Buffalo Soldiers in the Nineteenth-Century West

By Sofie Barrett

Congress passed a law on July 28, 1866 that created six regiments of African American troops; two cavalry units (Ninth and Tenth Cavalry) and four infantry units (Thirty-eighth through Forty-first Infantry). Subsequently, Congress consolidated the four black infantry units into the Twenty-fourth and Twenty-fifth Infantry in reducing the size of the standing army. The men of these units featured former slaves, freed men, and black Civil War veterans. These troops fought in combat units during various conflicts in the nineteenth century, inside and outside the United States.¹

The name, Buffalo Soldiers, originated with the men of the Tenth Cavalry shortly after the formation of these units in battles with Native American tribes during the Indian Wars fought in the West from 1867 to 1890. Later, the name became the universal honorific for all black units fighting in the West. Some believe that these black soldiers received this name because their hair resembled the fur on the top of a Buffalo’s head. Others believe that Native Americans saw black soldiers as brave, strong warriors and likened their behavior to the buffalo, an important and sacred animal in Native American culture. Whatever the reason for this designation, black soldiers embraced this new name and carried it with them throughout history.²

From the formation of the unit, the Ninth served in restoring peace and order to areas in West Texas inhabited by dissatisfied Native Americans. Native American responded, often violently, to the living conditions on Indian reservations and the many broken promises made by the federal government. The soldiers duties ranged from securing the road from San Antonio to El Paso and protecting the white settlers that lived in these areas. In the early 1880s, these men helped keep settlers from moving onto Indian Territory.³

The El Paso Salt War represented one of the Ninth’s most important skirmishes. While El Paso’s salt mines had been used freely by locals, prominent Anglo Americans sought to gain private control over the mines, angering the Hispanic population. Tensions grew between the Salt Ring, who supported privatization, and the Anti-Salt Ring, who opposed privatization. In retaliation for the murder of a leader of the Anti-Salt Ring, vigilantes murdered the leader of the Salt Ring as mobs engaged in several days of rioting and looting. The arrival of the Ninth forced the mobs to disperse, but not before eleven people died in the mayhem. The regiment also engaged in conflicts involving the Comanche, the Ute, and the Apache between 1877 and 1881.⁴

The Ninth also participated in the Ute Campaign in 1879. The Ute tribe occupied the majority of Colorado and a large portion of Utah. Tensions increased between the Utes and white settlers reaching a boiling point. This tension prompted the White River Agency Indian Agent, Nathan C. Meeker, to request assistance from the US Army. On September 21, about 200 soldiers, led by Major Thomas T. Thornburgh, marched for seven days towards the agency. The Utes expected their arrival and attacked, killing Major Thornburgh. Captain J. Scott Payne took command and again the Utes attacked, but Payne's troops were almost overwhelmed as the gunfire of the Utes killed all of their horses and mules. As part of a force reinforcing these men, Company D of the Ninth Cavalry moved towards the agency. Arriving undetected, Company D joined the besieged men and defended against the Utes, rescuing the white soldiers.⁵

Initially, the Tenth protected the Pacific Railroad during its construction in August of 1867. Before leaving Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, where they were stationed, some troopers fought hundreds of Cheyenne Indians in two separate battles. With support from the Thirty-eighth Infantry (later reorganized under the Twenty-fourth Infantry regiment), they defeated the Native Americans. The Tenth would later serve in campaigns against the Kiowa and Comanche tribes in the Indian Territory and in the Apache campaigns of the early 1880s. The Tenth also pursued the Apache leader Geronimo, who led his people against the US military in 1886, though they did not take part in his capture. They would later relocate to Montana in the 1890s.⁶

The Twenty-Fourth Infantry Regiment, a product of the combined Thirty-eighth and Forty-first, served in Texas after its establishment. The unit remained there until 1880 and then moved into the Indian Territory leaving in 1888. For the next decade, this regiment served in New Mexico and Utah where they did not participate in many combat engagements. These troops followed the march of Coxey’s army from the West to Washington D.C. in 1894. During the 1890s the regiment worked to protect mining property in Idaho and Montana, most notably in the Coeur d’Alene, the Idaho Mining war of 1892, and at Wardner, Idaho, in 1899. These men also guarded the striking mine workers who had been arrested because of this labor action.⁷

The Twenty-Fifth Infantry Regiment, a product of the combined Thirty-ninth and Fortieth, served in Texas as well until the 1880s and later moved onto the Northern plains, serving in the Dakotas, Minnesota, and Montana until the late 1890s. In the 1890s, the regiment became involved in the Pine Ridge Campaign, the last major conflict with Sioux Indians and the end of the Native American Wars. This campaign led to the death of Sitting Bull, the great Sioux leader, and the Wounded Knee Massacre. Alongside the Twenty-fourth, this regiment settled labor disputes against the Western Federation of Miners in Idaho and protected railroad property during a major strike in 1894.⁸

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