Terrible Glory -- good name for a terrible book. If you are looking for someone pimping for Custer and Benteen this is the book for you. Custer can do almost nothing wrong and Reno can do almost nothing right. According to this book Reno was drunk most of the time during the Little Bighorn battle -- except Reno saved most of his command and Custer lost all of his. Save your money.

"Courage, boys, we've got them." These are reported to have been among the last known words of George Armstrong Custer as he lead 210 men of the U.S. 7th Cavalry into combat with more than a 1,000 Sioux and Cheyenne warriors.

"A Terrible Glory" is James Donovan's 388-page account of the principle Indian and non-Indian characters and their actions in the events leading up to, during and after the legendary Battle of the Little Bighorn on 25 June 1876. Donovan documents his fast moving, well crafted but almost matter of fact narrative with 83 pages of footnotes and a 24-page bibliography. There are also generalized maps showing troop movements and the location of events (most of which, apart from the largest one reproduced three times - on both end pages and just after the title page - being too small to easily read) and 48 photographs of American soldiers, civilian, Crow and Arikara army scouts and Sioux war chiefs.

In addition to his detailed telling of the 25 June combat itself, among the more interesting aspects of the story as told by Donovan, in my opinion, are:

1. The role and character of Custer's civilian, Crow and Arikara scouts: they all warned Custer that the Sioux gathering was the largest assembly of Indian warriors they had ever seen and advised him - to no effect - that it was too dangerous for him to engage such a large force. All reportedly acquitted themselves well according to their assigned tasks and the army's expectations.

2. Custer's failure to learn from prior experience leading the 7th against Indians in the Battle of Washita eight years earlier: in that action Custer skirted disaster - and lost a number of men who were detached from the main force - because he attacked without adequate reconnaissance and divided his tired troops. That experience failed to prevent him from making the same mistakes on a larger sale in 1876.

3. The lack of training and readiness among the majority of the 7th's troops: according to Donovan many of the soldiers had little or no competence in marksmanship or horsemanship, and the 7th's officers made no systematic attempt to train them prior to the 1876 campaign.

4. The whitewash of Major Reno's drunkenness and poor behavior at the Little Bighorn at the army's official 1879 court of inquiry: due to an apparent desire to preserve their regiment's honor and their personal reputations - at the expense of Custer's and that of the other men who died - the 7th's officers lied or disingenuously shaded the truth about Reno in contrast to their damning descriptions of Reno in newspaper interviews, reported conversations and private letters that have since come to light.

5. It was the 7th Cavalry, under some of the same officers who fought at Little Bighorn, that committed atrocities - that were whitewashed by the official inquiry - at Wounded Knee in 1890, apparently in an act of revenge for their prior defeat by the Sioux.

My conclusion is that "A Terrible Glory" provides an interesting and reasonably comprehensive and balanced account of Custer's last stand that will satisfy the needs of non-historians seeking an understanding of the events and context of "last great battle of the American West". Highly recommended.

This is a well-documented reference that provides an interesting insight into the political workings and influences within the U.S. army at this time in history. It also provides a sad awareness of the utterly irresponsible actions of the U.S. government, and the "White Man" in general, as it pertains to the treatment of the native Indian tribes of North America------a sad tale of how "The end justifies the means." seemed to be the operational motto for the U.S. government.

I am 3/4 of the way through this book. Yes, it reads well. Yes, there are some errors and even some questionable use of source material (in my opinion). But still, it is a good story that Donovan tells. But it should be read in conjuction with other books on the topic and not as the final word. And Donovan does slant things against Reno. Yes, Reno may be guilty of not fulfilling his duty that day (and quite honestly, not being a war veteran, I don't feel completely comfortable criticizing the guy) but the following is a clear example of how Donovan clearly has it in for him:
p. 461 (bottom)-- Captain Thomas French told a New York Times reporter that Reno had been DRUNK during the hilltop fight and had hidden himself from the command..." NY Times, January 19, 1879.
Now here are the actual words from that newspaper clipping:
"Capt. French, of the Seventh Cavalry, who is credited with great bravery at the battle of Little Big Horn, and a coming witness before the Reno Court of Inquiry at Chicago, stated today that he saw nothing of Major Reno from the evening of June 25 until noon of June 26; that Reno was out of sight, and that he (French) could not find any one who did see him; in other words, that Reno slunk away in a hole and left the command to Benteen."

Please, will someone tell me where French said Reno was drunk?

Again, the book must be read with caution and with so many footnotes, many that are hard to confirm without seeing the original material, it is a painstaking task!!!

James Donovan clearly set out to thread a needle. He tried to write a completely fair and honest retelling of the 7th Calvary's defeat at the Little Big Horn and the death of George Armstrong Custer. He carefully lays out the past history of all the important characters, warts and all. He then does his honest best to tell the tale of the battle. Not finished there, he goes on to tell the tale of the courts martial held to determine the fate of Reno & Benteen. He doesn't even stop the story there. He carries it on to the slaughter at Wounded Knee, perpetrated by many of the same people who survived the Little Big Horn battle.

The book is very well written and incredibly well researched with a complete set of footnotes and endnotes. The maps are clear and work well with the text. The descriptions of the characters and people involved helped paint a full picture of what was happening in that part of the world and why.

Another book on this topic, To Hell With Honor: Custer and the Little Big Horn, focused almost exclusively on the battle, and while it clearly has more bias than this book, does more to detail what happened, specifically, during the fighting. This book goes way beyond the battle, before and after, to tell the bigger story of the Native Americans and their fights with each other and newcomers from a fledgling country. It's not better than the other book, it's different. If anything, they complement each other very well.

It's a real joy to get to read a well written book that also educates, so this one is really worth the time.

It starts long before the campaign and ends much more later on.
It lefts no stone unturned, and actually uses all the data available in a tour de force of rigour.
Actually if you are not going to read more then a book about it this one will do perfectly the job.
It is neither pro-Custer or anti-Custer, makes a good job of simply saying what is known and formulating the best plausible guesses when explaining the parts of the fight harder to establish (there other authors are perhaps much more passionate in their arguments!).
Highly Recommended for what it is fair History without undue passion.

ADB

When I was eight or nine, back in the early 1950's, my parents took me to see a traveling exhibit of American historical objects in Trenton NJ. I am not sure if this mobile museum came to town for the annual State Fair or some other reason, and I don't know who sponsored it, but Henry Ford might be a good guess. The ONLY object I recall from this presentation is a rolltop school desk, there because the initials G.A.C. were carved in the lid. "G.A.C."---For George Armstrong Custer. During my childhood, he was considered a full hero who was a victim of the vicious Sioux and Cheyenne. By the time I was a teenager, Hollywood began to depict Custer as a victim only of his own arrogance and stupidity, and the Indians as victims of Caucasian conquest who had one glorious afternoon of victory.
The truth lies between these views, of course, and you will get it if you have the patience to read this lengthy, somewhat scholarly work carefully. It requires half the book to get to the morning of June 25, 1876, when the Seventh Cavalry finally connects with the hostile encampment of native Americans. The next 25 percent shows us the aftermath of the slaughter on all parties, and the final fourth consists of extensive and often fascinating notes. There are photos of the principal players, but I wanted more. There are maps, but I wanted them larger. These are minor quibbles with a massive story, masterfully composed. The Battle of the Little Bighorn, as the author notes, probably has been more written about than even the Battle of Gettysburg. "A Terrible Glory" is a fine place to begin the saga, but you won't want to stop with it alone. General Custer made mistakes, but not as many as revisionist history wants to lay on him. His chief subordinates also made mistakes, perhaps more serious than Custer's, yet there were just so many indians and so few troopers than even if these officers behaved with perfect courage, it is likely the troops would still have lost. The "blame Custer" movement got started early, got nipped in the bud, and then made a comeback, then receded, then made another comeback. Complexities such as these are what has kept this tale alive for 130 years.

