Crazy Horse and Custer
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Product Description
Product Description
On June 25, 1876, 611 men of the United States 7th Cavalry rode towards the banks of the Little Bighorn where three thousand Indians stood waiting for battle. The lives of two great war leaders would soon become forever linked: Crazy Horse, leader of the Oglala Sioux, and General George Armstrong Custer. This masterly dual biography tells the epic story of the lives of these two men: both were fighters of legendary daring, both became honoured leaders in their societies when still astonishingly young, and both died when close to the supreme political heights. Yet they - like the nations they represented - were as different as day and night. Custer had won his spurs in the American Civil War; his watchword was 'To promotion - or death!' and his restless ambition characterized a white nation in search of expansion and progress. Crazy Horse fought for a nomadic way of life fast yielding before the buffalo-hunters and the incursions of the white man. The Great Plains of North America provided the stage - and the prize.
About the Author
Stephen E. Ambrose, leading World War II historian, was the author of numerous books on history including the Number 1 bestselling BAND OF BROTHERS, D-DAY (on which SAVING PRIVATE RYAN was based) PEGASUS BRIDGE and WILD BLUE. He is founder of the Eisenhower Center and the National D-Day Museum in New Orleans. He died in 2002.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Parallel biographies of mutual adverseries are quite common, with surprising commonalities emerging. In truth Crazy Horse and Custer don't appear to have had much in common other than being roughly the same age and becoming warriors.
Crazy Horse was a taciturn individual who comes across as being exceptionally serious minded whereas Custer was a outgoing calvalry officer who was prone to recklessness.
Custer's life and background is better documented because he lived in a literate society. He comes across as being relatively unconventional from childhood until his enlistment at Westpoint up until the outbreak of the American Civil War. His background and manners are typical of the era and social class in which he found himself. The war though offered opportunities for young officers to win extraordinarily quick promotion with a few well publicised successes, so this competent cavalry officer was soon over promoted to the rank of general. Where he became something of a national hero to a degree that outstrips what his actual successes merited.
His somewhat selfish attitude and reckless indiscipline were perhaps a reflection of this over promotion- it's hard not to be infuriated as he decides to leave his men for days at a time whilst he rode ahead to be with his wife or to laugh when he again leaves his men, in the middle of a march to go hunting buffalo and ends up inadvertantly shooting his own horse in the middle of nowhere.
Crazy Horse is a more impressive figure whose reputation was forged in skirmishes with other Indians and whose leadership skills constantly impressed his colleagues. He was sufficiently adaptable to win a series of fights against the whites up until his great victory at Little Bighorn. It's hard not to be impressed by the man, but regardless of his individual qualities the outcome was always inevitable given the disparities between the two societies.
And it is perhaps in the description of the two socieites that Ambrose really excels, the pre-industrial and disorganised Sioux could never hope to beat the demographic might and industrial power of the USA, however much the Sioux lifestlye is romanticised it was always doomed when faced with the power of a modern society.
Anyhow a vividly told story that avoids the jingoism that often blights Ambrose's works.
Crazy Horse was a taciturn individual who comes across as being exceptionally serious minded whereas Custer was a outgoing calvalry officer who was prone to recklessness.
Custer's life and background is better documented because he lived in a literate society. He comes across as being relatively unconventional from childhood until his enlistment at Westpoint up until the outbreak of the American Civil War. His background and manners are typical of the era and social class in which he found himself. The war though offered opportunities for young officers to win extraordinarily quick promotion with a few well publicised successes, so this competent cavalry officer was soon over promoted to the rank of general. Where he became something of a national hero to a degree that outstrips what his actual successes merited.
His somewhat selfish attitude and reckless indiscipline were perhaps a reflection of this over promotion- it's hard not to be infuriated as he decides to leave his men for days at a time whilst he rode ahead to be with his wife or to laugh when he again leaves his men, in the middle of a march to go hunting buffalo and ends up inadvertantly shooting his own horse in the middle of nowhere.
