I’m aware of the higher estimates but I just don’t believe them. One branch of my family was in Republic County, Kansas for the bloodbath there.
Scout Ben Clark informed Custer that 150 warriors were in the village, many having been involved in the Solomon River massacres. Custer’s surprise surely caused the death of most of them.
I was in error here. The family had left Republic County and moved into Jewell County in time to see friends and travelers butchered in the summer and fall of 1868. Some of the murderers were probably killed by Custer on the Washita.