I read Son of the Morning Star some years ago after visiting the Little Bighorn Battlefield. I found Terrible Glory a more informative read and apparently extensively researched. Donovan presents a more sympathetic view of Custer. He also discusses the Reno Court of Inquiry in some detail, which is quite interesting. In that context he delves into the actions, and motivation therefor, of certain participants to color the truth of what occurred during the battle. While Custer was in command and deserved a measure of blame, the verdict of history has been unnecessarily harsh as to him and undeservedly lenient as to others.

Much has been written and said about the events which took place near the Little Bighorn River on June 25-26, 1876. Few of the earlier conclusions benefitted from analysis of battlefield excavations which took place through much of the 1980's, charting cavalry and warrior positions to a reasonable degree. Nor have previous books been as comprehensive and intuitive when sifting through facts long masked by the Reno Court of Inquiry; until now.

James Donovan sets out to tell true history sans bias in 'A Terrible Glory', and he largely succeeds. It's not perfect history mind you, (how can it be?) and there are a few gaffes along the away, which I won't dwell on here.

Fact: Reno had a serious drinking problem which affected his ability to coherently lead his contingent of 7th Cavalry during the initial attack on the Lakota and Cheyenne villages.

Fact: Reno retreated from a potentially superior defensive position leaving wounded men to their fate, without ordering a proper rearguard action, resulting in chaos, rout and unecessary deaths.

Fact: Benteen disregarded a direct order from Custer to "Come quickly" while he and Reno sat undisturbed on the bluffs, listening to heavy gunfire from Custer's final battle.

Fact: Custer had reasonable expectation to believe he would receive support from troops under Reno and Benteen's command, unless massive forces were aligned to prevent this.

Fact: Massive forces were not allied against Reno and Benteen while on the hill. The Indians had left to attack Custer en masse.

Fact: Captain Thomas Weir knew the 7th Cavalry troops should reconnoiter at once to the sound of battle.

Of course, these conclusions won't be well received by those with an axe to grind. But that's ok, because history isn't meant to be judged in convivial fashion. It needs to be seen with light of uninfected analysis, as much as possible. Through a prism identified by wisdom and merit of days gone by, and of today.

So, the most important question remains... Were there any heroes battling in The Greasy Grass on those fateful, early-summer days? I believe so... There were probably hundreds of them on both sides. Including a particularly charismatic one fond of wearing red ties.

Much has been written and said about the events which took place near the Little Bighorn River on June 25th, 1876. However, none of the earlier conclusions benefitted from an analysis of battlefield excavations through much of the 1980's, which charted cavalry and warrior positions to a reasonable degree. Nor have previous books been as comprehensive and intuitive when sifting through facts long masked by the Reno Court of Inquiry; until now.

James Donovan sets out to tell true history sans bias in 'A Terrible Glory', and I think he largely succeeds. It's not perfect history mind you, (how can it be?) and there are a few gaffes along the away, which I won't dwell on here.

Fact: Reno had a serious drinking problem which affected his ability to coherently lead his contingent of 7th Cavalry during the initial attack on the Lakota and Cheyenne villages.

Fact: Reno retreated from a potentially superior defensive position leaving wounded men to their fate, without ordering a proper rearguard action, resulting in chaos, rout and unecessary deaths.

Fact: Benteen disregarded a direct order from Custer to "Come quickly" while he and Reno sat undisturbed on the bluffs, listening to heavy gunfire from Custer's final battle.

Fact: Custer had reasonable expectation to believe he would receive support from troops under Reno and Benteen's command, unless massive forces were aligned to prevent this.

Fact: Massive forces were not allied against Reno and Benteen while on the hill. The Indians had left to attack Custer en masse.

Fact: Captain Thomas Weir knew the 7th Cavalry troops should reconnoiter at once to the sound of battle.

Of course, these conclusions won't be well received by those with an axe to grind. But that's ok, because history isn't meant to be judged in convivial fashion. It needs to be seen with a light of uninfected analysis, as much as possible. Through a prism identified by wisdom and merit of days gone by, and of today.

So,the most important question remains... Were there any heroes associated with battle taking place in The Greasy Grass on those fateful, early-summer days? I believe so... There were probably hundreds of them on both sides. Including a particularly charismatic one fond of wearing red ties.

Much has been written and said about the events which took place near the Little Bighorn River on June 25th, 1876. However, none of the previous conclusions reached, benefitted from an analysis of battlefield excavations during the 80's, which were used to chart cavalry and warrior positions to a reasonable degree. Nor have previous books been as comprehensive and intuitive when sifting through facts long masked by the Reno Court of Inquiry; until now.

James Donovan sets out to tell true history sans bias in 'A Terrible Glory', and I think he largely succeeds. It's not perfect history mind you, (how can it be?) and there are a few gaffes along the away, which I won't dwell on here.

Fact: Reno had a serious drinking problem which affected his ability to coherently lead his contingent of 7th Cavalry during the initial attack on the Lakota and Cheyenne villages.

Fact: Reno retreated from a potentially superior defensive position leaving wounded men to their fate, without ordering a proper rearguard action, resulting in chaos, unecessary deaths and a general rout.

Fact: Benteen disobeyed a direct order from Custer to "Come quickly" while he and Reno sat peacefully on the bluffs, listening to heavy gunfire from Custer's final battle.

Fact: Custer had reasonable expectation to believe he would receive support from the troops under Reno and Benteen, unless massive forces were aligned against them.

Fact: Massive forces were not allied against Reno and Benteen while on the hill. The Indians had left to attack Custer en masse.

Of course, these conclusions won't be well received by those with an axe to grind. But that's ok, because history isn't meant to be judged in a convivial manner. It needs to be seen with a light of uninfected analysis, as much as possible. Through a prism identified by wisdom and merits of the day, and the same in the days in which they've taken place.

So the question remains... Were there any heroes involved in the Battle of The Greasy Grass on that fateful summer day? I think so. There were probably hundreds of them on both sides.

I read "Son of the Morning Star" fifteen years ago and thought that might be the end-all for me in regard to George Custer and Little Big Horn. However, this book has left me even more curious. Some say it might be the beginner's best foray in to Custer. I would say that if that is so then the beginner would have developed a significant amount of "expertise" even if that learning is more broad or general than some accounts.

