The men with Custer died in a relatively short time.

The archaeological evidence from the battlefield — uncovered in detail during excavations following a grass fire in 1983 and subsequent systematic work — confirms what the oral accounts suggested: the soldiers’ formation collapsed, men died in scattered positions across the hillside, and the final concentration of bodies on what became known as Last Stand Hill represents not a heroic final stand but the last survivors dying as their position was overwhelmed.

Among the warrior accounts of this northern fighting are references to women who rode out to witness and encourage.

Whether Moving Robe Woman was among them at this stage of the battle, or whether she had remained in the southern area where the Hunkpapa circle had been attacked, is not entirely clear from the available accounts.