Custer and the Little Bighorn: The Man, the Myth, the Mystery [Hardcover]

Jim Donovan (Author), Richard S. Wheeler (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2001

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 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; a magnificent victory for Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, and their warriors--although it became a last gasp for the Indians' way of life.

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

"Custer and the Little Bighorn" is the first major illustrated book to examine the life of this complex figure and this equally complex battle. Besides being lavishly illustrated--and the first true photographic history of Custer, his Civil War exploits, and his Last Stand--this detailed narrative examines the latest, groundbreaking research and archaeology of the most widely analyzed battle in our nation's history.

Jim Donovan also examines Custer's life in full, from his childhood and days at West Point through his glorious Civil War achievements and Indian-fighting career to his death on the Little Bighorn.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

"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.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

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
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Voyageur Press (MN) (April 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 089658531X
• ISBN-13: 978-0896585317
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #266,799 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice Overview Of Custer and the LBH with Great Pictures, August 18, 2002

By 

Daniel Hurley (Chesapeake, VA.) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Custer and the Little Bighorn: The Man, the Myth, the Mystery (Hardcover)

A large book well armed with pictures of not only Custer, his family, but also of key major military personnel, Forts, leading confederates and best of all, great Indian leaders. Besides the large presence of photographs, the book provides a nice compressed history of Custer from Birth to his postmortem. It's an accelerated read with direct references to historical events without gratuitous detail. In reference to his CW career, Donovan is a little light on Custer in the valley in 1864 as Custer has some conflicts with colleagues over such things as who earned the captured flags versus who actually took them. In addition, Custer's role at Five Forks is a bit large in contrast to the infantry's 5th Corps who crushed the isolated Confederate left. Overall, it's a pretty good overview of Custer's Civil War and pre- LBH western career. I do note that pictures sometimes fill in voids such as the destruction of Lt. Kidder's command and Custer's meeting with Satanta, which are missing from the narrative. The best part of the book deals with the LBH and the author pulls no punches in explaining what he thinks happened. His theory reflects Michno's "Lakota Noon" primarily in that he theorizes that Custer held his battalion on the east side of the river waiting for Reno and Benteen to rally to him to squeeze the Indians his battalion and theirs. But of course that does not happen and the command is destroyed. The author captures all the personal conflicts in command such as Reno's fitness and Benteen's pouting causing his leisurely stroll. The after the LBH evaluation is also quite good recognizing that several elements caused Custer's defeat, not just Custer's brashness, Reno's ineptness or Benteen's bitterness but the loss of surprise, the pressure to attack, the confidence of the Indians, their stubborn resistance capitalizing on the fractured commands and collapse and the primary fact that they didn't run like everyone perceived. Other elements include Crook's stepping out of the campaign with his 1300 men after the battle of the Rosebud the week before against smaller numbers then Custer. But also it's noted that Custer preferred the standard morning surprise attack but after discivering Indians on his back trail, he felt the need to attack immediately with reconnaissance done while on the move. Many forget that Colonel Reynolds inder Crook was nearly Court Martialed for botching the March Powder River attack. Although not mentioned directly, all commanders were under pressure to attack before the Indians dispersed. Terry's and Crook's subsequent post LBH campaigns attest to the Indian mobility challenge. The latter part of the book deals with the Custer legend based on writings, movies and historical hindsight that are based on the culture at the present, WWII era versus post Vietnam. This latter portion reminds of Hutton's great book the "Custer Reader" which is also worth a very good look since it also deals with participant' writings and fellow historians. This is a good book for those looking for a pretty good capsule on Custer that includes excellent pictures and an argument. Then they can venture into the books with greater analysis and detail and of course a greater feel for why the battle is so controversial.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a great read!, June 18, 2001

By 

Katie Campbell (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Custer and the Little Bighorn: The Man, the Myth, the Mystery (Hardcover)

Custer and the Little Bighorn was simply a great read! Not only are the illustrations and photos absolutely gorgeous - giving the reader a perfect visual context for the fascinating and tragic story of George Armstrong Custer, but once I started reading I couldn't put it down! The author obviously knows his history AND knows how to grab the reader's interest from the get-go and not give it up until after the final, bloody battle. This is a great coffee table book - with it's multitude of great photos, illustrations and maps. I think it's a terrific gift for any history buff - male or female, of any age. I'm keeping the first one I bought for myself, but it's also a definite on my gift-giving list for family and friends!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Concise History and Great Photos, June 12, 2001

By 

Robert Caraway (Covington, Louisiana United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Custer and the Little Bighorn: The Man, the Myth, the Mystery (Hardcover)

This is a concise, complete and well researched account of Custer's military career. The photos and maps are fantastic! I finished this book in one day. This is a great book for anyone interested in Custer, but uninformed. It's all here in a succinct well written and beautifully illustrated book.