Buffalo Soldiers

Buffalo Soldiers. . , In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, African American soldiers played a major role in the United States military. These men were known as the Buffalo Soldiers. , Buffalo Soldiers was a nickname given by Native Americans to members of the 10th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army, which formed in 1866 when African Americans were allowed to enlist in the Army. Congress created six segregated regiments which were soon consolidated into four black regiments. They were the 9th and 10th Cavalry and the 24th and 25th Infantry. The term Buffalo Soldiers was considered high praise and eventually became synonymous for all of the African American regiments. , Although the pay was low, only $13 per month, many African Americans enlisted because they could earn more money and be treated with more dignity than they often received in civilian life. Enlisted Buffalo Soldiers were deployed to various locations from the American Plains to the Southwest, and to Cuba, the Philippines, Hawaii, and Mexico. , The troops were not always in combat. The Buffalo Soldiers were some of our first park rangers in the Sierra Nevada and stationed at locations such as Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks. While in the parks, the soldiers' duties included fighting wildfires, curbing poaching of park wildlife, ending legal grazing of livestock on federal lands, and constructing roads, trails and other infrastructure. , The Buffalo Soldiers regiments served in the U.S. Army with distinction and honor for nearly five decades until segregation ended. With the disbandment of the 27th Cavalry on December 12, 1951, the last Buffalo Soldiers regiment concluded a significant chapter in African American history.