Buffalo Soldiers

This is Thomas Wayne Riley and welcome to the American Southwest.

Episode 4, Part 2: The Ninth Cavalry, We Can, We Will

The 9th Cavalry was formed in September of 1866 in New Orleans under the command of Col Edward Hatch, who, is important enough to discuss. Edward Hatch grew up in the northeast before heading out west where he quote, met with numerous adventures, end quote with some plains Indians before he spent a WINTER in a Wisconsin logging camp… I just moved from Wisconsin to Southern California after living there for 9 years and let me tell you, Winter ain’t the time to live in a camp in Wisconsin. And that quote is from his biographer and one time military clerk, Richard Serby. After the outbreak of the Civil War, Hatch gained a fake British Passport essentially, and went down south to collect some of his stuff where he was recognized and captured as a spy. Obviously, he escaped, took an oyster boat to a Union warship, and then organized a volunteer cavalry regiment. He fared extremely well in the Civil War and fought many battles in Tennessee including the battle of Nashville. He was praised by a Major James Wilson on an inspection tour for General Grant when he called him the best officer and quote, I always thought Hatch, Griersons’s superior, and today I became thoroughly convinced my judgment was properly founded. End quote. Grierson will be talked about at length in the next episode. Wilson would also say that Hatch feared, quote, nothing but that he and his command might not do their full share of the work, or get their full share of the glory. End quote. Essentially, everyone who worked for and with him, called Hatch a military genius and an exceptionally brave man. Except William Tecumseh Sherman, of course. Once when a train my favorite little General was on was attacked, Sherman complained that Hatch always quote, seems to hover around when he should dash in with the saber and pistol. End quote. Not long after those words of discouragement, in the battle of Moscow, Tennessee Hatch took a bullet that passed through his entire body via the right lung. An Historian for the Second Iowa Cavalry at the time, Lyman Pierce wrote that Hatch then ordered an ambulance to the spot, and quote, he was placed therein and driven from point to point on the field, while he directed the movements of the men. In this way he fought and won the battle. End quote.

Another Iowan wrote this about him in the Davenport Gazette, and I will pull this quote from the exceptional book Buffalo Soldiers and Officers of the Ninth Cavalry 1867 to 1898 by Charles Kenner which I use extensively in this episode.

Hatch's personal bravery also inspired his men. A member of the Second Iowa described an encounter at Jackson, Tennessee, in which "the rebs got behind the bridge and logs in a manner that defied us to dislodge them." To break the standoff, Hatch "took a rifle and called for four men to follow him." He ran towards the Confederates and had gotten "Within fifty yards of them when they raised and fired." He "threw himself on the ground and the balls passed harmlessly over his head." He then fired, "giving a long macilent [sic] Lieut, a chance to officiate at his own funeral." As the Confederates began to fall back, he called out, “draw sabers, forward," and led the charge. The correspondent closed by avowing that men would quote, rather die than shrink from following one so brave. End quote. Macilent apparently means thin…

Sherman would come around to his side eventually and after the war and all of his brave, chivalrous actions, Hatch would be called upon to lead the newly formed Ninth Cavalry of black soldiers which he would do for twenty three years. And it’s a good thing he did. Lieutenant Hutcheson of the Ninth would write of Hatch in 1895 that he was quote, enthusiastic in proving the wisdom of the experiment of colored soldiers. End quote.

So that’s the Buffalo Soldiers of the Ninth Cavalry’s leader, but who were the troopers? Well, the first batch of recruits were all southern blacks from either Louisiana or Kentucky and most were recently freed men. Initially 15% had been teens at enlistment and some were even 16 years old. 55% were 21 or younger and 87% were 25 and younger. Less than 3% were over 30. Reminding me that I am indeed old. Interestingly, many of these early recruits had served during the civil war. About 40% actually. It was commented that these recruits fared better than the ones who had not served at all but few would reenlist after the first tour.

