The Last Stand: Custer, Sitting Bull, and the Battle of the Little Bighorn

• Author: Keirsten H. Kennedy
• Position: Judge Advocate, U.S. Army
• Pages: 275-283

2011] BOOK REVIEWS 275

THE LAST STAND: CUSTER, SITTING BULL, AND THE

BATTLE OF THE LITTLE BIGHORN1

REVIEWED BY MAJOR KEIRSTEN H. KENNEDY*

Despite his inconsistencies and flaws, there was

something about Custer that distinguished him from

most other human beings . . . . He could inspire devotion

and great love along with more than his share of hatred

and disdain, and more than anything else, he wanted to

be remembered.2

I. Introduction

What really happened at the Battle of the Little Bighorn and why

does General George Armstrong Custer still fascinate Americans over

100 years after his death? These questions, although certainly analyzed

in The Last Stand, remain unanswered.3 Nevertheless, Nathaniel

Philbrick’s brilliant character sketches of Custer and the supporting cast

of the military participants in the battle sheds light on how each

character’s personality and leadership style brought about Custer’s last

stand. Missing from the author’s analysis is a complete and satisfying

picture of Sitting Bull and other Indian fighters.4 Nevertheless, Philbrick

skillfully and thoroughly examines Custer and selected superiors and

subordinates, assessing their personal and professional strengths and

flaws. What results is a superb and comprehensive review of the

leadership capabilities of the officers in the Seventh Cavalry and how

those capabilities (or inabilities) led to the engagement and its horrific

conclusion. An officer in today’s military would do well to apply these

leadership lessons, especially when viewed through the lens of current

* Judge Advocate, U.S. Army. Presently assigned as Professor and Director, Professional

Communications Program, Administrative and Civil Law Department, The Judge

Advocate General’s Legal Center and School, U.S. Army, Charlottesville, Virginia.

1 NATHANIEL PHILBRICK, THE LAST STAND: CUSTER, SITTING BULL, AND THE BATTLE OF

THE LITTLE BIGHORN (2010).

2 Id. at 306.

3 Id. at 310 (“For legions of self-described Custer buffs, the Battle of the Little Bighorn is

much like an unsolvable crossword puzzle: a conundrum that can sustain a lifetime of

scrutiny and debate.”).

4 Id. at 325. Philbrick apologizes somewhat in his notes, pointing out that “[w]riting a

balanced narrative involving two peoples with two widely different worldviews is an

obvious challenge, especially when it comes to the nature of the evidence.” Id.