Who were the buffalo soldiers?
Buffalo Soldiers (American Military):
The Buffalo Soldiers are six all-black regiments (approx. 6000 men) established by congress in 1866 in recognition for Black People’s valuable efforts in the Civil War. Their mission were to help rebuild the USA after the Civil War and to help settle the Western Frontier. This involved helping with the construction of towns, forts, maps, and railways. It also involved patrolling for thieves, whiskey peddlers/sellers, white squatters, and many battles with Native Americans. The regiments were the 9th and 10th Cavalry (horseback riders) in the 38th, 39th, 40th, and 41st Infantry. Both Cavalry disbanded in the 1950s after racial segregation was eliminated in the Armed forces.
Northeast Oklahoma:
- The 9th Cavalry Buffalo Soldiers arrived in Oklahoma in April 1867. Their primary mission was to keep Whites illegally settling on Indigenous Land, which would cause trouble. They established Fort Gibson in the northeast, a National Historical Site today.
- They served in two periods – 1867 to 1869 and 1872 to 1873. The post was designated as the 10th Cavalry’s headquarters from 1868 to 1873.
Northwestern Oklahoma:
- The 10th Cavalry was assigned to Fort Supply (near Woodward) in 1868 to control hostile Natives and remove trespassers, peddlers, and thieves.
- They also acted as escorts for wagons and stages, as well as helped maintain the fort and nearby buildings.
- They left Fort Supply in 1873.
Central Oklahoma:
- Both 9th and 10th Soldiers were posted at Fort Reno near El Reno. With other militia, they kept peace until the turn of the century and helped transition Oklahoma from Indian Territory to Statehood (Nov. 16th, 1907).
Southeastern Oklahoma:
- Four companies of the 10th Cavalry were stationed at Fort Arbuckle in Fall 1869. They abandoned the fort in early Spring 1870.
Southwestern Oklahoma:
- In January 1869, helped established Fort Sill. The Fort Sill Museum dedicates a gallery in honour of the Buffalo Soldiers.
Sources
Buffalo Soldier Overview – https://www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/upload/sb-buffalo-2008.pdf
Brief History – https://www.history.com/topics/westward-expansion/buffalo-soldiers
Buffalo Soldiers in Oklahoma – https://newsok.com/article/3504702/buffalo-soldier-history-rich-in-oklahoma
They were the African-American soldiers on the western frontier. The army organization act of 1866 confirmed that the key functions of those soldiers were to help the controlling of native Americans and protecting the settlers, wagon trains from the thieves. They were considered as the all black soldiers of the 9and 10th cavalry regiments.