Mangum, the Superintendent of the Little Big Horn (LBH) battlefield writes a portrayal of the Crook's campaign against the Sioux that culminates in the Battle of the Rosebud 8 days prior to Custer's attack. Since the LBH is roughly 30 miles southeast of the LBH, Mangum is extraordinarily familiar with the battlefield that still looks like it did 134 years ago. The book covers Crook's earlier March campaign where he was first in the field which peaked at a failed attempt to destroy a predominately Cheyenne village which also included some Sioux on the Powder. Crook again restarts in June with almost 200 Shoshone and Crow allies. As Mangum expertly retells the battle, Crook is surprised while encamped leisurely along Rosebud Creek on June 17. Mangum notes that Crook was similarly surprised also with great consequences in the battle of Cedar Creek in 1864 where he was surprised by Jubal Early. In the description of the battle, Mangum points out that if it wasn't for the Shoshone and Crow who spotted the Sioux and Cheyenne first relatively distant from camp while also absorbing the initial attack, Crook's command may have been destroyed. The allies gave Crook's troopers a chance to prepare for the attack. Crook's forces, which included mule mounted infantry and miners, stemmed the attack but as Mangum points out, the Sioux seemed to come at Crook from three sides from the high ground to the north. After Crook seems to control the battle, Colonel Royall with his calvary battalion rolls up the Indian right so successfully, his enthusiasm isolates himself from Crook allowing the Sioux and Cheyenne to consolidate against him requiring a furious battle of retrograde movements causing the most severe casualties of Crook's forces. Mangum states that Crook was in peril with Royall's potential collapse because Crook sent off another battalion to the Indian's left in search of their village that was not in the immediate area as perceived. Only the recall of Mills saves the day but the Sioux and Cheyenne have initiated enough casualties and psychological harm to cause Crook to retire and take over a month to retrofit his command. I was at the Rosebud site in 1999 and had I read Mangum's book with the terrain maps, my tour would have been far more beneficial. The battlefield today is a State park and the modest valley that Crook stopped in on June 17 looks is framed with high hills and interesting landmarks like Conical Hill. This is a great book about a key battle that indicated that the Sioux and Cheyenne were agressive in defending their village which was overlooked by all of Sheridan's generals. This battle besmirched Crook's otherwise great post Civil War career.

Between the confusion typical of any engagement and the scarcity of surviving testimony, it may be that no definitive account of any Euro-American vs. American Indian battle can ever be produced. However, Neil Mangum has produced a through, balanced, and convincing book that is as close as any such work may ever come to being authoritative.

This is by far the most intriguing and accurate book I have read concerning the Rosebud. Neil Mangum's writing is accurate and a complete joy to read.

This is an excellent regional photography book. It covers the general fauna, flora and topography of the Big Horn mountain region of Wyoming in a very artistic fashion. It is not intended as a comprehensive review but as an ex-Wyoming native it sure reminded me of the glorious beauty of the last frontier.

Anyone with a little practice can take nice, well composed photographs. What makes a photograph art, like all art, is its ability to speak to something deeper inside, to draw you into it, to evoke an emotion. Esther McWilliams is an artist and her photographs are pure art; a feast for the soul as well as for the eye. Her ability to fine beauty in the little things that most of the rest of us overlook is also a delight.

We have quite a large library of books and this one is of a quality that National Geographic might have their name on. Not only is it well put together, the photo's capture the beauty of the Big Horn Mountains of Wyoming, and the animals, birds, and flowers, at varioius seasons of a year, it does so in such a way in makes one want to visit and see it first hand. And it is an interesting book that one can set out to be viewed without any concern if a child looks through it.

David Evans's "Custer's Last Fight: The Battle of the Little Big Horn" is a carefully documented and objectively presented analysis of the controversial battle.

This will be judged as a pro-Custer book, but I believe that Evan's conclusions are arrived at objectively, with weight of evidence. With the current trend to portray Custer as a bloodthirsty fool in the mode of Chivington, it is refreshing to read Evans's assessments of the performances of Crook, Gibbon, Terry, Reno and Benteen, as well as Custer, and come to some very interesting conclusions.

The book is a very "good read" with the text laid out in a logical and interesting sequence. Evans blends participant and contemporary quotes into the text, which gives the book a very personal feel.

