Editing Battle of the Little Bighorn (section)

==Aftermath==
[[File:Far West (steamship).jpg|thumb|right|The shallow-draft steamer ''[[Far West (River Steamboat)|Far West]]'' was chartered by the Army to carry supplies for the Custer expedition. After the battle, captain and pilot [[Grant Marsh]] set a speed record bringing wounded men and news of the Custer disaster back to Fort Lincoln.<ref>"Last of the Argonauts: The Life and Services of Capt. Grant Marsh," ''Sioux City Journal,'' p. 10, January 16, 1916, Sioux City, Iowa.</ref><ref>"Grant Marsh Tells of his Part in the Custer Expedition," ''Bismarck Tribune,'' p. 1, January 23, 1906, Bismarck, North Dakota.</ref>]]

After the Custer force was soundly defeated, the Lakota and Northern Cheyenne regrouped to attack Reno and Benteen. The fight continued until dark (approximately 9:00 pm) and for much of the next day, with the outcome in doubt. Reno credited Benteen's luck with repulsing a severe attack on the portion of the perimeter held by Companies H and M.{{NoteTag|Reno Court of Inquiry.}} On June 27, the column under General Terry approached from the north, and the natives drew off in the opposite direction. The Crow scout [[White Man Runs Him]] was the first to tell General Terry's officers that Custer's force had "been wiped out." Reno and Benteen's wounded troops were given what treatment was available at that time; five later died of their wounds. One of the regiment's three surgeons had been with Custer's column, while another, Dr. DeWolf, had been killed during Reno's retreat.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Brust |first1=J. S. |last2=Pohanka |first2=B. C. |last3=Barnard |first3=S. |year=2005 |title=Where Custer Fell: Photographs of the Little Bighorn Battlefield Then and Now |publisher=University of Oklahoma Press |page=57}}</ref> The only remaining doctor was Assistant Surgeon Henry R. Porter.<ref>{{cite book |title=Reno-Benteen Entrenchment Trail |page=6 |publisher=Western Parks Association |year=2004}}</ref>

When the Crows got news from the battlefield, they went into grief. Crow woman Pretty Shield told how they were "crying ... for Son-of-the-morning-star [Custer] and his blue soldiers".<ref>{{cite book |last=Linderman |first=Frank B. |year=1974 |title=Pretty Shield. Medicine Woman of the Crows |location=Lincoln and London |page=243}}</ref> With the defeat of Custer, it was still a real threat that the Lakotas would take over the eastern part of the Crow reservation and keep up the invasion. In the end, the army won the Sioux war. Crow chief [[Plenty Coups]] recalled with amazement how his tribe now finally could sleep without fear for Lakota attacks: "this was the first time I had ever known such a condition."<ref>{{cite book |last=Linderman |first=Frank B. |year=1962 |title=Plenty Coups. Chief of the Crows |location=Lincoln/London |page=177}}</ref>

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| caption1  = This Helena, Montana newspaper article did not report the battle until July 6, referring to a July 3 story from a Bozeman, Montana newspaper—itself eight days after the event.<ref name=HelenaIndependent_18760706>{{cite news |title=Indian War / Gen. Gibbons Letter Relating to Terrible Massacre |url=https://newspaperarchive.com/helena-independent-jul-06-1876-p-3/ |work=The Helena Independent |date=July 6, 1876 |page=3 }}</ref>
| image2    = 18760706 Massacre of Our Troops - The New York Times.png
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| caption2  = ''The New York Times'' also appears to have first reported the event on July 6. The earliest journalistic communication cited in the ''Times'' article was dated July 2—a full week after the massacre.<ref name=NYTimes_18760706>{{cite news |title=Massacre of Our Troops / Five Companies Killed by Indians |url=https://newspaperarchive.com/new-york-times-jul-09-1876-p-1/ |work=The New York Times |date=July 6, 1876 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190517051100/https://newspaperarchive.com/new-york-times-jul-06-1876-p-1/ |archive-date=May 17, 2019 |page=1 |url-status = live|access-date=May 18, 2019 }}</ref> Full text is [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:18760706_Massacre_of_Our_Troops_-_The_New_York_Times.png here].
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[[File:Whitemanrunshim.jpg|right|175px|thumb|Crow scout [[White Man Runs Him]], step-grandfather of [[Joe Medicine Crow]].]]

