The immediate reaction to the defeat was one of national shock, but the narrative pivot began almost immediately. Libbie Custer, working tirelessly with journalists and historians, curated a version of events that transformed a disastrous tactical defeat into a noble, heroic sacrifice. By emphasizing Custer’s bravery and framing the battle as a tragedy born of overwhelming odds, she successfully shielded his name from blame. For decades, the "Boy General" was immortalized in paintings and literature as a martyr of the frontier, a myth that successfully buried the tactical failures and brutal realities of his final command.