Winner of the 2014 John Carroll Award; presented annually by The Little Big Horn Associates; as their Literary Award for the best book/monograph during the preceding year. Winner 2014 G. Joseph Sills Jr. Book Award This remarkable book synthesizes a lifetime of in-depth research into one of America’s most storied disasters; the defeat of Custer’s 7th Cavalry at the hands of the Sioux and Cheyenne Indians; as well as the complete annihilation of that part of the cavalry led by Custer himself. The author; Gordon Harper; spent countless hours on the battlefield itself as well as researching every iota of evidence of the fight from both sides; white and Indian. He was thus able to recreate every step of the battle as authoritatively as anyone could; dispelling myths and falsehoods along the way. Harper himself passed away in 2009; leaving behind nearly two million words of original research and writing. In this book his work has been condensed for the general public to observe his key findings and the crux of his narrative on the exact course of the battle. One of his first observations is that the fight took place along the Little Horn River―its junction with the Big Horn was several miles away so that the term for the battle; “Little Big Horn†has always been a misnomer. He precisely traces the mysterious activities of Benteen’s battalion on that fateful day; and why it could never come to Custer’s reinforcement. He describes Reno’s desperate fight in unprecedented depth; as well as how that unnerved officer benefited from the unexpected heroism of many of his men. Indian accounts; ever-present throughout this book; come to the fore especially during Custer’s part of the fight; because no white soldier survived it. However; analysis of the forensic evidence―tracking cartridges; bullets; etc.; discovered on the battlefield―plus the locations of bodies assist in drawing an accurate scenario of how the final scene unfolded. It may indeed be clearer now than it was to the doomed 7th Cavalrymen at the time; who through the dust and smoke and Indians seeming to rise by hundreds from the ground; only gradually realized the extent of the disaster. Of additional interest is the narrative of the battlefield after the fight; when successive burial teams had to be dispatched for the gruesome task; because prior ones invariably did a poor job. Though author Gordon Harper is no longer with us; his daughter Tori Harper; along with author/historians Gordon Richard and Monte Akers; have done yeoman’s work in preserving his valuable research for the public.
#1804357 in Books 2014-10-20 2014-11-03Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 10.00 x 1.00 x 7.00l; .0 #File Name: 1611212308390 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. What were they firingBy michael scottExcellently detailed charts giving the names of the batteries; which units they were attached; there commanders; details of there fate. All informative; but no where does it show how many artillery pieces they operated; what type of cannons they used; even the photographs of the cannons were vague as to there identity. Waited patiently for a reorder of the book and was disappointed to say the least. According to the original description; these facts that were omitted were implied to be in the book. I should of sent the book back but because of the other information I didn't. Still highly disappointed2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Its a great resource for any civil war historianBy Ronald J BlackLot of research and compiling of info is evident. The price paid is worth it for the information provided in this book. It covers a area of the civil war and the armies not usually covered. It gives info about the confederate batteries; where from; commanders; when formed; when disbanded. Its a great resource for any civil war historian.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. The Definitive Artillery Organization BookBy Matthew BartlettThere have always been books about statistics and organizations for Civil War campaigns and units; but none ever like this. When I first heard about Confederate Artillery Organizations; I was intrigued by the idea and wondered constantly how it would be handled. When I received this work; I was pleasantly surprised at the format of the text and how easy it was to read it. F. Ray Sibley has provided the study of artillery during the American Civil War with something no other historian has been able to do. He was able to list and draw out all of the batteries which participated in the war and the officers which led them. F. Ray Sibley Jr. Has received his undergraduate and his graduate degrees from the Southeastern Louisiana University and has worked as an educator at the St. Tammany Parish in Louisiana. He has always had a deep interest in the war and is also the historian who wrote The Confederate Order of Battle: The Army of Northern Virginia which was a three volume study of the Confederate orders of battle which will also include volumes on the Trans-Mississippi and the Coastal Defenses. He has retired from teaching and spends his time tutoring; hunting; growing beautiful day lilies and reading anything he can. One would think that this is a simple book of statistics; but you would be wrong. Not only does this book provide an outlook into the organization of the battery and its officer; it provides a plethora of useful footnotes which gives information that may or may not have conflicted with official reports. For example; one of the batteries in question was a commission date of an officer in Badham’s Battery; Lieutenant Nelson McClees. One source states the commission date was February 4th; 1862 while another states the commission as February 10th; 1862. While this seems like a minor issue; the change in dates can be a larger help in the overall study of artillery and is quite useful. Other footnotes account for actions of officers other issues which have occurred in previous studies. The study is done in an alphabetical order which makes it easier to find batteries than if you organized them by state or division of the army. Other statistic driven works have organized regiments in a state order and has made finding artillery that much more difficult to analyze. But in this format; the batteries were easy to find which makes the book more valuable to any Civil War student and historian. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the artillery during the Civil War. The wealth of information stored in this volume is incredible and should be on the shelf of any Civil War historian or student. Without this study in the artillery; there may have been questions as to the organization of the officers and battery itself. Now; with Confederate Artillery Organizations; the students and historians of the future will thank Mr. Sibley for the work which he has done in this fine work. This is the definitive book on artillery organization on the market right now.Matthew Bartlett - Gettysburg Chronicle
