Buffalo Soldiers is a nickname originally given to members of the 10th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army, which was raised on September 21, 1866 at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Eventually, this term also encompassed the 9th Cavalry Regiment and the 24th and 25th Infantry Regiments.
These regiments were the successors in the U.S. Army of regiments of African Americans who had been raised in the Civil War to fight in the Union Army, whether they were volunteer regiments like the 54th Massachusetts Infantry (described in the movie Glory) and the 5th United States Colored Cavalry, or the many units of the United States Colored Troops.
The Buffalo Soldiers were recognized by the United States Congress as the first regiments integrated into the American regular army composed entirely of blacks.
A cultural protest movement that is currently gaining importance tends to consider that the Buffalo Soldiers were the instruments of the genocide perpetrated by certain whites against the Amerindians.
Mark Matthews, the last surviving Buffalo Soldier, died September 6, 2005 at the age of 111. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
Origin of the name
The Kiowas gave this nickname to the cavalry regiment by an admiration aroused after clashes with them in western Kansas. The term refers to either:
soldiers' hair, said to resemble the mane of bison (American bison);
more general characteristics attributed to bison, such as ferocity, strength and endurance.
or simply because they covered themselves with bison skins during the winter.
Their service records
During the American Civil War, the United States government formed regiments for the Union Army known as United States Colored Troops, composed of black soldiers led by white officers. After the war, Congress reorganized the Army, authorizing the creation of two black cavalry regiments as the 9th and 10th United States Cavalry, and four black infantry regiments as the 38th, 39th , 40th and 41st (coloured) infantry regiments. The 38th and 41st were reformed as the 25th Infantry Regiment, based at Fort Clark, Texas, in April 1869.
All of these units were made up of enlisted blacks and commanded by white officers. Some of these white officers (Benjamin H. Grierson, Ranald S. Mackenzie, James S. Brisbin) were known to appreciate and treat their African American troops well. There were also some black officers, like Henry O. Flipper. Colonel Grierson formed the 10th Cavalry Regiment at Fort Leavenworth (Kansas). General William Hoffman, known for mistreating African-American soldiers, was also stationed at Fort Leavenworth before his retirement.
The Buffalo Soldiers had a reputation for being excellent horsemen
From 1866 until the early 1890s, these regiments served in various posts in areas of the southwestern United States and on the Great Plains. They participated at this time in the Indian wars and distinguished themselves particularly. Thirteen enlisted men and six officers drawn from these regiments were decorated with the Medal of Honor. In addition to the military campaigns, the Buffalo Soldiers played many different roles along the frontier, from building roads to escorting the United States Postal Service.
"Most of the time, they were used to 'police' hostile Native Americans, and arrest Mexican revolutionaries, 'outlaws' (white bandits), 'comancheros' (booze and gun traffickers), and thieves. cattle (rustlers). They also played the role of cartographers, laid hundreds of miles of telephone cables. And by constructing or repairing the buildings of the military posts, they helped found small villages which became towns. " . They also built many roads. And certainly they contributed to the extinction of the Native Americans, but "the Buffalo Soldiers fought the Native Americans because it was for them the means of gaining their own freedom" and in fact "they defended a country and its people which did not was even aware of their existence".
When the Indian Wars ended in the 1890s, the regiments remained active and fought in Cuba in the Spanish-American War (including the Battle of San Juan Hill), during which they were decorated with five more Medals of Honor. /P>
They also took part in the 1916 punitive expedition to Mexico City, as well as in the Philippine-American War.
In total, more than twenty Buffalo Soldiers received the Medal of Honor, the highest honor among American military units.
Racial prejudice
The Buffalo Soldiers were often victims of racial prejudice, both from members of the United States military and from civilians, in the areas where they were stationed. This sometimes led to violence. Some Buffalo Soldiers were involved in race riots in the city of Río Grande in 1899, in Brownsville (Texas) in 1906, and in Houston in 1917 (related to the death of five policemen in a 1917 riot).
The Buffalo Soldiers did not serve as organized units in World War I, but experienced non-commissioned officers were assigned to other black combat units (such as the 317th Engineer Battalion).
In the early 20th century, the Buffalo Soldiers were used as labor and service troops rather than as combat units. During World War II, the 9th and 10th Cavalry Regiments were disbanded and the soldiers assigned to service units. One of the infantry regiments, the 24th Infantry Regiment, fought in the Pacific Theater of Operations, as well as the 92nd Infantry Division, nicknamed the Buffalo Soldiers Division, on the European front in the Apennines.
Korean War and integration
The 24th Infantry Regiment participated in the Korean War and was the last black regiment to see combat. It was disbanded in 1951 and soldiers were assigned to other units in Korea.
A monument is dedicated to the Buffalo Soldiers in the state of Kansas, at Fort Leavenworth. Future Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Colin Powell gave the inaugural speech in July 1992.
In popular culture
Music
Buffalo Soldier, written by Bob Marley and King Sporty, is one of their best-known tracks, first released in 1983 on the album Confrontation. Many Jamaicans, especially Rastafarians like Bob Marley, considered the Buffalo Soldiers to be a shining example of black people who managed with courage, honor and distinction to fight their way down a road dominated by whites and despite the racism present at that time.
At the cinema
A film released in 1960, The Black Sergeant by John Ford with Woody Strode and Jeffrey Hunter. American military history.
A film released in 2001, Buffalo Soldiers was the subject of controversy. Based on Robert O'Connor's 1992 novel of the same name, the storyline depicts (white) American soldiers stationed in Germany during the Cold War who participate in the black market.
A film released in 2008, Miracle in Santa Anna, by Spike Lee, tells the fictionalized story of a team of four Buffalo Soldiers encircled behind German lines in Italy during the year 1944. This film was also controversial and was not distributed in France, despite the fame of its director.
Bibliography
Billington, Monroe L. New Mexico's Buffalo Soldiers, 1866-1900. University Press of Colorado, 1991. p. 3-25, 43-109
Cashin, Herschel V. and Others Under Fire with the Tenth U.S. Cavalry. Arno and New York Times, 1969. p. 25-6, 41-2, 76
Churchill, Ward A Little Matter of Genocide:Holocaust and the Denial in the Americas, 1492 to the Present. City Light Books S.F., 1997. p. 164-6, 244n., 401-2
Kenner, Charles L. Buffalo Soldiers and the Officers of the Ninth Cavalry, 1867-1898:Black and White Together. Norman:UP of OK, 1999. p. 53-83
Leckie, William A. The Buffalo Soldiers:A Narrative of the Negro Cavalry In the West. Norman:UP of OK, 1967. p. 45-81
Schubert, Frank N. Black Valor:Buffalo Soldiers and the Medal of Honor. Scholarly Resources Inc, Del. 1997. p. 163-173