Its correctness is measured by its effectiveness at achieving its stated objective: ending off-reservation resistance on the Southern Plains.

The Buffalo Slaughter: Scale And Consequence

To understand why the horse destruction at Palo Duro Canyon was so difficult to recover from, it is necessary to understand the context of the buffalo slaughter that was simultaneously underway.

The commercial buffalo hide trade, which had begun its most intensive phase in the early 1870s, was operated by hundreds of professional hunters using high-powered rifles capable of killing buffalo at distances of several hundred yards.

A skilled hide hunter could kill dozens of animals per day.