"The Battle of the Little Bighorn" by Mari Sandoz presents a detailed and analytical depiction of the infamous confrontation between George Armstrong Custer's 7th Cavalry and Native American forces. The author explores Custer's character, portraying him as a hubristic figure whose arrogance contributed to the tragic outcome of the battle. Sandoz's writing style is marked by elegant prose and vivid descriptions, which allow readers to visualize the battlefield and the emotions experienced by both soldiers and Native Americans. However, some readers found the narrative style peculiar, noting that it may lack the depth of research they expected based on Sandoz's previous works.
The book attempts to capture the complexity of the battle from multiple perspectives, although some readers felt that it drained the subject of excitement and historical significance. Critics pointed out the author's use of imagined conversations without references, which they believed detracted from the historical accuracy of the account. Nevertheless, Sandoz's narrative seeks to engage the reader by evoking the fear and chaos of the final moments of the battle, offering a gripping portrayal of the events as they unfolded, despite some reservations about the overall accuracy and flow of the narrative.
From The Publisher:
Mari Sandoz's account of the battle in which General George Armstrong Custer staked his life-and lost-reveals on every page the author's intimate knowledge of her subject. The character of the Sioux, the personality of Custer, the mixed emotions of Custer's men, the Plains landscape-all emerge with such clarity that the reader is transported in time to that spring of 1876, when the Army of the Plains began its fateful march toward the Yellowstone. The background of the tragedy is here: the history of bad blood and broken treaties between the Sioux Nation and the United States, the underlying reason for Custer's expedition and for the convocation of Indians on the Little Bighorn that particular year. The author's analysis of Custer's motives and political ambitions sheds new light on an old mystery and will be hotly disputed by the general's admirers.
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