On June 25, 1876, Custer surveyed the valley of the Little Bighorn and found the largest gathering of plains warriors he had ever seen. Rather than wait for reinforcements, he ordered a three-pronged attack, dividing his already overextended force. Custer’s battalion was cut off and forced onto a ridge, where they were rapidly overwhelmed by the sheer numerical superiority of the Lakota and Cheyenne warriors. The combat was ferocious and brief, resulting in the total destruction of five companies of the 7th Cavalry, leaving no survivors from Custer’s immediate command.