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The Last Stand: Custer, Sitting Bull, and the Battle of the Little Bighorn by Nathaniel Philbrick
carinthia72's review against another edition
5.0
Another wonderfully written and engaging book by Philbrick - highly recommended.
lmfm's review against another edition
4.0
I thought this was a good overview of Custer and the actions of the 7th Cavalry leading up to (and after) the Battle of the Little Bighorn. I learned a lot, not the least of which is that there are legions of crazed amateur Custer historians. If you fall into that category, this probably isn't the book for you. I knew the basic outline but not the details, and I really learned a lot from Philbrick's account. I thought he did a good job of describing how the whole tragedy of this battle (including that it occurred at all) stemmed from the intersection of disparate personalities, egos, jealousies, and the quest for personal glory. This mostly follows the 7th Cavalry, particulary Reno and Benteen's detachments. Though there is a pretty good treatment of what is happening in the Lakota camp and how Sitting Bull's actions and personality lead to the Lakota victory, I would have appreciated more of this perspective.
aegisnyc's review against another edition
3.0
Hmm. While I read it avidly and enjoyed it, I thought that Philbrick was not entirely successful in either his thesis or his telling. The amount of research and information about the Sitting Bull/Indian side of the history was completely exciting to me, but even so, there wasn't enough to make this truly about BOTH men and their last stands, as he set out to do. As far as the telling, I understand that a straight chronology was impossible and undesirable but he'd pull an incident from the Civil War or from a fight years before and refer to it into the middle of a battle scene. I'd have to stop and check dates and figure out what part went where. Maybe this was MY problem--that reading in 20-minute snatches on the subway or before bed was making me lose steam, but I was confused a few times about who was where.
liberrydude's review against another edition
4.0
Why do we need another book on the Little Big Horn? I've read Connell's and Donovan's books on the subject and enjoyed them. Nevertheless, I was curious to see how Philbrick would immerse himself in a non-nautical theme, although you could argue this environment is just a sea of grass.
Philbrick does a superb job. The soldiers and Indians come alive in this narrative and you want to keep turning every page. He tries to be even handed and impartial but it's hard not to make judgments. He singles out Terry particularly as a conniving person full of duplicitous orders. Terry was a lawyer and comfortable commanding a desk. He basically set up Custer for success or failure. According to Philbrick Terry's personality was such that he could even get the imperturbable skipper of the Far West, Grant Marsh, into a funk of self doubt. Philbrick highlights the contributions of Marsh to the expedition. Marsh is truly a man that I need to read more about. I never realized either the unique capabilities of the Far West in hauling itself over sandbars. Philbrick points this out; how the ship was equipped with winches, etc and would look like a bug hopping down the river. Marsh was the lynchpin to the Army's logistical operations in theater. We also read more about Benteen, who never served a commander who was worthy of him and his love for the game of baseball. We see Reno as the vacillating drunk who would only exert his leadership when shamed by junior officers. Some real lessons in leadership here.
Philbrick tells the Indian side of the story too. Sitting Bull actually was ready to talk rather than fight. Philbrick makes the point that Custer had a chance to win and almost pulled it off too.
And the maps!! Can't say enough about the great maps in this book. Lots of them and they are located appropriately. Great pictures in color of the battlefield as well as black and whites of the soldiers and Indians.
Glad I purchased this book.
Philbrick does a superb job. The soldiers and Indians come alive in this narrative and you want to keep turning every page. He tries to be even handed and impartial but it's hard not to make judgments. He singles out Terry particularly as a conniving person full of duplicitous orders. Terry was a lawyer and comfortable commanding a desk. He basically set up Custer for success or failure. According to Philbrick Terry's personality was such that he could even get the imperturbable skipper of the Far West, Grant Marsh, into a funk of self doubt. Philbrick highlights the contributions of Marsh to the expedition. Marsh is truly a man that I need to read more about. I never realized either the unique capabilities of the Far West in hauling itself over sandbars. Philbrick points this out; how the ship was equipped with winches, etc and would look like a bug hopping down the river. Marsh was the lynchpin to the Army's logistical operations in theater. We also read more about Benteen, who never served a commander who was worthy of him and his love for the game of baseball. We see Reno as the vacillating drunk who would only exert his leadership when shamed by junior officers. Some real lessons in leadership here.
Philbrick tells the Indian side of the story too. Sitting Bull actually was ready to talk rather than fight. Philbrick makes the point that Custer had a chance to win and almost pulled it off too.
And the maps!! Can't say enough about the great maps in this book. Lots of them and they are located appropriately. Great pictures in color of the battlefield as well as black and whites of the soldiers and Indians.
Glad I purchased this book.
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.