It was probably 3:45 when a few Indians opened fire on Custer's column as it was filing down the coulee toward the river. The details of what followed will remain forever obscure. There are as many speculations as speculators. Custer did move back away from the river and then north along a ridge, where many bodies were later found distributed over a surprisingly large area. He and a few others ended up on Custer Hill, about four miles from Reno Hill. Most of the two thousand warriors had concentrated on this small force, those pouring from the village circling to the left, and those racing from Reno's treed command circling to the right, so as to surround the command completely—and at odds of ten to one. The rest of the regiment heard firing shortly after 4:20. It was probably all over by 4:45. Every man with Custer died. All 210.
(John S. Gray, Centennial Campaign: The Sioux War of 1876, Volume No. 8 in the Source Custeriana Series [Ft. Collins, CO: The Old Army Press, 1976], 178)
Note from KBJ: Here is a map of Custer's route:
Click to enlarge. The map comes from this website.