I recommend this book highly. I would suggest that the reader take time and copy the maps that are included on the endpaper and in the text to use for easier reference.

Great read. Easy five stars.

The basic arguments over what actually happened at the Little Bighorn, why and who should be blamed haven't really changed much since 1876. If you like movies, is Custer the man from They Died with their Boots On? or the egomanical madman from Little Big Man? This tends to go with Custer as flawed hero and paints a very well drawn picture of Custer during the Civil War in which he was one of the great heros of the war, with cause. It's reasonably clear that no one from Custer on up through his chain of command believed that there was any real possibility of total disaster. After all,the largest military disaster prior to Custer's Last Stand was the Fetterman massacre involving some 80 men, and Fetterman had no reputation to speak of. So, everyone in the campaign was far more concerned that the Sioux would simply melt away before they could be engaged, much like the similar contemporary campaign and disaster against the Zulu in South Africa. In both cases, the locals were eager to fight it out, on their own terms, of course.

The basic arguments are very well presented, and the author provides very reasonable arguments as to why Custer did what he did and what he was trying to accomplish. Could Custer's 2nd in command, Major Reno have turned the tide by pressing the attack on the Sioux from a different direction, and/or Captain Benteen? Why did Reno fail to act? The author has very strong opinions on those questions, but they should be taken with a least a grain of salt. There has never been a definitive answer and there never will be one as we can't know what Reno saw when he approached the village. We do know that all of Custer's command died and most of Reno's men survived. However, regardless of what you think of his arguments, the book is well written and provides excellent context. oy

Well written book on Custer and the events leading up to and after the Little Bighorn.

Great read, and portrays the best and most visual description of the battle and what happened... well recommended...

It is interesting that the most celebrated events in U.S. military history are its defeats - Pearl Harbor, Bataan, The Bulge, Fredericksburg. Perhaps no military engagement has been researched and analyzed and commented upon, often erroneously, as much as the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876 when Sioux and Cheyenne warriors killed George Armstrong Custer and several hundred troopers of the Seventh U.S. Cavalry. Beginning immediately after the discovery of the tragedy by the U.S. Army, players and observers began to spin events to their advantage creating an amazing cacophony of contradictory accounts, speculation, blaming, and name calling that continued for more than a century. The event gave rise to a sub species of historian, the Custer Buff, people who read everything they can about the battle, its run up, and its aftermath.

Soon after the nation was stunned by the defeat, large, full-color paintings decorated barrooms showing the Civil War hero and widely-heralded Indian fighter firing his revolver as swarms of warriors overran his position on a dry hilltop in Montana. The paintings read "Custer's Last Stand."

In A Terrible Glory Donovan goes back to square one in his research relying on primary sources - the statements and recollections of the participants and eyewitnesses supported by archaeological evidence. With such a famous event there were naturally inconsistent, conflicting, and even fraudulent accounts of what happened when Custer, some say against orders, split his regiment to attack a Sioux village. Even Custer's commander said he violated orders. Donovan shows this as a classic case of CYA and blame the dead man. Others who had something to hide joined in manipulating facts.

This is a carefully researched and very readable account of Custer's life, U.S. Indian policy, and the campaign that shattered one of the Army's most esteemed regiments. Donovan also follows the convoluted courses of events afterwards and the personalities who shaped and reshaped popular understanding of the battle. Where the accounts differ Donovan included in the endnotes discussions of contradictory evidence. In some cases makes his own judgment as to the likely course of events. I used two bookmarks, one for where I stopped reading the text and one for the endnotes.

One participant held up for the most scorn was Major Marcus Reno, leader of the battalion assigned to attack the huge Indian village. The attack failed and Reno and his fellow fugitives fled into woods, across a river, and into a defensive position on some bluffs. The heavy-drinking Reno was, by most accounts, drunk and incapable of command, but when the Army held a court of inquiry, his fellow officers minimized his (and their own) failings. Drunk or sober, it doesn't sound as if Reno could have helped Custer much.

The reader is provided with a balanced, well organized, and credible account of a very popular historical event. Some 400,000 people a year visit the battlefield where most of the dead soldiers were buried where they died.

For any Custer Buff, anyone interested in the history of the Old West, and any student of the historical process, A Terrible Glory is a good read.

This book is excellent, thoroughly detailed with information I never knew existed before. I strongly urge anyone interested in western history, or Custer history to read this book. And, while they are reading it, they should also read Archaelogical Perspectives on The Battle Of The Little Bighorn by Douglas D. Scott, Richard A. Fox, Jr., Melissa A. Connor, and Dick Harmon, Archeology, History, and Custer's Last Battle by Richard Allan Fox, Jr., and In Custer's Shadow: Major Marcus Reno by Brian Pohanka. All three books greatly enhance A Terrible Glory, and it gives the reader a broader view of not only the history of Custer's Last Stand, but it also provides an in-depth accounting of where his men were during the battle through archeological investigations, and it also provides an understanding of who Major Marcus Reno was. I strongly urge anyone to read all these books. A Terrible Glory has kept me spellbound during my reading, and it is a must on anyone interested in western history.

I am a direct decendent of Sitting Bull (as I have been told) and am delighted to read an account of this happening other than showing Custer as a hero. The army was made up of a bunch of men who could not make a living with any skills at all, so they chose to ride into the West and take lives and a way to keep alive away from the people who already lived there. Greed and glory should have been the alternate name of this book. I am about 3/4 of the way through it so far...

While this is an adequate history of the Custer disaster, the book really offers nothing new to even the moderately well-read Custer buff. The author has a competent but not thrilling writing style. While he spends a lot of time on preliminaries, the last hours of Custer's life, and most of his regiment, are described as almost an afterthought. The new forensic evidence should have received greater mention. The section of the Reno/Benteen action is the best part of the book, and gives a good description of the action. Custer's flaws, both at and before the Little Bighorn, are forgiven a bit too easily. This is a satisfactory book for the beginner. The more experienced reader may be disappointed.

With so many accolades, it is a challenge to say something to add to the fine reviews preceding my own. This book is very well-written and the quality and depth of material and insight in the end notes probably put it in a class by itself where Custer books are concerned. I read the first part of "A Terrible Glory" with a bookmark at the end so that I could switch back and forth from the text to the end notes. As this was detracting from the flow of my reading and my appreication of the fine writing, I dispensed with this practice, resorting to reading the end notes following the text for each chapter. I advise other readers to do the same.

The best part of this book, for me, was the extensive treatment provided to the battle's aftermath, especially the Reno Court of Inquiry. Most Little Big Horn books, understandably so, borrow extensively from the Court of Inquiry testimony and place it within the context of an author's reconstruction of the events of June 25 and 26, 1876. Here, we are treated to an entire chapter on the Reno Court of Inquiry as a historical event in its own right. Perhaps an example of some of his new discoveries on this event will serve to highlight the quality of the book as a whole. I had long known that the Inquiry Court was held at the Palmer House hotel in Chicago where Phil Sheridan also housed his Division of the Missouri headquarters. This fact seemed to indicate that it was held there so that Sheridan could have an overpowering, unspoken presence over the proceedings, thereby reminding everyone to avoid a verdict that would embarass him or the army. Mr. Donovan's research revealed that, yes, Sheridan's Division of the Missouri was headquartered in Chicago but it only moved to the Palmer House a few weeks prior to the Inquiry Court when the office building where it was housed was destroyed by fire.

