In 1866 the United States Congress authorized that African American men be allowed to join the regular American peacetime army. For over 20 years at the end of the 19th century black soldiers fought against the Plains Indians across the Southwest of the United States. The Native Americans referred to these African American men as “Buffalo Soldiers”. It is not know exactly why the Native Americans called them this, but accounts suggest that it is because of their tireless marching and rugged fighting style. The soldiers took this as a sign of respect and even adopted the name as apart of their regimental crest. The black soldiers fought in the 24th and 25th infantries and in the 9th and 10th cavalries and fought many battles alongside each other.
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In 1874 the United States army launched a campaign to remove the Comanche, Kiowa, Southern Cheyenne, and Arapaho Indian tribes from the Southern Plains to further their territorial dominance over the Native Americans in the west. In October of 1874, the Buffalo Soldiers were a part of four troops that captured two hostile camps, destroying enemy lodges and eventually pushed the Native Americans all the way towards to the Canadian River. As they moved further North soldiers had to deal with extremely harsh weather conditions while still battling the Native American Tribes. Despite the hardships they had to face the U.S army was successful and kept the Native Americans on the run until they eventually surrendered in June of 1875. The Buffalo Soldiers made their mark on the war and received a compliment for “manly endurance without complaint”. The black men who took part in these battles were able to gain recognition for their strength and bravery on the …show more content…
An example of this would be a man named Henry Ossian Flipper who was born into slavery in Georgia on March 1, 1856. When Flipper was a free man he attended Atlanta University, and in his freshman year he received an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He was the first African American to graduate from West Point and the first commissioned black officer of the regular U.S. army. He began his military service in 1878 as a 10th cavalry “Buffalo Soldier” and served at Fort Still in Indian Territory until 1880 when the 10th cavalry headed for service at Fort Davis, Texas. At Fort Davis, despite his proven military expertise, Flipper faced discrimination from higher-ranking officers, in particular Colonel William “Pecos Bill” Shafter. Shafter filed two unwarranted criminal charges against Flipper, who was eventually dishonorably discharged from service for something that he did not do. It wasn’t until 1999 when President Bill Clinton, who granted him a full pardon, finally cleared Flippers name. Clinton recognized the mistake made by the U.S army and acknowledged the lifetime accomplishments of Henry Ossian
In 1874 the United States army launched a campaign to remove the Comanche, Kiowa, Southern Cheyenne, and Arapaho Indian tribes from the Southern Plains to further their territorial dominance over the Native Americans in the west. In October of 1874, the Buffalo Soldiers were a part of four troops that captured two hostile camps, destroying enemy lodges and eventually pushed the Native Americans all the way towards to the Canadian River. As they moved further North soldiers had to deal with extremely harsh weather conditions while still battling the Native American Tribes. Despite the hardships they had to face the U.S army was successful and kept the Native Americans on the run until they eventually surrendered in June of 1875. The Buffalo Soldiers made their mark on the war and received a compliment for “manly endurance without complaint”. The black men who took part in these battles were able to gain recognition for their strength and bravery on the …show more content…
An example of this would be a man named Henry Ossian Flipper who was born into slavery in Georgia on March 1, 1856. When Flipper was a free man he attended Atlanta University, and in his freshman year he received an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He was the first African American to graduate from West Point and the first commissioned black officer of the regular U.S. army. He began his military service in 1878 as a 10th cavalry “Buffalo Soldier” and served at Fort Still in Indian Territory until 1880 when the 10th cavalry headed for service at Fort Davis, Texas. At Fort Davis, despite his proven military expertise, Flipper faced discrimination from higher-ranking officers, in particular Colonel William “Pecos Bill” Shafter. Shafter filed two unwarranted criminal charges against Flipper, who was eventually dishonorably discharged from service for something that he did not do. It wasn’t until 1999 when President Bill Clinton, who granted him a full pardon, finally cleared Flippers name. Clinton recognized the mistake made by the U.S army and acknowledged the lifetime accomplishments of Henry Ossian