The Ninth Cavalry Buffalo Soldiers would eventually serve during the next thirty year period, in New Mexico, Arizona, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana, but first… After mustering them up into a fighting force the Army sent Hatch and his troopers to the harsh and wild frontier of Texas. But not before 29 of them died of a cholera outbreak in New Orleans and 49 of the new troopers had deserted. It was a rough start to a storied history.

So in June of 1867, the Ninth cavalry buffalo soldiers are ordered to western and southwestern Texas where they were to open up and protect the mail and stage route from San Antonio to El Paso and to keep and establish law and order along the rio grande frontier with the added bonus of preventing Indian raids. In essence, these troopers were there to open the land for settlement and it was a lot to ask for. Especially since life out on the west Texas frontier was not in any way easy.

Hutcheson said that the troopers guard duties were quote spiced with an element of danger end quote. Meanwhile they ate poorly, lived simply, and had no luxuries or comforts. And then the real fun began in December of ’67 when several hundred Kickapoo warriors attacked the dilapidated fort Lancaster, just north of the Mexico border and northwest of Del Rio. The warriors attacked fiercely enough to break into the post and scatter the cavalry’s horses. William T Frohock was in charge of K Troop and its 58 men and rebuilding and protecting the fort when the attack broke out. So heavy was the fighting that Frohock’s wife and sister in law passed around ammunition in their bonnets and dresses to the men during the firing. Nine… Hundred warriors were attacking the decaying old fort with several more groups watching from the hills. But eventually, they just kind of dispersed. Twenty Kickapoos lay dead along with three cavalrymen as well as a few civilians. It was a preview of the next two decades.

Meanwhile, the Mescalero Apaches were raiding wagon trains, stagecoaches, and cattle herds that were operating near the Guadalupe and Sacramento Mountains of West Texas. Hatch, during this time had his Troopers rebuilding Forts Stockton, Davis, and Quitman, all in far west Texas, for the first couple of years before finally being able to spare some manpower for an expedition into Apache territory. Fort Davis, by the way is in Davis county Texas and is named after Jefferson Davis, the hero of the Mexican American war and known for nothing else after that… especially to do with blacks and African Americans… I’m joking, he was the president of the confederate states of America. A little bit of Irony, I think it’s irony, anyways. So, under the command of Captain Dodge, 200 Buffalo Soldiers marched northwestwardly from Fort Davis towards certain danger. This was in January and despite the bitter cold, Dodge forbade fires to keep the element of surprise. At one point they had to build a pulley system to get their horses over boulders. Then, after five days of riding, Dodge and his men discovered a Mescalero Camp at the base of Guadalupe Peak.

I’ve been to Guadalupe Peak and if you’re coming from the south like they were, it is a towering and imposing monument. I once, to beat the sunset, ran, literally ran up the freakin mountain and to the top where I triumphantly sat and enjoyed the amazing view afforded anyone who can make the trek. It’s the tallest point in Texas and when you’re up there it feels like you can see all the way down into Mexico. I made it up and back to my truck in under 4 hours. Not bad for a near vertical 8 mile hike. I’ll have pictures up at the site. My point in saying that, besides a bit of braggadocio, is that there’s no way you sneak up on a bunch of Apaches who have that view. And Dodge and the Buffalo Soldiers were no exception. They were spotted long before their arrival and the Mescalero had retreated to a nearby mesa where they shot at the troopers. But surprisingly, for this was the first battle for many of the buff soldiers, they fought with extreme bravery and ascended to the Indians position so rapidly that the Apache left 10 dead behind, which was something they never did. Dodge estimated they killed 50 Apache but nonetheless, after a day’s pursuit, the Troopers called it a win, turned back and burned down the lodges and destroyed the piles of buffalo robes.

