The enemy soldiers appear in these accounts as an attacking force to be driven off, not as tragic heroes making a noble last stand.

Warrior accounts describe the overwhelming numbers that met Reno’s charge at the southern end of the camp.

They describe the confusion and collapse of the soldiers’ formation as the sheer size of the Lakota response became apparent.

They describe Reno’s retreat and the pursuit across the river.

They then describe the shift northward as word spread that more soldiers were approaching.

Crazy Horse’s account — given in later years before his death — describes a sweeping flanking movement that cut off Custer’s retreat and drove his men into an increasingly tight perimeter on the hill that would become known as Last Stand Hill.