Customer Reviews

Reap the Whirlwind: The Plainsmen

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The Battle of the Rosebud is the subject of this historical fiction work and is an excellent account of an engagement that never received its due as a military conflict of major import in the history of the west. The Custer fight, which occured eight days later, has always arrested the attention of historians and military scholars because of the magic of the Custer name, but the determined fighting by the Indians at the Rosebud and General George Crook's return to Fort Fetterman disrupted the grand design by the army to put and end to Indian resistance for all time. The War Department's plan to have three military columns converge on the Indians and defeat them failed in large part due to the tactical defeat of the army by the Indians at the Rosebud and played no small part in what happened on the Little Big Horn on June 25th. Terry C. Johnston takes his readers through the planning, the marching and the desperate fighting that took place that day.

Terry Johnston makes the battle come alive, the way he moves from how Crazy Horse is dealing with the battle, General Crook to Miles and Royall is incredible. I have become completely intrigued with the Rosebud Battle and looking for additional information. The whole Plainsman series is very good and I've enjoyed reading them all, they continue to get better and better. Can't wait to pick up the next one.

His descriptions of the terrain, weather at the time of year, wildlife, and general conditions of the southeastern Montana Territory are so vividly accurate as to envelope the senses into believing you are there with Crook and his men (and woman). He takes a single historical act and brings it to life through the personalities of the characters replete with all of their emotions.Excellent reading. The pages move at a pace much quicker than expected.