Another intriguing post-battle chapter is the one entitled "The Lost Captain" which precedes and blends with the one covering the Inquiry Court. This chapter title would seem to refer to the self-proclaimed "Captain" Frederick Whittaker who never rose above the rank of lieutenant and had once published dime novels, including one with the title of "The Lost Captain." His hagiographic biography of Custer, published less than six months after the battle, expressed strong condemnation of Reno and thus touched off the chain of events that led to the Reno Court of Inquiry. Most likely though, the title applies to Captain Thomas Weir who died six months after the battle, succumbing to alcoholism; he was the officer who, over Reno's objections, led the movement of various 7th Cavalry companies off Reno Hill and towards the sound of Custer's gunfire. Weir was haunted by the deaths of Custer and his five companies, which only served to exacerbate his drinking problem. His death coincided to the very day with the publication of Whittaker's Custer biography and his thoughts found life in the book as he was interviewed by Whittaker before he passed away. The abscence of his testimony at the subsequent Reno Inquiry has always intrigued battle students, serving up yet more "what if's?" in speculating what the lost captain might have said had he lived. Mr. Donovan references Dr. Chuck Merkel's unpublished thesis on the life of Weir, thus adding to the huge cache of sources he has tapped for this book.

Some reviewers have portrayed this book as a pro-Custer, down-with-Reno effort. Yes, he explores the many negative questions surrounding Reno's battlefield performance but backs them up with primary sources (for example, three pages of end notes consisting of quotes from first-hand battle participants who claim to have seen Reno drinking and/or drunk on June 25-26). These areas of controversy are presented in a judicious, non-judgmental manner. If Mr. Donovan's comes across as pro-Custer, it may be due to the fact that a number of books in print as well as TV "documentaries" go out of their way to portray Custer as someone that he clearly wasn't--an incompetent egomaniac out to kill men, women and children. Mr. Donovan gives us a balanced rendering of the three Little Big Horn military commanders--Custer, Reno and Benteen--their strengths as well as their flaws.

In conclusion, in my opinion, this book is destined to join other Custer classics--Custer's Luck, The Custer Myth, Custer's Last Campaign, Lakota Noon, Son of the Morning Star (Terrible Glory is much better) and Where Custer Fell. It is the best book you could give someone who asks "Why do you keep reading about this battle?"

With so many accolades, it is a challenge to say something to add to the fine reviews preceding my own. This book is very well-written and the quality and depth of material and insight in the end notes probably put it in a class by itself where Custer books are concerned. I read the first part of "A Terrible Glory" with a bookmark at the end so that I could switch back and forth from the text to the end notes. As this was detracting from the flow of my reading and my appreication of the fine writing, I dispensed with this practice, resorting to reading the end notes following the text for each chapter. I advise other readers to do the same.

The best part of this book, for me, was the extensive treatment provided to the battle's aftermath, especially the Reno Court of Inquiry. Most Little Big Horn books, understandably so, borrow extensively from the Court of Inquiry testimony and place it within the context of an author's reconstruction of the events of June 25 and 26, 1876. Here, we are treated to an entire chapter on the Reno Court of Inquiry as a historical event in its own right. Perhaps an example of some of his new discoveries on this event will serve to highlight the quality of the book as a whole. I had long known that the Inquiry Court was held at the Palmer House hotel in Chicago where Phil Sheridan also housed his Division of the Missouri headquarters. This fact seemed to indicate that it was held there so that Sheridan could have an overpowering, unspoken presence over the proceedings, thereby reminding everyone to avoid a verdict that would embarass him or the army. Mr. Donovan's research revealed that, yes, Sheridan's Division of the Missouri was headquartered in Chicago but it only moved to the Palmer House a few weeks prior to the Inquiry Court when the office building where it was housed was destroyed by fire.

Another intriguing post-battle chapter is the one entitled "The Lost Captain" which precedes and blends with the one covering the Inquiry Court. This chapter title would seem to refer to the self-proclaimed "Captain" Frederick Whittaker who never rose above the rank of lieutenant and had once published dime novels, including one with the title of "The Lost Captain." His hagiographic biography of Custer with its strong condemnation of Reno helped bring about the Reno Court of Inquiry. Most likely, though the title applies to Captain Thomas Weir who died six months after the battle, succumbing to alcoholism; he was the officer who, over Reno's objections, led the movement of various surviving 7th Cavalry companies off Reno Hill and towards the sound of Custer's gunfire. Weir was haunted by the deaths of Custer and his five companies, which only served to exacerbate his drinking problem. His death coincided to the very day with the publication of Whittaker's Custer biography and his thoughts found life in the book as he was interviewed by Whittaker before he passed away. The abscence of his testimony at the subsequent Reno Inquiry has always intrigued battle students, serving up yet more "what if's?" in speculating what the lost captain might have said. Mr. Donovan references Dr. Charles Merkel's unpublished thesis on the life of Weir, thus adding to the huge cache of sources he has tapped for this book.

Some reviewers have portrayed this book as a pro-Custer, down-with-Reno effort. Yes, he explores the many negative questions surrounding Reno's battlefield performance but backs them up with primary sources (for example, three pages of end notes consisting of quotes from first-hand battle participants who claime to have seen Reno drinking and/or drunk on June 25-26). These areas of controversy are presented in a judicious, non-judgmental manner. If Mr. Donovan's comes across as pro-Custer, it may be due to the fact that a number of books in print as well as TV "documentaries" go out of their way to portray Custer as someone that he clearly wasn't--an incompetent egomaniac out to kill men, women and children. Mr. Donovan gives us a balanced rendering of the three Little Big Horn military commanders--Custer, Reno and Benteen--their strengths as well as their flaws.

In conclusion, in my opinion, this book is destined to join other Custer classics--Custer's Luck, The Custer Myth, Custer's Last Campaign, Lakota Noon, Son of the Morning Star (Terrible Glory is much better) and Where Custer Fell. It is the best book you could give someone who asks "Why do you keep reading about this battle?"

With so many accolades, it is a challenge to say something to add to the fine reviews preceding my own. This book is very well-written and the quality and depth of material and insight in the end notes probably put it in a class by itself where Custer books are concerned. I read the first part of "A Terrible Glory" with a bookmark at the end so that I could switch back and forth from the text to the end notes. As this was detracting from the flow of my reading and my appreication of the fine writing, I dispensed with this practice, resorting to reading the end notes following the text for each chapter. I advise other readers to do the same.

