A Terrible Glory: Custer and the Little Bighorn - the Last Great Battle of the American West | 
| Author: James Donovan
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Category: Book
List Price: $26.99
Buy New: $13.70
You Save: $13.29 (49%)
New (49) Used (8) Collectible (1) from $13.35
Avg. Customer Rating:  38 reviews
Sales Rank: 3572
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 544
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.5
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.6
ISBN: 0316155780
Dewey Decimal Number: 973.82
EAN: 9780316155786
ASIN: 0316155780
Publication Date: March 24, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand new! No scratches or creases. Ships fast!
|
| Also Available In:
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
In June of 1876, on a desolate hill above a winding river called "the Little Bighorn," George Armstrong Custer and all 210 men under his direct command were annihilated by almost 2,000 Sioux and Cheyenne. The news of this devastating loss caused a public uproar, and those in positions of power promptly began to point fingers in order to avoid responsibility. Custer, who was conveniently dead, took the brunt of the blame.
The truth, however, was far more complex. A TERRIBLE GLORY is the first book to relate the entire story of this endlessly fascinating battle, and the first to call upon all the significant research and findings of the past twenty-five years--which have changed significantly how this controversial event is perceived. Furthermore, it is the first book to bring to light the details of the U.S. Army cover-up--and unravel one of the greatest mysteries in U.S. military history.
Scrupulously researched, A TERRIBLE GLORY will stand as ta landmark work. Brimming with authentic detail and an unforgettable cast of characters--from Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse to Ulysses Grant and Custer himself--this is history with the sweep of a great novel.
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 33 more reviews...
 Exceptionally well-written and researched July 7, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
With so many accolades, it is a challenge to say something to add to the fine reviews preceding my own. This book is very well-written and the quality and depth of material and insight in the end notes probably put it in a class by itself where Custer books are concerned. I read the first part of "A Terrible Glory" with a bookmark at the end so that I could switch back and forth from the text to the end notes. As this was detracting from the flow of my reading and my appreication of the fine writing, I dispensed with this practice, resorting to reading the end notes following the text for each chapter. I advise other readers to do the same.
The best part of this book, for me, was the extensive treatment provided to the battle's aftermath, especially the Reno Court of Inquiry. Most Little Big Horn books, understandably so, borrow extensively from the Court of Inquiry testimony and place it within the context of an author's reconstruction of the events of June 25 and 26, 1876. Here, we are treated to an entire chapter on the Reno Court of Inquiry as a historical event in its own right. Perhaps an example of some of his new discoveries on this event will serve to highlight the quality of the book as a whole. I had long known that the Inquiry Court was held at the Palmer House hotel in Chicago where Phil Sheridan also housed his Division of the Missouri headquarters. This fact seemed to indicate that it was held there so that Sheridan could have an overpowering, unspoken presence over the proceedings, thereby reminding everyone to avoid a verdict that would embarass him or the army. Mr. Donovan's research revealed that, yes, Sheridan's Division of the Missouri was headquartered in Chicago but it only moved to the Palmer House a few weeks prior to the Inquiry Court when the office building where it was housed was destroyed by fire.
Another intriguing post-battle chapter is the one entitled "The Lost Captain" which precedes and blends with the one covering the Inquiry Court. This chapter title would seem to refer to the self-proclaimed "Captain" Frederick Whittaker who never rose above the rank of lieutenant and had once published dime novels, including one with the title of "The Lost Captain." His hagiographic biography of Custer, published less than six months after the battle, expressed strong condemnation of Reno and thus touched off the chain of events that led to the Reno Court of Inquiry. Most likely though, the title applies to Captain Thomas Weir who died six months after the battle, succumbing to alcoholism; he was the officer who, over Reno's objections, led the movement of various 7th Cavalry companies off Reno Hill and towards the sound of Custer's gunfire. Weir was haunted by the deaths of Custer and his five companies, which only served to exacerbate his drinking problem. His death coincided to the very day with the publication of Whittaker's Custer biography and his thoughts found life in the book as he was interviewed by Whittaker before he passed away. The abscence of his testimony at the subsequent Reno Inquiry has always intrigued battle students, serving up yet more "what if's?" in speculating what the lost captain might have said had he lived. Mr. Donovan references Dr. Chuck Merkel's unpublished thesis on the life of Weir, thus adding to the huge cache of sources he has tapped for this book.
Some reviewers have portrayed this book as a pro-Custer, down-with-Reno effort. Yes, he explores the many negative questions surrounding Reno's battlefield performance but backs them up with primary sources (for example, three pages of end notes consisting of quotes from first-hand battle participants who claim to have seen Reno drinking and/or drunk on June 25-26). These areas of controversy are presented in a judicious, non-judgmental manner. If Mr. Donovan's comes across as pro-Custer, it may be due to the fact that a number of books in print as well as TV "documentaries" go out of their way to portray Custer as someone that he clearly wasn't--an incompetent egomaniac out to kill men, women and children. Mr. Donovan gives us a balanced rendering of the three Little Big Horn military commanders--Custer, Reno and Benteen--their strengths as well as their flaws.