Crazy Horse is a more impressive figure whose reputation was forged in skirmishes with other Indians and whose leadership skills constantly impressed his colleagues. He was sufficiently adaptable to win a series of fights against the whites up until his great victory at Little Bighorn. It's hard not to be impressed by the man, but regardless of his individual qualities the outcome was always inevitable given the disparities between the two societies.
And it is perhaps in the description of the two socieites that Ambrose really excels, the pre-industrial and disorganised Sioux could never hope to beat the demographic might and industrial power of the USA, however much the Sioux lifestlye is romanticised it was always doomed when faced with the power of a modern society.
Anyhow a vividly told story that avoids the jingoism that often blights Ambrose's works.
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The same as a few other readers of this book, I bought this primarly for the reason that it had been written by Ambrose.
Before I read the book I thought that it could get bogged down in the politics of the day and would probably become very difficult to read.
Before I read the book I thought that it could get bogged down in the politics of the day and would probably become very difficult to read.
However my first inpressions were totally wrong! Once I turned the first page I couldn't put it down and had read it in a couple of days.
Not only is this book very easy to get through, it is also very detailed and informative. Two things that some authors find very difficult to achieve but as always Ambrose manages to pull it off.
This should definitely be the number one stop for readers who are interested in this subject but have never been able to find an in-road.
I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Ambrose has drawn me into making two trips to Montana in search of Lewis & Clark, and has me dreaming of taking in the hallowed beaches of Normandy. Now he has me wanting to seek out every clash between the calvary and Plains Indians within an 800-mile radius. Although not as engrossing as "Undaunted Courage", "D-Day" or "Citizen Soliders", "Crazy Horse and Custer" does a superb job of presenting both sides of the Little Bighorn story, and although I thought I would enjoy the Custer portions of the book more, I ended up looking forward to the chapters concerning Crazy Horse with a lot more anticipation.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Tell it straight
We don't really have history as such we have Hollywood's version and it's incredidle how much they've been able to manipulate it. Read more
Published 3 months ago by B. M. Walker
A very engaging book
If you want an in depth account of the Fetterman disaster or the battle of the Little Bighorn then this book will not be to your requirements. Read more
Published on 17 Jan 2010 by mtkent
A good read, but a stretched comparison
I enjoyed reading this book but found that in general Professor Ambrose was a bit too keen to draw comparisons between Custer and Crazy Horse. Read more
Published on 7 Oct 2009 by R. G. Anders
quick review of Crazy Horse and Custer
Ambrose's "Crazy Horse and Custer" covers a lot of the same ground as Dee Brown's "The American West" and "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" but adds a lot of fascinating information... Read more
Published on 13 May 2009 by John Hine
Crazy horse and custer
Another bestselling and fantastic book from bestselling historian Stephen E. Ambrose, a dual biography of two great nineteenth century warriors, General Custer and Crazy Horse, and... Read more
Published on 29 July 2007 by David I. Howells
Pleasantly Surprised
Like the previous reviewer I picked this book in my local bookshop, looking for something different and somehow expecting to tire of it pretty soon. Read more
Published on 18 Sep 2003 by J A Bruce
An elegy for a lost way of life.
Ambrose is a born story-teller, and the events of these two men’s lives provides excellent raw material. Read more
Published on 31 July 2003 by G. P. Akerman
Pretty Damn Good
Like many people, I read to much and after a while I found myself with very few books that even interest me in the slightest. Read more
Published on 19 July 2003 by "junxt99_2003"
A good, well researched read; but not his best.
I liked this book, and it is well written, interesting, and well researched, but just not his best. He seems to be reaching a little bit here, and writing more for the money than... Read more
Published on 26 Mar 1999
An unexpected gem
A friend thought I should join a military history book club and bought this for me because it was their next selection. Read more
Published on 18 Jan 1999
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