But the losing side was not wrong.

The commitments made to him were real.

The violations of those commitments were real.

The killing of peace-seeking Cheyenne people was real.

He was right to seek peace.

He was right to trust, provisionally and with clear eyes, that the American political system had the capacity to honor its commitments.

He was wrong in his assessment of whether that capacity would actually be exercised when it mattered.

That error reflects the specific failures of the American system, not the failure of his judgment.