I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the Indian Wars, and George Armstrong Custer

David Evans brings to life the battle of the Little Big Horn and the events leading up to this important moment in history. All classes of readers will find this book interesting and informative, from the most casual to the serious historian. The latter will be particularly impressed by the extensive array of referenced sources and other supporting documentation presented. I particularly appreciated the objective manner in which the many unknown (and controversial) aspects of the campaign are handled. Conclusions drawn are well grounded, resulting from careful analysis of relevant considerations, all of which are revealed to the reader. Equally appealing are the author's skillful portrayal of literally scores of key and fringe characters, and their interrelationships. Custer's Last Fight will surely be recognized as being one of the most significant works published on the subject. I highly recommend it for all readers.

A truly great interpretive account of the battle. A mammoth size book, 604 pages and 18 appendices, on the Little Big Horn that is a true pleasure to read. Very few battle historians have equaled Mr. Evans in his analytical ability in interpreting the Custer Fight. Despite having studied this battle since I was a kid, I have never made many, many of the connections he has made. The labor that must have gone into this book is overwhelming. Mr. Evans has done a fine job of giving enough pre-Little Big Horn background that there is a basis for his fine job of analysis without boring the hard-core battle enthusiast with factual repetition we have all read countless times before. The two strong points of this book are the analysis where Mr. Evans sees relationships between facts and events that many of us may have overlooked before, and the interweaving of personal narrative that not only often forms the basis of the analysis, but also brings the story to life. I have been reading about this battle for over 40 years and in reading some passages of this book I often ask myself why I didn't think of that before. He makes an excellent argument for the probability that Custer's command was still alive and fighting while troops were on Weir Point. This book is not new on facts, but it is new on analysis. However, many of the facts are from obscure sources that will probably be new to many readers. The book can be read on several levels. Just reading the text itself is a great read and you get the benefit of his analysis as well as the excitement of the details he has built into the story. If you wish to go further, there are very lengthy footnotes that add even more information. The appendices contain a timetable that one could spend days analyzing and working with. Other appendices include a roster of all those serving with the Seventh at the battle including notes as to what happened to them. Another lists all of the Indians known to be in the hostile camp and includes whatever notes are available about them. The final chapter deals with some of the controversies surrounding the battle. The dust jacket is most attractively done with a full reproduction of Stirnweis' "The Last Command". Well footnoted. This book is a must!

A true revelation on what General Terry actually planned in his two point attack of pinching the "hostiles" between two columns and how the plan was poorly executed. The book provides an excellent overview of the campiagn along with Custer's trials and tribulations. But more importantly the roles of Gibbon and the Terry are discussed in detail. From Gibbon's failure to report the location of large villages that could have saved weeks of useless campaigning/scouting for the hostiles for Terry to Terry's incompetent ability to direct the blocking Montana column into position. This book provides a totally new perspective on the LBH battle. It also reveals the failure of Terry from the drawing of his plan to his hands on field decisions. Routes taken by Terry are covered in detail with excepts from diaries, areial photography and wonderful terrain maps. Darling presents well that Terry carefully planted total blame on Custer through indirect statements that leads one to believe that Custer failed entirely and "paid the price". Terry never mentions how he took a long detour through rough country without obtaining information from his true scouts, his engineering officer who knew the land or the crow scouts that lived there. How he marched only four miles in one day, lead the column to a dead end, and lost his gatling guns in a night march. However, he states in his report that Custer turned down gattling guns as if Custer could expect them to keep up with them while they failed to keep up with Terry's infantry. Some of Darlings critque on Custer's decision making from the divide to the LBH could be challenged but they make the book more interesting. Whatever mistakes Custer made, he received his punishment not just from his own but from many others starting with the command. It appears the campaign for Terry was not just a battle against the Indians but one of a war hero's battle with character.

