The Battle of the Little Bighorn

Mari Sandozs beautifully written account of the battle in which General George Armstrong Custer staked his lifeand lost itreveals on every page the authors intimate knowledge of her subject. The character of the Sioux, the personality of Custer, the mixed emotions of Custers men, the plains landscapeall emerge with such clarity that the reader is transported to that spring in 1876 when the Army of the Plains began its fateful march toward Yellowstone. The background of the tragedy is here: the history of bad blood and broken treaties between the Indigenous nations and the United States, the underlying reason for Custers expedition and for the convocation of Indians on the Little Bighorn that particular year. Sandozs final book was the first analysis of Custers motives and political ambitions to shed light on an old mystery that was hotly disputed by the generals admirers. Historian Elaine Marie Nelson introduces this iconic work to a new generation and details the long, challenging road this book took to publication. Sandoz raced against time to complete the volume while undergoing cancer treatments, and the book was published just three months after her death. The Battle of the Little Bighorn is widely considered the apex of her writing.