Did the U.S. Army Distribute Smallpox Blankets to Indians?

Some context from 2009 at https://historynewsnetwork.org/article/73909 :

> The University of Colorado fired Ward Churchill in 2007 for committing repeated acts of research misconduct, including plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, and self-citing articles he’d ghostwritten under other names. Churchill retaliated with a lawsuit, alleging that CU violated his free speech rights by firing him. The court case culminated last week with the jury finding for Churchill, and awarding him one dollar in damages.

Further details from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ward_Churchill :

> In July 2009, a District Court judge vacated the monetary award and declined Churchill's request to order his reinstatement, deciding the university has "quasi-judicial immunity". In February 2010, Churchill appealed the judge's decision. In November 2010, the Colorado Court of Appeals upheld the lower-court's ruling. On September 10, 2012, the Colorado Supreme Court upheld the lower courts' decisions in favor of the University of Colorado. On April 1, 2013, the United States Supreme Court declined to hear the case.

Also, this specifically concerns "the U.S. Army's alleged distribution of smallpox infested blankets to the Mandan Indians in 1837".

The British Army did use smallpox infested blankets at the Siege of Fort Pitt in 1763: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Fort_Pitt#Biological_...