July 28 is Buffalo Soldiers Day. What do you know about these brave men?
Buffalo soldiers were African American soldiers who mainly served on the Western frontier following the American Civil War. In 1866, six all-black cavalry and infantry regiments were created after Congress passed the Army Organization Act. Their main tasks were to help control the Native Americans of the Plains, capture cattle rustlers and thieves and protect settlers, stagecoaches, wagon trains and railroad crews along the Western front.
Buffalo Soldiers Legacy
On September 6, 2005, Mark Matthews, the oldest surviving Buffalo Soldier, died at the age of 111. He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Today, visitors can attend the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum in Houston, Texas, a museum dedicated to the history of their military service. Bob Marley and The Wailers immortalized the group in the reggae song “Buffalo Soldier,” which highlighted the irony of former slaves and their descendants “stolen from Africa” taking land from Native Americans for white settlers.
Sources
9th Cavalry Regiment. 1st Cavalry Division Association.
Who Are The Buffalo Soldiers? Buffalo Soldier Museum.
9th Cavalry Regiment (1866-1944). Blackpast.org.
10th Cavalry Regiment (1866-1944). Blackpast.org.
Buffalo Soldiers. National Park Service.
Buffalo Soldiers and the Spanish-American War. National Park Service.
Exploring the Life and History of the “Buffalo Soldiers.” National Archives.
Ninth United States Cavalry. Texas State Historical Association.
The Ninth Regiment of Cavalry. U.S. Army Center of Military History.
The Tenth Regiment of Cavalry. U.S. Army Center of Military History.
World War I and the Buffalo Soldiers. National Park Service.