The buffalo wallow offered the men little protection as it was only about ten feet across and shallow, but it was better than no protection at all and when the Indians withdrew momentarily, the men made their move across the open distance. Dixon was first to reach the wallow and encouraged the others to follow. All did except Smith, believed dead, and Chapman, whose knee had been shattered. As they reached the wallow, with their knives they dug in as deep as possible. 

It was near noon when the men reached the slight sanctuary of the wallow and once settled in, Dixon made several attempts to  retrieve Chapman before finally successfully reaching him and carrying him on his back to the wallow. Both Dixon, a famed buffalo hunter and renowned for his shooting ability from his participation in the Battle at Adobe Walls, and fellow scout Chapman, were known to be crack shots with their rifles. Several times during the afternoon and early evening, the Indians advanced determined to finish the battle, but each time, the accuracy of the riflemen brought down those leading the charge. 

As the day wore on, the men discussed their options and having seen the remains of men who had been taken alive by these warring tribes, they resolved to fight to the death.  Having lost their water supply on the backs of their fleeing horses, by midday, the men were also fighting a battle against their own thirst. Around 3 o'clock, Providence took part in relieving their suffering with a black cloud overhead which dropped much needed water to the pitiful troop. Though the water puddled within the wallow was red with their own blood, the men eagerly partook in its quenching wetness. 

Typical of a Panhandle storm, the rain brought with it, a change from the sweltering heat to a cold blowing wind. The Indians, still feeling no great urgency, disliked being in this adverse weather, much less fighting in it. They quickly withdrew and wrapped themselves in their blankets to wait out the storm. The storm had been a temporary salvation for the men, but brought with it new suffering as none of the men had coats with them. They had all been lost with the runaway horses. Also, during this respite in the action, the men discovered they were now dangerously low on ammunition. It was this discovery that prompted the men to attempt to retrieve Smith's six shooter and ammunition. 

Rath volunteered to retrieve Smith's weapon but soon returned with the news that Smith was still alive. This greatly distraught the men who had left him for dead. Rath and Dixon immediately left to return Smith to the wallow. There was no chance for Smith to survive as he was shot through the lung, but nonetheless, his comrades carried him back to their relative safety. 

As night fell on the stranded men, four of the six were badly wounded. They were all cold, hungry and with little hope for survival. Dixon and Rath gathered tumbleweeds and crushed them on the floor of the wallow for some semblance of bedding. With a new moon, the night was filled with almost total darkness. Dixon wanted to go and find the trail for Ft. Supply as their only chance to retrieve help, but the men dared not do without Dixon's marksmanship and elected instead that Rath should attempt to find the trail. He left in the darkness but returned a couple of hours later, unable to find it. Smith, suffering worst from his wounds, begged for his own death until he finally fell asleep around 10 o'clock. He would never wake up.

The men suffered through the long sleepless night and by morning, had all resolved that Dixon, whose only wound was a shot through his calf, should go ahead and make a run for Ft. Supply. Lacking the cover of darkness, Dixon set out immediately, but again, Providence shown its' hand. Dixon had traveled less than a half mile before picking up the trail to Ft. Supply. He soon spotted a large military outfit in the distance. He fired his rifle to get their attention. The contingent was that of Major Price with 4 companies of infantry from New Mexico, about 225 men in all.

Their arrival and presence quickly drove away the Indians and the tattered band of men was rescued. Price offered food to the men, but little else. With the Indians gone, Price left the men on the plains and moved on to meet up with Miles, who two days later would retrieve the men from their slight sanctuary. For their troubles, each of the members of the party earned the Congressional Medal of Honor. 

Upon their arrival at Ft. Supply, Amos Chapman's leg had to be amputated. Pvt. Smith was buried where he lay at the site of the Buffalo Wallow Fight. His body remains there today.