The first real success of the ninth cavalry buffalo soldiers happened in 1868 in the horse head hills of the big bend region. Another amazing place I’ve been to that’s out of the way but is absolutely worth visiting. It’s so rugged and ancient and imposing. At one point I sat in the middle of the rio grande surrounded by enormous sheer cliffs with one side being the united states and the other being Mexico on a boulder that contained the visible fossils of sea shells and sea creatures… in the middle of this extremely harsh and seemingly dry desert region.

Back to the Ninth though… on September 8th 1868, it was reported that 40 miles south of fort Davis, 200 apaches were heading eastward so by the morning of the 12th, about 60 troopers led by their Irish born Lt. Cusack had found them and decided to attack. By the end of the battle, 25 apaches lay dead after fighting vigorously… but thankfully two Mexican kidnapped boys were rescued as well as hundreds of mules, horses, and cattle.

Lt Cusack, after the battle declared that all his men should receive citations for gallantry. But he singled out three privates in particular, each of which had just been confined. All of their charges were dropped and one, Lewis White, had suffered an arrow wound to the side and had had his horse shot out from under him yet continued to fight! After the battle the buffalo soldiers took shields, head dresses, and many a scalps which they suspended from long poles. Thus began a long stretch of successes in which a Captain Henry Carroll would praise the buffalo soldiers, many he assumed had never seen an Indian, for their bravery and quote, unquote, excellent behavior.

Among the early engagements of the Buffalo Soldiers in 1868, Lt. Hutcheson, who’d spoken highly of Hatch that I quoted earlier, lists a few of them like in January of 1868 when A Troop at Fort Quitman was attacked sixteen times by a large band before being attacked again in August. He goes on to mention a lot more skirmishes, running fights, and the defeat of 20 indians who were attempting to surprise a mail coach at the Llanos River. They fight and capture 83 heads of stock and all the Indian’s supplies in the Guadalupe Mountains. One final quote from Hutcheson on these early skirmishes, he mentions quote, at Kickapoo Springs, Texas, Sergeant Emanuel Stance with five men of Troop F, surprised and attacked a small village, wounding four Indians and capturing two white boy prisoners and 25 horses. End quote.

Let’s talk about Emanuel Stance. Born a slave in Louisiana, Stance joined the Cavalry in 1866 as soon as it had been announced. From the beginning though, he was always gettin’ into trouble. He was charged and fined multiple times for theft and fighting, one time over a misplaced horse comb. This pattern would continue throughout his storied career. He also fought in many of those first battles ever with the Comanche in 1869, including two massive battles against Kiowas and Comanches where zero US soldiers and a combined 65 Indians died. Then in 1870 he was convicted three times in the first two months of that year on charges of conduct prejudicial to good order and discipline and given a five dollar fine along with each one. While not getting into trouble though, he was out on scouts, learning the land, and leading men which is what led him to become the first black recipient of the medal of honor. In fact, for almost a decade, he was the only black medal of honor recipient.

On May 16th, a rescue mission of two detachments was sent out in response to the kidnapping of two children from a nearby settlement. Stance led ten men in one of those detachments. The men left Fort McKavett on the 20th of May towards Kickapoo Springs but along the way, Stance spotted some Indians with horses and decided to chase ‘em down. After a few shots into the air though, the Indians fled the scene and left the horses for Stance to gather up.

The following morning, Stance decided to bring the ponies back to Fort McKavett but along the way, he saw that two government wagons and their small escort were being pursued by about twenty indians. So, according to Stance, they quote, set the Spencers to talking and whistling about their ears so lively that they broke in confusion and fled to the hills. End quote. They being, the indians. Spence now had 5 more horses to add to his loot. But the fighting wasn’t over and a couple miles down the road at a watering hole, the indians tried in vain to recover their horses. Soon afterwards, Stance had deposited 15 horses into Fort McKavett.

