The failure was not his.

The failure was the American government’s — its failure to honor commitments made in its own name, to control military commanders who violated those commitments, to deliver the peace that the treaty process promised.

That is the story of Black Kettle.

It is one of the most important stories in American history.

It should be taught in schools, discussed in history classrooms, and remembered by every American who wants to understand honestly what the history of the American West actually was.

He raised the flags.