The best part of this book, for me, was the extensive treatment provided to the battle's aftermath, especially the Reno Court of Inquiry. Most Little Big Horn books, understandably so, borrow extensively from the Court of Inquiry testimony and place it within the context of an author's reconstruction of the events of June 25 and 26, 1876. Here, we are treated to an entire chapter on the Reno Court of Inquiry as a historical event in its own right. Perhaps an example of some of his new discoveries on this event will serve to highlight the quality of the book as a whole. I had long known that the Inquiry Court was held at the Palmer House hotel in Chicago where Phil Sheridan also housed his Division of the Missouri headquarters. This fact seemed to indicate that it was held there so that Sheridan could have an overpowering, unspoken presence over the proceedings, thereby reminding everyone to avoid a verdict that would embarass him or the army. Mr. Donovan's research revealed that, yes, Sheridan's Division of the Missouri was headquartered in Chicago but it only moved to the Palmer House a few weeks prior to the Inquiry Court when the office building where it was housed was destroyed by fire.

Another intriguing post-battle chapter is the one entitled "The Lost Captain." Perhaps this title refers to the self-proclaimed "Captain" Frederick Whittaker who never rose above the rank of lieutenant. His hagiographic biography with its strong condemnation of Reno help give rise to the forces that brought about the Reno Court of Inquiry. Then again, the title could well apply to Captain Thomas Weir who died six months after the battle of alcoholism and grief; he was the officer who, over Reno's objections, rode to the sound of Custer's gunfire and was most haunted by the deaths of Custer and his five companies. Mr. Donovan references Chuck Merkel's unpublished thesis on the life of Weir, thus providing more detail on Weir than I have previously encountered.

Some reviewers have portrayed this book as a pro-Custer, down-with-Reno effort. Yes, he explores the many negative questions surrounding Reno's battlefield performance but backs them up with primary sources (for example, three pages of end notes consisting of quotes from first-hand battle participants who claime to have seen Reno drinking and/or drunk on June 25-26). These areas of controversy are presented in a judicious, non-judgmental manner. If Mr. Donovan's comes across as pro-Custer, it may be due to the fact that a number of books in print as well as TV "documentaries" go out of their way to portray Custer as someone that he clearly wasn't--an incompetent egomaniac out to kill men, women and children. Mr. Donovan gives us a balanced rendering of the three Little Big Horn military commanders--Custer, Reno and Benteen--their strengths as well as their flaws.

In conclusion, in my opinion, this book is destined to join other Custer classics--Custer's Luck, The Custer Myth, Custer's Last Campaign, Lakota Noon, Son of the Morning Star (Terrible Glory is much better) and Where Custer Fell. It is the best book you could give someone who asks "Why do you keep reading about this battle?"

With so many positive accolades, it is a challenge to say something to add to the fine reviews preceding my own. This book is very well-written and the quality and depth of material and insight in the end notes probably put it in a class by itself where Custer books are concerned. I read the first part of "A Terrible Glory" with a bookmark at the end so that I could switch back and forth from the text to the end notes. As this was detracting from the flow of my reading and my appreication of the fine writing, I dispensed with this practice, resorting to reading the end notes following the text for each chapter. I advise other readers to do the same.

The best part of this book, for me, was the extensive treatment provided to the battle's aftermath, especially the Reno Court of Inquiry. Most Little Big Horn books, understandably so, borrow extensively from the Court of Inquiry testimony and place it within the context of an author's reconstruction of the events of June 25 and 26, 1876. Here, we are treated to an entire chapter on the Reno Court of Inquiry as a historical event in its own right. Perhaps an example of some of his new discoveries on this event will serve to highlight the quality of the book as a whole. I had long known that the Inquiry Court was held at the Palmer House hotel in Chicago where Phil Sheridan also housed his headquarters. This fact seemed to indicate that it was held there so that Sheridan could have an overpowering, unspoken presence over the proceedings, thereby reminding everyone to avoid a verdict that would embarass him or the army. Mr. Donovan's research revealed that, yes, Sheridan's Division of the Missouri was headquartered in Chicago but it only moved to the Palmer House a few weeks prior to the Inquiry Court when the office building where it was housed was destroyed by fire.

Some reviewers have portrayed this book as a pro-Custer, down-with-Reno effort. Yes, he explores the many negative questions surrounding Reno's battlefield performance but backs them up with facts (for example, three pages of end note of quotes from first-hand battle participants who saw Reno drinking and/or drunk on June 25-26). These facts are presented in a judicious, non-judgmental manner. If it comes across as pro-Custer, it may be due to the fact that a number of books in print as well as TV "documentaries" go out of their way to portray Custer as someone that he clearly wasn't--incompetent egomaniac out to kill men, women and children. Mr. Donovan gives us a balanced rendering of the three Little Big Horn military commanders--Custer, Reno and Benteen--their strengths as well as their flaws.

In conclusion, in my opinion, this book is destined to join other Custer classics--Custer's Luck, The Custer Myth, Custer's Last Campaign, Lakota Noon, Son of the Morning Star (Terrible Glory is much better) and Where Custer Fell. It is the best book you could give someone who asks "Why do you keep reading about this battle?"

I generally (no pun intended) liked this book. It was a very good supplement to other LBH books, and covers new ground. (again, no play on words) However, it was sorely lacking in maps. It had a few, very few, but was certainly difficult to follow troop movements without these maps. Granted, (again,...) many readers will be familiar with the battle, and the troop, and Indian, movements during the action, but reading along and trying to visualize what is occurring is not always easy without prior knowledge.
For all the author's research, and there clearly is a lot, with tremendous references and notes, the lack of maps and diagrams showing the action is a real disadvantage to this book.

I am not, as some of the other reviewers here clearly are, a professional student of the Battle of the Little Bighorn. I bought this book as a reader interested in American History generally, and in the American West in particular. What I found was a highly readable book that seemed, to me at least, to treat the various actors involved in this battle fairly. James Donovan did an excellent job of placing the battle in its historical context. I enjoyed the general historical review leading up to the battle and the numerous firsthand accounts throughout the coverage of the battle itself, but I found the author's coverage of the aftermath of the battle to be especially informative. James Donovan's conclusions that the officers of the 7th closed ranks around Reno, despite his serious blunders and drunkenness, out of honor and political necessity was logically presented and well-supported.

Prior to reading this book, I was under the impression that the 7th went into battle as a well-armed, well-supplied fighting force. I was also under the impression that the battle's clear cut hero was Benteen. Donovan's narrative goes to great lengths to clear up both of these misconceptions. I would recommend this book to anyone looking to build a better understanding of the Battle of the Little Bighorn, both in the particulars of the battle itself and in its larger context as a turning point in the history of the American west.

