Blacks Serving in the U.S. Military-- Part 3: The Civil War and Post War, the Buffalo Soldiers

Feb. 23 War 1812 search

Of course, some 180,000 Blacks served in the Union Army during the Civil War.  I will write about the black experience in this war in my Saw the Elephant: The Civil War blog.

After the Civil War, Congress organized the Army into ten cavalry regiments and forty-five infantry ones.  When the Army pared back to 25  regiments of infantry in 1869, the four black regiments were consolidated into two.  The two were the 24th and 25th, which came to be known as the "Buffalo Soldiers" and were posted mostly to the Southwest and West.

Their job was primarily to battle Indians who gave them that name.

Buffalo Soldiers would serve in the U.S. military for the next fifty years, primarily in the Indian Wars , for which thirteen enlisted men and six officers received the Medal of Honor.

Those "Wild West Shows"-- Part 1: Buffalo Bill, Annie and Wild Bill

From the July 18, 2017, Hi-Liter "Wild West had local flair" by Sandra Landen Machaj.

In the late 1800s, people in the United States and Europe started showing a distinct interest in the American frontier and as a result, there were Wild West Shows which were popular and well-attended.  They'd move from town to town and were essentially circuses, with performers and animals.

Among the first ones established was the one of William Frederick Cody, also known as Buffalo Bill.  He had his first show in 1883 and continued until 1913  His shows were huge and carefully choreographed with up to 120 performers including animals like horses, buffaloes and even Texas Longhorns.

Popular names of the day could be found among his starts like Will Rogers, Tom Mix and Wild Bill Hickok.  Wild Bill earned his reputation as a gunfighter and marshal out West and was popular in 10-cent novels of the day.

And, there were a few women in the shows, including Annie Oakley, considered to be the first female sharpshooter.  She was also featured in those dime novels.

--CootWest

Ten Largely Astonishing Accounts of the Old American West-- Part 2: Banditos

5.  Banditos

4.  Pueblo Revolt

3.  Battle at Picacho Peak--  Civil War, fought 1862

2.  Mountain Meadows Massacre 1857, reportedly by the Mormons

1.  1838 Smallpox

--DaCoot

Ten Astonishing Accounts of the Old American West-- Part 1

From the September 3, 2016, Listverse by Adam R. Ramos.

Remember, more written for each item at the site.  I am just listing them.

10.  Ghost Dance

9.  A Failed Revolution  Nacodoches, Texas, Republic of Fredonia.

8.  Levi's Jeans

7.  Trail of Tears

6.  Bleeding Kansas

More.  --Cooter

Billy the Kid Back in the News

Back on August 7th, I wrote about Billy the Kid being really right-handed despite appearing left-handed in the famous photograph.

The August 6th Chicago Tribune had an article by Deborah Baker of AP "His notorious hand also gripped a pen" about a letter that has been found written by one William H. Bonney, one of the aliases used by Henry McCarty, also known as Billy the Kid, Scourge of the West.

He wrote it to the territorial governor of New Mexico, Lew Wallace, of Civil War and Ben Hur fame. It began, "Dear Sir, I wish you would come down to jail and see me." At the time, Billy was being held in jail. Four months later, he was shot dead by Sheriff Pat Garrett.

This March 1881 letter and another one are now on public display at the Frey Angelico Chavez History Library in Santa Fe.

They were written in the aftermath of the "Lincoln County War, a bloody five-month shootout in 1878 between mercantile interests in the town of Lincoln, New Mexico. Billy said he'd testify in court about a murder he witnessed if, in return, he was protected from his enemies and indictments against him dropped.

Hardly the stuff of a really hard, bad guy.

Poor Old Billy. --Coot