Reviews
The Last Stand: Custer, Sitting Bull, and the Battle of the Little Bighorn by Nathaniel Philbrick
lakecake's review against another edition
3.0
I love Nathaniel Philbrick's writing, and though this is a good book I think it suffers from the fact that, due to the circumstances, there is a lack of information about the climatic battle itself and therefore it all ends up as kind of a let down. I respect greatly the amount of research and effort that went into this, and the care that was taken to offer a variety of perspectives, and I learned a lot from reading it.
jhall45's review against another edition
4.0
A gambler's number comes up.
Nathaniel Philbrick wrote an engaging history of what happened, and plausible depiction of what may have happened, at the Battle of Little Bighorn. He focused on the personalities of Custer, his surviving subordinates Major Reno and Captain Benteen, and finally Sitting Bull.
I was left with the impression that the frontier army was full of oddballs and misfits, like Custer, having a need for drama and an adrenaline addiction, troubled Reno, and resentful Benteen. While many of these leaders had fighting prowess, the soldiers were not consistently well-trained, and they were ultimately out-fought at the higher level by Sitting Bull's more considered approach. Custer's gambling had won the day for the United States many times, but at Little Bighorn he gambled away the lives of his men.
On Custer's guilt for his crimes... There is the remark that Washington is ultimately to blame (not Philbrick's position). But Washington ultimately relied on finding men like Custer, who were willing or desired to fight. Custer needed a fight, and the frontier was where he could still find one.
Nathaniel Philbrick wrote an engaging history of what happened, and plausible depiction of what may have happened, at the Battle of Little Bighorn. He focused on the personalities of Custer, his surviving subordinates Major Reno and Captain Benteen, and finally Sitting Bull.
I was left with the impression that the frontier army was full of oddballs and misfits, like Custer, having a need for drama and an adrenaline addiction, troubled Reno, and resentful Benteen. While many of these leaders had fighting prowess, the soldiers were not consistently well-trained, and they were ultimately out-fought at the higher level by Sitting Bull's more considered approach. Custer's gambling had won the day for the United States many times, but at Little Bighorn he gambled away the lives of his men.
On Custer's guilt for his crimes... There is the remark that Washington is ultimately to blame (not Philbrick's position). But Washington ultimately relied on finding men like Custer, who were willing or desired to fight. Custer needed a fight, and the frontier was where he could still find one.
cascadienne's review against another edition
3.0
I had read In the Heart of the Sea a couple of summers ago and was really looking forward to reading this book. At the end of it... Not so much. I do appreciate the extensive use of primary source material from both sides in Philbrick's research, as well as all of the shades of grey and greater context that swirl around the Battle of the Little Bighorn. But it was - perhaps due to the nature of the events of those few days in 1876 - a very difficult narrative to follow once the author started recounting the blow-by-blow of the battle itself. I agree with another reviewer who stated that many of the people the reader encounters in the book are not fleshed out to a memorable degree, which makes it difficult to follow them through the battle and its aftermath.
acarman1's review against another edition
4.0
Philbrick's stream of consciousness style is very difficult but the details on both sides are fascinating.
birdiemomma84's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
timmens59's review against another edition
4.0
I thought do I really need to read another book on Custer after Connell's book? But this is written by Philbrick and I wanted to see what he brought to the table. As usual, I was not disappointed by this fine U.S. historian who ranks right up there with McCullough, in my view. Philbrick's research and legwork are top shelf. And he again is at his best when he researches and writes like a "curious outsider" trying to make sense of it all -- whether it's the Mayflower's crossing, Washington's war councils, or the decisions made by the crew of the Essex. The battle at the Little Bighorn was complex in that Custer divided his forces in a topographic maze of undulating hills, coulees, ravines, gulches and open ground, all without knowing the true size of the village he was about to attack. But Philbrick, with the help of his mapmaker, takes the reader in his steady narrative hand and leads through each stage of the battle, from Reno, to Benteen, to Reno and Benteen, and then to Custer. Throughout, he weaves in Sitting Bull's story and the testimonies of the Sioux and Cheyenne warriors he led. He explains that Sitting Bull wanted to negotiate upon initial reports of the attack. But it soon got so out of hand that he issued the command to attack. Highly recommended.
adamsw216's review against another edition
3.0
3 stars, maybe 3.5
My star rating is less of a reflection of the quality of this book and more so my overall enjoyment. Nathaniel Philbrick has clearly done an extensive amount of research and has skillfully assembled a narrative text dotted with background stories and information that covers everything you could possibly want to know about the events leading up to, during, and following the Battle of the Little Bighorn. I think that, for me, part of the problem is that Custer's eponymous "Last Stand" is pretty much the sort of blunder that contemporary audiences commonly understand it to be. Sure, for many years it was held up as a heroic battle against impossible odds, but I think that many people today understand that it was the result of ego putting everyone in grave danger.
This book goes to great lengths to present a fairly even-handed account of the events and people involved, for which I think it was successful. Custer is a household name in the US, but outside his service in the Civil War his life seems fairly pedestrian. He was a man who loved his wife, but felt most at home amidst soldiers and battles.
The problem lies in the very detail-oriented nature of the book. We are presented with background stories, and play-by-plays of event details down to what people were wearing on particular days. It's exhaustive and, as thorough as it is, I think I discovered that I just wasn't all that interested in engrossing myself in that much detail. I wouldn't say that this book was a slog, because it really did not feel like one, but I did find myself kind of just passing through the text with a mild interest that waxed and waned over time.
However, if you are someone who is deeply interested in the subject matter, then I highly recommend this book. It will provide you with everything you need to know about The Battle of Little Bighorn, General Custer and his subordinates. There is some good background on Sitting Bull here, as well, but there are other great books in which to learn more about him.
My star rating is less of a reflection of the quality of this book and more so my overall enjoyment. Nathaniel Philbrick has clearly done an extensive amount of research and has skillfully assembled a narrative text dotted with background stories and information that covers everything you could possibly want to know about the events leading up to, during, and following the Battle of the Little Bighorn. I think that, for me, part of the problem is that Custer's eponymous "Last Stand" is pretty much the sort of blunder that contemporary audiences commonly understand it to be. Sure, for many years it was held up as a heroic battle against impossible odds, but I think that many people today understand that it was the result of ego putting everyone in grave danger.
This book goes to great lengths to present a fairly even-handed account of the events and people involved, for which I think it was successful. Custer is a household name in the US, but outside his service in the Civil War his life seems fairly pedestrian. He was a man who loved his wife, but felt most at home amidst soldiers and battles.
The problem lies in the very detail-oriented nature of the book. We are presented with background stories, and play-by-plays of event details down to what people were wearing on particular days. It's exhaustive and, as thorough as it is, I think I discovered that I just wasn't all that interested in engrossing myself in that much detail. I wouldn't say that this book was a slog, because it really did not feel like one, but I did find myself kind of just passing through the text with a mild interest that waxed and waned over time.
However, if you are someone who is deeply interested in the subject matter, then I highly recommend this book. It will provide you with everything you need to know about The Battle of Little Bighorn, General Custer and his subordinates. There is some good background on Sitting Bull here, as well, but there are other great books in which to learn more about him.
srash's review against another edition
4.0
This is a well-researched, well-written, straightforward account of the Battle of the Little Bighorn. It's a lot easier to follow than Son of the Morning Star, though it didn't captivate me quite as much as that one. Nothing groundbreaking here, but a good, accessible synthesis of the existing information out there. Philbrick has a good eye for detail and clarity. I'm looking forward to trying more of his books.