In Massacre at Cheyenne Hole, John H Monnett sifts through the various interpretations of the event over the years and places them into proper historical perspective. Initially, Lieutenant Austin Henely was viewed as a hero, and his H Company men were awarded eight Medals of Honour for their bravery in the skirmish. However, later intimations surfaced that the Sappa Creek fight was a massacre of the Cheyennes under Little Bull, who attempted to surrender. Tales of innocent non-combatants being murdered in the destruction of the camp following the battle were common by the early twentieth century.