Buffalo Soldiers in the West : A Black Soldiers Anthology

In the decades following the Civil War, scores of African Americans served in the U.S. Army in the West. The Plains Indians dubbed them buffalo soldiers, and their record in the infantry and cavalry, a record full of dignity and pride, provides one of the most fascinating chapters in the history of the era. This anthology focuses on the careers and accomplishments of black soldiers, the lives they developed for themselves, their relationships to their officers (most of whom were white), their specialized roles (such as that of the Black Seminoles), and the discrimination they faced from the very whites they were trying to protect. In short, this volume offers important insights into the social, cultural, and communal lives of the buffalo soldiers. The selections are written by prominent scholars who have delved into the history of black soldiers in the West. Previously published in scattered journals, the articles are gathered here for the first time in a single volume, providing a rich and accessible resource for students, scholars, and interested general readers. Additionally, the readings in this volume serve in some ways as commentaries on each other, offering in this collected format a cumulative mosaic that was only fragmentary before. Volume editors Glasrud and Searles provide introductions to the volume and to each of its four parts, surveying recent scholarship and offering an interpretive framework. The bibliography that closes the book will also commend itself as a valuable tool for further research. The Inclusion Of The Ninth Cavalry And Three Other African American Regiments In The Post-civil War Army Was One Of The Nation's Most Problematic Social Experiments. The First Fifteen Years Following Its Organization In 1866 Were Stained By Mutinies, Slanderous Verbal Assaults, And Sadistic Abuses By Their Officers. Eventually, However, A Number Of Considerate And Dedicated Officers, Including Major Guy Henry, Captain Charles Parker, And Lieutenant Matthais Day, In Cooperation With Capable Noncommissioned Officers Such As George Mason, Madison Ingoman, And Moses Williams, Created An Elite And Well-disciplined Fighting Unit That Won The Respect Of All But The Most Racist Whites.--jacket. Charles L. Kenner's Detailed Biographies Of Officers And Enlisted Men Describe The Passions, Aspirations, And Conflicts That Both Bound Blacks And Whites Together And Pulled Them Apart.--jacket. Pt. 1. The Regiment And Its Commander: All That Soldiers Should Be ; The Colonel Of The Buffaloes -- Pt. 2. Years Of Crisis: Victory, Slander, And Doubt : The Image Of The Ninth Cavalry, 1866-81 ; E.m. Heyl, The Genteel Racist Of San Pedro Springs ; Hoodoos And Kangaroo Courts : The Near Mutiny At Fort Stockton ; Humpy Jackson, Racist Killer And Folk Hero Of The San Saba ; Torment And Tirture : Captain Ambrose Hooker And The Agony Of E Troop -- Pt. 3. The Years Of Glory, 1879-91: Major Guy Henry, Champion Of The Buffalo Soldiers ; Death And Resurrection : Captain Charles Parker And K Troop -- Pt. 4. Honor And Dishonor : Episodes From The Barricks And Officers' Row: Medals And Courts-martial : The Enigma Of Sergeant Emanuel Stance ; Private Miller's Martyrdom And The Triumph Of L Troop ; A Hero Named Daisy : Lieutenant Matthias Day ; From Asylum To Valhalla : The Crazy Lieutenant Of G Troop ; Sergeant Brent Woods : The Odyssey Of A Hero ; From Dishonor To Glory : Two Lieutenants Of I Troop ; Dear Cecilia : When A Hero Meets A Maid ; Sergeant Alexander Jones And The Demise Of Captain Beyer ; Too Indecent For Publication! : The Lonely Passion Of Sergeant Dickerson -- Pt. 5. Racism Resurgent: The Ordeal Of Chaplain Plummer ; The Black Lieutenants : A Dark Day For The Ninth Horse! ; The Failure Of The Quest. Charles L. Kenner. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [361]-373) And Index.

they Were U.s. Army Soldiers. Just A Few Years Earlier, Some Had Been Slaves. Several Thousand African Americans Served As Soldiers In The Indian Wars And In The Cuban Campaign Of The Spanish-american War In The Latter Part Of The 19th Century. They Were Known As Buffalo Soldiers, Believed To Have Been Named By Indians Who Had Seen A Similarity Between The Coarse Hair And Dark Skin Of The Soldiers And The Coats Of The Buffalo. Twenty-three Of These Men Won The Nation's Highest Award For Personal Bravery, The Medal Of Honor. Black Valor Brings The Lives Of These Soldiers Into Sharp Focus. Their Remarkable Stories Are Told In The Collected Biography. Derived From Extensive Historical Research, Black Valor Will Enrich And Inspire Readers With Its Tales Of Trials And Courage.

