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Buffalo Soldiers

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There are several hypotheses for why Native Americans dubbed these regiments the "buffalo soldiers" including the texture of the soldiers hair, the buffalo overcoats that they wore during the winter months, and their fierce nature of fighting.

In 1866 the U.S. Congress established six African American Army regiments. Dubbed "buffalo soldiers" by Native Americans who battled them during the Indian Wars, they would go on to serve in both World Wars and were among the first park rangers to safeguard Yosemite. Most were former slaves and veterans of the American Civil War with few job opportunities following emancipation. The promise of stability and higher pay drew many to enthusiastically enlist for a five-year tour-ultimately almost 10,000 would heed the call of duty on the eve of World War I.

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While battling with Native Americans during the Indian Wars of the 1800s, African American fighters earned the nickname "buffalo soldiers" for their bravery and thick hair.

 

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During peacetime, buffalo soldiers built much-needed roads and telegraph lines, while others protected stagecoaches and pioneers heading west.

 

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Buffalo soldiers were paid $13 a month, far more than they could earn as a laborer or a tenant farmer. Their desertion rates were the lowest in the U.S. Army.

 

Credit: MPI/Archive Photos/Getty Images
During peacetime, buffalo soldiers built much-needed roads and telegraph lines, while others protected stagecoaches and pioneers heading west.