Book recommendations Little Bighorn?

alde

alde

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I am looking for a good read on Little Bighorn. I am comming from a position of knowing very little about the history of the Indian Wars so I could use some general knowledge of the whole subject too.

Thanks for any suggestions.
 
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You will love it. Masterfully researched yet reads like a best-selling novel. Demonizes neither Custer or the Indians--like so many things the truth is really in the middle. Look at the quote I photographed at the Buffalo Bill Museum when my son and I were in Colorado this summer:

"Nobody knew who killed Custer; everybody fired at him. Custer was a brave warrior but [he] made a mistake. The Indians honored him and did not scalp him. I fought for my people. My people said I was right. I will answer to my people. I will answer for the dead of my people. Let the palefaces do the same on their side."

Sitting Bull, after Battle of Little Big Horn.

What a warrior. What a man.
 
Visit the Battleground and the Museum. There's a ton of printed material for sale there. plus if you have read up on the battle and then walk the full battleground from Reno's stand to where Custer fell, and the Indian encampments below, you will take home a complete feeling of the events as they probably unfolded. It's an unforgettable experience. "Greasy Grass" will have a new meaning for you. Ed.
 
I've read many books on the battle and been to the field many times, and the best book I've read, by far is "Archaeology, History, and Custer's Last Battle: The Little Big Horn Re-examined" by Richard Fox. It rolls archaeology, psychology, military doctrine and thoughtful analysis all into one and presents the best single picture of the battle that I've come across. Read it before you visit the site - you'll understand it much better.
 
The Custer Myth by Graham

Keep the Last Bullet for Yourself by Thomas Bailey Marquis
 
The "Son of the Morning Star" movie was fairly good, too. http://fullmovies.cc/movie/118361

I've been to the Battlefield quite a few times. My first trip there was in 1969, in midwinter. Very few tourists there then...I had my copy of Mari Sandoz' book, and reread it and went to the locations mentioned while rereading it. Perhaps not the ultimate reference, but it was an experience.

More recently we were up there, and caught one of the rangers giving "the talk". The speaker was retired Army, and he was a dead ringer for Sam Elliot as Sgt. Maj. Basil Plumley in "We Were Soldiers". Damn, he put chills up your spine, and he really knew his stuff. When he got done you could smell the gunpowder!
 
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jpage said:
Try "Son of the Morning Star" by Evan S Connell. Best I've ever read, and I've read them all. Under 10 bucks on ebay.
Click to expand...

I actually have an old, two-VHS-tape movie called... "Son of the Morning Star". Starring Gary Cole and Rosanna Arquette. It is really good.
 
A Very Good Book on Custer

I recommend highly the following book as a perspective on 'Custer the Man' by one of his closest associates from the NCO ranks:

"Custer's First Sergeant John Ryan" by Sandy Barnard. It is available from Amazon or at the book store part of the National Park Service Visitor's Center. .................... Big Cholla
 
"Custer: Cavalier in Buckskin" by Robert M. Utley.

Perhaps the most accurate rendition of what possibly happened at the Little Bighorn/Greasy Grass.
 
You guys are the best. I have 3 of the books you recommended on the way. I will probably end up reading all of them in time. With winter on the way I want a stack of new books to get me through.

I am currently reading "A Perilous Fight - America's Intrepid War with Britain on the High Seas 1812-1815" by Stephen Budiansky. It's one of the better books I have read on the subject. It gives a pretty good insight into the politics of the early US Navy with enough action to keep it exciting.
 
The results of Nebraska State Patrol forensic tests on shell cases and projectiles found after the prairie fire shed new light on things and changed a lot of theories on what happened.

Totally outgunned, outmaneuvered, and overwhelmed. Old Iron Butt just plain ran out of luck.
 
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I have driven by it many times while out there fishing but never stopped, I always say next time.
 
I have a very worn copy of "The Memoirs of Chief Red Fox" by Chief William Red Fox, who was a nephew of Crazy Horse. I picked it up years ago because Chief Red Fox is supposed to be a distant cousin. It's a good read but I'm downsizing. If you want it PM me a mailing address and it's yours.
 
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