In researching the history and decisions leading to, and culminating in, what is now known as the Battle of the Little Big Horn, I came across Roger Darling's work and became so engaged in it I find myself referencing his basic premise in discussions with other like-minded Little Big Horn "investigators". Darling allows the reader to understand each act in this tragedy from a literal, gramatical and historical perspective. While acknowledging what "experts" say TODAY about the events leading to the battle, Darling takes a fresh approach. "Where was Custer when he made decisions, what, precisely, did he base those decisions on and about what and to whom did he transmit those decisions"? This is no 'Monday morning quarterbacking' from an historical perspective; no 20/20 hindsight vision. Darling emphasizes that neither Washington, General Terry, Colonel Gibbon, nor Custer, himself, had the vaguest notion of understanding Indian warfare and allowed their bigotry to hinder any understanding. Darling reveals the Sioux Campaign of 1876 for what is was, a blundering about on the Plains by ill-equipped, ill-trained and ill-informed offiers and men of the US Army - pitted against what every soldier already knew of the Sioux and Northern Cheyenne; the finest force of fighting cavalry in the world. Did Terry and Custer have a clue about the hostiles' location? Was Washington aware the estimates of Indian strength were erroneous by 300%? And was Marcus Reno the most surprised man on earth when he discovered that the small band of Indians he pursued at Custer's orders led him directly against the largest concentration of Indians ever seen on the North American continent? Historical hindsight allows Terry, Custer, et.al. reasonable intelligence about the force they sought to corral and bring to battle. Roger Darling's well researched and in-depth writing reveals a series of blunders beginning in Washington in the Fall of 1875 and culminating in disaster on a Montana hillside on June 25, 1876. Get the book, devour it, think on it. Not only is it great historical reading, it finally makes sense of what happened and why.

Darling has obviously done extensive research and throws new light on the attempt to make Custer the sole scapegoat for the disaster that befell the Seventh Cavalry at the Little Big Horn. As one who has extensively read in Custeriana, I share Darling's views for the most part. I am not sure what Gen. Terry meant when he referred to a Sad and Terrible Blunder, but I think the blunder applies end to end, starting in Washington D.C. and carrying down to Custer and his subordinates. There has been extensive discussion for years of whether or not Custer disobeyed the surviving order that Terry provided to him. Assuming he did, and I don't think so based on my own military experience (e.g. I'd have felt comfortable with a set of discretionary orders like those in marching to Washington D.C.) one wonders what would have happened to Terry if Custer had literally followed those orders as Terry later implied he should have. Perhaps we need a book called CUSTER BLINDLY OBEYS, TERRY DIES. READ THE BOOK AND SEE WHAT I MEAN.

I just want to share summaries with other costomers

Published six months after Custer's death, Frederick Whittaker's "A Complete Life of General George A. Custer" traces the American icon's life from his boyhood in Ohio through his cadet years at West Point, his Civil War exploits, his impressive rise to the rank of Major General of cavalry in the Army of the Potomac and his transition to the peacetime army. All the foundation elements of the Custer story are stated in Vol. I of Whittaker's book. They are supported by the first person accounts of Custer and other of his peers, and in my opinion, clearly define the reasons for Custer being rightfully considered a genuine, homegrown American hero based on his Civil War exploits alone! [See also: "Custer Victorious"/Urwin; "Custer and His Wolverines"/Longacre; "Touched by Fire"/Barnett] My reading of this book was enriched by the fact that, as a Custer contemporary, Whittaker was not only in touch with the the 19th century ambience, but that he had the added advantages of active service as a trooper in the 6th New York Cavalry and access to Custer's papers, Civil War memoirs and personal anecdotes through his collaboration with Custer's widow, Elizabeth. As a result, the book is replete with knowledgeable commentaries on the customs, mores and military standards of the times. Of special interest to me were the final three chapters devoted to Custer's transition from the wartime to the peacetime army [Book Six, Chapters 1-3]. In these chapters Whittaker gives a clear and perceptive overview of the postwar military structure; the social psychology of the men Custer would come to command; the negative public perception of the postwar enlistee; the deficiencies in the formation of the 7th Cavalry; and the intense political intrigues which seem to surround and infect the military, particularly in peacetime. [For a contemporary example, see "Patton: A Genius for War"/D'Este]. In a clear and interesting fashion Whittaker enunciates the undercurrents which produced the "four D's" (demoralization; disobedience; dipsomania; desertion) which Custer had no part in creating but over which he was expected to exert appropriate control. Whittaker makes it clear that it was Custer's efforts in this direction, coupled with his own naivete, that set the stage for many of his future difficulties with the command structure. Whittaker's "A Complete Life of General George A. Custer" is the spiritual and intellectual great granddaddy of most subsequent writings on the subject. I found that, in spite of its venerability, the book is still productive of provocative thought pieces. As an example, it contains perhaps the first published mention of Custer having been offered a full colonelcy in the 9th Cavalry, a black regiment, which he allegedly refused , ". . .preferring a lower step to a lower grade of service. . ." One may speculate as to how the acceptance of that command might have influenced Custer's subsequent career. In this regard, it is interesting to note that the acceptance of command of a black regiment (the 94th Massachusetts) provided an upward step for Col. Robert Gould Shaw, and Gen. John J. Pershing's early command experience with the all-black 10th Cavalry Regiment (and the resulting sobriquet "Black Jack") may well have called attention to this officer and advanced his career. In spite of Whittaker's lapses into florid prose and blatant hero-worship, I found Volume I of his complete biography of Custer to be emminently readable and informative. I would highly recommend this as a "must-read" for both Custerophile and casual history reader alike.

