The peace chiefs were not wrong in their analysis of the military situation.

They were wrong in their assessment of the American government’s ability and willingness to deliver on its promises.

The military societies were not wrong in their assessment that the American government could not be trusted.

They were wrong in their assessment that armed resistance could produce a better outcome than the peace path.

Both factions were navigating an impossible situation — a situation created not by Cheyenne choices but by American policy decisions that were going to produce catastrophic outcomes for the Cheyenne regardless of how the Cheyenne responded.

Black Kettle deserves recognition not for having found the right answer to an impossible question but for the genuine moral courage he showed in pursuing the path he believed was best for his people, even after Sand Creek, even at the cost of his own credibility among the warriors who thought he should choose war.