After rifle volleys were heard north of Lodge Trail Ridge, Col. Carrington sent Captain Tenodor Ten Eyck with a relief column of 75 men to assist Fetterman. After the battle, Ten Eyck testified that he discovered a valley full of Indians in which Fetterman’s command was unseen, and as the Indians withdrew he found 48-49 bodies near the present monument. That night, the civilians John “Portugee” Phillips and Daniel Dixon were sent to report the disaster and request reinforcements, and Phillips rode 236 miles to Ft. Laramie in four days to summon help. The next day, fearing additional Indian attacks, Col. Carrington ordered that the women and children be placed in the powder magazine, to be blown up if an attack succeeded, then went to retrieve the remaining bodies and found them at two locations near Cavalry Knob. In his report he described numerous blood spots around the Wheatley/Fisher position and multiple mutilations of many bodies, and Fort Phil Kearny had lost one-fifth of its command. Eyewitness accounts, archaeological data, military reports, and Indian oral history have helped determine the locations of three main military positions, skirmish lines, and avenues of Indian attack, but the combatants’ movements during the fight are still not fully understood, especially where the soldiers crossed Lodge Trail Ridge and how far the infantry advanced.