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93 reviews for:
The Last Stand: Custer, Sitting Bull, and the Battle of the Little Bighorn
Nathaniel Philbrick
3.83 AVERAGE
93 reviews for:
The Last Stand: Custer, Sitting Bull, and the Battle of the Little Bighorn
Nathaniel Philbrick
3.83 AVERAGE
Interesting account of one of the most famous battles in American history. This is the second book by Nataniel Philbrick, that I have read. It's well worth the time.
A fairly tedious read, but one that everyone could afford to trudge through. Thoroughly researched, honestly told, the book cuts through the typical bullshit Americans are taught to get to the core of the story, and the two primary characters. An interesting, and sometimes shocking look at a brutally savage America.
This is a sturdy telling an iconic moment in American history and, yes, a pivot point in the colonization of the West. It can even be considered as the beginning in our unapologetically imperialistic mandate, prefacing what will become for us STO during most of the 20th century.
General George Armstrong Custer, hero or villain?
How about goofball?
Nathan Philbrick is one of the more lively historians writing today. His Mayflower made America's mythic past come alive. And it illuminated the complex relationship those early settlers had with the Native peoples who were friends and saviors and, eventually, mortal enemies. The relationship between white Americans and Native Americans is front and center again in The Last Stand, as Philbrick describes the confrontations between the two cultures that culminated in the Battle of Little Big Horn.
George Custer--who went by his middle name, Armstrong, or Autie to his wife--was last in his class at West Point, but proved to be a brilliant and fearless soldier in the field. His actions at Gettysburg arguably turned the tide of the battle in favor of the Union. After the war, he took his 7th Calvary to the Wild West and became the most famous Indian Fighter of his era. But as brilliant as Custer could be on the battlefield, he was a loose cannon. Egotistical, flamboyant and in his own words, "rashly imprudent" at times, Custer eschewed the standard Calvary uniform in favor of white buckskin. He was the author of at least one book about his adventures as an Indian Fighter, and was already planning more books, a lecture tour and a possible run for President once he returned from the West. He was either adored or despised by his officers and enlisted men; some of his officers' contempt for him would directly contribute to the outcome of the Battle of Little Big Horn. He also irritated his superiors, including President Ulysses S. Grant, who demoted him shortly before his final deployment, putting a more cautious--and less effective--man in charge of the 7th Calvary, an action which seemed to undermine Custer's self-confidence and lead him into something like an "I'll show them" rashness.
Philbrick's intent, however, is not just to profile Custer and his idiosyncrasies. Sitting Bull, the leader of the Lakota resistance, is equally a part of the story. Philbrick depicts Sitting Bull as a brave warrior and an even more courageous leader of his people, a visionary and a prophet. Sitting Bull is chief of the Hunkpapa band of Lakota, and refuses to give up the traditional ways of his people and consign them to life on a reservation. Little by little, he attracts other Lakota bands and eventually Cheyenne and other tribes to join with him in a nomadic village of over 8,000 residents. Sitting Bull does not seek confrontation with the white man's army; he wants only for his people to be left alone to hunt the buffalo on their historic lands. But through his visions, he sees the inevitable coming.
With between 2,000 and 3,000 Native warriors (including some women) in Sitting Bull's village, Custer is clearly outmatched. But Philbrick makes clear that the final result was not inevitable. There's no question that Custer's decisions led to the massacre at Little Big Horn. But he had help from the likes of Major Marcus Reno, who rode into battle with his whiskey bottle to his lips and drunkenly botched the initial raid on Sitting Bull's village. And there was Captain Frederick Benteen, whose contempt for Custer was so great that when given the order to hurry to Custer's aid, he intentionally dragged his feet and when he heard the sounds and saw the dust of a huge battle in the distance, sat around with the drunkard Reno complaining about Custer's leadership. The whole while, Sitting Bull remained in his village, saddened to see his hopes of peace slaughtered like the white soldiers.
It is a fascinating, complex piece of history, and Philbrick makes it exciting as well as thought provoking. He points out that almost all the white American society of the time, including those sympathetic to the Indian, believed that it was a culture on its way to extinction. But Philbrick points out that today the Native populations are growing, and while the culture is much changed, it is in no way extinct. The irony, Philbrick believes, is that "...the Battle of Little Big Horn was the Last Stand not for Custer, who was on the attack almost to the very end, but for the nation he represented. With this battle and its sordid aftermath,...America, a nation that had spent the previous hundred years subduing its own interior, had nowhere left to go."
How about goofball?
Nathan Philbrick is one of the more lively historians writing today. His Mayflower made America's mythic past come alive. And it illuminated the complex relationship those early settlers had with the Native peoples who were friends and saviors and, eventually, mortal enemies. The relationship between white Americans and Native Americans is front and center again in The Last Stand, as Philbrick describes the confrontations between the two cultures that culminated in the Battle of Little Big Horn.
