Buffilo Solders

In the years immediately following the Civil War, thousands of former slaves moved westward, hoping to find new opportunities for employment. Among the opportunities open to young black men was serving with the United States Army. In 1866, the United States Congress authorized the creation of six regular Army regiments to be staffed entirely by black soldiers. By 1869, these regiments were decreased by two. Black men were given the choice of enlisting with the Ninth or Tenth Cavalry or the Twenty-fourth or Twenty-fifth Infantry. It is these regiments that would eventually be dubbed the Buffalo Soldiers (Katz 1996).

The term Buffalo Soldiers was bestowed by the Plains Indians, who were the soldiers' enemies. Despite their enmity, however, the name reveals the respect many Native Americans accorded to the black soldiers. The Indians had high regard for the courage and valor shown by the black men in combat.

This paper argues that the Buffalo Soldiers played a crucial, though often overlooked role in the history of westward expansion. By protecting settlers, the Buffalo Soldiers paved the way for the settlement of the west and the creation of the United States. By showing courage on the battlefield, the Buffalo Soldiers also challenged prevailing misconceptions about black people. In doing so, they contributed to the establishment of multicultural societies in the West and by extension, in the rest of the United States.

The Buffalo Soldiers initially came into being because during the late 19th century, the United States Military supported segregation. Black freemen thus could not serve along with the white soldiers. Thus, the Buffalo Soldiers were tasked with building forts which were often reserved only for white soldiers. In Forth Concho, the Buffalo Soldiers were housed in separate rooms. However, historians like Stanford L. Davis (1999) argue that the realities of military life would have forced these soldiers to come into contact with one another, during activities like meals, maneuvers or training. In this way, Davis argues that the presence of the Buffalo Soldiers in military establishments would have laid a foundation for challenging many white soldiers' prejudices against black people.

Like their white counterparts, the primary duties of the Buffalo Soldiers were to provide protection for white settlers within their areas, and to escort those settlers who were headed further west. During this time, more than 40 percent of the cavalry soldiers engaged in the Indian Wars were of African descent. From 1866 to 1912, 23 Buffalo soldiers earned the Medal of Honor, the country's most prestigious military award (James 2004).

Many black soldiers worked as mounted infantry, riding alongside the pioneers. Additional duties included building forts and roads and installing telegraph lines. The Buffalo Soldiers also guarded water holes and protected the construction workers who were laying down the railroad. In addition, some members of the Buffalo Soldiers were charged with mapping uncharted territories (Taylor 1977).

By the late 1890s, the Buffalo Soldier regiments were moved from the Western frontier to the central and southern plains. They were also later deployed to the northern plains. In these territories, the soldiers had to ensure order among the often lawless nature of the new settlements. In addition to the Plains Indian warriors, the Buffalo Soldiers were also charged with apprehending train and stagecoach bandits, horse thieves, cattle rustlers and Mexican revolutionaries (Taylor 1977).

By the first half of the 20th century, the Buffalo Soldiers were soon serving their country in battles overseas. The four regiments of the Buffalo Soldiers served in Cuba with President Teddy Roosevelt's "Rough Riders" brigade during the Spanish-American War. When the Spanish-American War ended, part of the 9th Cavalry was then assigned to the American colony of the Philippines. Furthermore, the 10th Cavalry Regiment of the Buffalo Soldiers was deployed to the Mexican Expedition under John "Black Jack" Pershing (Taylor 1977).

By 1941, the 9th and 10th Cavalry regiments were merged in the 4th Cavalry Brigade, under the command of General Benjamin O. Davis Sr. Ð'- the first black general in the history of the United States military. During World War II, the Buffalo Soldiers were then assigned as part of the 92nd Infantry, a unit predominantly staffed by black soldiers. The 92nd Unit was then deployed to battle, facing the German Fourteenth Army and later, the Italian soldiers. During the last day of its campaign, the 92nd unit lost one-fourth of its soldiers in casualties, including 3,000 Buffalo Soldiers. However, the Buffalo Soldiers also captured 24,000 prisoners. Altogether, members of the Buffalo Soldiers earned more than 21,000 citations and decorations