War Cries on Horseback by Stephen Longstreet

[sun4us]

I just came across above mentioned book. Is it recommended?

[biggordie]

Not by me, it isn't. Longstreet has a way with words, no doubt about that, but often garbles his "history" so badly that it becomes a chore to straighten it out [if one knows the diff]. Here is one short paragraph from the chapters on the LBH fights:

"The scout ["Jim Bradley" - mentioned in the preceding paragraph as having discovered Custer battlefield] made a quick count: one hundred and nineteen dead soldiers. Nine more bodies were found later making a total of two hundred and six U.S. troopers who had died there. Custer had been stripped naked. He was not scalped nor mutilated."

Another example of his accuracy: "Much of the killing was done by the Indians with Sharps carbines captured from Reno's command...." He followed this up by describing Isaiah Dorman as a "newspaperman" who died with Custer. Isaiah would have undoubtedly been pleased at his new and elevated [?] status.

Longstreet pretends to give a history of the Indian Wars of the West. He gives no notes of any kind for anything, no maps of any value, and no bibliography [although he does provide a list of two dozen or so titles for suggested further reading - for those seeking more details].

I bought this book as part of a larger purchase. I flipped immediately I started it to the bibliography and source list [which is what I usually do - being more interested in the author's sources than in his conclusions], and was terribly disappointed. Then I noted the absence of notes of any kind [which I also use to find original sources, if I can]. Then I went to the LBH coverage, and after a couple of minutes put the book in a box, from which it emerged a couple of weeks ago when I moved and rearranged my books and shelving

Save your money, and buy yourself a large pizza [no anchovies, thanks] - at least you'll have something into which to sink your teeth. I would send you this copy, sun4us, but it would not be worth the postage.

Gordie

PS In the aforesaid "further reading list" He gets both Elizabeth Custer's and Martin Schmitt's names wrong.....ah well......maybe that's what you get when you turn to fiction writers to author history tomes..............

[Melani]

I got it many, many years ago from a Western book club, read it once, and never looked at it since. It's totally screwed. But he did write some interesting fiction on clipper ships.