The operation was treated as a successful military engagement.

The distinction between Sand Creek and the Washita, in the eyes of the government, was that Sand Creek had happened without orders (or rather, with orders from territorial officials who had exceeded their authority), while the Washita was the authorized product of a deliberate strategic decision made by the Army’s senior leadership.

This distinction illuminates something important about what had changed between 1864 and 1868.

The destruction of Black Kettle’s camp was not a rogue operation conducted by a reckless colonel acting outside his authority.