Customer Reviews

Gall: Lakota War Chief

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I've known this book was coming off the press for approximately a year and half before it did. It has been a long wait but the book made the wait worthwhile. I bought my first hardcover from U of Ok Press back in 1965, now having several hundred on my home library shelves including Professor Larson's RED CLOUD (1997).

This particular volume on Chief Gall or Pizi many be the closest we will ever receive as a true biography, and though I have read plains history for near 50 years, this is the first on Gall I've seen published. Professor Larson focuses on the life of Gall of the Hunkpapa Lakota (Sioux) and also the times and events of that 50 year life (1840-1894). This book is not only well written, full of plains history, both before Custer and after, but includes several photographs and maps, with some of the photos being new to me. The book also highlights the close relationship between Gall and Sitting Bull (Tatanka-Iyotanka), who had watched over Gall as an extended member of his family as Gall grew up. For 25 years thereafter, Gall had been Sitting Bull's faithful 'lieutenant'. This strong relationship was, however, eventually to be severed once Gall made his decision to return to the U.S. from 'Grandmother's Land' after the years with Sitting Bull in Canada.

This book is just another in a long line of books from the 1930s onward offering evidence that U of Ok has not lost their magnificent touch where publishing solid books on plains history is concerned. And if you have any interest in southern plains Indian history, try the latest biography from U of Ok: VICTORIO. Worthy read, also.

Semper Fi.

I just finished reading this "first ever" biography of the Lakota (Hunkpapa) Indian leader Gall (Pizi) by Robert W. Larson, retired Professor of History (from the University of Northern Colorado, Greeley) and writer, and found it very informative. I want to recommend it to all serious Indian Wars students and frontier history buffs.

It is, doubtless by necessity, somewhat speculative regarding Gall's exact whereabouts and activities during certain phases of his life, as sufficient biographical source material is sometimes lacking. That is to be expected and is quite understandable -- there are obvious gaps in the record. Further, Gall certainly lived in the shadows of more renowned Lakota chiefs such as Sitting Bull (for many years, Gall was one of his loyal lieutenants) and Crazy Horse.

But regardless, Gall was quite a phenomenon in his own right. At the time, U.S. soldiers called him the "Fighting Cock of the Sioux", and Libbie Custer, even while continuing to grieve the loss of her husband at the Little Big Horn, upon first seeing his picture (which was taken in 1881 at Ft. Buford by David F. Barry), observed that he appeared to be one "fine specimen of a warrior". And so he was, according to all accounts. He wasn't notably tall, at least by modern day standards, but he was well-built, strong, athletic, and courageous. And, not unlike Custer, he apparently didn't mind being conspicuous on the battlefield, such as by wearing red.

Larson's approach is scholarly (there are copious end notes) and, at times, though always reliably competent and straightforward, some readers might find his writing style to be a bit on the dry side. But, even so, for people of my ilk who are fascinated with this era of history, the subject matter will inevitably keep one turning the pages.

This book is worthwhile, especially regarding information that it presents on lesser-known actions and incidents. While plenty of ink has been devoted to the Little Big Horn fight, Larson's book doesn't focus too much on the xs and os of that conflict, opting instead to bring out all kinds of interesting details regarding the lesser known parts of the Great Sioux War era, the sojourn of the "hostile" Lakotas in Canada prior to their ultimate surrender, reservation life at Standing Rock, etc. I personally appreciated reading and learning more about these things.

As I read less non-fiction, I wonder if it has made me more nit-picky than I used to be. Like everyone else, I was excited for this book. I waited for years wondering when this man would finally get his own biography, and alas, here it is...sort of.

There is not enough information on Gall to warrant a full length hardcover biography. The information on Gall in this book could quite easily have been put into a 50 page pamphlet. Nothing against Larson in this respect, but he tried to find information that just isn't there.

As Gall was not nearly as famous as his contemporaries (Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, Joseph, and Geronimo) history lacks a lot of the information that makes for a life story. Taking on a biography of Gall is like taking on Crow King, Two Moons, or Low Dog. All of which do not have biographies.

This book spends the first 170 pages or so repeatedly saying he probably was here, he probably was there, he might have done this, he might have gone there, but there is very little concrete evidence. Larson can't even place Gall at such large scale actions as the Bozeman War or the Battle of the Rosebud (he states that if Gall was there, he was probably near the fight holding warriors in reserve).

Overall, the book gives a nice overview of the Lakota war for the Northern Plains and is a nice intro for new historians or folks with a basic understanding of this theater. Of course, this book says the focus is Gall and not necessarily the story going on around him. Larson lives off of Utley's Lance and the Shield and Vestal's interviews. There are a lot of secondary sources in the footnotes.

