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A member of one of the African-American regiments within the U.S. Army after the Civil War, serving primarily in the Indian wars of the late 1860s.
[Translation of a Kiowa term, from the perceived similarity between the soldiers' hair and the hair on a buffalo's head.]
In the post–Civil War regular army, Congress set aside six regiments for black enlisted men in the reorganization act of 28 July 1866. These were the 9th and 10th Cavalry and the 38th, 39th, 40th, and 41st Infantry Regiments. The act marked the first inclusion of black units in the regular army. It was seen as recognition of the contribution black units of the Union army had made in the Civil War. In the spring of 1869, the 38th and 41st were merged into the 24th Infantry Regiment; the 39th and 40th became the 25th. Commissioned officers of the black units were white (the only exceptions before 1901 were Henry Flipper, Charles Young, and John Alexander).
Until the 1890s, the black regiments served almost entirely at remote western frontier posts. Comprised initially of mostly illiterate former slaves, they overcame their shortcomings and the army's initial tendency to supply them with cast‐off equipment. They also faced considerable racial hostility and occasional violence from white civilians throughout their frontier service.
All saw action against hostile Indians. Sergeant Emanuel Stance of the Ninth Cavalry was the first of eighteen black soldiers to receive the Medal of Honor during the Indian Wars between 1870 and 1890. Both cavalry regiments played prominent roles in the brutal Apache wars of 1877–81; they suffered more casualties than all the other frontier campaigns. They also fought in Cuba, in the Philippine War (1899–1902), and in Mexican border skirmishes (1915–16).
The sobriquet “Buffalo” Soldiers was applied first to the 10th Regiment around 1870. The term apparently originated with the Cheyenne Indians, who may have seen a similarity between the curly hair and the dark skin of the soldiers and the buffalo. Soon the Ninth's troopers also became known as buffalo soldiers, and ultimately the infantrymen too came to be considered buffalo soldiers. Many writers contend that the name reflected the Indians' respect for the soldiers, but Native American commentators disagree.
[See also African Americans in the Military; Army, U.S.: 1866–99; Plains Indians Wars.]
Bibliography
Buffalo Soldiers is a nickname originally applied to the members of the U.S. 10th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army by the Native American tribes they fought, which was formed on September 21, 1866 at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. The term eventually encompassed these units:
Although several African American regiments were raised during the Civil War to fight alongside the Union Army (including the famous 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry and the many United States Colored Troops Regiments), the "Buffalo Soldiers" were established by Congress as the first peacetime all-black regiments in the regular U.S. Army.
On September 6, 2005, Mark Matthews, who was the oldest living Buffalo Soldier, died at the age of 111. He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery. [1]
Depending on the source, there is seemingly some disagreement on how the nickname "buffalo soldiers" began. According to the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum, the name originated with the Cheyenne warriors in 1867, the actual Cheyenne translation being "Wild Buffalo." However, writer Walter Hill documented the account of Colonel Benjamin Grierson, who founded the 10th Cavalry regiment, recalling an 1871 campaign against the Comanche tribe. Hill attributes the origin of the name to the Comanche due to Grierson's assertions. Needless to say, there is some controversy as to where the name originated. Some sources assert that the nickname was given out of respect and the fierce fighting ability of the 10th cavalry. [2] Other sources assert that Native Americans called the black cavalry troops "buffalo soldiers" because of their dark curly hair, which resembled a buffalo's coat.[3] Still other sources point to a combination of both legends.[4] Regardless of how the name originated, the term Buffalo Soldiers became a generic term for all African American soldiers. It is now used in reference to U.S. Army units which trace their direct lineage back to the 9th and 10th cavalry units whose bravery earned them an honored place in U.S. history.
