ND Cowboy Hall of Fame - Stories & Articles

ACCLAIMED CUSTER HISTORIAN/AUTHOR IN MEDORA

FOR RELEASE
June 16, 2008

For Additionaltional Information
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Darrell Dorgan 250-1833

--ACCLAIMED CUSTER HISTORIAN/AUTHOR IN MEDORA --

Internationally noted Custer historian/author Sandy Barnard will lecture and sign copies of his books at the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame in Medora on Saturday and Sunday June 21 and 22.

With the approach of the 132nd anniversary of the Battle of the Little Big Horn, Barnard will present his talk on “Custer and the Frontier Army – Caught between a Rock and a Hard Place.”

Barnard, who has written numerous books and articles the past 40 years, is known in the United States and Europe for his writing on the Battle of the Little Big Horn, General George Armstrong Custer and the men who served with him. Barnard, a retired journalism professor, has been recognized for his expertise on Bismarck Tribune reporter Mark Kellogg, who was killed at the Little Big Horn; First Sergeant John Ryan who survived the battle and the archeological digs at the battlefield site in Montana.

June 25, 2006 will mark the 132nd anniversary of the battle in which Custer and more than 260 soldiers and civilians under his command died in the Battle of the Little Big Horn in a battle with the Sioux and Cheyenne, near present day Hardin, Montana. Barnard’s Hall of Fame lecture is prior to a symposium in Montana on the battle’s anniversary.

Custer and his troops left Fort Lincoln south of present day Mandan on May 17, 1876, and were caught in a three-day blizzard the end of May on their way to Montana and their date with destiny.

NDCHF Executive Director Darrell Dorgan, who has appeared with Barnard at history symposiums in the England and the United States, calls Barnard, “One of the best historians on the battle and the participants in the country today. Sandy has written at least seven books detailing the battle, the aftermath, the lives of participants and the speculation surrounding what happened that hot afternoon in 1876.” Dorgan adds, “If you’re curious about what happened 132 years ago, come listen and ask questions”

Barnard will speak at the Hall of Fame at 2:00 p.m. Saturday, June 21 and do a question and answer session and book signing.

He will speak again at 2:00 p.m. Sunday, June 22 and do a question and answer session and a book signing.

Among Barnard’s books are: Where Custer Fell, a study of historic photos of the Little Big Horn Battlefield in collaboration with the James S. Brust and Brian Pohanka; Ten Years with Custer, a 7th Cavalryman’s Memoirs; I go with Custer, The Life and Death of Mark Kellogg; Speaking About Custer; Custer’s First Sergeant John Ryan; and Digging into Custer’s Last Stand.

Barnard also serves as the editor of the Greasy Grass Magazine, which is published by the Custer Battlefield Historical & Museum Association. Barnard is retired from the journalism faculty at Indiana State University and today lives in Wake Forest, NC. He hold degrees from Boston College and the University of Missouri School of Journalism. In 1968-1969, he served in Vietnam as a captain with the U.S. Army.