A buddy of mine is a memeber of a group that works hard to study and preserve the Little Big Horn Battlefield. He let me take this tape home and listen to it. I have never heard anything like this before. They used music, actors and sound effects to make a sort of radio movie. I found this to be really cool and recommend it to everyone. My friend says that it is also very detailed and correct from a historical view.

If you love the old west, then you will love these two tapes. Little Big Horn tells the story of Custer's last stand in all of it's rousing glory. Some say Custer was a fool, but you can not question his bravery! The music and sound effects really make this piece of history zing. I really like the tune Gary Owen. The Bozeman Trail is a bonous program that tells the story of the little known Fetterman Massacre. The similarities to what happened at the Little Big Horn are erie. I highly recommend this for any history buff, or lover of the old west. Sit back with your favorite bottle of Rot gut, and let the shoot out begin.

LITTLE BIG HORN DIARY (and MARCH OF THE COLUMNS) is the best work ever done on the 1876 campaign. James Willert, who passed away only a few days ago, should always be remembered as the true modern-day scholar on this subject. Read this book and you will discover why I say this. This great work has only been in limited hardbound thus far. Willert's work needs to be read by a mass audience. Only then will the truth about Custer and those days at the Big Horn be honestly known...Upton & Sons and Willert's family will now attempt to bring this great masterpiece to the entire populace where it belongs.

LITTLE HORN DIARY (and MARCH OF THE COLUMNS) is the best work ever done on the 1876 campaign. James Willert, who passed away only a few days ago, should always be remembered as the true modern-day scholar on this subject. Read this book and you will discover why I say this. This great work has only been in limited hardbound thus far. Willert's work needs to be read by a mass audience. Only then will the truth about Custer and those days at the Big Horn be honestly known...Upton & Sons and Willert's family will now attempt to bring this great masterpiece to the entire populace where it belongs.

Marc Tyler Nobleman provides an excellent history of "The Battle of the Little Bighorn" for young readers. Early on in this "We the People" book Nobleman declares: "Custer's actions were neither smart or heroic, but they made him an American legend." In this book we learn both why this battle made Custer a legendary figure and why his exploits are hardly heroic. The battle, which occurred shortly before the nation celebrated its Centennial, is put in context of the escalating tensions between the Native Americans and the U.S. government. Nobleman covers the impact of the Indian Removal Act of 1830, the establishment of the Indian Territory in 1834, and the orders to relocate tribes, which came to a head when gold was discovered in the Black Hills of Dakota. We learn about the life of Custer, a brief account which focuses on both his heroism and his reckless streak. I was most impressed with Nobleman's argument that the Plains War was essentially another American Civil War, fought between two groups in the same country. "The Battle of the Little Bighorn" is illustrated with a well-above average set of historic drawings, etchings, paintings and photographs. Although this is one of the shortest juvenile histories of the battle that I have read, Nobleman does a most impressive job of covering not only the battle but the issues that it raises for American history, making very clear that this victory for the Plains Indians over the U.S. 7th Cavalry had disastrous long-term effects for the winning side. The back of this book includes a glossary of a dozen terms, a Did You Know? section with interesting tidbits (e.g., how Crazy Horse got his name), a timeline of Important Dates (including how in 1991 the Custer Battlefield National Monument was renamed the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument and the U.S. government ordered the construction of an Indian memorial), a list of Important People, a Want to Know More? section (for both the Library and the Web), and an index. While I certainly think this book is a solid effort I do wish they had picked a different painting of the battle for the cover, for both historical and aesthetic reasons.