During the American Civil War, the U.S. government formed regiments known as the United States Colored Troops, composed of black soldiers led by white officers. After the war the Congress reorganized the Army, authorizing the formation of two regiments of black cavalry with the designations 9th and 10th U.S. Cavalry, and four regiments of black infantry, designated the 38th, 39th, 40th and 41st Infantry Regiments (Colored). The 38th' and 41st were reorganized as the 25th Infantry Regiment, with headquarters in Jackson Barracks in New Orleans, in November 1869. The 39th and 40th were reorganized as the 24th Infantry Regiment, with headquarters at Fort Clark, Texas, in April 1869. All of these units were composed of black enlisted men commanded by white officers such as Benjamin Grierson, Ranald S. Mackenzie and, occasionally, black officers such as Henry O. Flipper.
From 1866 to the early 1890s these regiments served at a variety of posts in the Southwestern United States(Apache Wars) and Great Plains regions. They participated in most of the military campaigns in these areas and earned a distinguished record. Thirteen enlisted men and six officers from these four regiments earned the Medal of Honor during the Indian Wars. In addition to the military campaigns, the "Buffalo Soldiers" served a variety of roles along the frontier from building roads to escorting the U.S. mail.
After the Indian Wars ended in the 1890s the regiments continued to serve and participated in the Spanish-American War (including the Battle of San Juan Hill), where five more Medals of Honor were earned. They took part in the 1916 Punitive Expedition into Mexico and in the Philippine-American War.
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A lesser known action was the 9th Cavalry's participation in the fabled Johnson County War, a 1892 land war in Johnson County, Wyoming between small farmers and large, wealthy ranches that culminated in a lengthy shootout between local farmers, a band of hired killers, and a sheriff's posse. The 6th Cavalry was eventually ordered in to quell the violence and take possession of the band of hired killers on the orders of the President of the United States. Soon after, however, the 9th Calvary was specifically called upon to replace the 6th as the 6th cavalry was swaying under the local political and social pressures and were unable to keep the peace in the tense environment. The buffalo soldiers responded with about two weeks from Nebraska and moved the men to the rail town of Suggs, Wyoming creating "Camp Bettens" despite a racist and hostile local population. One soldier was killed and two wounded in gun battles with locals. Nevertheless, the 9th Calvary remained in Wyoming for nearly a year to quell tensions in the area.[5] [6]
A another forgotten contribution in the buffalo soldier story involves eight troops of the 9th Cavalry Regiment and one company of the 24th Infantry Regiment who served in California's Sierra Nevada (U.S.) as some of the first national park rangers. In 1899, buffalo soldiers from Company H, 24th Infantry Regiment briefly served in Yosemite National Park, Sequoia National Park and General Grant (Kings Canyon) National Parks.[7]
U.S. Army regiments had been serving in these national parks since 1891, but until 1899 the soldiers serving were white. Beginning in 1899, and continuing in 1903 and 1904, African-American regiments served during the summer months in the second and third oldest national parks in the United States (Sequoia and Yosemite). Because these soldiers served before the National Park Service was created (1916), they were "park rangers" before the term was even coined.
One particular buffalo soldier stands out in history: Captain Charles Young who served with Troop "I", 9th Cavalry Regiment in Sequoia National Park during the summer of 1903. Charles Young was the third African-American to graduate from the United States Military Academy, and at the time of his death he was the highest ranking African-American in the U.S. military. He made history in Sequoia National Park in 1903 by becoming Acting Military Superintendent of Sequoia & General Grant National Parks. During Young's tenure in the park he named a giant sequoia for Booker T. Washington. Recently, another giant sequoia in Giant Forest was named in Captain Young's honor. Some of his descendants were in attendance at the ceremony. Charles Young was also the first African-American superintendent of a national park.[8]
In 1903, 9th Cavalrymen in Sequoia built the first trail to the top of Mt. Whitney, the highest mountain in the contiguous United States, as well as the first usable wagon road into Sequoia's Giant Forest, the most famous grove of Giant Sequoia trees) in Sequoia National Park.
In 1904, 9th Cavalrymen in Yosemite built an arboretum on the South Fork of the Merced in the southern section of Yosemite National Park. This arboretum had pathways, benches, and some plants were identified in both English and Latin. Yosemite's arboretum is considered to be the first museum in the national park system.
