Buffalo Soldiers in America

A buffalo soldier was an African American serving in one of the U.S. Army's African American units. The term buffalo soldier comes from an Indian term that described the resemblance between the soldier hair and a buffalo's head hair. It is unclear from which the term originated in the Cheyenne, Apache, or Kiowa tribe. It is still unclear whether the Indians meant respect or disrespect by using this term for them. There were many recruits waiting to be enlisted but black officers were hardly heard of. African Americans were eager to enlist as the army gave them the chance for social and economic prosperity something difficult to achieve in a society that was all but closed to them. Many knew nothing of the world outside the world beyond the city or plantation they had spent their whole life on. They could not go back now they were free but many did not have skills to go forward or a place to go. So many felt that the army would be a new home to others it was the adventure of being sent west to help tame an untamed wilderness. This could lead them to their great dream the dream of building a new life on their own land. The Buffalo Soldiers wore the same uniforms as the rest of the U.S. Army of the same time period. The only difference was due to delivery times. New uniforms and equipment were delivered in the order of the units. 1st Cavalry received the first shipments then the 2nd and so on. That meant that the 9th and 10th Cavalry received their uniforms and equipment after the other 8 units of Cavalry received theirs and the same with the 24th and 25th Infantry. This meant that it was usually about 4 years after a new uniform regulation came out before the 9th Cavalry, 10th Cavalry, 24th Infantry and 25th Infantry units received their new equipment. Among the soldiers attached to the 10th cavalry was Henry o. Flipper. He was the first black graduate of West Point. And he was also born into slavery. Flipper graduated in 1877 from West Point and was assigned as an officer to the 10th Cavalry stationed at Fort Sill. Flipper had amazing engineering skills which were demonstrated with his design and construction of a drainage channel system which eliminated a malaria outbreak at that post. Flipper’s system is known as Flipper’s Ditch. In 1881 while serving at Fort Davis Flippers commanding officer accused him of embezzling over three thousand dollars from commissary funds. A court martial found him not guilty of embezzlement but convicted him of conduct unbecoming of an officer and ordered him dismissed from the army. After his dishonorable discharge Flipper fought to clear his name as he pursued a career as an engineer and an expert on Spanish and Mexican land law. In 1898 a bill reinstating him into the army and restoring his rank was introduced in congress on his behalf. But this bill was put on hold and in 1940 Flipper died. But in 1976 the army granted him an honorable discharge and in 1999 President Bill Clinton issued him a full pardon. Buffalo soldiers were stationed throughout the Southwestern and Great Plains regions of the United States. The buffalo soldiers were involved in battles with hostile Indians, Mexican border fire fights, the Philippine War and battles in Cuba, and proved themselves many times in battle. Six officers and thirteen of the enlisted soldiers earned the Medal of Honor during the Indian Wars. Five more buffalo soldiers earned the Medal of Honor during the Spanish American War. The buffalo soldier units continued to serve until after the Korean War. The units in which the buffalo soldiers served were the 9th and 10th Cavalry units and the 38th, 39th, 40th, and 41st Infantry units. These units were created by a reorganization act in 1866, and were meant to recognize African Americans contribution in the Civil War. Despite this the commissioned officers in the buffalo soldier units were almost always white although there were a few black officers. At first the buffalo soldiers were posted mainly at isolated deep country forts. They were often illiterate due to being former slaves and their difficulties were made even more evident by the army's failure to provide them with proper supplies. The Cavalry had always been given the finest of horses, but not the black soldiers. They received the crippled and sickly horses left over from the Civil War. But they quickly learned that sometimes your horse could be the difference between life and death. They soon learned to care for their horses better than they cared for themselves. They were subjected to much racial hostility and sometimes were even victims of violence from white civilians. In the early 1900s they were assigned labor and service duties rather than combat duties which might be considered more as discrimination against the buffalo soldier units in this day and age.
When Confederate cannons fired on Fort Sumpter on April 12, 1861 black men were eager to wear the Union blue. On the first anniversary of Fort Sumpter General David Hunter organized a unit of all black men. His effort was abortive and the unit was disbanded by order of the War Department. Seven months later Colonel T. W. Higginson of Massachusetts took command of the First unit of South Carolina Volunteers, the first slave unit mustered into service of the United States By the end of the war 180,000 black men had served in the Union Army . 166 units were raised for the United States Colored Troops, as they were officially known consisting of more than 200,000 black soldiers and more than 7,000 white officers. Yet they didn’t fight only in Union Blue. Little has ever been written of the black men that served in the Confederate Army so there are little of their reasons for fighting for the Confederacy or the outcome of their efforts. The number of black troops in the Union Army was larger than the entire Confederate Army in the final months of the Civil War. The black soldiers fought bravely and Sergeant William H. Carney became the first African American to earn the Medal of Honor for his role at Fort Wagner South Carolina.
After the Civil War on July 28th, 1866 it was permitted for Black men to serve in the regular peacetime army. Six units 2 of Cavalry and 4 Infantry were commissioned by Congress. For twenty four years these units campaigned on the Great Plains along the Rio Grande, New Mexico, Texas, Arizona, Colorado and finally in the Dakotas. The 9th and 10th U. S. Cavalry unit’s duties included guarding the mail, escorting and or guarding stage coaches, cattle drives, wagon trains, railroad crews, surveyors and they were the Law. They built roads and telegraph lines, mapped and explored. They played a major role in the building of the west and making it safe for the westward expansion. In the 1880’s the majority of the Apaches where driven into reservations at San Carlos and Fort Apache, but renegades still remained. With the serious outbreaks in 1881 General Crook went to Arizona and restored peace against 500 outlaws they were held up in the mountains of Northern Mexico, ready to launch raids into Arizona. March of 1883 a small band of these Indians struck like a bomb in southern New Mexico and Arizona. A number of ranches were looted and burned. In just 6 days, 25 people were killed then like ghosts the Apaches disappeared across the border, leaving citizens and troops in a state of bewilderment. General Crook reacted swiftly by gathering a powerful force along with a large body of Apache scouts to cross into Mexico and invade the Sierra Madres. In a 3 weeks Crook and his Buffalo Soldiers forced the surrender of the Indian hostiles. Out of this Indian commands Geronimo and Nana were captured as well as their followers and they agreed to march to the San Carlos reservation where they were to remain under control of the army.
The buffalo soldier units also served in Yosemite and Sequoia two of the oldest national parks. One notable buffalo soldier was Captain Charles Young who was the third black man to graduate from West Point and in 1903 began to serve in the 9th Calvary unit in Sequoia National Park. In that year he also became the first black superintendent of any American national park. The buffalo soldiers kept the park free from poachers, and from the ranchers whose grazing sheep destroyed the parks natural habitats. The soldiers also completed the first wagon road into the Giant Forest of Sequoia something no superintendent before Young had been able to accomplish. Young was later dispatched to Haiti with the United States military, then to Republic of Liberia During the punitive expedition in pursuit of Pancho Villa Young was put in command of troops from the Tenth Cavalry and promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel. He would eventually become a full colonel, even with all his accomplishments he was not permitted to serve in the field during World War I. Charles Young died in 1922 during a visit to Nigeria and his remains were buried in Arlington Cemetery.
Buffalo soldiers were very important to building America as before mentioned. They built railroads and telegraph lines and repaired frontier outposts around which future towns and cities sprang to life. The Buffalo Soldiers consistently received some of the worst assignments the Army had to offer. They also faced fierce prejudice to both the colors of their Union uniforms and their skin by many of the citizens of the post war frontier towns. Despite this the Buffalo Soldiers developed into the most distinguished fighting units in the Army. And they were and always will be an important part of American history.

