Third, the peace chiefs who chose diplomacy were often doing so with genuine moral conviction — they believed that violence was wrong in itself, not only strategically counterproductive.

This conviction was consistent with the traditions of the Cheyenne civil chiefs, who were specifically the non-military leadership of the nation and who understood their role as the preservation of peace.

Black Kettle exemplified this tradition at its best.

He pursued peace not because he was afraid of war but because he believed peace was right and because he calculated that it offered the best available chance for his people’s survival.

He was wrong in the second belief — not because his calculation was flawed, but because the people he was negotiating with were not operating in good faith.