The Dog Soldiers were raiding and killing American civilians.

Those raids were genuine crimes by any standard.

The victims — settlers, travelers, soldiers — had genuine grievances.

The American military’s desire to end the raiding was legitimate.

The problem was the method.

Rather than pursuing the specific raiders and the specific camps associated with raiding, the American military strategy targeted all plains camps in the winter — regardless of whether those camps were actually associated with the raids.

Black Kettle’s camp was targeted not because his people had been raiding but because finding his camp was easier than finding the Dog Soldiers’ camp.