Because I am working on a related project, I've read quite a bit of the Custer literature lately, both scholarly works and more popular treatments. I hasten to clarify that I am not a Custer enthusiast or expert, and that the existing literature is sprawling at least. I was skeptical of yet another general treatment of the battle, but Donovan's writing makes the scene come alive in almost cinematic fashion. Reading this book enabled me to clearly visualize how events unfolded, which is no small task. As a scholar with a general working knowledge, I'm impressed with his diligent mining of primary sources, old and new, and by his artful use of obscure but telling details to bring events and people-mainly U.S. Army soldiers- to life. The bibliography leaves little to be desired, but the book reads like a novel. While personalities come vividly to light, Donovan does not dwell on the persona of Custer, and he rejects the notion that Custer's actions doomed the Seventh cavalry. Rather, by linking together unfolding circumstances and decisions as if a clock is ticking, he makes the battle seem almost like a "perfect storm" of errors colliding to ensnare Custer and his men-perhaps this was Sitting Bull's medicine? He also makes a strong case for Custer having been scapegoated after the battle in order to obscure the conduct and decisions of others, including his superiors and, of course, Reno. In other words, an informed and nuanced reading, narrated with remarkable clarity and verve.

A Terrible Glory is a remarkable accomplishment. Donovan writes with a novelist's flair for narrative written in engaging detail, and has dug up an impressive quantity of primary source material. Over 25 years, I've read 15 or 20 books on this battle, including archaeological reports (and I have an academic background and field experience in historical archeology)- and this book stands out as a fine, one-volume summary of the events and personalties involved in this chapter of American history. It is, indeed, the best one-volume account of the Little Bighorn battle, well-suited to fit the needs and interests of general readers. Those with more specialized tastes may take issue with some of Donovan's conclusions and re-creations, but should come away with a deep respect for his efforts and opinions. A Terrible Glory is an outstanding accomplishment, even given the broad field of the extensive literature on the subject. Read it, keeping a finger in the back pages of notes, or you'll miss some interesting details.

A well researched historical account dragged down by inadequate editing, writing and even proofreading.

"A Terrible Glory" is full of details about the actions of the participants in the Battle of Little Bighorn, aka "Custer's Last Stand". Despite the wealth of detail, I was almost continually confused about when things were happening. Mr. Donovan seldom mentioned dates and (during the battle) times for events. I also just didn't understand how the 7th Cavalry forces were organized that day; who commanded who. The author usually described what the various companies in the regiment were doing, and that they were undermanned, but I had no real idea how many soldiers were involved at many stages of the story.

Not to give away the main theme but Custer: good, Reno: bad.

As to the editing and proofreading.... One event is said to have occurred on June 31st. A soldier is said to have been nicknamed "Dry Martini" after the cocktail which was invented about 30 years later. And -- this is kind of sad -- Mr Donovan concluded with a whimsical vision of Indian and soldier's ghosts "in a brotherhood that reaches past race and religion and greed." Yep, no one noticed the obvious typo of "greed" instead of "creed". (He should have said "tribe" in the first place.)

I haven't studied this battle at the sub-atomic level like some of the reviewers, but I was disappointed that Mr Donovan's work suffered from editorial carelessness his research did not deserve.

There are those who obsess over the events described in this book, and then there are those whose lives would be absolutely none the worse for having never heard of the Little Bighorn. The great thing about this book is that it appeals to both levels.

As an avid reader on the subject, I found the book to be impressively researched. I am not alone in that opinion. Even Robert Utley, one of the most distinguished writers on the West, has described the research of primary materials as the best he's ever seen.

My girlfriend, hardly a fan of anything military or the old West, casually picked up this book when I'd finished. Three days later she put it down and asked if I had any more just like it. Mind you, her idea of a good read had heretofore been more Reader's Digest than New Yorker.

My point here is that there is fresh material here for readers already informed on the subject, and a great story told with style for those readers who are not. In my opinion, this is simply the best book on the subject. To those other reviewers who relegate the book to the "2 star" basement, I say read it again, this time sober.

The 2 and 3-star reviewers seem to be firmly anti-Custer and thus try to trash this book. Custer has been ridiculed too much and too often, even in several Hollywood movies, of which "Little Big Man" is one of the worst. But this book is much more balanced in its treatment of Custer, matter-of-factly reporting his activities and movements without trying to lampoon him. Richly deserving criticism, and receiving it here, is Marcus Reno. But the author correctly does this by reporting the facts, not by lampooning him. Benteen was largely a failure too, slow to move when ordered, and ultimately disobeying Custer's final order. Gibbon and Terry had their own shortcomings. There were few heroes in this debacle, certainly none among the commanding officers.
I was most disappointed with the poor maps. I tried to follow the text on the several small maps scattered thruout the book, with less than complete success, but eventually concluded that the maps were so vague because the actual positions cannot be known for certain. The larger maps on the endpapers were too insetted to be of much value.
I was also looking for more discussion of the Indian accounts of the action. What was provided was more sparse than I expected. Also, there was no enumeration of the casualties among the Indians, unless it was hidden somewhere in the extensive notes. I thought that the Notes could have been halved by incorporating many of them into the text. An appendix naming all known casualties on both sides would have been a nice addition. All in all, these are minor criticisms, not enough to prevent me from giving this engrossing book five stars.

I anxiously read the trade description of the new book, A TERRIBLE GLORY. Over the years the Battle of the Little Bighorn or Custer's Last Stand or The Greasy Grass Fight--whatever one chooses to call it--had become a hobby of mine and, so, the addition of yet another volume to the saga, especially one that boasted being "the first to call upon all the significant research and findings of the past twenty-five years--which have changed significantly how this controversial event is perceived" was enthusiastically welcomed.

What unfolded was anticlimactic at best and a disappointment at worst. Nothing here added to what I already knew about the event. As I read I was sure that one of the final chapters would specifically note recent research and show how it "changed significantly how this controversial event is perceived." Nothing materialized. No new archeological findings. No new revelations about why Custer did what he did. Nothing!

Perhaps the author, James Donovan, expected his work to be read by Little Bighorn neophytes only. As such the work would have been "significant" in that it would introduce newcomers to a history of the event. I suspect, though, that, given the way this unfortunate chapter in Western history has been visited and revisited, again and again, Donovan realized that his work would only attract readers, especially those who have voraciously consumed everything available on the subject, by offering bait, though exaggerated at best, that would bring them to the table. There may have been information released over the last quarter century about the subject. Apparently, given what the author provides here, it included facts that simply substantiated what was already known.

I was especially troubled by what seems a huge faux pas on Donovan's part in relating facts, as he knew them, regarding Custer's death. Arguments have raged for decades as to whether it was possible that the General committed suicide when he recognized that there was no hope of victoriously emerging from the field. Accounts by Indian combatants attest that Custer did commit suicide while those who examined Custer's remains insist that the wounds on the General's person, especially the wound to the left temple of a right handed soldier, clearly indicate otherwise. Whatever the case, the information as to the wounds on Custer's body has been fairly consistent...until A TERRIBLE GLORY.

Beginning with the last paragraph on page 276 of the hardcover volume of Donovan's book, we read:

"Custer took a shot in his right breast that knocked him back. He dropped his rifle and drew his English bulldog pistols. Many of the men around him were dead when another bullet smashed into his right temple and killed him instantly."

The right side of his body, NOT his left! As I read this I thought that, perhaps, this was one of the new revelations, as promised, that Donovan had uncovered from his research. But, then, to my considerable dismay, the following surfaced on page 308 of the same edition:

"`He looked as natural as if sleeping,' remembered one officer--and his body bore two gunshot wounds, one to his left temple and the other near his left breast."

