The Buffalo Soldiers

  This Was the first time in the history of the United States Army that black troops were accepted as permanent members of the military, and it was the most historically significant change in the composition of the United States Army following the Civil War. The valorous service of almost 200,000 black soldiers during the 1861-1865 conflict provided the motivation for the formation of the battalions.

For scholars who have curated exhibitions on the African American military experience, coats like this one bring to mind images of the 9th and 10th Cavalries and the 24th and 25th Infantries, known as “Buffalo Soldiers.” These all-black regiments were led mainly by white U.S. Army officers—the three black officer exceptions were West Point graduates Henry O. Flipper, John Hanks Alexander, and Charles Young.

Buffalo Soldiers were among the first rangers in what became the National Park Service. Duties would have included protecting against the poaching of wildlife, preventing private livestock from grazing on federal lands, and building roads and trails.

also served among the first national park rangers. Black soldiers used military service as a strategy to obtain equal rights as citizens. Paradoxically, they sought to achieve this by engaging in government-led wars meant to overtake the Southwest and Great Plains from Native Americans.

Ute withdrew.  Later, the government called upon Chief Ouray and Otto Mears, as shown below, to help negotiate the peace.  Ouray addressed Congress to justify the Ute’s actions.  But it was no use. Mears was appointed to a commission that drafted the

National Park Service, Harpers Ferry Center for Media Service.