Vengeance: The Last Stand of Custer, Crazy Horse, and Sitting Bull

Journalist and historian Clavin (Running Deep) offers a by-the-numbers account of the Battle of Little Bighorn. In June 1876, the U.S. Army’s 7th Cavalry Regiment suffered a resounding defeat at the hands of the Lakota Sioux, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho. The battle bristled with larger-than-life figures, from the brave-but-misguided General Custer, to the “unkillable” Crazy Horse and the stoic Sitting Bull, who had a vision foretelling Custer’s downfall. Noting that he aims to tell the story “without overanalyzing and taking detours,” Clavin sets up the action that led to Custer’s infamous last stand in short dry chapters; the backstory involves much betrayal and reneging on promises by the federal government, and the radicalization of warriors like Crazy Horse by earlier massacres of Native encampments. The book becomes more spirited during the battle itself, which is naturally dramatic, as well as terrifying, infuriating (one general spends most of the battle “meandering” about), and gory. A fascinating figure who emerges is Moving Robe Woman, a Lakota 23-year-old who plunges into battle with her face painted red, avenging her 10-year-old brother who’d been killed a few days earlier and mutilating those she slaughters. But the overreliance on long quotes from other histories undermines Clavin’s authority, especially when he leans on them during dramatic moments. Still, it’s a serviceable retelling of a famous clash of titans. (May)