The Wild West of Yester-Year
Buffalo Soldiers
By Rachel Kovaciny
The term “Buffalo
Soldier” wasn’t a nickname for a soldier who hunted buffalo,
who was tasked with protecting or herding buffalo, or even a
nickname for a soldier with broad shoulders and a deep chest
who might remind you of a buffalo. So, who were the Buffalo
Soldiers? They were black American soldiers, all members of
the Ninth and Tenth Cavalry Regiments, who helped tame the
western frontier after the Civil War. And they weren’t given
the nickname “Buffalo Soldiers” by their buddies or their
allies, but by their enemies. It also wasn’t a term of
derision, but of great respect.
The Plains Indian
tribes who battled these regiments for decades saw the
buffalo as sacred, a symbol of strength, dignity, and
courage. If they described someone as being like an animal,
they meant that person embodied that animal’s attributes.
And, yes, sometimes they might call attention to a person’s
physical resemblance to an animal. To the Plains Indians,
the darker brown skin and short, curling hair of the black
cavalrymen gave them a resemblance to the great buffalo. But
their courage and endurance earned these cavalrymen that
nickname.
Colonel Edward Hatch
organized the Ninth Regiment Cavalry in Louisiana in 1866.
And Colonel Benjamin Grierson commanded the Tenth Regiment
Cavalry in Kansas that same year. While the segregationist
policies of the US Army at the time dictated only white men
could serve as commissioned officers, the military still
offered black men a dignified, useful career with a pension,
and the chance to be respected by those around them. During
the Reconstruction Era after the Civil War, particularly
during the Post-Reconstruction Era of 1875 to 1900, such
jobs were rare. It’s no wonder the Ninth and Tenth regiments
never lacked willing troops. These two regiments made up
about a fifth of the total U. S. Cavalry stationed on the
frontier. They quickly earned a reputation for tackling even
the toughest assignments and the most dangerous enemies. The
Ninth Cavalry became well known for arriving just in time to
save beleaguered pioneers or ambushed soldiers, which may be
what inspired the Hollywood trope of the Cavalry arriving to
save the day at the last minute in so many cowboy movies.
Between them, the
Ninth and Tenth Cavalry served in Arizona, Kansas, Montana,
Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and Utah. They also
made forays into Mexico, Canada, and Cuba. The Ninth Cavalry
rode to the rescue of the Seventh Cavalry and General Custer
at one point, though they were not on hand to help Custer
and his men out during the ambush at Little Big Horn. The
Tenth Cavalry helped capture both Geronimo and Billy the
Kid.
The Buffalo Soldiers
earned respect and honor with their dignity and courage.
Military scouts such as Kit Carson and Wild Bill Hickok were
glad to work with them, and General Pershing remembered the
men he led in the Tenth Cavalry with great respect. In 1921,
after he returned from serving as the commander of all the
American troops during World War One, Pershing wrote of his
time serving with the Buffalo Soldiers, “It has been an
honor which I am proud to claim to
have been at one time a member of that intrepid organization
of the Army which has always added glory to the military
history of America—the 10th Cavalry.”