Buffalo Soldiers

Buffalo Soldiers was the name given by the Plains Indians to members of the 9th and 10th Cavalry (and eventually included the 24th and 25th Infantry) Regiments of the U.S. Army who fought against Native American tribes during the Indian Wars of the late 19th century. Formed in 1866, they were the first all African-American peace-time regiments in the army and served in Texas, the Great Plains, and the Southwest.  The Buffalo Soldiers played a distinguished role in law enforcment and in the frontier campaigns against the Cheyenne, Kiowa, Comanche, Apache, Sioux, and Arapaho Indians through the 1890s, and later served in the Spanish-American War. The cavalry was disbanded and transferred into black tank regiments during World War II.  The Infantry later went into integrated regular units during the Korean War.  Bexar County Buffalo Soldiers was formed in 1999, and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has offered educational and interpretive programs on the Buffalo Soldiers history.   (based on "Buffalo Soldiers" by Mark Odintz. Excerpted from the Handbook of Texas Online - www.tshaonline.org © Texas State Historical Association).