The Buffalo Soldier legacy at West Point
....a 2017 future!
Click on any if the four image below for a
direct link to the gallery of Artist Don Stivers
As a additional note regarding Black History, click on the link below to access information about the Black Bicycle Corps.
Link to Buffalo Soldier Articles
This athletic field is named in honor of the men of the Ninth and Tenth U.S. Cavalry Regiments, detachments of which once served at West Point. These Regiments of Horse Cavalry were first created by the Army Reorganization Act of 1866, and their early service was on the western frontier. They were composed of Black American troops, who were called “Buffalo Soldiers” by their Indian foes, a sobriquet they adopted with pride. During the Indian Wars of 1867 – 1891 the Ninth and Tenth Cavalries participated in eleven campaigns against hostile Indians, among whom were included Kiowas, Comanches, Utes, Cheyennes, Arapahoes, Kickapoos, Apaches, and Sioux. They were engaged in over 125 recorded battles and skirmishes, most of them in Texas and New Mexico, but also including actions in Kansas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Arizona, Wyoming, the Dakotas, Idaho, Montana, and Mexico. Some were major engagements, but many were detachment actions in which noncommissioned officers held the command, and there were many examples of hardships withstood and heroism displayed. Other duties included guarding the border, apprehending bandits and cattle thieves, and maintaining order in sparsely settled and unruly territory. In the War with Spain both Regiments were in the Cuban Expedition of 1898. The Tenth made the frontal attack in the opening engagement at Las Guasimas, and both regiments participated in the attack on San Juan Hill, the Tenth extricating the Rough Riders from difficulty and then joining with them in the assault on the blockhouse. Both regiments were also engaged in the Siege of Santiago. Subsequently the Ninth Cavalry was sent to the Philippines, where it saw action in numerous skirmishes from 1900 to 1902 during the insurrection. The Tenth eventually returned to border duty in the southwest, and accompanied General Pershing on the Punitive Expedition of 1916, being engaged at Agua caliente, Parral, and Carrizal. In 1907 a detachment of the Ninth Cavalry was assigned to West Point in support of cadet riding instruction and mounted drill, which was conducted on the ground now occupied by the athletic field and formerly known as the Cavalry Plain. In 1931 it was replaced by the 2nd Squadron of the Tenth Cavalry, which remained at West Point until inactivation in 1946. |
The Dedication
To the left is a picture of some retired Buffaloes during the West Point Buffalo Soldier Field dedication in 1973. Left to right: 1) Unknown 2) Edward Smith 3) Unknown 4) Sanders Matthews 5) Alpheus Jones 6) William Banks 7) Robert P. Johnson 8) James Gaines 9) Leon Tatum If anyone can identify the "Unknown" Buffalo Soldiers, please send us the information, or contact any of the local people who are working on this site. |
A Little Background
Bob Marley’s classic recording, Buffalo Soldiers (1983 Tuff Gong/Island,) stands as an eternal lyrical comment on the African experience in the new world, seen metaphorically, through the exploits of the Buffalo Soldiers of the United States Army’s 9th and 10th Cavalry.
African Americans have fought in every armed conflict the colonies and the United States has ever had. After the Civil War, African Americans soldiers were organized into all black units that were sent to the western frontiers to fight Indians and guard important installations and travel routes. Many southern states were not ready to endure the presence of trained and armed former slaves in their communities. The country’s westward expansion had started prior to the Civil War and the US Government’s policy toward Native Americans was "influenced by the desire to expand westward into territories occupied by these Indian tribes".
As the legends go, the Indians called the African American troops “Buffalo Soldiers” because of their courage and bravery and because the texture of their hair reminded the Indians of the buffalos coat. These soldiers served honorably and bravely despite enduring racism, less rations, supplies and less adequate equipment than all white units. Sometimes, they were attacked by the very townspeople they were assigned to protect. They earned numerous Medals of Honor during the Indian wars, the Spanish American War, World War I and beyond. Henry O. Flipper, the first African American graduate of West Point, was assigned to the Buffalo Solider units. The armed forces were desegregated by President Harry S. Truman’s Executive Order in 1948, but the proud history of the Buffalo Soldiers lives on in historical observances, monuments, movies and even song.
O. Abrahams, 2013
Click here to view the 1898 10th Cavalry Roster
African Americans have fought in every armed conflict the colonies and the United States has ever had. After the Civil War, African Americans soldiers were organized into all black units that were sent to the western frontiers to fight Indians and guard important installations and travel routes. Many southern states were not ready to endure the presence of trained and armed former slaves in their communities. The country’s westward expansion had started prior to the Civil War and the US Government’s policy toward Native Americans was "influenced by the desire to expand westward into territories occupied by these Indian tribes".
