(I'm so glad you feel that way, Teribus. That's perfect.)

I would guess there may have been as many as 8,000 Indians in the camp, and 2,000 to 3,000 warriors. That seems like a reasonable estimate. It may have been the only time so many of those Indians came together in one place, and it could only be for a brief time, as Teribus explained, for simple logistical reasons like getting enough food.

They came together long enough to put forces in the field that beat General Crook and crushed the Custer attack. Nice work by Crazy Horse. Given the fact that the soldiers apparently took heavier casualties in both battles, the Indians were definitely fighting very efficiently. I don't doubt that Benteen and Reno would have wanted to exaggerate their numbers. The army needed some excuse, after all, for what was a very unexpected disaster.