Buffalo Soldiers: The History and Legacy of the Black Soldiers Who Fought in the U.S. Army during the Indian Wars

by Charles River Editors

*Includes pictures *Includes excerpts of contemporary accounts *Includes a bibliography for further reading *Includes a table of contents During the Civil War, over 180,000 black men fought in volunteer units as part of the United States Colored Troop (USCT), but it was only after the end of it that they were allowed to enlist in the Regular Army. They did so in four segregated regiments, and they colloquially became known as Buffalo Soldiers. The evolution of these black units followed the course of the organization of the peacetime Regular Army. With the end of the Civil War came the demobilization of the millions of men who had volunteered to fight on behalf of the Union, including the USCT, which disbanded in late 1865. The first draft of a bill setting the organization of the Army sent to the House on March 7, 1866 called for the establishment of eight infantry regiments to be staffed by veterans of the USCT, but the legislation lacked similar provisions for black cavalry units. When the bill got to the Senate for approval, Senator Benjamin Wade succeeded in having a provision added that authorized black cavalry units. The bill that passed on July 28, 1866 authorized a total of 10 regiments of cavalry and 45 regiments of infantry, and in 1867, the Regular Army raised two regiments of black cavalry, designated the 9th (Colored) Cavalry and the 10th (Colored) Cavalry. In addition, the Army raised four regiments of black the 38th (Colored) Infantry, the 39th (Colored) Infantry, the 40th (Colored) Infantry, and the 41st (Colored) Infantry. Ultimately, however, the number of black regiments did not stay at six for very long, because in 1869 there was a further reduction in the size of the Regular Army, with the number of infantry regiments reduced to 25. As part of the reduction, the number of black regiments was reduced from four to two, so the 38th and 41st were reorganized as the 25th (Colored) Infantry, and the 39th and 40th were reorganized as the 24th (Colored) Infantry. The enlistment in both the cavalry and infantry was for five years, with soldiers being paid $13 a month, plus room, board, and clothing. Of course, these units are now known for the nickname attached to them, but exactly where the nickname Buffalo Soldiers came from is a subject of some dispute. Dr. Walter Hill wrote, “According to Benjamin H. Grierson, Colonel, 10th Cavalry, 1867 to 1890, the 10th acquired the name ‘Buffalo Soldiers’ during the 1871 campaign against the Comanches in the Indian Territory. Grierson said that the Comanches respected the soldiers' tireless marching and dogged trail skills. They had earned the name of the rugged and revered buffalo. The 10th made the ‘Buffalo’ its regimental coat of arms years later, but the term ‘Buffalo Soldiers,’ became synonymous with both the 9th and 10th units.” The term appeared in public for the first time in 1873, in reference to the 10th Cavalry, in a letter from Mrs. Frances M.A. Roe to a popular magazine. She wrote, “The officers say that the Negroes make good soldiers and fight like fiends...the Indians call them ‘buffalo soldiers’ because their woolly heads are so much like the matted cushion that is between the horns of the buffalo. Others believe that the nickname originated from the Cheyanne. Another possible source came from the Apaches for the buffalo coats they wore in the winter.” Buffalo The History and Legacy of the Black Soldiers Who Fought in the U.S. Army during the Indian Wars examines how the regiments were raised, and what their service entailed over the course of several decades. Along with pictures depicting important people, places, and events, you will learn about the Buffalo Soldiers like never before.

Genres: History, American History, Audiobook

94 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 19, 2019

About the author

Charles River Editors is an independent publisher of thousands of ebooks on Kindle, Nook, Kobo, and Apple iBookstore & provider of original content for third parties.

Reviews

[Uwe Meller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting, little known history of black soldiers

This is a well-written account of the buffalo soldiers, if, like me, you are interested in this subject, but do not want a lengthy tome, this is the perfect book. Also, it may whet your interest so much, that you will continue your study.

[Stuart · Rating 5 out of 5]

History of Black Soldiers

I learned much that either wasn't known or just skimmed over when being taught American History. The only thing I remember being told about "Buffalo Soldiers" is this was a nickname given during the "Indian Wars" because the Indians thought they looked like Buffalo.

[Guy · Rating 5 out of 5]

EXCELLENT!
I say that not because I am a knowledgeable history-buff, but because I'm glad to see the credit owed to the "Buffalo Solders". Our societal view of race is so warped I am ashamed to be associated with it.

[Charles Burgamy · Rating 5 out of 5]

True history of the Buffalo soldiers

This book provides a complete and honest account of the four regiments of the Buffalo soldiers. The campaigns and battles in which they served and fought. Much was unknown to this reader. The Buffalo soldier was far more than an Indian fighter.

[Ray Cooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great history

Buffalo Soldiers.
Another great history book from Charles River Editors.
This is a very interesting read which highlights the role of our colored troops.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was so excited to listen to this audiobook, but it felt like just a list of events...a travel-log of the buffalo soldiers organization over time. Unfortunately I was looking for more personal stories and insights into the people, and I did not find that in this book. Perhaps there is no information because it happened so long ago, but I just felt unsatisfied at the end. Surely there would've been more stories about the individuals in this group,..or even a gifted writer could have created a more novel approach to this information..!

