Buffalo Soldiers

On July 28, 1866, an army reorganization law authorized two cavalry and four (later merged into two) infantry regiments comprised of black soldiers, but overseen by white officers. The 9th Cavalry was activated at Greenville, Louisiana, on September 21, 1866, the same day that the 10th Cavalry was activated at Leavenworth, Kansas. Two infantry regiments were also activated that day. The army recruited former enslaved people, freedmen, and Civil War veterans. The men in these regiments became known as the “buffalo soldiers,” a name given to them by the American Indians, connoting a high honor.

The name may have derived from the recruits’ characteristic black, kinky hair, similar to that of the buffalo, an animal revered by the Plains Indians. The motto of the buffalo soldiers was, “Ready and Forward.” Between 1867 and 1896, these infantry units fought in approximately 200 minor and major engagements.

The buffalo soldiers were under tough scrutiny, with each flaw magnified. The idea of black peacetime soldiers, even segregated, offended many whites, who believed that blacks were not sufficiently intelligent to soldier, especially as cavalry. The discipline and courage of the buffalo soldiers were exemplary. In an army noted for the prevalence of drunkenness, they were extraordinarily sober. The army also had a problem with desertion, with a third leaving before their enlistments were up, but black soldiers had the lowest desertion and court-martial rates in the army. There were also charges that blacks were undisciplined and cowardly under fire. The accusations persisted through the three decades that the black units served with distinction. Their Indian war service garnered 24 Medal of Honor citations.