Bibliography

Starr Michelle, "Buffalo Soldier" Army 31 (January 1981)
Spiller Roger J. "Honoring the Buffalo Soldiers" American Heritage 44 (February-March 1992)
Perry lieutenant Alex W. "The Ninth United States Calvary In The Sioux Campaign of 1890" Journal of U.S. Calvary association, IV (1891)
Nunn Curtis W. "Eighty-six Hours Without Water On The Texas Plains" Southern Historical Quarterly, XLIII (January 1940)
Fields, Elizabeth Arnett. Historic Contexts for the American Military Experience

Buffalo Soldiers In America
Jonathan Jaramillo
History 1302
4-1-2013

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[ 1 ]. Starr Michelle, "Buffalo Soldier" Army 31 (January 1981)
[ 2 ]. Perry lieutenant Alex W. "The Ninth United States Calvary In The Sioux Campaign of 1890" Journal of U.S. Calvary association, IV (1891)
[ 3 ]. Spiller Roger J. "Honoring the Buffalo Soldiers" American Heritage 44 (February-March 1992)
[ 4 ]. Nunn Curtis W. "Eighty-six Hours Without Water On The Texas Plains" Southern Historical Quarterly, XLIII (January 1940)
[ 5 ]. Fields, Elizabeth Arnett. Historic Contexts for the American Military Experience