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It Is a Good Day to Die: Indian Eyewitnesses Tell the Story of the Battle of the Little Bighorn
"I am an old man, and soon my spirit must leave this earth to join the spirit of my fathers. Therefore, I shall speak only the truth in telling what I know of the fight on the Little Bighorn River where General Custer was killed. Curly, who was with us, will tell you that I do not lie."
So spoke White Man Runs Him, a Crow Indian who with five other Crow warriors had served as a scout for Custer's Seventh Cavalry on June 25, 1876, the day of the battle known to generations of white Americans as "Custer's Last Stand." They survived the battle, but Custer and more than 250 troopers did not. Thus their accounts and those of the Lakotas and Cheyennes who triumphed at Little Bighorn (or Greasy Grass, as it was known to the Lakotas) offer the only firsthand picture of what happened that fateful day.
These stories—from leaders as renowned as Black Elk and Sitting Bull, warriors such as Wooden Leg, a Cheyenne woman, and Arikara and Crow scouts—at last bring one of the most unforgettable showdowns in American history to vivid, complex, multifaceted life.
So spoke White Man Runs Him, a Crow Indian who with five other Crow warriors had served as a scout for Custer's Seventh Cavalry on June 25, 1876, the day of the battle known to generations of white Americans as "Custer's Last Stand." They survived the battle, but Custer and more than 250 troopers did not. Thus their accounts and those of the Lakotas and Cheyennes who triumphed at Little Bighorn (or Greasy Grass, as it was known to the Lakotas) offer the only firsthand picture of what happened that fateful day.
These stories—from leaders as renowned as Black Elk and Sitting Bull, warriors such as Wooden Leg, a Cheyenne woman, and Arikara and Crow scouts—at last bring one of the most unforgettable showdowns in American history to vivid, complex, multifaceted life.
- GenresHistoryNative American
101 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1998
1 person is currently reading
35 people want to read
About the author
Herman J. Viola
62 books3 followersDr. Herman J. Viola is a curator emeritus at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. A specialist on the history of the American West, he served as director of the Museum's National Anthropological Archives in addition to organizing two major exhibitions for the Smithsonian. "Magnificent Voyagers" told the story of the United State Exploring Expedition of 1838-42, and "Seeds of Change" examined the exchange of plants, animals, and diseases between the Old and the New Worlds as a result of the Christopher Columbus voyages of discovery.
Prior to joining the staff of the Smithsonian Institution in 1972, he was an archivist at the National Archives of the United States, where he launched and was first editor of Prologue: The Journal of the National Archives.
Dr. Viola's research specialties include the American Indian, the Civil War, and the exploration of the American West. He has authored numerous books on these topics, including Exploring the West, After Columbus, Warrior Artists, and The North American Indians. He is also the author of the middle school social studies textbook, Why We Remember.
His most recent book, Little Bighorn Remembered: the Untold Indian Story of Custer's Last Stand, was selected by both Book of the Month Club and the Quality Paperback Club, and was a primary selection of the History Club.
Dr. Viola received his B.A. and M.A. from Marquette University, and his Ph.D. from Indiana University/Bloomington. He has an honorary doctor degree from Wittingberg University, Springfield, Ohio.
Dr. Viola and his wife, Susan, have three sons. They are residents of Falls Church, Virginia, and Bozman, Maryland.
Prior to joining the staff of the Smithsonian Institution in 1972, he was an archivist at the National Archives of the United States, where he launched and was first editor of Prologue: The Journal of the National Archives.
Dr. Viola's research specialties include the American Indian, the Civil War, and the exploration of the American West. He has authored numerous books on these topics, including Exploring the West, After Columbus, Warrior Artists, and The North American Indians. He is also the author of the middle school social studies textbook, Why We Remember.
His most recent book, Little Bighorn Remembered: the Untold Indian Story of Custer's Last Stand, was selected by both Book of the Month Club and the Quality Paperback Club, and was a primary selection of the History Club.
Dr. Viola received his B.A. and M.A. from Marquette University, and his Ph.D. from Indiana University/Bloomington. He has an honorary doctor degree from Wittingberg University, Springfield, Ohio.
Dr. Viola and his wife, Susan, have three sons. They are residents of Falls Church, Virginia, and Bozman, Maryland.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 10, 2015
This is a collection of firsthand accounts of the Indians who were at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. The events of the battle are related, but the part I found interesting was the way the Indians felt about fighting. They dressed up so that when they died they will look good for the Great Spirit, they went to battle expecting to die.
This would be a great book to use when studying the battle of the Little Bighorn or the population of the Western part of the United States. It puts a different spin on Manifest Destiny.
This would be a great book to use when studying the battle of the Little Bighorn or the population of the Western part of the United States. It puts a different spin on Manifest Destiny.
February 23, 2022
A quick little series of memories of Native Americans who were present, on both sides, at the defeat of Custer in 1876.
May 9, 2015
Little in size, this history of The Battle of the Little Bighorn gives the perspective of the Indian warriors as it looks at the conflict in all its facets: war, destruction of a way of life, and the sacrifices these people made. It is spiritual and factual, and each chapter is only a few pages long.
I used this book to tutor an older man who had severe problems in reading, but with It's a Good Day to Die, he found a topic that gripped his attention.
I used this book to tutor an older man who had severe problems in reading, but with It's a Good Day to Die, he found a topic that gripped his attention.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews