Post by Deleted on Feb 5, 2021 19:49:46 GMT
Has anyone read this book: Custer at the Death by Robert F Burke shop.strategyandtacticspress.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=B003
Just curious. I bought it and am somewhat underwhelmed.
It has nice maps (always a plus in my opinion) - in fact the maps are really good and nicely pictures the authors impression of the flow of battle, but there are no footnotes or bibliography. The author is said to have written books on the Alamo and the Texas Revolution. Reviews are not particular good. It mostly follows Custer through the engagement, but mentions Benteen and Reno as needed. It states that he consulted many Indian sources and some of the quotes I checked with stuff I had on hand were accurate, but without footnotes or bibliography, you might have to search far and wide.
The book paints Custer as being offensive to the core with 7 attempts to cross the LBH! He has companies and platoons going all over the place. He has different place names for features, mixing some with modern terminolgy and some that he says were used during the time; an appendix lists conversions. He invents dialog, as so many seem to do, as well as having anecdotes like Custer praying as he decides to go right. He has Gall planning a double envelopment. Tom Custer leads C Troop to Last Stand Hill, gets ammunition, and then returns to Keogh, partially accompanied by E and F, who then return to LSH. (Why?) He has the battle lasting till 2130/9:30PM which seems at odds with many sources.
It seems to echo, a little bit, some of the Ford D threads, but I have not finished wading through that thread yet.
Ty Bomba provides an introduction and epilog which he originally posted in Strategy and Tactics, as well as Command. Whe I wrote for him, he always stripped out my footnotes, but left the bibliography. He was more interested in portraying 'popular' history than 'documented' history.
I seldom find books a total waste. As above, this one I like for the maps, but the battle flow is questionable.
Opinions please.
Thanks.
Mike
Just curious. I bought it and am somewhat underwhelmed.
It has nice maps (always a plus in my opinion) - in fact the maps are really good and nicely pictures the authors impression of the flow of battle, but there are no footnotes or bibliography. The author is said to have written books on the Alamo and the Texas Revolution. Reviews are not particular good. It mostly follows Custer through the engagement, but mentions Benteen and Reno as needed. It states that he consulted many Indian sources and some of the quotes I checked with stuff I had on hand were accurate, but without footnotes or bibliography, you might have to search far and wide.
The book paints Custer as being offensive to the core with 7 attempts to cross the LBH! He has companies and platoons going all over the place. He has different place names for features, mixing some with modern terminolgy and some that he says were used during the time; an appendix lists conversions. He invents dialog, as so many seem to do, as well as having anecdotes like Custer praying as he decides to go right. He has Gall planning a double envelopment. Tom Custer leads C Troop to Last Stand Hill, gets ammunition, and then returns to Keogh, partially accompanied by E and F, who then return to LSH. (Why?) He has the battle lasting till 2130/9:30PM which seems at odds with many sources.
It seems to echo, a little bit, some of the Ford D threads, but I have not finished wading through that thread yet.
Ty Bomba provides an introduction and epilog which he originally posted in Strategy and Tactics, as well as Command. Whe I wrote for him, he always stripped out my footnotes, but left the bibliography. He was more interested in portraying 'popular' history than 'documented' history.
I seldom find books a total waste. As above, this one I like for the maps, but the battle flow is questionable.
Opinions please.
Thanks.
Mike
