This is a remarkable book about two of the country's best warriors. The circumstances of their lives led them to be working on opposing sides of a conflict. The author describes both following the dictum of divining what makes someone successful in their roles, more so than taking a political stake in one side and demonizing the opposition. Realistically, this is easier to do now that so much time has passed to heal the wounds of the wars that the subjects of this book participated in.

The work is long and covers the circumstances of their lives. The work ends after the deaths of both, as matters are "cleared up." After a substantial 24 chapters covering 4 parts of the book the author has provided some special appendices at the end.

The introduction explains a great deal to readers. Both of the men lived violent lives and died violent deaths. This was a natural side effect of their roles as warriors. How they developed into being military leaders is explained and Ambrose unfolds the true story almost as well as it must have unfolded in real life. Although the outcome is known, readers feel as though it is not.

The book chronicles changing times. The level of technology, the number of citizens, the transformation of wild lands into cultivated farmland are all part of this story. The direct influence of this upon the Sioux people is shown. There is loss and grieving associated with progress rather than only seeing one side of an issue. In some ways the book shows what happened to the white men thousands of years earlier, often at the hands of one another before the same changes arrived in the Americas.