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jimmacsyr's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent book. Good overview of the Indian war period, Custer's background, and a little of the back and forth between Indian War and Civil War. The pace has a gradual slowdown as you got closer to Little Bighorn. The march to the Little Bighorn was s...l...o...w... but once you got there the descriptions and story telling were excellent. It was not clear through the audiobook what resources were available to compile the story, so a quick look in the library showed what sections were documented and which ones were pieced together. The book finishes with by going to the end of of the Indian wars, and then details the lives of several key players in the 7th calvary and the battle's fallout.
Thoroughly enjoyed the book.
Thoroughly enjoyed the book.
measiwitch's review against another edition
3.0
Just about finished (will finish on the anniversary of the battle by sheer chance), and have enjoyed this book tremendously - both for its historical value, and also for the local education, as I grew up in Billings, not far away from the battlefield. While the specific details of what was really going on in Custer's head can never be conclusive, this book reaches the conclusions that make sense, illuminating both the negatives and positives of the campaign. Highly recommended for anyone who loves the history of Indian affairs in America, the Old West, or military affairs.
wangx0800's review against another edition
5.0
Meticulously researched and balanced presented, this book followed George Custer from his childhood to the ultimate fateful clash with Sitting Bull at the Little Bighorn river. Every character is diligently studied and every manuve is thoroughly analyzed. This is a great book to learn the history of Great Plains Indians. I will visit the battle ground someday.
lizzybd's review
4.0
This isn’t a book I would typically pick up to read, but the 1-7 CAV was my husband’s very first unit in the Army. This book was so good. I really enjoyed it. It wasn’t a dry, dull read but kept me engaged. I couldn’t wait to learn what happened. It makes me very angry how the Indians were treated. Just awful.
socraticgadfly's review against another edition
2.0
Stilted writing in a Custer hagiography
First, Donovan's writing style, while not necessarily pedestrian, is definitely stilted at times and also grating at times. For instance, I think I would have torn out what's left of my hair if I heard the phrase "dundreary Cooke" one more time.
This is nowhere near "Son of the Morning Star" stylistically. And, it has some copy editing problems.
But, let's get to the meat of the book.
While Custer's reputation, certainly among his surviving contemporaries in the Army officer corps, may have been more sinned against than sinning, Donovan's fulcrum for the book is a false dichotomy: Reno's cowardice/drunkenness/incompentence vs. Custer's incompetence/disobedience/arrogance.
There IS no dichotomy. Both are possible; more than that, both are actual, and were actual.
Yes, Terry's orders were discretionary. Nonetheless, if Custer had listened to his scouts, he might have waited a day for battle. If the Greasy Grass encampment started to scatter, he could pick off fair-sized chunks before it got too small. Also, of course, if had listened to his scouts, he never would have divided his forces. (Nathaniel Philbrick, in his new book, says Terry deliberately set Custer up.)
And, yes, there was the hurry of battle, but the hurry was not so hurried for Custer to more carefully make his decisions and deployments. Most sinful of all was splitting his own five companies into two.
Well, maybe not retreating when he had the chance was the most sinful of all.
And, the "Custer luck" was by no means a sure thing before June 25, 1876. He escaped with not a lot more than his skin at Trevilian Station in 1864, as one other reviewer notes.
And, there are errors, not all of them mild.
Donovan says Custer was on post-war Reconstruction duty in Elizabethtown, Ky. As Kentucky never seceded, this was not Reconstruction duty.
He also glosses lightly over Custer's political activity in Reconstruction years. During the start of that time, he openly called for moderation toward the South.
Lesser errors: The Little Missouri flows into the Missouri, not the Yellowstone. 1876 gave the Dems the first shot at winning an election in 16 years, not 20. President Monroe moved Indian tribes east of the Mississippi, not west, to Indian Territory.
Finally, the book is a hybrid. It attempts to background Custer without doing as well as it could, and it attempts to go more in-depth into the battle itself than, say, Connell, without doing as well as a more technical book.
First, Donovan's writing style, while not necessarily pedestrian, is definitely stilted at times and also grating at times. For instance, I think I would have torn out what's left of my hair if I heard the phrase "dundreary Cooke" one more time.
This is nowhere near "Son of the Morning Star" stylistically. And, it has some copy editing problems.
But, let's get to the meat of the book.
While Custer's reputation, certainly among his surviving contemporaries in the Army officer corps, may have been more sinned against than sinning, Donovan's fulcrum for the book is a false dichotomy: Reno's cowardice/drunkenness/incompentence vs. Custer's incompetence/disobedience/arrogance.
There IS no dichotomy. Both are possible; more than that, both are actual, and were actual.
Yes, Terry's orders were discretionary. Nonetheless, if Custer had listened to his scouts, he might have waited a day for battle. If the Greasy Grass encampment started to scatter, he could pick off fair-sized chunks before it got too small. Also, of course, if had listened to his scouts, he never would have divided his forces. (Nathaniel Philbrick, in his new book, says Terry deliberately set Custer up.)
And, yes, there was the hurry of battle, but the hurry was not so hurried for Custer to more carefully make his decisions and deployments. Most sinful of all was splitting his own five companies into two.
Well, maybe not retreating when he had the chance was the most sinful of all.
And, the "Custer luck" was by no means a sure thing before June 25, 1876. He escaped with not a lot more than his skin at Trevilian Station in 1864, as one other reviewer notes.
