Warriors who had been fighting Reno’s men — and who could see that Reno was pinned and no longer a threat — shifted northward to deal with the new threat.

Crazy Horse led warriors in a sweeping movement that circled around the northern end of Custer’s position.

The fighting that destroyed Custer’s five companies lasted roughly an hour, possibly less.

The details of exactly what happened in the hills above the Little Bighorn between approximately 4:00 and 5:00 in the afternoon on June 25, 1876 are reconstructed from Lakota and Cheyenne accounts, from the physical evidence on the battlefield, and from the findings of subsequent archaeological work.

No soldier who fought with Custer survived to tell the story.