Whose witnesses are believed.

SECTION 9: THE WORLD AFTER THE BATTLE — FLIGHT AND SURRENDER

The Cheyenne victory at Little Bighorn did not end the war.

The United States government, shaken and furious, responded to the catastrophic defeat with a massive escalation.

More troops were sent to the northern plains.

Congress authorized emergency funding for the campaign.

The Army was given essentially unlimited authority to pursue and force the surrender of the hostile bands.

The summer and fall of 1876 saw continuous military pressure on the Lakota and Cheyenne.

The great encampment dispersed — as it always did after the summer gathering, the different bands moving to their traditional winter ranges.

But the Army followed.