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department Of Defense Historian Schubert (on The Trail Of The Buffalo Soldier, Lj 11/1/94) Offers Here Accounts Of African Americans Who Won The Congrepssional Medal Of Honor During The Indian Wars And The Spanish American War. His Work Contains Elements Both Of Collective Biography And Of Unit Histories Of The Various Campaigns For Which The Soldiers Were Decorated. Although This Volume Clearly Evidences Meticulous Research, The Sources Available On The Men Themselves Are Too Sketchy For Satisfying Reading. The Book Is Organized By Campaign, And The Accounts Of Movements And Battles Are Easier To Follow, But Even Here, The Narrative Frequently Halts To Introduce The Soldiers And Describe The Actions That Won Recognition. The Work Would Have Been More Helpful Had It Been Issued As A Reference Title. Nonetheless, Given The Popularity Of The Topic And The Quality Of Information Contained Herein, It May Be Recommended For All Collections.fritz Buckallew, Univ. Of Central Oklahoma Lib., Edmond

Introduction: Western Black Soldiers Since The Buffalo Soldiers : A Review Of The Literature / Bruce A. Glasrud -- Fort Riley's Black Soldiers And The Army's Changing Role In The West, 1867-85 / William A. Dobak -- William R. Shafter, Black Troops, And The Opening Of The Llano Estacado, 1870-75 / Paul H. Carlson -- Buffalo Soldier Chaplains Of The Old West / Alan K. Lamm -- Dress On The Colors, Boys! Black Noncommissioned Officers In The Regular Army, 1866-98 / Douglas C. Mcchristian -- Cathay Williams : Black Woman Soldier, 1866-68 / Deanne Blanton -- One Soldier's Service : Caleb Benson In The Ninth And Tenth Cavalry, 1875-1908 / Thomas R. Buecker -- The Court-martial Of Lt. Henry O. Flipper : An Example Of Black-white Relationships In The Army, 1881 / Bruce J. Dinges -- The Black Seminole Indian Scouts In The Big Bend / Thomas A. Britten -- Black Soldiers At Fort Hays, Kansas, 1867-69 : A Study In Civilian And Military Violence / James N. Leiker -- Black Soldiers On The White Frontier : Some Factors Influencing Race Relations / Frank N. Schubert -- Rio Grande City : Prelude To The Brownsville Raid / Garna L. Christian -- The Houston Riot Of 1917, Revisited / C. Calvin Smith -- Improbable Ambassadors : Black Soldiers At Fort Douglas, 1896-99 / Michael J. Clark -- Putting The Army On Wheels : The Story Of The Twenty-fifth Infantry Bicycle Corps / Charles M. Dollar -- The Black Soldier-athlete In The U.s. Army, 1890-1916 / Marvin E. Fletcher -- Community Building On The Border : The Role Of The Twenty-fourth Infantry Band At Columbus, New Mexico, 1916-22 / Horace Daniel Nash -- Buffalo Soldiers : A Bibliography / Bruce A. Glasrud And Michael N. Searles. Edited By Bruce A. Glasrud And Michael N. Searles. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [277]-300) And Index. The inclusion of the Ninth Cavalry and three other African American regiments in the post-Civil War army was one of the nation's most problematic social experiments. The first fifteen years following its organization in 1866 were stained by mutinies, slanderous verbal assaults, and sadistic abuses by their officers. Eventually, however, a number of considerate and dedicated officers, including Major Guy Henry, Captain Charles Parker, and Lieutenant Matthais Day, in cooperation with capable noncommissioned officers such as George Mason, Madison Ingoman, and Moses Williams, created an elite and well-disciplined fighting unit that won the respect of all but the most racist whites.Charles L. Kenner's detailed biographies of officers and enlisted men describe the passions, aspirations, and conflicts that both bound blacks and whites together and pulled them apart. Special attention is given to the ordeals of the three black officers assigned to the Ninth Cavalry, Lieutenants John Alexander and Charles Young and Chaplain Henry Plummer, whose presence directly challenged the doctrine of white supremacy.The subjects of the biographies, whites and blacks alike, represent every facet of human nature. Heroes, intellectuals, sadists, and poltroons were present in the ranks of both. The best, however, learned that progress could be achieved only by trust and cooperation. Although a resurgency of racism in the 1890s undid much of their progress, they accomplished more than most thought possible and demonstrated that African Americans could be all that soldiers should be.

winner Of A 2005 Gustavus Myers Outstanding Book Award (honorable Mention)

the Mexican Revolution Was A Defining Moment In The History Of Race Relations, Impacting Both Mexican And African Americans. For Black Westerners, 1910–1920 Did Not Represent The Clear-cut Promise Of Populist Power, But A Reordering Of The Complex Social Hierarchy Which Had, Since The Nineteenth Century, Granted Them Greater Freedom In The Borderlands Than In The Rest Of The United States.

