ABOUT THE BUFFALO SOLDIERS

(Courtsey of Wikipedia and About.com)

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 Apache Indians, which was formed on September 21, 1866 at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. The term eventually encompassed these units:

• U.S. 9th Cavalry Regiment

• U.S. 10th Cavalry Regiment

• 24th Infantry Regiment

• 25th Infantry Regiment

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.

Origins of the Name

The nickname buffalo soldiers began with the Cheyenne warriors in 1867. The actual Cheyenne translation was Wild Buffalo. 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.  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.  Still other sources point to a combination of both legends.  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.

Buffalo Soldier in the 9th Cavalry. 1890

Their Service

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.

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