Bull Chief and protection leading to his long life and many honors. Three of his first coups were against the Sioux, one of the enemies of the Apsaroke tribe, and two of his first coups were on Indians killed by white men, but these coups according to Bull Chief were, "Not good." Bull Chief recounted memories of how he captured guns three times from enemies who were, "Alive and shooting at him." He remembered taking two revolvers and a bow from a Sioux Indian and also capturing two tethered horses. Bull Chief never led any war-parties out of camp, but on four
Sitting Bull River (known as the Greasy Grass River to the Lakota) on June 25, 1876. The U.S. Army did not realize how large the camp was. More than 2,000 Native American warriors had left their reservations to follow Sitting Bull. Inspired by a vision of Sitting Bull's, in which he saw U.S. soldiers being killed as they entered the tribe's camp, the Cheyenne and Lakota fought back. Custer's badly outnumbered troops lost ground quickly and were forced to retreat. The tribes led a counter-attack against the soldiers on a nearby ridge, ultimately annihilating them. The Native Americans' victory celebrations were short-lived.