There are numberous errors throughout the book such as saying Custer led a Black Hills expedition in 1875, claiming Wooden Leg was a Cheyenne leader at the LBH (still a teenager), saying Crazy Horse was fatally shot at Ft. Robinson instead of stabbed, saying women NEVER participated in war dances, and the one that really got me, seeing as this is a book on Gall is the following:

The Hunkpapa camp was at the far eastern edge of the LBH encampment. Larson says that when the fight started, Gall was near the Hunkpapa encampment. He then goes on to say that Gall had to go get his horses from the herd near the Cheyenne village. The Cheyenne village was at the western end of the encampment. Even by conservative estimates, the village was at least a mile and a half in length. I can't imagine Gall going all that way to get a horse when his village was being attacked. Even more than that though, what war leader wouldn't have had his horses tethered outside his tepee, especially with soldiers crawling all over the country? Yikes!

Overall, the history is decent, the reservation years are pretty well covered and if you haven't read the Lance and the Shield, most of the Sitting Bull information is in this book. There are plenty of better books out there, but at least Larson's intentions were good in writing about this man.

Other Native American leaders such as Sitting Bull, Geronimo, Chief Joseph, and others have had volumes written about them so it was entirely appropriate that Lakota Chief Gall was given his due. Gall received his name from his mother who saw him eating the gall bladder of a freshly killed buffalo. Gall's mentor during his formative years was the Hunkpapa Sioux chief Sitting Bull. Various engagements such as the Sand Creek Massacre, the Fetterman Fight outside of Fort Phil Kearny, the Battle of the Rosebud, and the Little Big Horn are covered. Bloody Knife, a member of the Crow tribe and George Custer's favorite scout, was a bitter enemy of Gall's. When author Robert Larson isn't sure of certain facts regarding Gall he theorizes what his role may have been. Gall had two wives and three of his children killed during Reno's attack at the Little Big Horn enraging Gall to seek vengeance. Chiefs Gall and Sitting Bull sought refuge in Canada during the mid 1770s. Canada was willing to grant their followers asylum provided they obeyed the Queen's laws, but would not provide them with a reservation or feed them. Gall later split with his mentor Sitting Bull by living on the Standing Rock reservation which borders the two Dakotas, and his willingness to accept the role of a farmer. Gall was one of those termed a progressive while those like Sitting Bull who clung to traditional ways was called a traditionalist. The death of Sitting Bull who later left Canada to live on the Standing Rock reservation, and the tragedy at Wounded Knee in December of 1890 are also covered. Gall put on considerable weight in his later years (close to 300 pounds) and died in December of 1894 of natural causes. Sadly Gall has been neglected and not as well known as Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, but Robert Larson has done a wonderful job in putting this biography together. I believe Gall would be well pleased.

Gall was a Hunkpapa warrior and Lakota chief who resisted efforts by the U.S. government to annex the Black Hills - and led a charge to attack Custer's men on the other side of Little Bighorn. Despite his achievements there has been much controversy surrounding Gall's role and contribution to the conflict, and retired history professor Robert W. Larson here sorts through different reports, views and source materials to paint a new portrait of Gall's character. College-level holdings strong in Native American history will find it a scholarly survey that covers the known extent of Gall's life, using rare Standing Rock Reservation records, among others, to recreate and add depth to standard reports. It's a highly recommended library addition for any specialty collection.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Brilliant incisive history of the tragedy of the plains indians and greed of the white people.
Wonderful story of a brave man who fought the oppressor ..
The Lakota "Braveheart " and the sad demise of their way of life.
They were /are, a noble people and it's just sad that the world has gone the way it has as their's was the way we should be living ..free and with family loyalties, social structure , and strong connection to "Mother Earth"
Having recently visited the Great Plains areas from Australia ,and having met with Lakotas and visited Wounded Knee and Pine Ridge and the tragedy that is Whiteclay/ Nebraska..I feel ashamed of what the whites have done.

Robert Larson's biography of Gall, the Hunkpapa Sioux who fought with Sitting Bull at Little Big Horn, is what I consider a well-researched and credible account of one of the most mysterious and least known war chiefs. Complete with primary and secondary resources as appendix to text, the decision is the reader's as to the emphasis of some sources over others. It may be that the military and political records overwhelm any indian witness or current indian authority, but personally, that's what I will be looking for to correct the recognized body of authentic sources. Larson did great diligence in telling the whiteman's version. It is a basis to begin the search for a fuller story.

It is fitting that Hunkpapa Sioux warrior Gall (Pizi) has his biography. Definitive biographies of Sitting Bull ("The Lance and the Shield" by Robert Utley and "Sitting Bull: Champion of the Sioux" by Stanley Vestal) and Crazy Horse ("Crazy Horse: The Strange Man of the Oglalas" by Mari Sandoz) were written decades ago. Oglala chief Red Cloud and the Brule Spotted Tail share a literary champion (George Hyde's "Red Cloud's Folk" and "Spotted Tail's Folk"). Generals George Custer, George Crook, and Alfred Terry have received exhaustive treatments. Custer scout and Gall adversary, the Arikara Bloody Knife, has received attention.