In the Sierra Nevada, the buffalo soldiers regularly endured long days in the saddle, slim rations, racism, and estrangement from family and friends. As military stewards, the African-American cavalry and infantry regiments protected the national parks from illegal grazing, poaching, timber thieves, and forest fires.
Until fairly recently, this was yet another "forgotten story," but Yosemite Park Ranger Shelton Johnson researched and interpreted the history in an attempt to recover and celebrate the contributions of the buffalo soldiers of the Sierra Nevada.[9]
In total, 23 "Buffalo Soldiers" received the Medal of Honor, the highest of any United States military unit.[1]
The "Buffalo Soldiers" were often confronted with racial prejudice from other members of the U.S. Army, and civilians in the areas where the soldiers were stationed occasionally responded with violence. Elements of the "Buffalo Soldiers" were involved in racial disturbances in:
The "Buffalo Soldiers" did not participate as organized units during World War I but experienced non-commissioned officers were provided to other segregated black units for combat service — such as the 317th Engineer Battalion.
Early in the 20th century the "Buffalo Soldiers" found themselves being used more as laborers and service troops rather than active combat units. During World War II the 9th and 10th Cavalry Regiments were disbanded and the soldiers were moved into service-oriented units. One of the infantry regiments, the 24th Infantry Regiment, served in combat in the Pacific theater. Another was the 92nd Infantry Division aka the Buffalo Soldiers Division, which served in combat during the Italian Campaign in the Mediterranean theater. Another was the U.S. 93rd Infantry Division — including the 25th Infantry Regiment — which served in the Pacific Theater of Operations.[14]
Despite some official resistance and administrative barriers, black airmen were trained and played a part in the air war in Europe, gaining a reputation for skill and bravery. (See Tuskegee Airmen.)
In early 1945, after the
The 24th Infantry Regiment saw combat during the Korean War and was the last segregated regiment to engage in combat. The 24th was deactivated in 1951 and its soldiers were integrated into other units in Korea. On December 12 1951 the last Buffalo soldier units, the 27th Cavalry and the 28th (Horse) Cavalry were disbanded (although, the 28th Cavalry was inactivated at Assi-Okba, Algeria in April of 1944 in North Africa and marked the end of the regiment)[15].
There are two monuments to the Buffalo soldiers in the state of Kansas at Fort Leavenworth and Junction City[16]. Then-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Colin Powell was guest speaker for the unveiling of the Fort Leavenworth monument in July 1992.
In recent years, the employment of the Buffalo Soldiers by the United States Army in the Indian Wars has led to modern critical reappraisal of the regiment by cultural historians as being mere accessories to the forcefully-expansionist ideals of the U.S. government at the expense of the Native Americans[17][18]. This is a far cry from the historical cultural upholding of the Buffalo Soldiers as being a rare exception to the predominately-malicious, anti-African American socioeconomic climate at the time.
| Buffalo Soldiers | |
|---|---|
| Predecessors: | United States Colored Troops • Bureau of Colored Troops |
| Units: | 9th Cavalry Regiment • 10th Cavalry Regiment • 24th Infantry Regiment • 25th Infantry Regiment |
| Soldiers: | Dennis Bell • Horace Bivens • Thomas Boyne • Benjamin Brown • John Denny • Nicolae Dunca • Clinton Greaves • Edward Hatch • Henry Johnson • George Jordan • Mark Matthews • Fitz Lee • Isaiah Mays • Emanuel Stance • William H. Thompkins • Augustus Walley • George H. Wanton • Cathy Williams • William Othello Wilson • Brent Woods |
| Notable battles: | Battle of Beecher Island • Battle of Tularosa • Battle of Tayacoba • Battle of San Juan Hill • Punitive Expedition • Battle of Carrizal |
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Copyrights:
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 | Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| US Military History Companion. The Oxford Companion to American Military History. Copyright © 2000 by Oxford University Press, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/ Read more |
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| Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Buffalo Soldier". Read more |
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