I am very glad to know of the buffalo soldiers and would like to do more research on my own, but this book just didn't have enough meat for me..😢

[L. McCoy · Rating 3 out of 5]

SUPER FAST REVIEW:
The book itself seemed pretty good, maybe would have got a 4-star rating. Sure, the writing can be dry and it includes some detail that might bore some readers (though I was personally more interested than some readers may be) as nonfiction writing tends to do but it is interesting (seriously, why doesn’t this get much if any focus in history classes?), informative, educational, sometimes intense and points out the awfulness of the racism these black heroes were forced to face despite fighting for our country very well.
Unfortunately... the audio quality on the version I listened to was pretty awful. The narrator is honestly one of the worst I’ve heard: he doesn’t have a good voice for it, there’s some awkward, long pauses and I couldn’t stand how much he needlessly emphasized certain sounds (example: if a word ended with s he made this hiss-like emphasis on that s sound). The audio quality is poor too: it sometimes sounded choppy and certain parts were cut off (I actually didn’t hear some bits in the first few minutes due to glitches in that bit (and I know it was the book because the stuff I was listening to it on are in excellent shape)).
So yeah, recommended to people interested in history but try finding a version that you actually have to read instead of the poor quality audio version, you might prefer it that way.

3/5

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buffalo Soldiers: The History and Legacy of the Black Soldiers Who Fought in the U.S. Army during the Indian Wars by Charles River gives a detailed account of the history of black soldiers who fought on the Union side during the American Civil War. It goes on to present the continued service of many of them who stayed on after the Civil War ended and fought for the westward expansion of the United (once more) States including displacement of the native Americans and Mexicans to make room for settlers and miners to expand to the western lands. Over 180,000 black men served with the Union to fight against the Confederacy as part of the United States Colored Troop(USCT) during the Civil War and were first allowed to enlist in the regular army after the war's end in segregated regiments. Their enlistment was for 5 years at $13 per month plus room and board and a clothing allowance. It was during the Comanche campaign where they earned the respect of the Indians as being rugged and determined that one story says is the origin of the nickname Buffalo Soldiers for the revered buffalo that inhabited the plains. There are other stories of how the nickname came about as well. This was a well-researched and written of their account.

[Erika Reise · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was hoping for a deep dive into the real stories of the Buffalo Soldiers themselves, but instead this read more like a high school essay that heavily quoted original sources in a dry, uninteresting way. I felt like there was a lot of info about the white infantry and cavalry leaders and less about the black soldiers. About half way through the details started peeking through a bit, but not quite enough to make up for what amounted to a list of commanders and lieutenants including many, many middle initials.

[Jerry Jares · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a concise overview of the difficulties black soldiers had in becoming part of the US Army. When the end of the Civil War came about, the 180,000 black men who fought in volunteer units (as part of the United States Colored Troops), were allowed to enlist in the Regular Army.

When the peacetime Army was established in 1866, the Regular Army raised two regiments of black cavalry; the 9th and 10th (Colored) Cavalry Units. There's some dispute about where the "Buffalo Soldiers" name came from, but the most popular story is that the Indians named them because their hair reminded the Indians of the buffalo's thick hair in winter.

Whatever the cause, the black soldiers wore the title with pride. This tells the story of the first black Medal of Honor winners and the first black cadet in West Point.  To have been one of those early black cadets must have been an exercise in fortitude and patience. They were isolated throughout their studies.  It couldn't have been easy to have been an officer (still isolated) after they graduated.

This tells that the first Buffalo Soldiers were used to chase, kill, and/or return Native Americans to reservations. I was so surprised that Buffalo Soldiers later became rangers in the first National Parks. With the outbreak of the Spanish-American War, the Buffalo Soldiers moved into overseas action.  They were also in the middle of the action in the Philippine War (which was not popular with the black voters back home).

The Buffalo Soldiers were part of General Pershing's foray into Mexico, hunting for Pancho Villa (who had decimated the town of Columbus, New Mexico), as part of the Mexican Revolution in 1916.

By the start of World War II, the Buffalo Soldier regiments had been disbanded or reorganized. But President Harry Truman decreed in 1948 that the regiments be integrated and so the Korean War was fought with mixed troops.  When the final regiment was deactivated in 1951, the story of the Buffalo Soldiers was truly over.

[Bennie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dubbed Buffalo Soldiers by the Native Americans they dealt with, these all-black infantry and cavalry regiments played a major part in the western civilization of America. Faced with the discriminations of the period, these soldiers nevertheless distinguished themselves. They fought heroically in the Battle of San Juan Hill, the Battle of El Caney and the Battle of Las Guasimas. Additionally, the 9th and 10th Cavalry Regiments served in the Philippines in the early 1900s. Many won the Congressional Medal of Honor. Nice concise history of a brave group of soldiers.

[Karolina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great introduction into the history of the Buffalo Soldier, only marred by typos and awkward formatting (no clear chapter breaks or page number) in the paperback version - the list of books at the end for further reading is a fantastic addition.

[Scott Wise · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was informative to follow the regiments beyond the plains wars all the way to WW1. But, I feel there is so many details and stories that are left out

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a fascinating topic! And what a dry approach... Much of the book is simply a list of names and/or events, described in a phrase. Lacking were rich details about the personal lives or even the tactics and efforts of the Buffalo Soldiers. The books by the Charles River Editors have generally been good, but not this one.

[Andrew · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book documented the history of Black (so-called Buffalo) Soldiers in the US Cavalry and Infantry from the US Civil War to World War I. I was hoping for more information about the day-to-day lives of these troops, but it did highlight some of those awarded medals for bravery.

[Margo Myers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buffalo Soldiers.

I think this book was alright. But it was too short. Could be a little
longer if you ask me.

[Timothy J Wicker · Rating 2 out of 5]

Shallow

Unimpressive work, a recital of scattered facts. I was hoping for something of more substance and insight. Wouldn't recommend it.

[Brett Chaffins · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent historical reference and easy to review.

[Waneiac · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting US Army story and events from long ago.