The request was unusual.

The captain nevertheless allowed it.

Before daylight, Medicine Crow and another soldier moved toward the horses.

They entered quietly and began preparing the animals.

Medicine Crow used a rope to fashion a simple bridle.

Once mounted, he drove the other horses with him.

Then stealth ended.

He gave a loud Crow war cry and rode away with the herd.

Later accounts often describe the number as roughly fifty horses, and some identify the animals as belonging to German SS personnel.

Whatever exact number stood in the field that morning, the symbolic meaning was unmistakable.