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107 of 114 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Where Custer Fell" Its Legacy Will Live On For Decades, November 2, 2005
This review is from: Where Custer Fell: Photographs of the Little Bighorn Battlefield Then and Now (Hardcover)
The project that sent three historians trudging across every acre of Custer Battlefield and beyond is finally complete - for now. "Where Custer Fell" is a testament to the teamwork, fellow admiration, and knowledge of Dr. James Brust, the late Brian Pohanka, and Sandy Barnard.
The concept behind "Where Custer Fell" is something I've wanted to see ever since I found the book "Yellow Ore, Yellow Hair, Yellow Pine: A Photographic Study of a Century of Forest Ecology" during my first trip to the Black Hills in 1978. The spiral book by Donald R. Progulske and Richard H. Sowell is a study of the 1874 Black Hills expedition led by George A. Custer told in before and after photographs. Photographer Sowell researched historic photos of Custer's camps including the long lines of wagons, livestock, and soldiers beside mountains, forest, and streams. Sowell then hiked throughout the Black Hills to locate the exact spot from which the historic photos were shot - there he set up the camera and snapped a contemporary photo. The before and after photos included in "Yellow Ore" give the reader an opportunity to look at and wonder how much the landscape has changed due to man and nature.
Brust had similar ideas, however his subject would be the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument. The task he found himself under far outweighed the requirements Sowell encountered - Sowell was looking at one set of historic photos. Brust's monumental mission involved one of the most photographed battlefields of the Indian Wars -- photographers have been active there since 1877!
Brust soon realized that he couldn't do it alone. Coming on board next to help with the project was Brian Pohanka followed not long afterwards by Barnard. Together they would spend many seasons walking over the battlefield - over a decade. Imagine how long it would've taken Brust to do it alone.
"Where Custer Fell" is richly researched and elegantly written. The three authors have provided us an invaluable resource regarding the changing faces of Custer Battlefield - it's quite surprising to discover just how little the face has changed.
The story of Custer's Last Stand has been told in countless books, so why another - what can this book offer that others do not? I have to admit that I don't read every single book regarding this subject because many are just not worth the cost or time required, especially when they are fraught with redundancy or biased viewpoints. We are fortunate that Brust, Pohanka, and Barnard have provided a book that is indeed very much worth its inexpensive price and our time spent studying it.
"Where Custer Fell" is not a rehash of the same old stuff, albeit some of it may be well known to the average Custer buff. However, I dare any buff, after completely reading the book, to walk away without an extensive body of new and refreshing historical material.
We are not forced to waddle through the causes and aftermath of the Sioux War - instead, the authors start their story as Custer divides his forces the afternoon of June 25, 1876. The narrative is the most all-embracing and satisfying telling of the Battle of the Little Bighorn in decades - even for the expert. Sharing in this adventure are the wonderful historic and comparison photos. As I turned each page the excitement of what the next photo might reveal was masterful.
The authors provide many interpretations from different historians, however they set their own course; analyze the facts, and draw their own unique conclusions. The narrative does not burden us with finger pointing or blaming of individual battle participants. The story is told, as all books on this subject should be, in a completely objective manner. And, in doing so, the narrative does not fall into a common trap when telling this story - the authors do not speculate or pretend to know what a battle participant may have been thinking just to fill any unknowns or gaps. "Where Custer Fell" is history written at its best.
What are some questions the authors help answer?
·Identification of Reno's first crossing of the Little Bighorn.
·Location of the morass.
·Exceptional analysis of the Valley Fight including the skirmish line, and the location of the timber that Reno's forces moved into from the skirmish line.
·Fascinating events surrounding the Charlie Reynolds and Donald McIntosh markers.
·Whether the Reno-Benteen Monument was moved from a different location.
·New revelations for the true locations of the Butler and Bobo markers.
.How far north of Last Stand Hill did Custer's battalion do battle.
·How much, if at all, Last Stand Hill has changed since 1876.
That just touches the surface of what is covered in this book - there is so much more.
The authors save their most extensive coverage for Last Stand Hill. A worthwhile map is included which locates each marker, within the fence, and its respective number along with identification of each officer's marker. Included is an impressive full-page photo - the first taken of Last Stand Hill in 1877 by John Fouch. And, as the books' title promises, the authors put to rest the debate as to where Custer actually fell with clear and persuasive evidence.
Predominantly, the complete photographic study delivers a most gratifying finish -- assurance that efforts by the NPS and countless individuals have achieved a remarkable accomplishment with maintaining the battlefield and surrounding environs in pristine condition. When we visit the Custer Battlefield we see pretty much what Custer, Reno, Benteen, and hundreds of the soldiers and Indians saw on June 25-26, 1876.
I cannot speak lightly regarding the significance of "Where Custer Fell." Its legacy will live on for decades much like Edgar Stewart's "Custer's Luck" and John Gray's "Custer's Last Battle."
Note: Each chapter includes a topographical map pinpointing the location of each photo presented - a simple but valuable tool that makes following the storyline easy.
