orning 15 volunteers and four sharpshooters made there way to the river under heavy fire from the Indians, to bring water back to the wounded soldiers. Those 19 men were later awarded the Medal of Honor, as were five other soldiers. those 24 men represent the highest total of Medal of Honor recipients for a single action in the history of Indian wars.There were attacks and counterattacks throughout the morning of June 26, but Sitting Bull made camp and moved off towards the southwest in the afternoon. The next day General Terry's relief column arrived.(Remember these were the people that Custer was supposed to wait for.) With a total of 256 dead, the 7th Calvary had suffered over a 51 percent loss rate, against estimates of three dozen all the way to three hundred Indian deaths. Custer had lead his troops to the worst defeat experienced by the U.S. Army in the West.Many dead troopers had been mutilated by the Indians. The soldiers found Custer's dead body among his fallen comrades. Custer had two bullet holes in him, but he was not mutilated. However a Cheyenne woman, gave another account after the battle. She said that two Cheyenne women came upon Custer's body on the battle field and punctured his eardrums with a pointed sewing tool. Custer had been told years earlier in Oklahoma if he ever made war on the Cheyenne again, he would be killed. He did not listen. With punctured eardrums, he would hear better in the afterlife.I personally feel that what happened to Custer and his men was justified by the Indians. They were only defending there land which the United States Government had issued to them. This was only the beginning of the crappie foreign policy that the United States government just can not get right.(The only survivor of Custer's immediate command was Captain Keogh's horse, Comanche-which was found only a few yards away from all the broken bodies.)...
