The Last Stand

Custer, Sitting Bull, and the Battle of the Little Bighorn

By: Nathaniel Philbrick

Narrated by: George Guidall

Length: 12 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

The best-selling author of Mayflower sheds new light on one of the iconic stories of the American West.

Little Bighorn and Custer are names synonymous in the American imagination with unmatched bravery and spectacular defeat. Mythologized as Custer's Last Stand, the June 1876 battle has been equated with other famous last stands, from the Spartans' defeat at Thermopylae to Davy Crockett at the Alamo.

In his tightly structured narrative, Nathaniel Philbrick brilliantly sketches the two larger-than-life antagonists: Sitting Bull, whose charisma and political savvy earned him the position of leader of the Plains Indians, and George Armstrong Custer, one of the Union's greatest cavalry officers and a man with a reputation for fearless and often reckless courage.

Philbrick reminds listeners that the Battle of the Little Bighorn was also, even in victory, the last stand for the Sioux and Cheyenne Indian nations. Increasingly outraged by the government's Indian policies, the Plains tribes allied themselves and held their ground in southern Montana. Within a few years of Little Bighorn, however, all the major tribal leaders would be confined to Indian reservations.

Throughout, Philbrick beautifully evokes the history and geography of the Great Plains with his characteristic grace and sense of drama. The Last Stand is a mesmerizing account of the archetypal story of the American West, one that continues to haunt our collective imagination.

©2010 Nathaniel Philbrick (P)2010 Penguin

Critic reviews

"An evocative and cinematic narrative." (The New York Times)

"A carefully historical account that is also a ripping good yarn." (The Wall Street Journal)

good study, a bit dull

the book was informative but a bit dull. would have liked more accounts from the Indian side.

Great read - really enjoyed it; englightening

This book taught me a lot about "Custer's Last Stand." From previous accounts and less than complimentary movies, I always assumed Custer was an arrogant showboater who put his men in danger because of his hubris and recklessness-that was definitely part of it but there were so many more aspects to this tragedy-stupid decisions made from the beginning of the campaign and poor implementation by less than stellar officers. The fingerpointing after the battle was pathetic; no one wanted to take responsibility for their part in the failure. I have not changed my opinion about Custer but this book makes it clear that he was not the sole architect of this debacle.

custer

Where does The Last Stand rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

very good modern balanced treatment of events with insight into characters relationships and how this affected history

Would you be willing to try another book from Nathaniel Philbrick? Why or why not?

yes

Which scene was your favorite?

description of charaters and relationships

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

no

Any additional comments?

no

The Custer Myth explained: somewhat

The single most proponent to the Custer Myth was Elizabeth Custer: to the extent that she filed an injunction against the publishing of W.A. Graham's book "The Custer Myth." I wish Philbrick had used Graham's book as a source. Graham, a retired colonel and historian, includes primary source material (depositions, autopsy reports and copies of orders written by Terry and Crook). The book demonstrated that Custer, universally despised by his men, was an egomaniacally incompetent leader whose abandonment of some of his company at the Washita massacre finaly caught up with him at the battle of the Little Bighorn. Custer, a graduate of West Point (last in his class), should never be held up as an American hero but rather, an example of the worst commander that West Point has to offer.

Great book

If you could sum up The Last Stand in three words, what would they be?

Loved the book

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Last Stand?

This was one of the best books I have read. A great historical read.

Have you listened to any of George Guidall’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

George is one of the best!

Enjoyable

I was curious about the last stand after reading a few other period books and I thought this filled in the details nicely.

last stand review

It seemed like the narrator read pretty fast or the narration was itself speeded up.

I got more information from the book by listening to it twice.

Lots of historical information. I was traveling through the general area of North Dakota and Montana while I was listening to parts of the book which made both the story and the drive more interesting.

Good Account Of Custer and the American West

I was looking for a book to fill the period between the Civil War and the Spanish-American War, and also something that discussed the later portion of American westward expansion. This book did just that by giving a broad view of what was going on during this period of time instead of being a focus on the battle of Little Bighorn. What I like is that gave a very informative account of Custer himself, romantic battle details, and how the situation between the U.S. and Sioux Indians had developed and eventually led to the battle of Little Bighorn.

Dusters last stand brilliantly done

True to history, and well done in every regard no disappointment, captivating. A must book to read prior to a visit to little big horn battlefield.

An Enthralling Page Turner

I am more a fan or European history, but this was a fantastic book by Philbrick and perfect narrator George Guidall.This battle is not told in school, so books are the only real method to learn about the story. The author left the end of Custer up to evidence found by other survivors. Well read well written and I recommend for anyone interested in history, or war. Enjoy.