Buffalo soldier

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Buffalo Soldier

For the 2001 film of the same name, see Buffalo Soldiers (2001 film).

Buffalo 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, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 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. [link]

Contents

1 Origins of the name
2 Their service
3 Systemic prejudice
4 Korean War and integration
5 Cultural references

5.1 Music
5.2 Films

6 See also
7 External links

Origins of the name

The Kiowa bestowed the term upon the 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

Segregated company from Spanish-American War-era, 1898

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, headquartered 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 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.^[link]

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 [link], Brownsville, Texas in 1906 [link], and at Houston, Texas in 1917 [link] [link].

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-served in the Pacific Theater of Operations.

In early 1945, after the Battle of the Bulge, American forces in Europe experienced a shortage of combat troops. As well as thinning out the administrative tails, the embargo on using black soldiers was relaxed. The American Military History says:

"Faced with a shortage of infantry replacements during the enemy's counteroffensive General Eisenhower offered Negro soldiers in service units an opportunity to volunteer for duty with the infantry. More than 4,500 responded, many taking reductions in grade in order to meet specified requirements. The 6th Army Group formed these men into provisional companies, while the 12th Army Group employed them as an additional platoon in existing rifle companies. The excellent record established by these volunteers, particularly those serving as platoons, presaged major postwar changes in the traditional approach to employing Negro troops."

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.

Cultural references

Music

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.

Films

In 1997 a television movie called [Buffalo Soldiers] starring Danny Glover was broadcast and drew attention to their role in U.S. military history.

In 2001, a film called Buffalo Soldiers attracted some controversy. Based on a 1992 novel of the same name by Robert O'Connor, the plot depicts (white) American soldiers stationed in Germany during the Cold War who sell goods on the black market.

External links

[Buffalo Soldier National Museum]
[Buffalo Soldiers Monument unveiling] at Fort Leavenworth
[More on the Buffalo Soldier Monument]
[Photos of the Buffalo Soldiers On the Eve of World War II]
[Huachuca Illustrated Vol 1 1993 The 10th Cavalry to the rescue for reference only]
[History of Negro soldiers in the Spanish-American War, and other items of interest], by Edward Augustus Johnston, published 1899, hosted by the [Portal to Texas History.]
[Hondon B. Hargrove], Buffalo Soldiers in Italy: Black Americans in World War II. McFarland & Company, 1985. ISBN 0-89950-116-8.

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