A wealth of wonderful tidbits, articles, interviews, from not only the HERALD but from other newspapers the HERALD thought fit to be reprinted.

I found many confirmations of things said and written in other places that were not always documented.

And it's just a fascinating trip through the summer of 1876 via a major newspaper.

I was saddened when I finished Connell's work -- saddened because I didn't want it to be over. I wanted to read it forever. Connell's book is an absolutely fabulous read! I liken it to sitting around a campfire and listening to him tell marvelous stories surrounding the players, both white (and black), and native American. He even holds your interest while tracing the path of a pocket watch taken in the battle. Connell gives a very good account of Custer, Reno, Benteen, Gall, Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, Rain-in-the-Face, and virtually every player in that conflict. When Connell flitters about going from one theme to another, it is fun to follow him. I cannot recommend this book too highly. Read it over and over again!!!

This book, in my opinion, is a superb introduction into the world of Custeriana and other characters and invents in U.S. history of that time.

What makes this book unique in it's portayal of the General and the events surrounding the famous last battle is that Evan S.Connell, who is primarily I believe a novellist, approached this topic with absolutely no agenda of his own on the subject.

Whilst this may not satisfy many historians it makes for great reading!! Making this a book ideal for somebody new to the subject wanting to learn more or the learned reader who just wants to be entertained and not swamped with complex time theories or arguments over the size of the village etc. There are plenty of books on the market that do this much better but not all are always as enjoyable.

Connell just reports on various different accounts in an easy going prose without really putting his own slant on the proceedings. He simply just writes about Custer, Benteen, Crazy Horse et all, giving examples of both the good, the bad and the downright ugly in all of them.

It is left to the reader to make up his mind on the events and actions of those who took part in them. Too many historians come to this powerful and contreversial subject with their own ideas on what happened, be it pro or anti-Custer, and this has a tendancy to sometimes, neccessitate a need to distort or bend the facts accordingly.

Refreshingly you come away from this book wanting to know more about the protaganists involved but without having a biased opinion on them. The General himself comes over in a fairly good light considering at the time of publication his character was probably at it's nadir.However Connell also shows up the darker side of the man that made him the paradoxical figure he was and why he remains so fascinating even after all this time.

Indeed what the book clearly shows is that what makes this such an enduring legend in America's history is that arguably it's most famous, or notorious, soldier left his mark not by a glourious victory but rather(as it was thought of at the time)a fairly ignominious defeat.What Connell does do is also give the credit where it's due to the Sioux and Cheyenne tribes at the Little Big Horn who actually won the battle that day, which tends to get forgotten in a lot of literature ammassed on this subject.

This was the first serious book that I bought on George Armstrong Custer and back in 1984(which I think was the year I got it) living in the United Kingdom there wasn't many books around at that time specifically on this subject. I found it an excellent starting point to begin further and more in depth reading on the General and his last battle.It may seem an odd subject for a Yorkshireman to show an interset in(I think it might be Errol Flynn's fault!!)but this book certainly kick-started a long lasting interst in Custer and that particular area of American history.

I have read many books about Custer, Little Big Horn and the plains indian wars, but this one is truly the very best of the lot. Connell has given us an exellent biography of Custer, but we also get to know such men as Major Reno and Captain Benteen. Indians such as Sitting Bull, Gall and Crazy Horse are also prominently featured in this treasure of a book. This is so much more than a book about Custer and his last stand at Little Big Horn river in 1876. It's a book about the whole drama, that is the conquering of the west. Also, the photo section is exellent and the bibliography is unparalelled. Two very good maps helps the reader follow the movements in the 1876 indian campaign. If You're gonna buy just one book about the American west, please choose "Son Of The Morning Star". It's history, for sure, but it's not boring. It's also a source book in the best sence of the word, not to mention a literary masterpiece. Connell is a novelist, and it shows in his quick and precise eye for charaters in the play and their often peculiar behavior and actions. The heroes and/or villains is only so human in this highly entertaining book that leaves the reader wanting more. I have so far never read a better book, fact or fiction. Why don't You read it too?