Case Study: Plains Indians
BUFFALO SOLDIERS
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BUFFALO SOLDIERS
Plains Indians named the black cavalry stationed on the Great Plains after the Civil
War the "Buffalo Soldiers," which eventually referred to both the black cavalry and infantry in the West. Following the Civil War, in 1866 Congress authorized six regiments of the regular U.S. Army to be staffed by blacks two cavalry and four infantry. By 1869, in an overall troop reduction, Congress cut the number of black infantry units to two, and potential black soldiers enlisted in either the Ninth or Tenth
Cavalry or the Twenty-fourth or Twenty-fifth Infantry. During the latter nineteenth century these black regiments represented …show more content…
He was transferred to the Tenth headquarters at Fort Davis, Texas, where he served until
1881, when he faced court-martial and was summarily dismissed from the army. In
1879 while on temporary assignment at Fort Sill, Flipper 's remarkable engineering skills were demonstrated with his design and construction of a drainage channel system, which eliminated a malaria scourge at that post. Flipper 's system, known as
"Flipper 's Ditch," continued to serve Fort Sill and community for nearly a century.
Between 1866 and 1869 all four of the army 's black infantry regiments served on the western frontier. When those regiments were reduced to two, they also remained in the west. In 1870 the Twenty-fourth and Twenty-fifth regiments began their tours of duty in Texas and remained there protecting settlers and fighting Indian tribes for a decade. When the Twenty-fourth moved out of Texas in 1880, it transferred to Forts
Reno, Sill, and Supply in the Indian Territory and Fort Elliott in the Texas Panhandle.
There they remained until 1888, when they were sent to …show more content…
In July 1886 black
Chaplain Allen Allensworth arrived with his assignment to the Twenty-fourth Infantry.
Allensworth especially was convinced that black soldiers needed a basic education to perform efficiently. While stationed at Fort Supply for a year and one-half, he instructed black soldiers in the history of the United States and in English at the post school. Allensworth later developed a booklet on teaching practices and curriculum for black soldiers. Allensworth and Flipper were the only black commissioned officers to serve in Indian Territory, and only two additional West Point graduates and four other black chaplains served any place in the West during the latter nineteenth century.
The black troops had little to do, and boredom was continual while the men were on the posts for any duration. They occupied themselves with the social life often characteristic of frontier society and developed other activities to defray the tedium of frontier existence. The Tenth Cavalry enjoyed music performances, and Troop K of the Ninth Cavalry established an elite "Diamond Club," whose gala balls became
Page 1 of 4
Skip Navigation
Table of Contents
Search All Entries
Home
BUFFALO SOLDIERS
Plains Indians named the black cavalry stationed on the Great Plains after the Civil
War the "Buffalo Soldiers," which eventually referred to both the black cavalry and infantry in the West. Following the Civil War, in 1866 Congress authorized six regiments of the regular U.S. Army to be staffed by blacks two cavalry and four infantry. By 1869, in an overall troop reduction, Congress cut the number of black infantry units to two, and potential black soldiers enlisted in either the Ninth or Tenth
Cavalry or the Twenty-fourth or Twenty-fifth Infantry. During the latter nineteenth century these black regiments represented …show more content…
He was transferred to the Tenth headquarters at Fort Davis, Texas, where he served until
1881, when he faced court-martial and was summarily dismissed from the army. In
1879 while on temporary assignment at Fort Sill, Flipper 's remarkable engineering skills were demonstrated with his design and construction of a drainage channel system, which eliminated a malaria scourge at that post. Flipper 's system, known as
"Flipper 's Ditch," continued to serve Fort Sill and community for nearly a century.
Between 1866 and 1869 all four of the army 's black infantry regiments served on the western frontier. When those regiments were reduced to two, they also remained in the west. In 1870 the Twenty-fourth and Twenty-fifth regiments began their tours of duty in Texas and remained there protecting settlers and fighting Indian tribes for a decade. When the Twenty-fourth moved out of Texas in 1880, it transferred to Forts
Reno, Sill, and Supply in the Indian Territory and Fort Elliott in the Texas Panhandle.
There they remained until 1888, when they were sent to …show more content…
In July 1886 black
Chaplain Allen Allensworth arrived with his assignment to the Twenty-fourth Infantry.
Allensworth especially was convinced that black soldiers needed a basic education to perform efficiently. While stationed at Fort Supply for a year and one-half, he instructed black soldiers in the history of the United States and in English at the post school. Allensworth later developed a booklet on teaching practices and curriculum for black soldiers. Allensworth and Flipper were the only black commissioned officers to serve in Indian Territory, and only two additional West Point graduates and four other black chaplains served any place in the West during the latter nineteenth century.
The black troops had little to do, and boredom was continual while the men were on the posts for any duration. They occupied themselves with the social life often characteristic of frontier society and developed other activities to defray the tedium of frontier existence. The Tenth Cavalry enjoyed music performances, and Troop K of the Ninth Cavalry established an elite "Diamond Club," whose gala balls became