A GOOD YEAR TO DIE: THE STORY OF THE GREAT SIOUX WAR
The United States’ centennial year was mostly a bummer for the U.S. Army. The previous year, fewer than 10 whites had been killed by Indians. But in 1876, the year of the Battle of the Little Bighorn, there were some 332 white fatalities during the Great Sioux War. That ’76 was a good year for soldiers to die was due in part to a stingy government that underestimated the kind of military force needed to subdue the “hostiles.” Only after that summer’s shocking–and unacceptable–defeat on the Little Bighorn could the Army press the war with sufficient support from Congress and the public to defeat the northern Plains Indians. What most people remember about the war is Custer’s disaster, but Robinson focuses on the overall military campaign of 1876-77, as well as detailing the strategy and character of Indian fighters like George Crook, Nelson A. Miles and Ranald Mackenzie. The result is a balanced, riveting account, especially for readers who have not looked much beyond Custer’s Last Stand. Robinson has written many books and articles about the Old West, including a piece on Tom Custer on P. 24 of this issue of Wild West.
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