality and wonderful. I also have the Titanic and Alamo books in this series, which are both great. Man, is this one a lot different than all the others. The organization is just awful. The "facts" are set out one after another: "Fact #766," and then "Fact #767" and so on. What a nutty idea. It makes the entire book mechanical and pedantic.

The writing is also ploddy and unexciting. Really, REALLY dry. Many entires read as if they were just keyed in--and are lifted almost verbatim from other books. Without an index, no footnotes, and about 75% of the entries worthless tidbits of information, why was this book published? I guess every good publishing company lays an egg now and again.

This book is a disappointment in that it has three very serious flaws: 1. Aprroximately 200 of the 1876 facts in this book are nothing more than a listing of the birthplaces of members of the 7th Cavalry, or aliases they enlisted under. Now who cares! 2. Not more than one in thirty of the 1876 facts are referenced! If you want to check out a specific fact in this book by checking the source, you will have no idea what reference in the bibliography Mr. Russell got the fact from! 3. It has no index, which is always a huge handicap for any non-fiction book. This leaves the question "What audience is this book intended for?" It has too many details for LBH beginners, and cannot serve as a reference for the serious LBH student.

Some of the 'facts' mentioned tend to dispute one another and seems that the author just wandered from book to book without looking up any real information. Considering that the last ten years yielded a wealth of information that the author ignored especially about the type of weapons carried by the seventh cavalry. Shame on you Mr. Russell for this sham.