George Custer--who went by his middle name, Armstrong, or Autie to his wife--was last in his class at West Point, but proved to be a brilliant and fearless soldier in the field. His actions at Gettysburg arguably turned the tide of the battle in favor of the Union. After the war, he took his 7th Calvary to the Wild West and became the most famous Indian Fighter of his era. But as brilliant as Custer could be on the battlefield, he was a loose cannon. Egotistical, flamboyant and in his own words, "rashly imprudent" at times, Custer eschewed the standard Calvary uniform in favor of white buckskin. He was the author of at least one book about his adventures as an Indian Fighter, and was already planning more books, a lecture tour and a possible run for President once he returned from the West. He was either adored or despised by his officers and enlisted men; some of his officers' contempt for him would directly contribute to the outcome of the Battle of Little Big Horn. He also irritated his superiors, including President Ulysses S. Grant, who demoted him shortly before his final deployment, putting a more cautious--and less effective--man in charge of the 7th Calvary, an action which seemed to undermine Custer's self-confidence and lead him into something like an "I'll show them" rashness.
Philbrick's intent, however, is not just to profile Custer and his idiosyncrasies. Sitting Bull, the leader of the Lakota resistance, is equally a part of the story. Philbrick depicts Sitting Bull as a brave warrior and an even more courageous leader of his people, a visionary and a prophet. Sitting Bull is chief of the Hunkpapa band of Lakota, and refuses to give up the traditional ways of his people and consign them to life on a reservation. Little by little, he attracts other Lakota bands and eventually Cheyenne and other tribes to join with him in a nomadic village of over 8,000 residents. Sitting Bull does not seek confrontation with the white man's army; he wants only for his people to be left alone to hunt the buffalo on their historic lands. But through his visions, he sees the inevitable coming.
With between 2,000 and 3,000 Native warriors (including some women) in Sitting Bull's village, Custer is clearly outmatched. But Philbrick makes clear that the final result was not inevitable. There's no question that Custer's decisions led to the massacre at Little Big Horn. But he had help from the likes of Major Marcus Reno, who rode into battle with his whiskey bottle to his lips and drunkenly botched the initial raid on Sitting Bull's village. And there was Captain Frederick Benteen, whose contempt for Custer was so great that when given the order to hurry to Custer's aid, he intentionally dragged his feet and when he heard the sounds and saw the dust of a huge battle in the distance, sat around with the drunkard Reno complaining about Custer's leadership. The whole while, Sitting Bull remained in his village, saddened to see his hopes of peace slaughtered like the white soldiers.
It is a fascinating, complex piece of history, and Philbrick makes it exciting as well as thought provoking. He points out that almost all the white American society of the time, including those sympathetic to the Indian, believed that it was a culture on its way to extinction. But Philbrick points out that today the Native populations are growing, and while the culture is much changed, it is in no way extinct. The irony, Philbrick believes, is that "...the Battle of Little Big Horn was the Last Stand not for Custer, who was on the attack almost to the very end, but for the nation he represented. With this battle and its sordid aftermath,...America, a nation that had spent the previous hundred years subduing its own interior, had nowhere left to go."
Eh, it was an okay book. I wouldn't have picked it up if I didn't need it for English class though. Not really into reading military history. I enjoy history, don't get me wrong.. Just not about this sorta topic.
Thorough look at Custer's Last Stand although perhaps it's a little too heavy on the military aspects of the one-sided battle with not enough on the political reasons it was fought. Interesting look at Custer, particularly the relationship between he and his wife and brothers. I would have liked to have read more about Sitting Bull although I do like the fact that he was a newborn dad of twins at the time of Little Big Horn!
Family legend has it that my great-great-grandfather, Morris Walsh, was an Indian fighter and fought alongside Custer, but thankfully left before the Battle of Little Big Horn. Is the legend true? I don’t know. Did I expect to hear him mentioned in this book? Of course not. But I wanted to learn a little bit more about Custer and the life style of the nomadic warrior. And I just couldn’t do it. I did the Audio CD and I zoned out during this book more than all other audio books combined. There were interesting bits. I do have a general sense for who Custer was. But.... ugh. It just dragged on. Maybe it’s because I zoned out but I felt it jumped around too much to keep the people straight. I think I’ll stick to fiction. Those who appreciate this genre would probably love this book.
This was a quick read about a point in time I have been too quick to dismiss. The 7th cavalry was a mess of ego and drunkenness. Because of that, too many soldiers had to die. Philbrick's style is fast and furious. His notes are almost as long as his book.
I am a fan of Nathaniel Philbrick, and I think his books In the Heart of the Sea and Mayflower are both excellent. He is a meticulous researcher, and a good writer.
This book is very good. He takes a very confusing story, that of Custer's last stand with the 7th Cavalry in June of 1876, and attempts to bring some coherence to the events surrounding the destruction of Custer's command. To the extent that it it possible to explain what happened he has done so.
This book is very good. He takes a very confusing story, that of Custer's last stand with the 7th Cavalry in June of 1876, and attempts to bring some coherence to the events surrounding the destruction of Custer's command. To the extent that it it possible to explain what happened he has done so.
At 312 pages this book is about 250 pages too long. The first third of the book was dull, desultory and mind numbing. The descriptions of the battle were okay but not worth the effort to get to that part of the book.