On the morning of June 25, 1876, soldiers of the famed U.S. Seventh Cavalry led by the flamboyant George Armstrong Custer attacked a large Indian encampment on the banks of the Little Bighorn River. By day\u27s end, Custer and more than two hundred of his men lay dead. More than a century later, the battle still remains a subject of controversy, debate, and fascination

Viola, Herman J

English

DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska

University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Great Plains Quarterly Great Plains Studies, Center for 2006 Book Review: Where Custer Fell: Photographs of the Little Bighorn Battlefield Then and Now Herman J. Viola Smithsonian Institution Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/greatplainsquarterly  Part of the Other International and Area Studies Commons Viola, Herman J., "Book Review: Where Custer Fell: Photographs of the Little Bighorn Battlefield Then and Now" (2006). Great Plains Quarterly. 83. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/greatplainsquarterly/83 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Great Plains Studies, Center for at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Great Plains Quarterly by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. BOOK REVIEWS 297 Where Custer Fell: Photographs of the Little Bighorn Battlefield Then and Now. By James S. Brust, Brian C. Pohanka, and Sandy Barnard. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2005. xi + 226 pp. Photographs, maps, notes, bibliog-raphy, index. $39.95. On the morning of June 25, 1876, soldiers of the famed U.S. Seventh Cavalry led by the 298 GREAT PLAINS QUARTERLY, FALL 2006 flamboyant George Armstrong Custer attacked a large Indian encampment on the banks of the Little Bighorn River. By day's end, Custer and more than two hundred of his men lay dead. More than a century later, the battle still remains a subject of controversy, debate, and fascination. Of the many books written about the events of that fateful moment in the history of the Great Plains, this one is unique. The authors have compiled an impressive array of photo-graphic and archival evidence to document virtually every significant geographic feature on the battlefield. The authors have assembled all the known historic battlefield photographs, including several taken just a year after the fight. These verify that the battlefield topog-raphy remains much as it did over a hundred years ago. Each of the historic images is accom-panied by present-day photographs taken from approximately the same locations. Where pos-sible the authors also provide firsthand accounts from battle survivors or early observers of the terrain. This was an exhaustive project accom-plished by competent scholars, including Brian Pohanka, who died shortly before the book was published. Future generations of scholars and students of the Custer fight will especially appreciate their efforts to preserve a visual record of the battlefield. Indeed, few battlefields in the Indian wars have undergone such careful examination and scrutiny. For all their efforts, the authors uncovered relatively few surprises. Their ten-year study concludes that the battlefield is in an excellent state of preservation. The authors note that a few "spurious" stones were added over the years and that two of the markers are now miss-ing, but, "overall, to an extraordinary degree, today's markers remain in the spots where the originals were placed in 1890." The primary quibble of this reviewer with this monumental and valuable study is the poor quality of the reproductions. Many of them lack crispness and clarity. No one should attempt to study the images without a magnifying glass. The poor reproductions detract greatly from what is otherwise an important reference tool for anyone interested in the Battle of the Little Bighorn. HERMAN]. VIOLA Curator Emeritus Smithsonian Institution 

Book Review: Where Custer Fell: Photographs of the Little Bighorn Battlefield Then and Now

UNL | Libraries

University of Nebraska - Lincoln 
DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln 
Great Plains Quarterly Great Plains Studies, Center for 
2006 
Book Review: Where Custer Fell: Photographs of the Little Bighorn 
Battlefield Then and Now 
Herman J. Viola 
Smithsonian Institution 
Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/greatplainsquarterly 
 Part of the Other International and Area Studies Commons 
Viola, Herman J., "Book Review: Where Custer Fell: Photographs of the Little Bighorn Battlefield Then and 
Now" (2006). Great Plains Quarterly. 83. 
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/greatplainsquarterly/83 
This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Great Plains Studies, Center for at 
DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Great Plains Quarterly by an 
authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. 
BOOK REVIEWS 297 
Where Custer Fell: Photographs of the Little 
Bighorn Battlefield Then and Now. By James S. 
Brust, Brian C. Pohanka, and Sandy Barnard. 
Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2005. 
xi + 226 pp. Photographs, maps, notes, bibliog-
raphy, index. $39.95. 
On the morning of June 25, 1876, soldiers 
of the famed U.S. Seventh Cavalry led by the 
298 GREAT PLAINS QUARTERLY, FALL 2006 
flamboyant George Armstrong Custer attacked 
a large Indian encampment on the banks of 
the Little Bighorn River. By day's end, Custer 
and more than two hundred of his men lay 
dead. More than a century later, the battle still 
remains a subject of controversy, debate, and 
fascination. 
Of the many books written about the events 
of that fateful moment in the history of the 
Great Plains, this one is unique. The authors 
have compiled an impressive array of photo-
graphic and archival evidence to document 
virtually every significant geographic feature 
on the battlefield. The authors have assembled 
all the known historic battlefield photographs, 
including several taken just a year after the 
fight. These verify that the battlefield topog-
raphy remains much as it did over a hundred 
years ago. Each of the historic images is accom-
panied by present-day photographs taken from 
approximately the same locations. Where pos-
sible the authors also provide firsthand accounts 
from battle survivors or early observers of the 
terrain. This was an exhaustive project accom-
plished by competent scholars, including Brian 
Pohanka, who died shortly before the book 
was published. Future generations of scholars 
and students of the Custer fight will especially 
appreciate their efforts to preserve a visual 
record of the battlefield. Indeed, few battlefields 
in the Indian wars have undergone such careful 
examination and scrutiny. 
For all their efforts, the authors uncovered 
relatively few surprises. Their ten-year study 
concludes that the battlefield is in an excellent 
state of preservation. The authors note that a 
few "spurious" stones were added over the years 
and that two of the markers are now miss-
ing, but, "overall, to an extraordinary degree, 
today's markers remain in the spots where the 
originals were placed in 1890." 
The primary quibble of this reviewer with 
this monumental and valuable study is the poor 
quality of the reproductions. Many of them lack 
crispness and clarity. No one should attempt to 
study the images without a magnifying glass. 
The poor reproductions detract greatly from 
what is otherwise an important reference tool 
for anyone interested in the Battle of the Little 
Bighorn. 
HERMAN]. VIOLA 
Curator Emeritus 
Smithsonian Institution 


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Book Review: Where Custer Fell: Photographs of the Little Bighorn Battlefield Then and Now

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