As the legends go, the Indians called the African American troops “Buffalo Soldiers” because of their courage and bravery and because the texture of their hair reminded the Indians of the buffalos coat. These soldiers served honorably and bravely despite enduring racism, less rations, supplies and less adequate equipment than all white units. Sometimes, they were attacked by the very townspeople they were assigned to protect. They earned numerous Medals of Honor during the Indian wars, the Spanish American War, World War I and beyond. Henry O. Flipper, the first African American graduate of West Point, was assigned to the Buffalo Solider units. The armed forces were desegregated by President Harry S. Truman’s Executive Order in 1948, but the proud history of the Buffalo Soldiers lives on in historical observances, monuments, movies and even song.
O. Abrahams, 2013
Click here to view the 1898 10th Cavalry Roster
We'd like to thank Matt Gannon for providing the following information update.
I was reading your page on the Buffalo Soldiers being stationed at West Point
and just wanted to mention a Highland Falls connection to these famous troops.
Matt Gannon
and just wanted to mention a Highland Falls connection to these famous troops.
Matt Gannon
Lt. Colonel John Bigelow Junior, the eldest son of John and Jane Bigelow, who lived at "The Squirrels" on Main Street, attended West Point and graduated with the class of 1877. One of his classmates was Henry O. Flipper, the first African American to graduate from the USMA. Despite his father's strong abolitionist views, Bigelow had spent a good deal of his childhood in Europe and was not really aware of the degree of racism that existed in institutions like West Point until he witnessed what was done to Cadet Flipper. His first assignment in 1877 was to report to West Texas, to Company B, 9th Cavalry Division, one of the two regiments of "Negro Troops" which were raised for cavalry service on the frontier. There Bigelow learned to become a real cavalry trooper. He and his troops participated in the Apache Wars, notably serving in the Battle of Tularosa. In 1882 Bigelow was transferred to the 10th Cavalry, where he later wrote a number of historical sketches of the Buffalo Soldiers which are still used as a reference today. In 1885 all twelve regiments of the 10th Cavalry came together and headed to their new headquarters at Fort Apache, in the Arizona Territory. One assignment was the hunt for Geronimo, and although Bigelow didn't have the honor of catching the outlaw, he and his troops did escort Geronimo to the train where he was taken to be put on trial. It was at about this time that Bigelow met and befriended a young artist and Yale classmate of his brother Poultney. Frederic Remington had been sent by Harper's Magazine to cover and illustrate stories of the Indian Wars. Remington & Bigelow became fast friends and Remington often used his friend as a model in many of his western sketches. Both men also submitted work which was published in Poultney Bigelow's magazine, "Outing". Coincidentally, another Highland Falls native and next door neighbor of the Bigelows, a young Captain named Charles F. Roe, was also sketched and painted a number of times by Frederic Remington for use in his stories about the wild west.
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In 1898, Captain Bigelow and Troop D, of the 10th Cavalry, landed in Cuba. They were in the Second Division, which included the First Volunteer Cavalry, led by Lt. Colonel Theodore Roosevelt. The Buffalo Soldiers fought valiantly in the Battle of Guacimas first, followed by the Battle of El Caney. After that came the famous Battle of San Juan Hill. Positioned at the center of the hill without any direct orders to act, Bigelow led his troops up the steep hill toward the heights through heavy gunfire. Bigelow was shot once but kept going until, about halfway up the hill, he was hit three more times, causing him to fall from his horse. Several Bufflo Soldiers reported that Captain Bigelow encouraged them to leave him there and keep going up the hill. They did just that, which allowed them to provide cover fire for those attacking next to them. First Lieutenant John J. Pershing, a graduate of Colonel Caleb Huse's "Highland Falls Academy" as well as West Point, who was at that time quartermaster of the 10th Cavalry, took over command of D Troop after reaching to top of San Juan Hill. Bigelow was awarded a Silver Star and offered a colonelcy in the Volunteer Regiment, but he turned it down to stay with his Buffalo Soldiers in the 10th. This was apparently taken as a snub by some of his military superiors. This perception and Bigelow's unwavering support for black soldiers almost certainly played a part in the arc of his later career. After the war, Bigelow and a number of his Buffalo Soldiers were assigned to Yosemite National Park in 1903, where they acted as military stewards, the first model for park rangers. He eventually realized that his perceived snubbing of Teddy Roosevelt and his views on racial equality in the military made him a bit of a pariah who would never be given a choice command, and in late 1904 he resigned from the Army. He later taught at MIT and wrote a number of books about military tactics and history. After losing his only son to the First World War, Bigelow lived on until 1936. Although men like John Bigelow Jr. obviously had a much easier time in the army than the Buffalo Soldiers themselves did, I think it's good to remember that there were also some good and decent officers doing their part to further racial equality in the military.