And, there are errors, not all of them mild.
Donovan says Custer was on post-war Reconstruction duty in Elizabethtown, Ky. As Kentucky never seceded, this was not Reconstruction duty.
He also glosses lightly over Custer's political activity in Reconstruction years. During the start of that time, he openly called for moderation toward the South.
Lesser errors: The Little Missouri flows into the Missouri, not the Yellowstone. 1876 gave the Dems the first shot at winning an election in 16 years, not 20. President Monroe moved Indian tribes east of the Mississippi, not west, to Indian Territory.
Finally, the book is a hybrid. It attempts to background Custer without doing as well as it could, and it attempts to go more in-depth into the battle itself than, say, Connell, without doing as well as a more technical book.
amarj33t_5ingh's review against another edition
4.0
Chief Sitting Bull-The General who outgeneraled Custer. General George Armstrong Custer-The slain General who went down in history.
'A Terrible Glory' is a study in juxtapositions situated against the historic twilight of the Manifest Destiny hysteria which witnessed America urbanize its Westward frontier. General George Armstrong Custer was tasked by the United States Government under incumbent President Rutherford B. Hayes to acquire the mineral rich Black Hills for American territory. On the opposing end of the paradigm were the Sioux Tribes under the stewardship of Chief Sitting Bull who opposed attempts made at conquering their sacred lands.
'A Terrible Glory' charts how Custer sat out to confront the Sioux and rid the Black Hills of their presence. Custer had his eyes set on history feeling that he would earn a glorious niche within its annals if he expelled the troublesome Sioux from their homelands. Sitting Bull, fired by the cry of his faith, and the Sioux prepared to defend the 'temples of their forefathers' to the death and court martyrdom in doing so.
Custer's bid for glory blinded him and heightened his arrogance. As Donovan establishes, he made critical strategic errors; entrusted tactical arrangements to military officers wanting in such affairs and ignored the advise of his contumacious Captain Fredrick Benteen to avoid regular stratagems against the Sioux. The ultimate result was that Custer stumbled into an ambush of herculean proportions. He had divided his forces too far and was easily outflanked by the Sioux on their swift moving horses. Ultimately, he and 268 soldiers under his command perished under a savage hale of arrows and bullets unleashed by the fearsome Sioux.
Donovan's prose is exceptional and avoids the specialized terms otherwise used for military histories. If anything, he is highly critical of Custer but this is no biased vilification. Where he is found wanting is in his narrative which is at times tedious and highly steeped in military lore; to the degree it digresses from the history at hand and goes into a deep exploration of how a certain gun came into being. Otherwise, this is a very critical study of how human error contributes to military catastrophe.
'A Terrible Glory' is a study in juxtapositions situated against the historic twilight of the Manifest Destiny hysteria which witnessed America urbanize its Westward frontier. General George Armstrong Custer was tasked by the United States Government under incumbent President Rutherford B. Hayes to acquire the mineral rich Black Hills for American territory. On the opposing end of the paradigm were the Sioux Tribes under the stewardship of Chief Sitting Bull who opposed attempts made at conquering their sacred lands.
'A Terrible Glory' charts how Custer sat out to confront the Sioux and rid the Black Hills of their presence. Custer had his eyes set on history feeling that he would earn a glorious niche within its annals if he expelled the troublesome Sioux from their homelands. Sitting Bull, fired by the cry of his faith, and the Sioux prepared to defend the 'temples of their forefathers' to the death and court martyrdom in doing so.
Custer's bid for glory blinded him and heightened his arrogance. As Donovan establishes, he made critical strategic errors; entrusted tactical arrangements to military officers wanting in such affairs and ignored the advise of his contumacious Captain Fredrick Benteen to avoid regular stratagems against the Sioux. The ultimate result was that Custer stumbled into an ambush of herculean proportions. He had divided his forces too far and was easily outflanked by the Sioux on their swift moving horses. Ultimately, he and 268 soldiers under his command perished under a savage hale of arrows and bullets unleashed by the fearsome Sioux.
Donovan's prose is exceptional and avoids the specialized terms otherwise used for military histories. If anything, he is highly critical of Custer but this is no biased vilification. Where he is found wanting is in his narrative which is at times tedious and highly steeped in military lore; to the degree it digresses from the history at hand and goes into a deep exploration of how a certain gun came into being. Otherwise, this is a very critical study of how human error contributes to military catastrophe.
tarheel99's review
4.0
A very good book. A tad dry in places early on, but really gets going the closer it gets to the events of Custer's Last Stand. I knew about the battle, of course, but really didn't know the details and particulars that led to the events, or what actually happened that day that caused Custer and his troops to be defeated so thoroughly. This book has a lot of detail and gives a nearly minute by minute accounting of what happened at Little Bighorn. If you like books about history, I recommend this one highly.
jwest87's review against another edition
5.0
This was one of the first history books that I read for fun. It kept me engaged back then, and now after a second reading, I'm happy to say it still does. While this topic has been covered in plenty of topics, I enjoyed Mr. Donovan's writing style. If you have no knowledge of the battle, or only know the myth of it, this book is a great place to start.
chan_fry's review against another edition
4.0
This was a fascinating read, filling many gaps in my knowledge about this infamous portion of U.S. history. When I read it in 2010, I wrote a longer review for my website.
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