There are advantages to having relatives working in the publishing trade. I often get to read the proof galleys of books before they get published, which is how I came into possession of A Terrible Glory: Custer and the Little Bighorn by James Donovan, which is to be released by Little, Brown & Co. in March of 2008.
Donovan's research covers the entire period of the Indian wars, including conflicts involving tribes far from the Great Plains involving military officers who participated in the campaign which cost George Armstrong Custer his life, but the main focus of the book once this background is established is the Battle of the Little Bighorn.
Like many Americans, I have read about Custer's Last Stand many times since I first saw Errol Flynn in They Died With Their Boots On. Considering that ongoing interest, one has to marvel at how it is possible at such a late date to have anything new to say about that debacle, and yet author James Donovan managed to accomplish that very deed.
Donovan culled historical fact from well-known and obscure sources, with source material dates ranging as far back as 1863 to as recently as 2007. Donovan also doesn't exclude information from Native witnesses either, which provide a perspective too often ignored in telling the tale of the Seventh Cavalry at the Little Bighorn. Many of the books he cites were published privately, so one must assume that tracking down surviving volumes had to have taken a great deal of time. In addition, many collections of letters and contemporary newspaper accounts were also used, sometimes to great effect, to illuminate the atmosphere at certain times, such as the investigative hearings into the conduct of Major Marcus Reno on June 25, 1876.
These sources were instrumental in forming a view of just how unprepared the Seventh Cavalry was for the chore assigned to them. Many of the troopers were newly inducted, barely trained, and some didn't speak English well. Many had never even fired a weapon in anger in their lives, or knew how to care for a horse much less ride one. A crash course in the absolute basics of cavalry operations was undertaken by a few of the more diligent officers just prior to the Seventh departing on the campaign, but this was the exception to the norm.
Article comments
1 - Victor Lana
Sounds like an excellent way to revisit such a historic moment. I am especially interested in the Native American perspective of that day. Thanks for letting us know about this book.
2 - Richard Tilford
Dear Mr. Donovan
As i tried to explain to other historians
that my great grand father J.G. Tilford lead senior major and other officers of the
upper command did not approve of custers methods. Look up the history on my relative on google Richard Tilford
3 - Lew
I'm not sure this review begins to give fair credit to the work done by Donovan. Like some others, I've become engrossed in the Battle of the Little Big Horn and have read extensively about it. Donovan does NOT explain the Indian perspective as well as others did, but his wealth of details is far superior to any other source I've found. For example, Donovan does not explain how many Indians turned Custer back when he tried to cross the river and attack the women and children (a favorite military tactic--kill Indian women and children to get Indian warriors to back off). Other sources state there were only 6 Indians -- and then name them. 6 Indians. On the other hand, no other source so clearly explains Benteen's lack of support and why Reno and Benteen just sat there while their boot mates were killed in overwhelming combat. Donovan's work is the best I have seen and will conclude my search.