Frankly, such poor, inconsistent researching and writing was the last straw for me. Nowhere does Donovan state that these were inconsistencies that he encountered in his research. It just seems to be the result of shoddy organization. But, given the placement of the General's wounds and their part in assessing how he died and by whose hand, the mistake here is nearly unforgivable.

And so I disappointedly put this one aside.

For those looking for, what I feel is, the definitive account of the Custer tragedy, I recommend Evan S. Connell's excellent SON OF THE MORNING STAR.

THE HORSEMAN

As a long-time student of the Battle of the Little Bighorn and the Plains Wars, this book is a travesty to be sold as well researched, etc. Donovan is so blatantly a Custer fan that he has altered, omitted and colored proven historical facts to portray Custer as a "scapegoat." Do not read this book with the intention of learning about the Battle of the Bighorn. This is like a fictional movie script to glorify a proven buffoon and military criminal.

This book is a well researched and comprehensive history of the Battle of Little Bighorn, its back history and subsequent events. The author does a good job of providing historical perspective by providing just enough background on the key figures, without detracting from the focus of the book itself, the days immediately preceding and following the battle.

It is true that the author takes a very kind view of Custer, seeking to deflect much of the blame for the event on both his superiors and his subordinates. He does not, however, completely absolve Custer and presents a relatively well organized and presented argument for his position.

While much can be faulted in the performance of Terry, Reno and Benteen, the ultimate responsibility for the results of the battle must rest with Custer. It should not be forgotten, however, that while the reader, and historians, are presented with detailed maps, timelines and the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, none of these luxuries was available to Custer or the other actors in the drama.

Was Custer reckless and impetuous? Certainly, but the absence of such characteristics in a cavalry officer fighting plains Indians most times resulted in a lack of results. History had highlighted few times that cavalry was able to identify and attack a massed Indian force. To wait, after locating such a force would have likely resulted in a repeat of past history; the dispersal and melting away of the targeted enemy.

Unknown to Custer and his subordinates was the size, scope and fighting spirit of the Sioux at Little Bighorn. While he had received intelligence on the size of the encampment, such intelligence was conflicting and not usually completely reliable. Virtually no one, not in the Seventh Cavalry, not in the Army in general, and certainly not in the country at large, could possibly conceive of an Indian force capable of defeating Custer's army.

While the performance of Reno and Benteen can be faulted, and the later inquiry was certainly a stage managed farce, it is difficult to argue that alternate actions by the forces under their command could have done anything but expand the scope of the slaughter. Reno, a confirmed alcoholic who likely was drunk throughout the battle could have done little to improve the performance of the troops under his command once overwhelmed by vastly superior numbers. While his retreat and repositioning could have been more orderly and better executed, it did at least manage to save many of the soldiers in his command.

Benteen, on the other hand, in command of a fresh regiment and in possession of orders to advance and provide support for Custer's forces, somehow escaped as the hero of the battle. No explanation was ever provided as to why these orders were disregarded.

In any event, Custer's last stand and the Battle of Little Bighorn have become historical legend and provided the last gasp of the Lakota Sioux in the long effort of the United States government to subjogate the plains Indians and settle the Dakota Territory. This book is a very good overview of the events leading to and following that legendary clash.

I believe there are more books on the Battle of the Little Bighorn than on any other event in North American history. Why another? Well, this is the one I would recommend to anyone new to the topic, who is really curious about the battle, or the events leading up to it and following it, or the participants. The author has a masterly command of the sources, a clear and vigorous literary style, and great insight into what background the reader needs, to understand some of the situations. For example, what cavalry tactics had worked best against the Plains Indians up to this point? Just how did the Indians normally respond to the various possible cavalry tactics?

I note that the author silently omits use of any potential source material which in his judgment is spurious... for example, the many contradictory tall tales of Curly the scout.

More than any other book on the battle known to me, this one also emphasizes and documents the complete incompetence and continual drunkenness of Reno. From a couple of short books I've read, written later by troopers of the 7th Cavalry, I glean that in fact Reno was already visibly and openly slurping from a large bottle of whiskey even as he was riding out of the fort on the way to Destiny, although this is not mentioned by the present author.

As a broad survey of the events leading up to the Battle of the Little Bighorn, the battle itself, and its aftermath, this book is hard to beat. It sets a very, very high mark for later authors to shoot for.

This book was hard to put down and did a great job with the background information needed to understand the battle and what happened after the battle. I became interested in this topic when my family visited the battlefield twice in the 1970's. On one of these visits I discovered the grave of Marcus Reno in the national cemetary on the battlefield grounds. The author states that Reno was buried in an unmarked grave in Washington. At some point his remains were moved to this cemetary. I'm not sure this is where Reno would have wanted to spend eternity......

A few reviewers are making a big deal out of the discovery of a few factual errors in A TERRIBLE GLORY. Here's a revelation: this is a 500-page book of history. Every big historical book contains some errors--you can find them in David McCullough, too. It happens. But don't let that blind you to the fact that this is an excellent book.

How do I know? Because I've read TONS of books on the subject. There are some good ones. But this is the only one I've read that tells the entire story (including much-needed background to show how we got to that point in 1876, and what happened afterwards such as the Reno Court of Inquiry in 1879) and synthesizes all the material that's been out there for years, all the groundbreaking new findings and interpretations of the past 25 years of Fox, Scott, Michno, Donahue, Hardoff, etc. (and there have been a lot--several major archaeological digs, closer examination of the Indian accounts, forensic work, etc.), and some fine new research (in a very well-plowed field) to create what I think is simply the best overall book on the subject.

Yes, the author has come up with some new interpretations of the big mystery--what happened to Custer and his battalion. But in my opinion they're solidly researched, and seem to be as likely, or likelier, than any other versions I've seen. Speaking of research, there are 83 pages of endnotes. The author did his homework--there doesn't seem to be anything in the field he hasn't looked at, and new sources that I haven't seen cited anywhere. Has anyone ever looked at all the old Chicago newspapers (besides the Times accounts) that covered the Reno Court of Inquiry? I don't think so. To my knowledge those proceedings have never been dramatized--Tom Bookwalter's pamphlet on the subject, HONOR TARNISHED, was a fine examination, but nothing on this level. I found the Reno Court chapter one of the most fascinating in the book.

And I'm impressed with the author's objectivity. Yes, he shows the shortcomings of Reno and Benteen, and several other officers. But he doesn't go on rants about them, such as tainted the otherwise excellent TO HELL WITH HONOR. Donovan simply chronicles what they did and lets the reader decide who's at fault. And he doesn't let Custer off the hook--he doesn't put him on a pedestal. He makes it clear that Custer made mistakes, and was far from perfect. Overall, I think his point is that it was a team loss, as they say in sports. There was plenty of blame to go around.

Finally, I must say this is the best-written and entertaining account of the battle and the events surrounding it I've ever read. The writing is clear and unadorned. (No one's Evan Connell, but SON OF THE MORNING STAR is in no way a straightforward account of the battle.) But this author humanizes the battle, and the character sketches (on both sides of the battle) are among the best I've seen --and he devotes a good deal of time to the Indian side, which rarely happens.

