Resources

On this page I have provided links to associations that have been integral to my research and to some of the lectures I have given, as well as a list of recommended reading should you wish to delve further in a particular area. I hope this material is helpful and interesting to you. If you have questions about something that may not be listed here, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Associations

• Smithsonian Institution Libraries

• Egan Maritime Foundation

• Nantucket Historical Association

• Nantucket Lifesaving Museum

• The VP Book Club

• William L. Clements Library

Lectures

• Nat Philbrick Sea of Glory lecture at the Smithsonian

• Nat Philbrick Sea of Glory lecture at the Boston Athanaeum

• Nat Philbrick reads Chapter 14 of Moby-Dick for the Moby-Dick Big Read

For Further Reading

Here is a list of works that I found indispensable to my research for The Last Stand:

Son of the Morning Star
by Evan Connell
This book introduced me to the fascinating nooks and crannies of the story of the battle of the Little Bighorn and stands in a class by itself as a lyrical exploration of the evidence.

Cavalier in Buckskin: George Armstrong Custer and the Western Military Frontier
by Robert Utley
This book is a model of crisp, accessible, and economical writing combined with impeccable scholarship.

The Fatal Environment
by Richard Slotkin
This is another fundamental work that examines the intersection between history and myth.

Custerology
by Michael Elliott
This book traces how the intersection of history and myth has manifested itself in modern-day responses to the battle.

Touched by Fire
by Louise Barnett
This is a provocative examination not only of the Custer marriage but of Libbie Custer’s subsequent role as spin doctor to her husband’s posthumous reputation.

People of the Sacred Mountain
by Peter Powell
Powell’s chronicle of the Cheyenne combines the many strands of Native testimony into a rich and coherent narrative. It is a tour de force.

Other works that I found indispensable were:

Archaeology, History, and Custer’s Last Battle
by Richard Fox

Centennial Campaign and Custer’s Last Campaign
by John Gray

Little Bighorn Diary
by James Willert

Custer’s Luck
by Edgar Stewart

A Sad and Terrible Blunder
by Roger Darling

To Hell with Honor
by Larry Sklenar

A Terrible Glory
by James Donovan

The Day the World Ended at the Little Bighorn
by Joseph Marshall

Killing Custer
by James Welch

Lakota Noon
by Gregory Michno