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 "Courage, boys, we've got them" September 24, 2008
"Courage, boys, we've got them." These are reported to have been among the last known words of George Armstrong Custer as he lead 210 men of the U.S. 7th Cavalry into combat with more than a 1,000 Sioux and Cheyenne warriors.
"A Terrible Glory" is James Donovan's 388-page account of the principle Indian and non-Indian characters and their actions in the events leading up to, during and after the legendary Battle of the Little Bighorn on 25 June 1876. Donovan documents his fast moving, well crafted but almost matter of fact narrative with 83 pages of footnotes and a 24-page bibliography. There are also generalized maps showing troop movements and the location of events (most of which, apart from the largest one reproduced three times - on both end pages and just after the title page - being too small to easily read) and 48 photographs of American soldiers, civilian, Crow and Arikara army scouts and Sioux war chiefs.
In addition to his detailed telling of the 25 June combat itself, among the more interesting aspects of the story as told by Donovan, in my opinion, are:
1. The role and character of Custer's civilian, Crow and Arikara scouts: they all warned Custer that the Sioux gathering was the largest assembly of Indian warriors they had ever seen and advised him - to no effect - that it was too dangerous for him to engage such a large force. All reportedly acquitted themselves well according to their assigned tasks and the army's expectations.
2. Custer's failure to learn from prior experience leading the 7th against Indians in the Battle of Washita eight years earlier: in that action Custer skirted disaster - and lost a number of men who were detached from the main force - because he attacked without adequate reconnaissance and divided his tired troops. That experience failed to prevent him from making the same mistakes on a larger sale in 1876.
3. The lack of training and readiness among the majority of the 7th's troops: according to Donovan many of the soldiers had little or no competence in marksmanship or horsemanship, and the 7th's officers made no systematic attempt to train them prior to the 1876 campaign.
4. The whitewash of Major Reno's drunkenness and poor behavior at the Little Bighorn at the army's official 1879 court of inquiry: due to an apparent desire to preserve their regiment's honor and their personal reputations - at the expense of Custer's and that of the other men who died - the 7th's officers lied or disingenuously shaded the truth about Reno in contrast to their damning descriptions of Reno in newspaper interviews, reported conversations and private letters that have since come to light.
5. It was the 7th Cavalry, under some of the same officers who fought at Little Bighorn, that committed atrocities - that were whitewashed by the official inquiry - at Wounded Knee in 1890, apparently in an act of revenge for their prior defeat by the Sioux.
My conclusion is that "A Terrible Glory" provides an interesting and reasonably comprehensive and balanced account of Custer's last stand that will satisfy the needs of non-historians seeking an understanding of the events and context of "last great battle of the American West". Highly recommended.
 You will be influenced by this book. September 15, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is a well-documented reference that provides an interesting insight into the political workings and influences within the U.S. army at this time in history. It also provides a sad awareness of the utterly irresponsible actions of the U.S. government, and the "White Man" in general, as it pertains to the treatment of the native Indian tribes of North America------a sad tale of how "The end justifies the means." seemed to be the operational motto for the U.S. government.
 A good read... not the final word... must be read with caution September 4, 2008
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
I am 3/4 of the way through this book. Yes, it reads well. Yes, there are some errors and even some questionable use of source material (in my opinion). But still, it is a good story that Donovan tells. But it should be read in conjuction with other books on the topic and not as the final word. And Donovan does slant things against Reno. Yes, Reno may be guilty of not fulfilling his duty that day (and quite honestly, not being a war veteran, I don't feel completely comfortable criticizing the guy) but the following is a clear example of how Donovan clearly has it in for him:
p. 461 (bottom)-- Captain Thomas French told a New York Times reporter that Reno had been DRUNK during the hilltop fight and had hidden himself from the command..." NY Times, January 19, 1879.
Now here are the actual words from that newspaper clipping:
"Capt. French, of the Seventh Cavalry, who is credited with great bravery at the battle of Little Big Horn, and a coming witness before the Reno Court of Inquiry at Chicago, stated today that he saw nothing of Major Reno from the evening of June 25 until noon of June 26; that Reno was out of sight, and that he (French) could not find any one who did see him; in other words, that Reno slunk away in a hole and left the command to Benteen."
Please, will someone tell me where French said Reno was drunk?
Again, the book must be read with caution and with so many footnotes, many that are hard to confirm without seeing the original material, it is a painstaking task!!!
9-25-08
Well, I have finished reading this book a couple of days ago. My rating remains the same. I have located several errors (including an error in his bibliography giving credit to an author for a book he didn't write and some errors of fact elsewhere in the book). However, seeing as my initial review has not received a warm welcome with two "not helpful" votes, I prefer to let those who enjoy wallowing in their own lack of knowledge continue to do so. The book was a valiant effort but falls short of being a classic (in its current state) in my opinion. I have suggestions, but again, my thoughts appear to be unwelcome.
Wonderful History, Well Delivered August 31, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
James Donovan clearly set out to thread a needle. He tried to write a completely fair and honest retelling of the 7th Calvary's defeat at the Little Big Horn and the death of George Armstrong Custer. He carefully lays out the past history of all the important characters, warts and all. He then does his honest best to tell the tale of the battle. Not finished there, he goes on to tell the tale of the courts martial held to determine the fate of Reno & Benteen. He doesn't even stop the story there. He carries it on to the slaughter at Wounded Knee, perpetrated by many of the same people who survived the Little Big Horn battle.
The book is very well written and incredibly well researched with a complete set of footnotes and endnotes. The maps are clear and work well with the text. The descriptions of the characters and people involved helped paint a full picture of what was happening in that part of the world and why.
Another book on this topic, To Hell With Honor: Custer and the Little Big Horn, focused almost exclusively on the battle, and while it clearly has more bias than this book, does more to detail what happened, specifically, during the fighting. This book goes way beyond the battle, before and after, to tell the bigger story of the Native Americans and their fights with each other and newcomers from a fledgling country. It's not better than the other book, it's different. If anything, they complement each other very well.
It's a real joy to get to read a well written book that also educates, so this one is really worth the time.
Probably the best non-controversial account... credible enough. August 27, 2008
It starts long before the campaign and ends much more later on.
It lefts no stone unturned, and actually uses all the data available in a tour de force of rigour.
Actually if you are not going to read more then a book about it this one will do perfectly the job.
It is neither pro-Custer or anti-Custer, makes a good job of simply saying what is known and formulating the best plausible guesses when explaining the parts of the fight harder to establish (there other authors are perhaps much more passionate in their arguments!).
Highly Recommended for what it is fair History without undue passion.
ADB
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