Weekender Bag (The Buffalo Soldiers)

The Buffalo Soldiers were African American soldiers who mainly served on the Western frontier following the American Civil War. In 1866, Congress passed the Army Organization Act, creating six all-Black cavalry and infantry regiments, which were later consolidated into four1. These regiments included the 9th and 10th Cavalry Regiments and the 24th and 25th Infantry Regiments2.

The nickname “Buffalo Soldiers” was given to them by the Native Americans they encountered, although the exact origin of the term is uncertain. One theory suggests that the nickname arose because the soldiers’ dark, curly hair resembled the fur of a buffalo. Another theory is that the soldiers fought so valiantly and fiercely that the Native Americans revered them as they did the mighty buffalo1.

The main tasks of the Buffalo Soldiers 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. They played a significant role in the American Indian Wars and other military actions on the frontier1.

The legacy of the Buffalo Soldiers is a complex one, as they were African American soldiers who faced their own forms of discrimination from the U.S. government yet were tasked with removing another minority group in that government’s name. Their history is an important part of the African American military experience and the broader narrative of the American frontier12.