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One of many Medals of Honor
Sgt. Thomas Boyne is honored for his actions during the Indian Wars
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Thomas Boyne
Born 1849
Prince George's County, Maryland
Died April 21, 1896 (aged 46–47)
Washington, D.C.
Place of burial United States Soldiers' and Airmen's Home National Cemetery, Washington, D.C.
Allegiance United States of America
Service/branch United States Army
Rank Sergeant
Unit 9th Cavalry Regiment
Battles/wars Indian Wars
Awards Medal of Honor
Thomas Boyne (1849 – April 21, 1896) was a Buffalo Soldier in the United States Army and a recipient of America's highest military decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in the Indian Wars of the western United States.
In 1879, Boyne was serving as a Sergeant in Company C of the 9th Cavalry Regiment in New Mexico. He was cited for "Bravery in action" at the Mimbres Mountains on May 29, 1879, and at the Cuchillo Negro River near Ojo Caliente on September 27, 1879. For those actions, Sergeant Boyne was awarded the Medal of Honor on January 6, 1882. He retired from the army in 1889.
Boyne died in 1896 and was buried at the United States Soldiers' and Airmen's Home National Cemetery in Washington, D.C.
"Of the three blacks qualifying for the Medal of Honor in 1879, from the state of Maryland, a native of Prince Georges County Thomas Boyne was the first. A sergeant of Company C, 9th Cavalry, Boyne was one of the few men to earn the award for action in two encounters. They were both with a band of Mescalero and Chiricahua Apaches led by Chief Victorio. The medal was presented to him for "bravery in action" at the Mimbres Mountains, New Mexico on May 29th,1879, and at the Cuchillo Negro River near Ojo Caliente, New Mexico on September 27 of the same year.
When Victorio and his followers fled from their New Mexican reservation and headed for old Mexico, 9th Cavalrymen commanded by Captain Charles D. Beyer were sent from Fort Bayard to intercept the runaways. Captain Beyer with Second Lieutenant Henry H. Wright, 31 enlisted men of Company C,15 enlisted men of Company I, and two Navaho scouts. On the third day out the command struck a two-day old trail which was headed towards the Mimbres Mountains.Early in the morning on the 20th of May the troops descended into a canyon and were deployed in a skirmish line to continue the search.Finally they sighted the Indians atop a peak, busily erecting a breastwork.While engaged in this activity, one of the Indians raised a white flag and in Apache asked too talk with the officer commanding the troops.Captain Beyer proposed that Victorio meet him halfway,but the suggestion was rejected.
Then according to Beyer the Indians made a "harangue" and all that could be gathered from this was that his people wanted to be left alone. Growing suspicious Capt. Beyer directed his skirmishers under Lieut. Wright to move halfway up the peak within 200 yards of the breastwork. After instructing the skirmishers on the right to move slightly forward and to the right in order to flank the Indians, Beyer gave the order to advance. The soldiers opened fire; the Indians responded. Thomas Boyne, among others was specifically mentioned by Captain Beyer "for gallantry and bravery displayed." Lieutenant Wright took "pleasure in certifying as a eyewitness to the gallant conduct of Sergeant Boyne. Wright also wrote that "I was engaged in bringing in a wounded man with a few men and was surpised by the Indians, my horse was killed and corralled by hostiles when Sergeant Thomas Boyne commanded a detachment sent to my assistance, flanked and gallantly charged the Indians driving them off." Lieutenant Wright recommended Boyne for the Medal Of Honor and his recommendation was heartily endorsed by Major Albert P. Morrow, who stated that "I have seen him repeatedly in action and in every instance he distinguished himself." Morrow also wrote that "I cannot speak too highly of his conduct" and expressed the belief that "if any soldier ever deserved a ..... Medal of Honor Sergeant Boyne does and I hope he may be so rewarded."
Thomas Boyne's western experience began early - earlier than that of any other black Medal of Honor winner in the West. A member of a light artillery regiment activated during the Civil War, he served in Texas for several months after that confict and was discharged in Brownsville early in 1866. Less than a year later he joined the Regular Army, serving for many years in the 25th Infantry before transferring to the 9th Cavalry. After almost 25 years of service the native of Prince Georges County, Maryland, was discharged in 1889 because of a disability. He was admitted to the U.S. Soldiers Home in Washington, D.C. in 1890, where he remained until his death in 1896."
http://www.9thcavalry.com/history/boyne.htm
Sgt. Thomas Boyne is honored for his actions during the Indian Wars
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Thomas Boyne
Born 1849
Prince George's County, Maryland
Died April 21, 1896 (aged 46–47)
Washington, D.C.