It bothered Robert Larson, a retired University of North Colorado history professor, that Gall's role in the decades-long Plains wars did not have the scholarly treatment it deserved. Further, his estrangement from his uncle, Sitting Bull, in the years afterward remained largely unexamined. Though not a visionary figure like Sitting Bull or Crazy Horse, Larson writes, "Gall was thought to be the equal of Crazy Horse if not superior when it came to warfare." He was known by the American troops as "the Fighting Cock of the Sioux." His favorite Hunkpapa name was The Man That Goes in the Middle, as in "the man who leads the charge".

Mr. Larson puts Gall's life into context: Born in 1840, Gall was present at almost every significant action in the Sioux wars - and the primary antagonist in many of those events. Gall does not appear to have been at the Rosebud, a battle in which Crazy Horse figured prominently and a sun dance-weakened Sitting Bull attended to provide inspiration. Larson's speculation that Gall was also suffering from the effects of the sun dance ceremony seems generous. Likely he was elsewhere, having gone off to Fort Berthold or some other trading post, or simply arrived late to the battle and was content to watch the younger combatants. He was at Little Bighorn, however, and lost five family members there. Shortly afterward the assembled bands split apart, well aware that this "victory" would only lead to more soldiers and more misery. After a couple more desultory battles, in May 1877 Gall followed Sitting Bull north into Canada - the same month in which Crazy Horse led his people into Red Cloud Agency and his own murder.

After four difficult, near-starving years in Grandmother's Land, Gall broke with Sitting Bull in making the decision to return to the US in January 1881. An angry Sitting Bull would return that fall. Gall made an effort to adjust to reservation life, trying his hand as a district farmer and serving as a judge on the Court of Indian Affairs at Standing Rock. Indian Agent James McLaughlin's promotion of Gall and other "progressives" at the expense of "traditionalists" such as Sitting Bull damaged some tribesmen's perception of Gall, but such manipulation of various Indian factions was McLaughlin's doing not Gall's. (Resentment among Sitting Bull's allies was such that Kicking Bear's famous pictograph of the Little Bighorn battle highlights Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, Rain-in-the-Face and Kicking Bear himself - omitting Gall's presence altogether!)

As with all human beings, age, rich food, and sedentary life eventually took its toll. Gall died in December 1894, having lived long enough to bear the wretched disappointment of the disastrous Dawes Act and the Sioux Act of 1889, and witness the rise of the Ghost Dance and Sitting Bull's subsequent murder and the culminating evil of Wounded Knee.

Several decades ago, late Sixties and early Seventies activists employed a potent mix of history and mythology to raise public awareness and renew tribal consciousness. It is not surprising that they chose to use the powerful images of Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, warriors to the end. But it is fitting too that our memory of Gall, the warrior who survived longer than they - and arguably fought better, is revived. Wicoh `a ("good deed"), Robert Larson.

This book isn't a biography of Gall; maybe a tenth of the book is about him. Nevertheless, Larson displays extensive knowledge of Lakota history and politics AND of US military, governmental, and national politics. He employs these combined insights to illuminate the conquest and eventual destruction of the Lakota tribes. Larson focuses on the Hunkpapas, Gall's tribe, but it appears that factual information about Gall is scarce. Again and again, we read page after page about general events, then are told briefly that "Gall probably..." or "it's likely that Gall...."

My knowledge is not extensive, having read only a few books previous, notably Kingsley Bray's "Crazy Horse: A Lokota Life. Larson's book, however, stands out for its clear and, to my taste, even-handed assessment of the major events and the politics behind them. Because he doesn't tie himself to a single subject, his narrative ranges, explaining many of the chaotic chain of events that led from the late 1850s to Wounded Knee.

Gall seems like an interesting subject, but apparently his life is more or less lost to history. Still, if you're looking for a clear, one-volume explanation of how the Lakota were humbled, this is a good choice.

I found this book informative but was somewhat disappointed the biographical qualities of Gall were somewhat generalized and in many cases relied upon mere supposition, e.g., the author often describes events or actions as "Gall must have been there" or "Gall must have agreed" or some such phrase. I understand it would be difficult to write a biography for a figure who lived in a culture with no written documentation, but I was disappointed in the overly general descriptions of Gall's activities and impact. More words are devoted to the overall plight of the Lakota Sioux and particularly the Sitting Bull and the Hunkpapa band than to Gall. I also thought the author recycled a lot of the events throughout the book so that he ends up describing the same movements, battles, etc throughout several chapters. The descriptions and words used to describe these repeated events rarely change and so seem redundant and monotonous - as if the author just wanted to add pages. Another complaint is the overuse of describing Gall as "the fighting cock of the Sioux" and as Sitting Bull's "faithful or loyal lieutenant". I was annoyed at how often these two phrases appeared throughout the book and their overuse relates to the above comment about recycling material. Lastly, although the book overall was fairly evenhanded and overall objective I was disappointed to see the Lakota hunters or warriors described at least once as "clever and sly" That's an overused and denigrating cliche.

But that said I did enjoy reading the book and would recommend it to add another piece to help fill out the history of the Plains Indians in the late 19th century.