Good maps, too--the progress maps in the battle chapters are very helpful.

There is no doubt that Jim Donovan has the best word in research for a general-audience Little Bighorn work. He carefully documents his research, allows the reader to make his or her own assessments on many controversies of the battle and its background, and does a good job of presenting that background.

That said, Donovan's writing style, contrary to some reviewers' blurbs, while not necessarily pedestrian, is definitely stilted at times and also grating at times. For instance, I think I would have torn out what's left of my hair if I heard the phrase "dundreary Cooke" one more time.

Oh, and is copy editing becoming that lost of an art? Officers' titles do NOT capitalize, per either Chicago Manual for books or AP for media, but they're capitalizes all over the place in the book, something I found offputting and annoying.

This is nowhere near "Son of the Morning Star" stylistically. One other reviewer mentions "John Gray." I've not read his two works, but, from reviews of them, think they are "wanting" for some of the same reasons I have problems with Donovan -- too laudatory of Custer (see below).

But, let's get to the meat of the book.

While Custer's reputation, certainly among his surviving contemporaries in the Army officer corps, may have been more sinned against than sinning, Donovan's fulcrum for the book is a false dichotomy: Reno's cowardice/drunkenness/incompentence vs. Custer's incompetence/disobedience/arrogance.

There IS no dichotomy. Both are possible; more than that, both are actual, and were actual.

Yes, Terry's orders were discretionary. Nonetheless, if Custer had listened to his scouts, he might have waited a day for battle. If the Greasy Grass encampment started to scatter, he could pick off fair-sized chunks before it got too small. Also, of course, if had listened to his scouts, he never would have divided his forces.

And, yes, there was the hurry of battle, but the hurry was not so hurried for Custer to more carefully make his decisions and deployments. Most sinful of all was splitting his own five companies into two.

Well, maybe not retreating when he had the chance was the most sinful of all.

And, as one other reviewer argues, the "Custer luck" was by no means a sure thing before June 25, 1876. He escaped with not a lot more than his skin at Trevilian Station in 1864, as one other reviewer notes.

And, there are errors, not all of them mild.

Donovan says Custer was on post-war Reconstruction duty in Elizabethtown, Ky. As Kentucky never seceded (though a slave state), this was not Reconstruction duty.

He also glosses lightly over Custer's political activity in Reconstruction years. During the start of that time, he openly called for moderation toward the South.

Lesser errors: The Little Missouri flows into the Missouri, not the Yellowstone.1876 gave the Dems the first shot at winning an election in 16 years, not 20. President Monroe moved Indian tribes east of the Mississippi, not west, to Indian Territory.

Finally, the book is a hybrid. It attempts to background Custer without doing as well as it could, and it attempts to go more in-depth into the battle itself than, say, Connell, without doing as well as a more technical book.

Even as I write this review, I've been wavering on the 3/4 star border. But, because too many people have uncritically five-starred it, and reviews on Amazon don't happen in a vacuum, "A Terrible Glory" falls to three stars.

Beyond reviewing it in light of other reviewers, this review has to be seen in light of expectations raised by professional reviewers, especially those fulsome in praise of Donovan's narrative as well as his research.

That said, if you approach this book with lowered expectations and a thirst to wrestle with issues at the Little Bighorn/Greasy Grass, this is a good opener.

For the larger historical picture, I recommend two classics: The Last Days of the Plains Indian, and Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. Among new books, from what I've read in reviews, Archaeology, History, and Custer's Last Battle,by Richard A. Fox, sounds like it is a definite read.

There is no doubt that Jim Donovan has the best word in research for a general-audience Little Bighorn work. He carefully documents his research, allows the reader to make his or her own assessments on many controversies of the battle and its background, and does a good job of presenting that background.

That said, Donovan's writing style, contrary to some reviewers' blurbs, while not necessarily pedestrian, is definitely stilted at times and also grating at times. For instance, I think I would have torn out what's left of my hair if I heard the phrase "dundreary Cooke" one more time.

Oh, and is copy editing becoming that lost of an art? Officers' titles do NOT capitalize, per either Chicago Manual for books or AP for media, but they're capitalizes all over the place in the book, something I found offputting and annoying.

This is nowhere near "Son of the Morning Star" stylistically. (One other reviewer mentions "John Gray" but the only author by that name I find is the pseudopsychologist.)

But, let's get to the meat of the book.

While Custer's reputation, certainly among his surviving contemporaries in the Army officer corps, may have been more sinned against than sinning, Donovan's fulcrum for the book is a false dichotomy: Reno's cowardice/drunkenness/incompentence vs. Custer's incompetence/disobedience/arrogance.

There IS no dichotomy. Both are possible; more than that, both are actual, and were actual.

Yes, Terry's orders were discretionary. Nonetheless, if Custer had listened to his scouts, he might have waited a day for battle. If the Greasy Grass encampment started to scatter, he could pick off fair-sized chunks before it got too small. Also, of course, if had listened to his scouts, he never would have divided his forces.

And, yes, there was the hurry of battle, but the hurry was not so hurried for Custer to more carefully make his decisions and deployments. Most sinful of all was splitting his own five companies into two.

Well, maybe not retreating when he had the chance was the most sinful of all.

And, as one other reviewer argues, the "Custer luck" was by no means a sure thing before June 25, 1876. He escaped with not a lot more than his skin at Trevilian Station in 1864, as one other reviewer notes.

And, there are errors, not all of them mild.

Donovan says Custer was on post-war Reconstruction duty in Elizabethtown, Ky. As Kentucky never seceded (though a slave state), this was not Reconstruction duty.

He also glosses lightly over Custer's political activity in Reconstruction years. During the start of that time, he openly called for moderation toward the South.

Lesser errors: The Little Missouri flows into the Missouri, not the Yellowstone.1876 gave the Dems the first shot at winning an election in 16 years, not 20. President Monroe moved Indian tribes east of the Mississippi, not west, to Indian Territory.

Finally, the book is a hybrid. It attempts to background Custer without doing as well as it could, and it attempts to go more in-depth into the battle itself than, say, Connell, without doing as well as a more technical book.

Even as I write this review, I've been wavering on the 3/4 star border. But, because too many people have uncritically five-starred it, and reviews on Amazon don't happen in a vacuum, "A Terrible Glory" falls to three stars.

Beyond reviewing it in light of other reviewers, this review has to be seen in light of expectations raised by professional reviewers, especially those fulsome in praise of Donovan's narrative as well as his research.

That said, if you approach this book with lowered expectations and a thirst to wrestle with issues at the Little Bighorn/Greasy Grass, this is a good opener.

For the larger historical picture, I recommend two classics: The Last Days of the Plains Indian, and Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee.

I can add little to what others have said, other than to contribute one more five-star ranking. It may be hard to believe that anyone at this late date could offer anything new about the Battle of the Little Bighorn, but Donovan does and he does it well--covering both sides, which is in itself unique in this overcharged area of writing.