Place of burial United States Soldiers' and Airmen's Home National Cemetery, Washington, D.C.
Allegiance United States of America
Service/branch United States Army
Rank Sergeant
Unit 9th Cavalry Regiment
Battles/wars Indian Wars
Awards Medal of Honor
Thomas Boyne (1849 – April 21, 1896) was a Buffalo Soldier in the United States Army and a recipient of America's highest military decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in the Indian Wars of the western United States.
In 1879, Boyne was serving as a Sergeant in Company C of the 9th Cavalry Regiment in New Mexico. He was cited for "Bravery in action" at the Mimbres Mountains on May 29, 1879, and at the Cuchillo Negro River near Ojo Caliente on September 27, 1879. For those actions, Sergeant Boyne was awarded the Medal of Honor on January 6, 1882. He retired from the army in 1889.
Boyne died in 1896 and was buried at the United States Soldiers' and Airmen's Home National Cemetery in Washington, D.C.
"Of the three blacks qualifying for the Medal of Honor in 1879, from the state of Maryland, a native of Prince Georges County Thomas Boyne was the first. A sergeant of Company C, 9th Cavalry, Boyne was one of the few men to earn the award for action in two encounters. They were both with a band of Mescalero and Chiricahua Apaches led by Chief Victorio. The medal was presented to him for "bravery in action" at the Mimbres Mountains, New Mexico on May 29th,1879, and at the Cuchillo Negro River near Ojo Caliente, New Mexico on September 27 of the same year.
When Victorio and his followers fled from their New Mexican reservation and headed for old Mexico, 9th Cavalrymen commanded by Captain Charles D. Beyer were sent from Fort Bayard to intercept the runaways. Captain Beyer with Second Lieutenant Henry H. Wright, 31 enlisted men of Company C,15 enlisted men of Company I, and two Navaho scouts. On the third day out the command struck a two-day old trail which was headed towards the Mimbres Mountains.Early in the morning on the 20th of May the troops descended into a canyon and were deployed in a skirmish line to continue the search.Finally they sighted the Indians atop a peak, busily erecting a breastwork.While engaged in this activity, one of the Indians raised a white flag and in Apache asked too talk with the officer commanding the troops.Captain Beyer proposed that Victorio meet him halfway,but the suggestion was rejected.
Then according to Beyer the Indians made a "harangue" and all that could be gathered from this was that his people wanted to be left alone. Growing suspicious Capt. Beyer directed his skirmishers under Lieut. Wright to move halfway up the peak within 200 yards of the breastwork. After instructing the skirmishers on the right to move slightly forward and to the right in order to flank the Indians, Beyer gave the order to advance. The soldiers opened fire; the Indians responded. Thomas Boyne, among others was specifically mentioned by Captain Beyer "for gallantry and bravery displayed." Lieutenant Wright took "pleasure in certifying as a eyewitness to the gallant conduct of Sergeant Boyne. Wright also wrote that "I was engaged in bringing in a wounded man with a few men and was surpised by the Indians, my horse was killed and corralled by hostiles when Sergeant Thomas Boyne commanded a detachment sent to my assistance, flanked and gallantly charged the Indians driving them off." Lieutenant Wright recommended Boyne for the Medal Of Honor and his recommendation was heartily endorsed by Major Albert P. Morrow, who stated that "I have seen him repeatedly in action and in every instance he distinguished himself." Morrow also wrote that "I cannot speak too highly of his conduct" and expressed the belief that "if any soldier ever deserved a ..... Medal of Honor Sergeant Boyne does and I hope he may be so rewarded."
Thomas Boyne's western experience began early - earlier than that of any other black Medal of Honor winner in the West. A member of a light artillery regiment activated during the Civil War, he served in Texas for several months after that confict and was discharged in Brownsville early in 1866. Less than a year later he joined the Regular Army, serving for many years in the 25th Infantry before transferring to the 9th Cavalry. After almost 25 years of service the native of Prince Georges County, Maryland, was discharged in 1889 because of a disability. He was admitted to the U.S. Soldiers Home in Washington, D.C. in 1890, where he remained until his death in 1896."
http://www.9thcavalry.com/history/boyne.htm
A note to all supporters: Additional information, photos, and stories are needed for this section of the website. In order to have a more complete dedication, we would also like a listing of all Buffalo Soldiers who live or have lived in Highland Falls and The Town of Highlands. Additional information, photos, and stories are also needed for this section of the website. |