In conclusion, in my opinion, this book is destined to join other Custer classics--Custer's Luck, The Custer Myth, Custer's Last Campaign, Lakota Noon, Son of the Morning Star (Terrible Glory is much better) and Where Custer Fell. It is the best book you could give someone who asks "Why do you keep reading about this battle?"
 Good, but, no maps July 6, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I generally (no pun intended) liked this book. It was a very good supplement to other LBH books, and covers new ground. (again, no play on words) However, it was sorely lacking in maps. It had a few, very few, but was certainly difficult to follow troop movements without these maps. Granted, (again,...) many readers will be familiar with the battle, and the troop, and Indian, movements during the action, but reading along and trying to visualize what is occurring is not always easy without prior knowledge.
For all the author's research, and there clearly is a lot, with tremendous references and notes, the lack of maps and diagrams showing the action is a real disadvantage to this book.
An excellent overview July 2, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I am not, as some of the other reviewers here clearly are, a professional student of the Battle of the Little Bighorn. I bought this book as a reader interested in American History generally, and in the American West in particular. What I found was a highly readable book that seemed, to me at least, to treat the various actors involved in this battle fairly. James Donovan did an excellent job of placing the battle in its historical context. I enjoyed the general historical review leading up to the battle and the numerous firsthand accounts throughout the coverage of the battle itself, but I found the author's coverage of the aftermath of the battle to be especially informative. James Donovan's conclusions that the officers of the 7th closed ranks around Reno, despite his serious blunders and drunkenness, out of honor and political necessity was logically presented and well-supported.
Prior to reading this book, I was under the impression that the 7th went into battle as a well-armed, well-supplied fighting force. I was also under the impression that the battle's clear cut hero was Benteen. Donovan's narrative goes to great lengths to clear up both of these misconceptions. I would recommend this book to anyone looking to build a better understanding of the Battle of the Little Bighorn, both in the particulars of the battle itself and in its larger context as a turning point in the history of the American west.
Cinematic and compelling June 24, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Because I am working on a related project, I've read quite a bit of the Custer literature lately, both scholarly works and more popular treatments. I hasten to clarify that I am not a Custer enthusiast or expert, and that the existing literature is sprawling at least. I was skeptical of yet another general treatment of the battle, but Donovan's writing makes the scene come alive in almost cinematic fashion. Reading this book enabled me to clearly visualize how events unfolded, which is no small task. As a scholar with a general working knowledge, I'm impressed with his diligent mining of primary sources, old and new, and by his artful use of obscure but telling details to bring events and people-mainly U.S. Army soldiers- to life. The bibliography leaves little to be desired, but the book reads like a novel. While personalities come vividly to light, Donovan does not dwell on the persona of Custer, and he rejects the notion that Custer's actions doomed the Seventh cavalry. Rather, by linking together unfolding circumstances and decisions as if a clock is ticking, he makes the battle seem almost like a "perfect storm" of errors colliding to ensnare Custer and his men-perhaps this was Sitting Bull's medicine? He also makes a strong case for Custer having been scapegoated after the battle in order to obscure the conduct and decisions of others, including his superiors and, of course, Reno. In other words, an informed and nuanced reading, narrated with remarkable clarity and verve.
Finally, a book that does an excellent job of telling this story in a readable format June 22, 2008
5 out of 7 found this review helpful
The Battle of the Little Big Horn appears to be the most written military history single event ever. More than any event of World War II, the Civil War, or any other period of military history. However, most of the books that have been written on this event are either dry or biased or both. There have been a couple of good books on this topic: Robert Utley's book, Cavalier in Buckskin and Son of the Morningstar by Evan
Connell (which is in reality a historical novel). However, this book beats them all, digging through all the boring, recent analysis on the battle, and integrating that with well-written older books to provide an excellent, yes, an excellent history of the Battle of the Little Big Horn, from the troopers perspective and from the Indians perspective integrating both sides into an interesting book. The chapter on the massacre of Custer's battalion is the best - concise and clear based on the best thinking over all the years of studying and re-studying this event. After that, the book goes through what happened afterwards, how the event was communicated, the impact, the early criticisms of Custer, Reno's farce of a trial, and what happened to the major players in this event afterwards: Reno, Benteen, Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, and the many of the minor players including Custer's wife - Lizzy. If there is one book that you own on the Battle of the Little Big Horn, this is it. I highly recommend this book to any individual interested in this battle.
|
|
|
