The battlefield was examined briefly and the bodies of soldiers removed quickly. According to a Cheyenne informant named White Elk, who was interviewed as he walked the battlefield 48 years after the event, the Indians had chosen ten warriors as decoys to tempt Fetterman into the ambush: two Arapaho, two Cheyenne, and two from each of the three Lakota bands present: the Oglala, Brulé, and Miniconjou. About three times as many Lakota participated in the battle as did Cheyenne and Arapaho.
The battlefield was examined briefly and the soldiers' bodies were removed quickly. White Elk, a Cheyenne informant interviewed 48 years after the event, stated that Indians had chosen ten warriors as decoys to lure Fetterman into an ambush: two Arapaho, two Cheyenne, and two from each of the three Lakota bands present—Oglala, Brulé, and Miniconjou. About three times more Lakota were involved in the battle than Cheyenne and Arapaho.