"In the fields"For what reason does LT. Cross blame himself?

Some of the men blame Cross for Kiowa’s death, saying he should have had better sense than to encamp for the night somewhere so low-lying and indefensible. Cross thinks that he never wanted the responsibility for his men’s lives. He thinks about writing a different letter to Kiowa’s father, taking full responsibility for Kiowa’s death, saying that it was his mistake for choosing the wrong spot to camp.