Includes bibliographical references (pages 377-383) and index.

The image of the famous "last stand" of the Seventh U.S. Cavalry under General George Armstrong Custer has transmogrified into myth. We imagine the solitary Custer standing upright to the end, his troops formed into groups of wounded and dying men around him. Larry Sklenar contends that Custer did have a battle plan, one different from any other suggested by scholars thus far. Custer, he argues, had reason to believe that his scheme might succeed with minimum bloodshed; made decisions consistent with army regulations and his best instincts as an experienced commander; had subordinates who could not overcome the limits of their personalities in a desperate situation; and made a selfless commitment to save the bulk of his regiment. Along the way, Sklenar appraises the officers and other men who served in the Seventh, evaluating the survivors' testimony and assessing the intent and motives of each.

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