despite Its Lasting Significance, The Story Of Black Americans Along The Mexican Border Has Been Sorely Underreported In The Annals Of U.s. History. Gerald Horne Brings The Tale To Life In black And Brown. Drawing On Archives On Both Sides Of The Border, A Host Of Cutting-edge Studies And Oral Histories, Horne Chronicles The Political Currents Which Created And Then Undermined The Mexican Border As A Relative Safe Haven For African Americans. His Account Addresses Blacks' Role As Indian Fighters, The Relationship Between African Americans And Immigrants, And The U.s. Government's Growing Fear Of Black Disloyalty, Among Other Essential Concerns Of The Period: The Heavy Reliance Of The U.s. On Black Soldiers Along The Border Placed White Supremacy And National Security On A Collision Course That Was Ultimately Resolved In Favor Of The Latter.

mining A Forgotten Chapter In American History, black And Brown Offers Tremendous Insight Into The Past And Future Of Race Relations Along The Mexican Border.

The inclusion of the Ninth Cavalry and three other African American regiments in the post–Civil War army was one of the nation's most problematic social experiments. The first fifteen years following its organization in 1866 were stained by mutinies, slanderous verbal assaults, and sadistic abuses by their officers. Eventually, a number of considerate and dedicated officers and noncommissioned officers created an elite and well-disciplined fighting unit that won the respect of all but the most racist whites.Charles L. Kenner's detailed biographies of officers and enlisted men describe the passions, aspirations, and conflicts that both bound blacks and white together and pulled them apart. Special attention is given to the ordeals of three black officers assigned to the Ninth: Lieutenants John Alexander and Charles Young and Chaplain Henry Plummer. The subjects of these biographies—blacks and whites alike—represent every facet of human nature. The best learned that progress could only be achieved through trust and cooperation. "The inclusion of the Ninth Cavalry and three other African American regiments in the post-Civil War army was one of the nation's most problematic social experiments. The first fifteen years following its organization in 1866 were stained by mutinies, slanderous verbal assaults, and sadistic abuses by their officers. Eventually, however, a number of considerate and dedicated officers, including Major Guy Henry, Captain Charles Parker, and Lieutenant Matthais Day, in cooperation with capable noncommissioned officers such as George Mason, Madison Ingoman, and Moses Williams, created an elite and well-disciplined fighting unit that won the respect of all but the most racist whites."--BOOK JACKET. "Charles L. Kenner's detailed biographies of officers and enlisted men describe the passions, aspirations, and conflicts that both bound blacks and whites together and pulled them apart."--BOOK JACKET. They were U.S. Army soldiers. Just a few years earlier, some had been slaves. Several thousand African Americans served as soldiers in the Indian Wars and in the Cuban campaign of the Spanish-American War in the latter part of the nineteenth century. They were known as buffalo soldiers, believed to have been named by Indians who had seen a similarity between the coarse hair and dark skin of the soldiers and the coats of the buffalo. Twenty-three of these men won the nation's highest award for personal bravery, the Medal of Honor. Black Valor brings the lives of these soldiers into sharp focus. Their remarkable stories are told in the collected biography. Derived from extensive historical research, Black Valor will enrich and inspire students with its tales of trials and courage. They were U.S. army officers. Just a few years earlier, some had been slaves. Several thousand African Americans served as soldiers in the Indian Wars and in the Cuban campaign of the Spanish-American War in the latter part of the nineteenth century. They were known as buffalo soldiers, believed to have been named by Indians who had seen a similarity between the coarse hair and dark skin of the soldiers and the coats of the buffalo. Twenty-three of these men won the nation's highest award for personal bravery, the Medal of Honor. Their remarkable stories-derived from extensive historical research-are told in this collected biography. Black Valor will enrich and inspire readers.--Book jacket Before the Revolution A tale of two Negroes Bordering on revolution A border drenched in blood Buffaloed soldiers Black and brown defenders of white supremacy? Negroes invade Mexico "Kill the 'gringo' men!" Epilogue : revolution delayed. Drawing on archives on both sides of the border, the author chronicles the political currents which created and then undermined the Mexican border as a relative safe haven for African Americans The Muslim armies that invaded and occupied Spain and Portugal beginning in 711 included the precursors of African Americans—soldiers from sub-Saharan Africa. Buffalo Soldiers and Officers of the Ninth Cavalry, 1867-1898: Black & White Together [Hardcover] Charles L. Kenner (Author)