“The Lakota and Cheyenne warriors, although surprised by the army's attack, quickly rallied and put all elements of the Seventh Cavalry's attack on the defensive.”
More like a Rhinoceros shaking off a mosquito...
Custer's strategy, since he'd become convinced his command had been discovered, was to attack the village from several directions to prevent the Indians from escaping. It worked at the Washita in '68 so he would try it again.
The problem was, at the Washita there were a number of additional camps downstream that forced him to retire after burning the village. Although he'd sent Benteen with his battalion to scout for camps south of the one he'd located on the Little Big Horn, they were all congregated in one large "village" comprising a number of camps. By separating his command, he invited defeat in detail.
Good analogy :)