Even in the very end, when they’re on the verge of reigniting this war, he’s looking for a way out.
He thinks that their gripes, that their reasons for war are far more valid than the ranchers’ might be.
But he also doesn’t want it to lead to bloodshed, so he’s almost like an undercover agent in some respects, in trying to deflect and keep the remaining militia and the rest of the group from going after the Native Americans.
Frank, as an actor, had trouble walking that line as well.