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92 reviews for:
The Last Stand: Custer, Sitting Bull, and the Battle of the Little Bighorn
Nathaniel Philbrick
3.84 AVERAGE
92 reviews for:
The Last Stand: Custer, Sitting Bull, and the Battle of the Little Bighorn
Nathaniel Philbrick
3.84 AVERAGE
Pretty well-structured for military history book. You get to hear the battle from not only the perspectives of Reno and Benteen, but also of Sitting Bull and (to a lesser extent) Crazy Horse and a few more common soldiers on each side. Of course it's a bit anti-climactic since no one knows exactly what happened with Custer's battalion (no survivors), but the grim description of the post-battle field is jaw-dropping. More importantly, it accomplished what The Killer Angels accomplished: making each man seem truly human -- flawed and complex. 3.5
I'm very glad I read this book. Prior to doing so, I knew only the basic, highly sensationalized details of the infamous battle. While I'm still a bit iffy on Philbrick's choice to include tales of the "Indian supernatural" (aka Sitting Bull's visions and etc) as quasifactual, I thought this was a well-written book. I love the fact that Philbrick gives fairly equal and detailed background description of the events leading up to the "Last Stand." He also very carefully navigated the treacherous waters caused by lack of evidence in certain arenas of the battle. (In other words, he took later accounts with a grain of salt because all the participants in certain parts of the battle were killed thus leaving now first hand narrative evidence.)
On top of the excellent narrative, the book was read by a fairly decent narrator. That always makes an audiobook immensely more pleasurable.
I would definitely recommend this book.
On top of the excellent narrative, the book was read by a fairly decent narrator. That always makes an audiobook immensely more pleasurable.
I would definitely recommend this book.
An excellent chronicle of one of the most iconic events in American History. Nathaniel Philbrick weaves a easy to follow narrative that encompases all the key players; BG Custer, CPT Bentiene, Maj Reno, Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse. His use of the actual testimony from the Cavalry and Lakota participants is informative and his thorough research provides revealing context. Compelling read for anyone interested in American History, the Frontier or the Indian Wars.
I really enjoyed Philbrick's previous book In the Heart of the Sea a while back, so I added this to my to-read pile. In it he details, with as much accuracy as can be discerned nearly 150 years later, the events and decisions (and egos!) leading up to The Battle of the Little Bighorn.
The logistics of just how the hostility went down were interesting and educational. However, I had read Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee a number of years back, and therefore couldn't help but bring to this reading experience a cloud of sadness, hopelessness and anger. While I don't remember the specifics regarding what I may have learned about Custer as part of our public school history curriculum, his cultural legacy as a result of his involvement in Little Bighorn certainly feels like that of a fallen hero. And like so many near-legendary figures whose deeds have become larger than life, let's just say that the real Custer isn't so deserving of anyone's adulation.
The logistics of just how the hostility went down were interesting and educational. However, I had read Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee a number of years back, and therefore couldn't help but bring to this reading experience a cloud of sadness, hopelessness and anger. While I don't remember the specifics regarding what I may have learned about Custer as part of our public school history curriculum, his cultural legacy as a result of his involvement in Little Bighorn certainly feels like that of a fallen hero. And like so many near-legendary figures whose deeds have become larger than life, let's just say that the real Custer isn't so deserving of anyone's adulation.
The beginning was a little dry, but the battle was amazing! My favorite part of the history was Barnum the mule!
A very well written and informative history of the men involved in the Battle of Little Bighorn. This book was full of details concerning the lives of Custer, Sitting Bull as well as their families and the other officers and men there that day. I found the story of the other companies of the 7th Cavalry that were at the Battle but weren't with Custer as interesting as the famous last stand. Philbrick's inclusion of the part played by Captain Grant Marsh and his Missouri riverboat the Far West in the story was interesting and reminded me that his forte so far has been nautical history.
The author appears to have gone to great lengths in fact checking. This is admirable and necessary when writing this type of book I. Well written and Kept the events moving and pages turning all covering multiple years as well as viewpoints. Well done.
On a personal note I had to re-examine some of my own believes in what I had assume were long gone prejudices as I read this book. For a historical account to be written in such a way as to invoke those types of emotions was a surprise.
On a personal note I had to re-examine some of my own believes in what I had assume were long gone prejudices as I read this book. For a historical account to be written in such a way as to invoke those types of emotions was a surprise.
Good. I didn't realize Custer and Sitting Bull had so much in common. Both advocated a way of life that was disappearing. Custer's mounting debts and the need for a good story to sell to make money may have led to this debacle.
The reputation of most military 'heroes' has a tendency to rise and fall with the prevailing attitudes of each era. In his day Custer was considered the archetypal American hero: brave, swaggering, uncompromising, a physical representation of the great American spirit in buckskin and spurs. To me, all I've ever known of him was the flipside of that: an arrogant, reckless, vainglorious soldier whose unquenchable quest for personal glory got him and his entire command slaughtered.
Philbrick doesn't set out to demolish or confirm either of these Custers. His portrayal won't overturn anyone's already-established opinion of Custer, and one of the real strengths of this book is that both portrayals are as valid as the other. All history is by its very nature conjecture, and Custer's Last Stand can be simultaneously a courageous last stand against overwhelming odds, an American Thermopylae, and a classic example of hubris and just desserts.
Where Philbrick does succeed admirably in setting Custer's 'last stand' in its context. Indeed, this whole book is context: since Custer's entire command was wiped out, any account of the actual battle at the Little Bighorn is necessarily historical guesswork, and Philbrick wisely avoids focusing on too much detail on the actual battle itself. That this book is still just as gripping as if the whole thing had been exhaustively documented is a real testament to the skill of the author.
Philbrick doesn't set out to demolish or confirm either of these Custers. His portrayal won't overturn anyone's already-established opinion of Custer, and one of the real strengths of this book is that both portrayals are as valid as the other. All history is by its very nature conjecture, and Custer's Last Stand can be simultaneously a courageous last stand against overwhelming odds, an American Thermopylae, and a classic example of hubris and just desserts.
Where Philbrick does succeed admirably in setting Custer's 'last stand' in its context. Indeed, this whole book is context: since Custer's entire command was wiped out, any account of the actual battle at the Little Bighorn is necessarily historical guesswork, and Philbrick wisely avoids focusing on too much detail on the actual battle itself. That this book is still just as gripping as if the whole thing had been exhaustively documented is a real testament to the skill of the author.