Custer and the Little Bighorn : the man, the mystery, the myth

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Title:

Custer and the Little Bighorn : the man, the mystery, the myth

Author:

Donovan, Jim, 1954- author.

ISBN:

9780785825890

Publication Information:

New York : Crestline, c2011, c2001.

Physical Description:

224 p. : ill. (some col.), col. maps ; 29 cm.

General Note:

Maps on lining papers.

Contents:

Foreward / Richard S. Wheeler -- Autie -- The boy general -- The red tie boys -- The seventh cavalry -- Indian fighter -- Lakota nation -- In battle joined -- Dusty hill -- Aftermath -- Legend.

Personal Subject:

Custer, George A. (George Armstrong), 1839-1876.

Corporate Subject:

United States. Army -- Biography.

Subject Term:

Generals -- United States -- Biography.

Little Bighorn, Battle of the, Mont., 1876.

Indians of North America -- Wars -- 1866-1895.

Geographic Term:

United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Biography.

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Oakdale Library	Q 973.82 DON	Searching... Unknown
Searching... R.H. Stafford Library (Woodbury)	Q 973.82 DON	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Stillwater Public Library	973.82 DON	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Wildwood Library (Mahtomedi)	973.82 DON	Searching... Unknown

This is the first major illustrated book to examine the life of this complex figure and this equally complex battle.nbsp; Besides being lavishly illustrated and the first true photographic history of Custer, his Civil War exploits, and his Last Stand, this detailed narrative includes the latest groundbreaking research and analysis of the most fiercely debated battle in our nation's history.nbsp;

On June 25, 1876, George Armstrong Custer and his famed U.S. Seventh Cavalry attacked an encampment of Lakota and Cheyenne Indians. By the close of the day, the Battle of the Little Bighorn was over and the Civil War hero Custer was dead, along with more than 200 of his men. It was a shocking, unexpected defeat for the dashing one-time Boy General and a magnificent victory for Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, and their warriors--although it became a last gasp for the Indians' way of life.nbsp;

The battle is over, but even now, 125 years later, Custer's Last Stand still fascinates and horrifies us, continuing to stir conroversy and spark vigorous debate.nbsp;

Author Notes

Jim Donovan is a Custer historian and the author of several other books, inlcluding Dallas: Shining Star of Texas.nbsp; He is co-author of The Dallas Cowboys Encyclopedia.nbsp; Jim lives in Dallas, Texas.

Reviews (3)

Publisher's Weekly Review

"The line is paper-thin between audacity, one of the greatest of all military virtues, and recklessness, one of the greatest vices," proclaims Richard S. Wheeler in his foreword to Custer and the Little Bighorn: The Man, the Mystery, the Myth by Jim Donovan. The Dallas literary agent and motivational author (This Is Your Life, Not a Dress Rehearsal) explores possible reasons for Custer's seemingly unnecessary risk and the hundreds of resulting deaths. A plethora of b&w photos, paintings and maps, and prominent endorsement by historical novelists Wheeler and Larry McMurtry (with a quotation on the cover) will attract a large lay audience, though the book has enough spade work to attract scholars. ( June) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Booklist Review

Custer continues to intrigue us long after the Battle of Little Big Horn. It is not as if startling new revelations issue forth, for the official reports, Indian accounts, and anecdotal accounts of varying reliability have been examined and repeatedly reexamined. Of course, the variable in any new analysis is the interpretation of and weight one gives to the accounts. Donovan is the author of several books, a literary agent, and a longtime Custer buff. Unlike many recent accounts, especially Evan S. Connell's Son of the Morning Star (1984), Donovan restores Custer as the pivotal figure in the chain of events. He devotes substantial space to descriptions of Custer's early life, Civil War exploits, and personality quirks. Donovan sees a direct line of causation between Custer's experiences and character and his defeat at Little Big Horn and diminishes the factors of Indian resistance and the errors of Custer's superiors and subordinates. Still, Donovan's utilization of recent time-motion studies and his reinterpretation of various Indian accounts lead him to interesting but hardly definitive conclusions. --Jay Freeman

Library Journal Review

There has been a need for a new popular biography of George Custer to take into account the recent research and archaeological studies. Literary agent Donovan makes a valiant attempt here but falls a bit short of the mark with this lavishly illustrated biography. He covers the essentials of Custer's life in a fast-paced narrative, incorporating recent research as needed to give a good overview of the man and his times. However, when discussing the Battle of the Little Bighorn, he trades probability for certainty and subtly alters the probable chronology so that Custer is among the last to die (scholars now think that Miles Keogh deserves that distinction). Portraits of Custer and his family, fellow officers, and Confederate and Indian foes also enliven the text. For public libraries; academic libraries should rely on Jeffrey Wert's Custer (LJ 6/1/96). (Photos not seen.) Stephen H. Peters, Northern Michigan Univ. Lib., Marquette (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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Reviews (3)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Booklist Review

Library Journal Review

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