A Terrible Glory: Custer and the Little Bighorn - The Last Great Battle of the American West
Author: James Donovan
In June of 1876, on a desolate hill above a winding river called "the Little Bighorn," George Armstrong Custer and all 210 men under his direct command were annihilated by almost 2,000 Sioux and Cheyenne. The news of this devastating loss caused a public uproar, and those in positions of power promptly began to point fingers in order to avoid responsibility. Custer, who was conveniently dead, took the brunt of the blame.
The truth, however, was far more complex. A TERRIBLE GLORY is the first book to relate the entire story of this endlessly fascinating battle, and 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. Furthermore, it is the first book to bring to light the details of the U.S. Army cover-up--and unravel one of the greatest mysteries in U.S. military history.
Scrupulously researched, A TERRIBLE GLORY will stand as ta landmark work. Brimming with authentic detail and an unforgettable cast of characters--from Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse to Ulysses Grant and Custer himself--this is history with the sweep of a great novel.
Publishers Weekly
In this labor of love, Donovan collects the multiple threads that led to the 1876 massacre at Little Big Horn. By the 1870s various American Indian tribes ignored the American government's edict to relocate to reservations. Growth in pioneer settlements had produced so many clashes that western commander Philip Sheridan ordered three army columns to converge on an immense Indian encampment in southern Montana Territory. Donovan's eye-opening description of these cavalrymen contradicts the Hollywood image. These troops were untrained, inexperienced in individual combat and poorly equipped. Custer, the first to encounter the enemy encampment, split his forces before attacking. This tactical error ensured that some units would survive the fighting, here described in vivid detail. Custer's last stand became the Indians', too. Though the army was happy to blame the debacle on the dead Custer, the battle's survivors banded together to ensure no reputation went tarnished in public hearings. The author makes a good case for Custer as scapegoat by portraying him as a likable Civil War hero, flamboyant publicity hound and more experienced Indian fighter than most of his men and all of his commanders,. Exhaustive research, lively prose and fresh interpretation make for a valuable addition to literature on this otherwise well-trodden historical event. (Mar. 24)
Copyright 2007 Reed Business InformationStephen H. Peters - Library Journal
Recent decades have seen important new findings regarding the Battle of the Little Bighorn. What has been needed next is a clear narrative for scholars and lay readers alike embracing all of the recent research; literary agent Donovan has written just that. First he provides the context of the campaign of 1876 from both the Native American and the U.S. Army perspectives, with the essential background on the major players. Then he presents what he considers the most likely sequence of events of the battle itself, based on archaeological and other research findings, along with the many Native American accounts that have become available and a careful review of the traditional sources. Rather than interrupting his fast-paced narrative with asides on his sources, Donovan wisely places such discussion in the notes, making them available to scholars and serious Custer students. The final quarter of the book is devoted to the aftermath of the battle, particularly the court of inquiry. Donovan shows the extent to which the army and surviving members of the Seventh Cavalry went to put all of the blame on Custer in what today would be called a cover-up. This book is an excellent starting point for those seeking an understanding of the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Highly recommended for public and academic libraries.
Kirkus Reviews
Comprehensive account of George Custer's career. Dallas-based literary agent Donovan does much kind service to Custer, who has long been without champions. We think of Custer as vainglorious and foolhardy, thanks in great measure to Arthur Penn's 1970 film Little Big Man; only a vain man would have dressed like a longhaired gypsy dandy and gone galloping off to fight every Indian in the West, right? Donovan finds the upside: Custer dressed colorfully and wore his hair long in the interest of conspicuousness, reasoning that "if his men saw their commanding officer share the danger, they would fight even harder." He always made a point to be at the head of the action, golden locks and bright red scarf gleaming. There was a reason that Custer was the youngest general in the Union Army. At places such as Gettysburg, he distinguished himself by brave action against heavy odds, and his Michigan horsemen "quickly earned a reputation as the best brigade in the cavalry corps." Yet something seems to have happened to Custer out West. He shared the general disdain of the white soldiers for their Indian opponents, hubris that cost a young captain named William Fetterman and his men their lives and set in motion the events that would culminate in Little Bighorn-and later, Wounded Knee. But Donovan is no agenda-laden, blind defender of Custer; he carefully notes the results of the inquiry that followed the famed slaughter, when Custer's commanding general damned him for "negligence and outright insubordination." His thoroughgoing account lends considerable humanity to all involved, from the Hunkpapa warrior Rain-in-the-Face to the ordinary privates who died with Custer on that hot June day in Montana.A worthy companion to Jay Monahan's Custer, Evan S. Connell's Son of the Morning Star and other standard studies of the famed cavalryman. Agent: BJ Robbins/BJ Robbins Literary Agency
Strongest Tribe: War, Politics, and the Endgame in Iraq
Author: Bing West
From a universally respected combat journalist, a gripping history based on five years of front-line reporting about how the war was turned around–and the choice now facing America
During the fierce battle for Fallujah, Bing West asked an Iraqi colonel why the archterrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi had fled in women’s clothes. The colonel pointed to a Marine patrol walking by and said, “Americans are the strongest tribe.”
In Iraq, America made mistake after mistake. Many gave up on the war. Then the war took a sharp U-turn. Two generals–David Petraeus and Raymond Odierno–displayed the leadership America expected. Bringing the reader from the White House to the fighting in the streets, this remarkable narrative explains the turnaround by U.S. forces.