The first non-Natives to hear the news of the Custer defeat were those aboard the steamboat ''[[Far West (steamship)|Far West]],'' which had brought supplies for the expedition. Curley, one of Custer's scouts, rode up to the steamboat and tearfully conveyed the information to [[Grant Marsh]], the boat's captain, and army officers. Marsh converted the ''Far West'' into a floating field hospital to carry the 52 wounded from the battle to Fort Lincoln. Traveling night and day, with a full head of steam, Marsh brought the steamer downriver to Bismarck, Dakota Territory, making the {{cvt|710|mi|km}} run in the record time of 54 hours and bringing the first news of the military defeat which came to be popularly known as the "Custer Massacre". The editor of the Bismarck paper kept the telegraph operator busy for hours transmitting information to the ''[[New York Herald]]'' (for which he corresponded). News of the defeat arrived in the East as the U.S. was observing its [[Centennial Exposition|centennial]].<ref>"The Little Horn [''sic''] Massacre", ''The New York Times.'', Vol. 25, No. 7742, July 7, 1876, p. 1, recounting "dispatches" published the day before.</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author-link=Lynne Cheney |last=Cheney |first=Lynne V. |url=http://www.americanheritage.com/content/1876-eagle-screams |title=1876: The Eagle Screams. Historical Register of the Centennial Exposition 1876 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140228012212/http://www.americanheritage.com/content/1876-eagle-screams |archive-date=February 28, 2014 |journal=[[American Heritage (magazine)|American Heritage]] |volume=25 |issue=3 |date=April 1974 |access-date=April 12, 2021}}</ref> The Army began to investigate, although its effectiveness was hampered by a concern for survivors, and the reputation of the officers. Custer's wife, [[Elizabeth Bacon Custer]], in particular, guarded and promoted the ideal of him as the gallant hero, attacking any who cast an ill light on his reputation.<ref>{{cite book |first=Dee |last=Brown |author-link=Dee Brown (writer) |title=The Westerners |chapter=15 |publisher=[[Michael Joseph Ltd]] |year=1974}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Hansen |first=Joseph Mills |title=The Conquest of the Missouri: Being the Story of the Life and Exploits of Captain Grant Marsh |pages=277–279, 290–315 |publisher=Murray Hill Books, Inc. |location=New York and Toronto |year=1946 |orig-year=1909}}</ref>

The Battle of the Little Bighorn had far-reaching consequences for the Natives. It was the beginning of the end of the "Indian Wars" and has even been referred to as "the Indians' last stand"<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/1991/09/29/the-custer-syndrome.html |title=The Custer Syndrome |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120817010350/http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/1991/09/29/the-custer-syndrome.html |archive-date=August 17, 2012 |journal=[[Newsweek]] |date=September 29, 1991 |access-date=August 30, 2012}}</ref> in the area. Within 48 hours of the battle, the large encampment on the Little Bighorn broke up into smaller groups because there was not enough game and grass to sustain a large congregation of people and horses.<ref name="sonofthesouth.net">{{cite web |url=http://www.sonofthesouth.net/union-generals/custer/custers-last-stand.htm |title=Custer's Last Stand |work=sonofthesouth.net |access-date=October 19, 2016}}</ref>

[[Oglala Sioux]] [[Black Elk]] recounted the exodus this way: "We fled all night, following the Greasy Grass. My two younger brothers and I rode in a pony-drag, and my mother put some young pups in with us. They were always trying to crawl out and I was always putting them back in, so I didn't sleep much."<ref name="Welch and Steckler">{{cite book |last1=Welch |first1=James A |author-link1=James Welch (writer) |last2=Steckler |first2=Paul |year=1994 |title=Killing Custer – The Battle of the Little Bighorn and the Fate of the Plains Indians |location=New York |publisher=[[Penguin Books]]}}</ref>{{Rp|194}}

The scattered Sioux and Cheyenne feasted and celebrated during July with no threat from soldiers. After their celebrations, many of the Natives returned to the reservation. Soon the number of warriors amounted to only about 600.<ref>{{cite book |last=Ambrose |first=Stephen E. |author-link=Stephen E. Ambrose |title=Crazy Horse and Custer |location=New York |publisher=[[Anchor Books]] |year=1996 |pages=451–52}}</ref> Both Crook and Terry remained immobile for seven weeks after the battle, awaiting reinforcements and unwilling to venture out against the Sioux and Cheyenne until they had at least 2,000 men. Crook and Terry finally took the field against the Native forces in August. General [[Nelson A. Miles]] took command of the effort in October 1876. In May 1877, Sitting Bull escaped to Canada. Within days, Crazy Horse surrendered at [[Fort Robinson]], Nebraska. The Great Sioux War ended on May 7 with Miles' defeat of a remaining band of [[Miniconjou]] Sioux.<ref name="sonofthesouth.net" />

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| caption1          = [[Plenty Coups]] Edward Curtis Portrait (c. 1908).
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| caption2          = Crow warrior [[Two Leggings]] joined the U.S. army for a short time after the defeat of Custer. Two Belly had given him and nearly 30 other Crows a lecture and explained how the Sioux had taken the hunting grounds of the Crow. "Two Belly said ... we should help the soldiers drive them back to their own country."<ref>{{cite book |last=Nabokov |first=Peter |year=1982 |title=Two Leggings. The Making of a Crow Warrior |location=Lincoln and London |page=185}}</ref>
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Ownership of the [[Black Hills]], which had been a focal point of the 1876 conflict, was determined by an ultimatum issued by the [[Manypenny Agreement|Manypenny Commission]], according to which the Sioux were required to cede the land to the United States if they wanted the government to continue supplying rations to the reservations. Threatened with forced starvation, the Natives ceded ''[[Paha Sapa]]'' to the United States,<ref name="Welch and Steckler"/>{{Rp|196–97}} but the Sioux never accepted the legitimacy of the transaction. They lobbied Congress to create a forum to decide their claim and subsequently litigated for 40 years; the United States Supreme Court in the 1980 decision ''[[United States v. Sioux Nation of Indians]]'' acknowledged{{NoteTag|According to ''United States v. Sioux Nation of Indians'', 448 U.S. 371 (1980), the US government had to pay just compensation and interest to the Sioux for taking the Black Hills. This case confirmed the court's view that the government can treat Indian reservations like private property and take them by [[eminent domain]] if just compensation is paid.}} that the United States had taken the Black Hills without just compensation. The Sioux [[United States v. Sioux Nation of Indians#Response to the decision|refused the money subsequently offered]] and continue to insist on their right to occupy the land.