You can learn more about this book by reading interviews with the authors Dr. James Brust and Sandy Barnard at the Friends of the Little Bighorn Battlefield website -- friendslittlebighorn.com
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54 of 57 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Fantastic Work, November 8, 2005
This review is from: Where Custer Fell: Photographs of the Little Bighorn Battlefield Then and Now (Hardcover)
Where Custer Fell: Photographs of the Little Bighorn Battlefield Then and Now will be a classic before you know it. It will no doubt become a must addition to the earlier Little Big Horn chroniclers such as Kuhlman, Graham, and Luce.
Wonderfully organized, Where Custer Fell matches many early and in some cases very rare photographs of the Custer and Reno battlefield with modern pictures taken from the same vantage point. Perhaps equally important is the fact the the photos are offered in roughly the same chronology as the battle itself. For example, Chapter four provides photos of the Crows Nest then and now as well as the famous morass. Then Chapter five deals with the Valley Fight and provides the appropriate photos. This is so far superior to the usual cluster of pictures that are lumped together in isolation of the text that deals with them and makes constant referral to them easy.
But Where Custer Fell is much more. The authors manage to provide an informed analysis of the battle and the aftermath. Through sound research and enormous quantities of patience, Brust, Pohanka, and Barnard manage to do what so many amateurs, myself included, have not been able to do and that is visit sites recorded in early photographs and then record how those sites look today.
Having visited the the Little Big Horn battle field as a young child, I have never been able to shake the memory of standing on last stand hill and gazing at the marble markers both near and far.
If you're a serious student of Custer and the Little Big Horn Battle, Where Custer Fell will be an important addition to your library.
I highly recommend it.
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104 of 120 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Just be forewarned about exactly what this book is and is not, April 28, 2006
This review is from: Where Custer Fell: Photographs of the Little Bighorn Battlefield Then and Now (Hardcover)
I read all the glowing reviews here of this book. I decided to buy it. That was a mistake. If I could have looked inside this book beforehand, I could have saved myself the money.
Let's get one thing straight. This book is NOT a photographic tour of the LBH battlefield. It is basically a history of the battleFIELD in photographs. It takes an old photograph taken some 80-120 years ago and matches it to a modern day photo taken from the same angle.
It's two basic themes are:
A. "Gee, look how little things have changed in the last 100 years" and B. "Look! they don't have a grave marker where it should be."
ALL the photographs, even the current day ones, are in black-and-white. I found this disappointing. The photos are small, average size about 5.5" x 3.75". If you expect to see much detail in a B&W photo this small of a vast battlefield landscape, you'd better get out your magnifying glass.
Let's go over a few things this book does NOT show:
1. Contrary to what another reviewer said, there is NO picture of the Crow's Nest. There is one picture of 4 guys standing NEAR the Crow's Nest, and the camera taking the picture is pointing to the northEAST. So not only do you NOT see the Crow's Nest itself, you CANNOT see the view of the Little Big Horn valley from it.
2. There is no photo of the Lone Tepee site.
3. Incredibly there is NOT a single photo of the location of Reno's skirmish line. This alone is a fatal omission.
4. There is NO photo of the timber where Reno made his brief stand (and started his "charge" to the rear). The closest you'll get in this regard is a photo of Charlie Reynold's grave marker.
5. There is no view from Sharpshooter Ridge to the Reno hilltop position.
6. There is no view from Henryville toward Finley Ridge or Calhoun Hill.
7. There is one extra small (4.5" x 3.25") photo of Medicine Tail Coulee ford, and the camera is on the east bank pointed toward the southeast, a rather bizarre angle.
8. No photo of the depression northeast of Custer Ridge where Crazy Horse, White Bull, Lone Bear, and Rain-in-the-Face and others gathered to cut through C and L Companies assembled on Custer Ridge.
9. There is no photo of the big Indian village site west of the LBH river.
I could go on (and on and on) but that's enough. You get the idea. If there is not a ~100 year old photo of a particular part of the battlefield, you will not find a present day photo of it in this book. Tourists of ~100 years ago apparently did not take pictures of these more obscure, but still VERY IMPORTANT sites, but they took plenty pictures of Custer Hill.
Let's go over what this book has in spades:
1. No less than 54 photos of Custer Hill taken from nearly every point of the compass. If you're really fascinated by where each marker should be, this should interest you.
2. Ten photos of the Cemetery by the Visitor's Center. This has nothing to do with the actual battle at all. Like I said, this book is a photo history of the battleFIELD.
Some reviewers have remarked on the text in this book, but the text is not the raison d'etre for this book. This book is all about its photographs. Nobody is going to buy this book for its text.
I wish someone would publish a big high-quality color photo book that shows how the battlefield scene unfolded in Reno eyes, Benteen's eyes, Sioux-Cheyenne eyes, and probable Custer's eyes. "Where Custer Fell" doesn't do this. Don't expect it to.
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