Publisher's Weekly Review
In this labor of love, Donovan collects the multiple threads that led to the 1876 massacre at Little Big Horn. By the 1870s various American Indian tribes ignored the American government's edict to relocate to reservations. Growth in pioneer settlements had produced so many clashes that western commander Philip Sheridan ordered three army columns to converge on an immense Indian encampment in southern Montana Territory. Donovan's eye-opening description of these cavalrymen contradicts the Hollywood image. These troops were untrained, inexperienced in individual combat and poorly equipped. Custer, the first to encounter the enemy encampment, split his forces before attacking. This tactical error ensured that some units would survive the fighting, here described in vivid detail. Custer's last stand became the Indians', too. Though the army was happy to blame the debacle on the dead Custer, the battle's survivors banded together to ensure no reputation went tarnished in public hearings. The author makes a good case for Custer as scapegoat by portraying him as a likable Civil War hero, flamboyant publicity hound and more experienced Indian fighter than most of his men and all of his commanders,. Exhaustive research, lively prose and fresh interpretation make for a valuable addition to literature on this otherwise well-trodden historical event. (Mar. 24) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Booklist Review
Despite the passage of 131 years, our national interest in Custer, Crazy Horse, Sitting Bull, and other less prominent participants in the battle of the Little Bighorn has not abated. There is still room for this well-done account of the controversial events that occurred on a hot June Sunday on hills and in ravines in eastern Montana. Donovan provides meticulous detail about the men and their times. This is a valuable work, particularly for general readers who lack extensive knowledge of the episode. Donovan doesn't shy away from casting aspersions. Reno, Custer's second in command, is portrayed as a drunk who panicked in his first major engagement against Indians. Captain Benteen performed magnificently in organizing defenses after Reno's charge was rebuffed, but his intense hatred of Custer may have clouded his judgment. Donovan views Custer as rash and prone to self-promotion but not as the ruthless egomaniac portrayed by some of his detractors. He doesn't solve many of the mysteries surrounding the battle, but this is an excellent reexamination.--Freeman, Jay Copyright 2008 Booklist
Choice Review
Not a year passes, it seems, without a new publication that promises to throw fresh light on Custer's fateful Little Bighorn campaign. In fact, a whole publishing industry has developed around Custer and his last battle, in particular. While some authors blame the disaster on Custer, others have been more sympathetic toward him. This book belongs in the latter category. Focusing on Custer's relationship with his junior officers, Donovan implicitly shifts much of the responsibility for the disaster to Major Marcus A. Reno and Captain Frederick Benteen. Although Donovan has done an impressive job of consulting all the known sources, he does not fulfill the promise made on the book's cover of "aggressively reinterpreting the known record." There is little analysis of Custer's views on Native American warfare, which might explain his controversial decisions during the battle. The author's occasional carelessness in citing certain sources and his failure to explain the book's rather awkward subtitle are also problematic. Despite these shortcomings, the story has been told very well, and this popular history will undoubtedly appeal to a wide audience. Summing Up: Recommended. Public and general library collections. M. J. Van de Logt Indiana University Bloomington
Kirkus Review
Comprehensive account of George Custer's career. Dallas-based literary agent Donovan does much kind service to Custer, who has long been without champions. We think of Custer as vainglorious and foolhardy, thanks in great measure to Arthur Penn's 1970 film Little Big Man; only a vain man would have dressed like a longhaired gypsy dandy and gone galloping off to fight every Indian in the West, right? Donovan finds the upside: Custer dressed colorfully and wore his hair long in the interest of conspicuousness, reasoning that "if his men saw their commanding officer share the danger, they would fight even harder." He always made a point to be at the head of the action, golden locks and bright red scarf gleaming. There was a reason that Custer was the youngest general in the Union Army. At places such as Gettysburg, he distinguished himself by brave action against heavy odds, and his Michigan horsemen "quickly earned a reputation as the best brigade in the cavalry corps." Yet something seems to have happened to Custer out West. He shared the general disdain of the white soldiers for their Indian opponents, hubris that cost a young captain named William Fetterman and his men their lives and set in motion the events that would culminate in Little Bighorn--and later, Wounded Knee. But Donovan is no agenda-laden, blind defender of Custer; he carefully notes the results of the inquiry that followed the famed slaughter, when Custer's commanding general damned him for "negligence and outright insubordination." His thoroughgoing account lends considerable humanity to all involved, from the Hunkpapa warrior Rain-in-the-Face to the ordinary privates who died with Custer on that hot June day in Montana. A worthy companion to Jay Monahan's Custer, Evan S. Connell's Son of the Morning Star and other standard studies of the famed cavalryman. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Library Journal Review
Recent decades have seen important new findings regarding the Battle of the Little Bighorn. What has been needed next is a clear narrative for scholars and lay readers alike embracing all of the recent research; literary agent Donovan has written just that. First he provides the context of the campaign of 1876 from both the Native American and the U.S. Army perspectives, with the essential background on the major players. Then he presents what he considers the most likely sequence of events of the battle itself, based on archaeological and other research findings, along with the many Native American accounts that have become available and a careful review of the traditional sources. Rather than interrupting his fast-paced narrative with asides on his sources, Donovan wisely places such discussion in the notes, making them available to scholars and serious Custer students. The final quarter of the book is devoted to the aftermath of the battle, particularly the court of inquiry. Donovan shows the extent to which the army and surviving members of the Seventh Cavalry went to put all of the blame on Custer in what today would be called a cover-up. This book is an excellent starting point for those seeking an understanding of the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Highly recommended for public and academic libraries.-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.