Analyzes the characters and contributions of the Plains Indians leader and forefront Union cavalry officer while explaining how the conflict forged a Native American alliance and set the stage for the reservation confinement of major tribal leaders.

Describes the causes, events, and aftermath of the fateful encounter at the Little Bighorn River on June 25, 1876, between the Seventh Cavalry troops commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Custer and the Cheyenne and Lakota Sioux led by Chiefs Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse.

In this lavishly illustrated volume, Larry McMurtry, the greatest chronicler of the American West, tackles for the first time one of the paramount figures of Western and American history--George Armstrong Custer. McMurtry also argues that Custer's last stand at the Little Bighorn should be seen as a monumental event in our nation's history. Like all great battles, its true meaning can be found in its impact on our politics and policy, and the epic...