The Buffalo Soldier

The Buffalo Soldier



From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Buffalo SoldierBuffalo Soldiers is a nickname originally applied to the members of the 10th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army, which was formed on September 21, 1866 at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

The term eventually encompassed the 9th Cavalry Regiment, the 10th Cavalry Regiment, the 24th Infantry Regiment and the 25th Infantry Regiment. Although several black 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. The Spanish referred to them as "Smoked Yankees".

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]

Origins of the name
The Kiowa bestowed the term upon the 10th Cavalry Regiment in admiration following encounters with them in western Kansas. The name is believed to be a reference to either:

the hair of the troops, said to resemble the mane of the buffalo, or
more general attributes ascribed to buffalo, such as ferocity, strength, and stamina.



Their service

During the American Civil War, the U.S. government formed regiments known as the United States Colored Troops, composed of African-American 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, LA, in November 1869. The 39th and 40th were reorganized as the 24th Infantry Regiment, headquartered at Fort Clark, TX, in April 1869. All of these units were composed of black enlisted men commanded by white officers such as Benjamin Grierson, and, occasionally, an African-American officer such as Henry O. Flipper.

From 1866 to the early 1890s these regiments served at a variety of posts in the southwest United States and Great Plains regions. During this period 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.

In total, more than 20 Buffalo Soldiers received the Medal of Honor, the highest of any United States military unit.


Systemic prejudice
The "Buffalo Soldiers" were often confronted with racial prejudice from both other members of the US Army and civilians in the areas in which they were stationed and occasionally responded with violence. Elements of the "Buffalo Soldiers" were involved in racial disturbances in Rio Grande City, Texas in 1899[3],Brownsville, Texas in 1906 [4], and at Houston, Texas in 1917[5]; [6]](connects to 4 other Police killed in 1917 riot).

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 Cavalry Regiment 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.


Korean War and integration
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.

There is a monument to the Buffalo soldiers in the state of Kansas at Fort Leavenworth. Then-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Colin Powell was guest speaker for the unveiling in July 1992.


Just a "Foot Note"

The song "Buffalo Soldier", co-written by Bob Marley and King Sporty and one of their best known songs, first appeared in the 1983 album Confrontation. Many Jamaicans, especially Rastafarians like Marley, identified with the "Buffalo Soldiers" as an example of prominent black men who performed with courage, honor and distinction in a field long dominated by whites, and persevered despite endemic racism and prejudice.