"The Myth of the Buffalo Soldiers" Topic

"served in the Western United States have generally been known a "Buffalo Soldiers." In this article, however, military historian Frank N. Schubert, challenges modern popular perceptions of the soldiers, among them the significance of their name and the nature of their views of the native people against whom they fought. His argument appears below.

On and off for about forty years, I have been writing about the men and families of the black regiments that served in the U.S. Army between the Civil War and World War I. I found their history intriguing and important because they were pioneers in post-slavery America, the first black soldiers allowed to serve in the regular Army, staking their claims on citizenship by serving their country and doing so within a pervasively racist context that limited their occupational mobility, caused humiliation, and sometimes put them at personal risk…"

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Armand

The three myths he cites are interesting.
I'd heard the thing about the Buffalo Soldiers being elite before and wondered where that came from. Not that I thought they were rabble or something like that, just that I didn't see where they were significantly better than others.
Writing about the 1898 Cuba campaign, the commander of the US cavalry brigade, (originally the lieutenant colonel of the 1st US Volunteer Cavalry Regiment, but a lot of officers were down with various tropical diseases), Theodore Roosevelt, said everybody expected the one white regular cavalry regiment in the brigade to fight well, and they did. People were not at all certain about the other two regiments, though. One of these was Roosevelt's own regiment, the 1st Volunteer Cavalry (Rough Riders). The other was a black regiment. Roosevelt was pleased to report that both of these regiments had fought well. To me this sounds like they were as good as the white troops, though not necessarily better. I also wonder why it was necessary for them to prove themselves every time--I mean, at some point you'd think word would get around.

Grelber

One thing we know for sure is their Regimental March.
YouTube link

Lyrics:
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By the way, I'm pretty sure that Dixon makes "25mm" Buffalo Soldiers.

Errr…
Maybe not.
I can't find them on the Dixon site.

I prefer this song over Bob Marleys. Captain Buffalo.

YouTube link

Grelber is correct about "proving" themselves constantly. Even in WWI, black soldiers would often refuse orders to withdraw fearing death less than being considered poor soldiers. ( See The Crisis, and Soldiers of Bronze)

Surprising, the article does not mention desertion rates. I had read decades ago that the "Buffalo Soldiers" desertion rate was really low compared to some of the white regiments that were manned by Irish immigrants. Which is mot surprising.

As a result of finding four award certificates of non-WW1 soldiers mixed in with the WW1 statements of service of Mississippi soldiers while working at the Mississippi Archives, I created a talk about the four officers. One was Major James Waterman Watson, Jr. who served his entire career in the 10th US Cavalry Regiment. He fought with them against the American Indians in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona and commanded Company B in the Spanish American War when they were engaged at Las Guasimas (24 Jun 1898), saving a portion of the 1st US Volunteer Cavalry (the "Rough Riders") from annihilation by the Spanish. Lt. Col. Roosevelt wrote of them after that action:

"They were led most gallantly, as American regular officers always lead their men; and the men followed their leaders with the splendid courage always shown by the American regular soldier. There was not a single straggler among them, and in not one instance was an attempt made by any trooper to fall out in order to assist the wounded or carry back the dead, while so cool were they and so perfect their fire discipline, that in the entire engagement the expenditure of ammunition was not over ten rounds per man."

Seven days later they, along with the 3rd US Cavalry and 1st Volunteer Cavalry, were involved in the famous "Charge up San Juan Hill" although most of the 10th's action was against the Spanish defenders on Kettle Hill. Most reports name the first American soldier to reach the crest of Kettle Hill as Color Sergeant George Berry of the 10th who also carried the colors of the 3rd Cavalry along with his own. This is supported in the writings of the 10th's regimental adjutant, 1st Lt. John ("Black Jack") Pershing. Five of the regiment's black soldiers were awarded the Medal of Honor and eleven received Certificates of Merit (which later became the Distinguished Service Cross, the second highest award for valor). And in 1924, during a review of records after the Army's Silver Star medal (third highest award for valor) was established, Major Watson was awarded two Silver Stars, one for his action at Las Guasimas and one for Santiago de Cuba (Kettle Hill).

In the 1900 census, all of the black troopers of Watson's Company B were recorded as being able to read and write!

For more on the 9th and 10th Cavalry, see: link and https:/ /en.wikipedia.org/wiki/10th_Cavalry_Regiment_(United_States)

Of course I'm a little biased, being both a Mississippian and an Army veteran who served a year in the 1st Squadron, 9th US Cavalry, the other Buffalo Soldier cavalry regiment.

Jim

Thanks

Armand

Jim says it all or most of it. I served with Jim in the 1/9 Cavalry Squadron at Fort Hood. "Real Cav" was their slogan. Based on a story that at a saloon near a fort, the locals kept asking the black troopers, are you really in the Cavalry. So they began using the slogan.
I was fortunate to have also served as an HHC XO for the 3/10 Cavalry whose slogan was "Ready Forward".
The First Cavalry Division Museum had several exhibits dedicated to the Buffalo Soldier.

Thanks also…

Armand