DATE: 3 April 2008
CONTACT: Stephanie Turnham
PHONE: 254.933.5243

BELL COUNTY MUSEUM  TO HOST BOOK SIGNING AND PRESENTATION ON THE LITTLE BIGHORN

Local art professor, artist and historian Michael Donahue will present a program and book signing on his new and seminal work on Gen. George Armstrong Custer and the Battle of the Little Bighorn on Thursday, May 8, 2008, at 6:00 p.m. at the Bell County Museum.  Everyone is invited to attend this free and fascinating event.

Mr. Donahue's book, Drawing Battle Lines:  The Map Testimony of Custer's Last Fight, is based upon his 35 years of research and over seven years of writing and collecting information about the important and tragic battle that took place on June 25, 1876.  On that day, over 2,000 Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho warriors killed Custer and over 260 soldiers, making the battle one of the worst disasters of the Indian Wars era.  Huge mysteries have remained regarding conflicting testimonies from oral histories of those present at the battle.  Mr. Donahue's research, premise and publication led prominent historian and author Robert Utley to state that the book is a "milestone in the historiography of the Little Bighorn."

In discussing the book, Mr. Donahue stated, "The total picture of what truly occurred that day began to appear from the sometimes conflicting puzzle pieces I gathered by comparing and analyzing all of the map drawings that I could find.  It became clear that Custer attempted to capture a handful of noncombatants - women, children and elderly - to offset and possibly control the huge number of warriors in the village.  It was a tactic he had used in previous altercations and promised to use at Little Bighorn as well."

One of the remarkable aspects of this new publication is that it contains every known map drawn by battle participants of both sides - soldier and Indian.

The May 8th event will begin with a 50-minute docudrama created by the BBC and Discovery Channel, based upon MR. Donahue's research.  Mr. Donahue was the consultant, narrator, and impetus for the new program released in Europe last year and on satellite in the United States.  Entitled "The Wild West - Custer's Last Stand" the program provides an alternative premise to the historic and tragic battle.  "Instead of Custer the idiot riding pell-mell into 2,000 angry warriors with 200 men, Custer was smart like a fox and realized from experience the best way to win a victory with minimal casualties - but his plan backfired.  Custer came within minutes of winning a major victory against overwhelming odds," Mr. Donahue stated.

After the docudrama, Mr. Donahue will speak briefly about his work and will sign copies of his 400-page book which sells for $55.00 plus tax.

Michael Donahue chairs the art department at Temple College and is also an award-winning teacher.  He has spent 18 summers in Montana, serving as a Park Ranger and Historical Interpreter at the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument.

The Bell County Museum is located at 201 N. Main Street in Belton.  For more information about this event, please call the museum at 254.933.5243.