In the course of fourteen extended trips over five years, West embedded with more than sixty front-line units, discussing strategy with generals and tactics with corporals. He provides an expert’s account of counterinsurgency, disposing of myths. By describing the characters and combat in city after city, West gives the reader an in-depth understanding that will inform the debate about the war. This is the definitive study of how American soldiers actually fought –a gripping and visceral book that changes the way we think about the war, and essential reading for understanding the next critical steps to be taken.
Praise for The Strongest Tribe:
"Balanced, panoramic assessment of the Iraq War by former Marine and Reagan administration veteran West (No True Glory, 2005, etc.), who heralds American soldiers as its unsungheroes amid the “fog of Washington”. . .A timely, eye-opening historical analysis that provides clarity around the difficult choices the next president faces."
--Kirkus (starred review)
"In this important new chronicle of the war in Iraq, Bing West reveals how America reached the brink of defeat in 2006 and then managed in 2007 to stage a stunning turnaround. With its vivid, on-the-ground reporting, his book is a fitting tribute to the honor, valor, and toughness of our soldiers. Notwithstanding numerous mistakes by their leaders, West shows that their sacrifices have made success possible--as long we do not withdraw prematurely."
--Senator John S. McCain
“Sometimes the best way to support the troops is to criticize the generals. Bing West does both well in this book, showing a sympathy for our soldiers and Marines, but also a great ear for military truth and a determination to render events accurately. This is his third and most important book about the Iraq war. Read it.”
-- Thomas E. Ricks, author of FIASCO: The American Military Adventure in Iraq
“A brilliant exposition. Based on extensive experience in the war zone, Bing West recounts how Soldiers and Marines showed the President and the Pentagon the way to solve the Iraq insurgency problem. Echoing the admonition that "all politics are local", The Strongest Tribe convincingly argues that it was a grass roots strategy developed by on-scene officers who forged ties at the tribal level that brought stability to Iraq's turbulent Anbar Province and provided hope for all Iraq.”
-- Lt. Gen. Bernard E. Trainor USMC (Ret.) Co-author of The Generals' War
and COBRA II: The Inside Story of the Invation and Occupation of Iraq
“Some four decades ago I told Bing West that his book, the Village, would become a classic in counterinsurgency warfare. And so it did. "The Strongest Tribe" will surely be West's second classic - a moving and detailed account of almost six years of war in Iraq.”
- Dr. James R. Schlesinger, Director of Central Intelligence Agency, Nixon administration; Secretary of Defense, Ford administration; Chairman, The Mitre Corporation
Kirkus Reviews
Balanced, panoramic assessment of the Iraq War by former Marine and Reagan administration veteran West (No True Glory, 2005, etc.), who heralds American soldiers as its unsung heroes amid the "fog of Washington."The story of the initial years, familiar from other books, is covered expeditiously: America rushed to war in 2003 with limited troops and no postwar plan; proconsul Paul Bremer, inexperienced and isolated, dissolved the Iraqi army and banished Baathists, setting the stage for a Sunni-based insurgency; President Bush remained stubbornly uninvolved in the details. American troops couldn't easily identify al-Qaeda insurgents who wore civilian clothes, the author notes; this allowed al-Qaeda to incite a civil war by murdering Shiites who then retaliated against the Sunnis. What makes West's book fresh and exciting is his ability to weave together two narrative strands. Compelling, firsthand accounts of the war, recorded while embedded with the troops, highlight bravery and leadership on the battlefield. By contrast, incisive strategic analyses of the war unearth a fundamental contradiction between pre-surge military strategy, aimed at quickly transitioning counterinsurgency leadership to corrupt Iraqi forces who wouldn't do the job, and Bush's policy of winning the war by eradicating all insurgents. The author is indignant at the president's intellectual laziness, which led to Bush recusing himself from military strategy. West also demonstrates that, by granting complete sovereignty to Iraq, the president allowed sectarian Prime Minister Maliki to undermine the troops' authority by protecting Shiite militias. When Democrats took control of Congress in 2006, however, Bush finallyfired Defense Secretary Rumsfeld, pressured Maliki and launched a surge that partnered American soldiers with local populations to eradicate al-Qaeda in a bottoms-up approach, achieving a reduction in violence. West's concluding assessment is sobering: America might have to stay for years to consolidate the surge's fragile gains; a quick exit could lead to chaos. A timely, eye-opening historical analysis that provides clarity around the difficult choices the next president faces.
Table of Contents:
Map of Iraq xiiiMap of Baghdad xv
Preface xvii
How to Create a Mess: Summer 2003 3
Descent into Chaos: September-December 2003 18
A Near Collapse: January-June 2004 26
War: July-December 2004 43
Inadequate Means: 2005 64
Widescale Fighting: 2005 84
Contradictory Goals: 2005 106
The Second War Begins: 2006 113
The Islamic Caliphate: 2006 130
Haditha: Explosion on the Home Front: 2006 148
A Flawed Assessment: Mid-2006 159
Al Qaeda: Murder and Intimidation: Fall 2006 167
The Turnaround Begins: Fall 2006 173
The Civil War: Fall 2006 187
Bush Weighs His Options: Fall 2006 197
The War Turns: November 2006 208
Washington Turns: December 2006 216
The Sunnis Change Sides: Winter 2007 224
Momentum: Spring 2007 246
Overview: Summer 2007 273
Victory in Anbar: Fall 2007 280
Baghdad: The Surge Takes Hold: Fall 2007 293
Washington Assesses the Surge: Fall 2007 317
Progress andUncertainty: 2008 334
The Strongest Tribe: 2009 361
Acknowledgments 377
Insurgency and Unity of Command in Vietnam 389
Memo to Gen. George W. Casey, USA 395
Bing West's Counterinsurgency Lessons 399
Notes 401
Bibliography 415
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