He left a documentary trail precisely because he was actively engaging with the American governmental system on its own terms.

The Question of Blame: Revisited

Having explored the specific decisions and specific actors involved in both Sand Creek and the Washita, it is worth returning to the question of blame with a more nuanced framework.

Immediate responsibility: Colonel Chivington ordered the Sand Creek attack; Lieutenant Colonel Custer executed the Washita attack; General Sheridan authorized the winter campaign strategy.

These men bear immediate responsibility for the specific decisions that led to specific deaths.

Institutional responsibility: The Colorado territorial government under Governor Evans created the political context that enabled Sand Creek.