This scouting incident, and not the actual recovering of two children is what got Stance awarded the Medal of Honor. While no Troopers or Indians died, and the engagement lasted less than two days, and they rode no more than 50 miles, the commanding officer felt it was so noteworthy that he put in the recommendation and it was awarded, which… may have been the ultimate undoing of the brave Stance. Soon after that he’d write of the award, quote, I will cherish the gift as a thing of priceless value and endeavor by my future conduct to merit the high honor conferred upon me. End quote. Unfortunately, and possibly because of an inflated ego or resentment from his comrades, it was impossible for him to live up to that high honor.

Kenner does go on to quote the numbers of white soldiers in the cavalry that fought in countless similar battles with similar enemies in the exact same terrain that won the medal of honor. It was unfortunate that for almost ten years, only one black trooper was awarded the medal when in reality, dozens should have been afforded the prize. Here’s a great quote from Kenner about one of these black buffalo soldiers in a similar incident…

The decision to reward Stance while ignoring equal or greater claims is puzzling. A classic example of such an oversight involved another Fort McKavett patrol in August 1871. Lieutenant John Bullis and four men of M Troop were scouting to the west of the fort when they chanced upon some Indians driving a herd of three hundred stolen cattle. The soldiers attacked, and the rustlers fled, leaving the herd behind. Soon afterwards, the Indians, reinforced by the rest of their war party, returned to reclaim the herd and perhaps take a few scalps. Instead of running, Bullis and his buffalo soldiers attacked so furiously that the Indians, an estimated thirty strong, retreated to a wooded hilltop. The troopers not only retained the first herd but also bagged another two hundred head. Lieutenant Bullis was cited for the extraordinary bravery of himself and his four soldiers. No one, however, saw fit even to record their names. End quote.

For Stance though, his drunkenness and brawling would only get worse and to spare you his frustrating and prolonged story of promotions and demotions and fines and charges, I’ll keep it short. Just three years after being awarded the medal of honor, Stance would bite off another soldier’s lip in a drunken brawl and be severely demoted. Although he’d get a dinner and a dance in his honor after 20 years of service and many more engagements with Indians in Oklahoma. Ultimately.. he’d be shot dead on the side of the road on Christmas Eve after a night of drunkenness and cards in town. A certain Private Miller Milds was arrested but released before being dishonorably discharged. 50 years later, a man named Shelburne Mann, who joined the troop a year after the murder would admit he overheard stories of three of his fellow troopers who had had enough of the drunken and mean Stance and had riddled him full of bullets. The murder is still unsolved.

After having 43 horses stolen by Apaches in June of 1871, Lt. Shafter decided to send some Buffalo soldiers and infantryman to find them and bring them back, despite not having the area fully mapped. So the black troopers left Fort Davis and headed northward until they got lost in the White gypsum sands of southern New Mexico, Northern Texas. Ive been in the area on the Texas Mountain Trail and I’ve hiked through the gypsum dunes that line the westward side of the Guadalupe mountains and it is an unforgiving place. But at least those dunes had mountains and landmarks. Where these men got lost was excruciating. Many of them suffered severe sunburn, blindness from the hot white brightness, and little to no water. They wandered in the area for 12 miserable days, many unable to eat with such dry throats. But eventually they found a way out and a few weeks after that, they stumbled back into Fort Davis. Lt. Shafter would say the mission was ultimately a success because, quote, never again could an Indian or comanchero close his eyes with any guarantee of unbroken sleep in forbidding white sands. End quote. These types of missions and scouting parties helped to map thousands of previous unknown miles for the Americans.

In 1872, the death rate from disease in the Army was 11 per thousand among whites, but it was 18 per thousand among blacks. Essentially, a white soldier admitted to a hospital had twice the chance of survival than a black comrade. As mentioned in the intro, the extreme and remote location of the troopers could have had something to do with this, but racism and the unwillingness to treat black soldiers definitely played a large part as well. And the racism seemed worse in Texas.

In that same year of 1872, the Ninth lost its first officer in battle after it had been overrun by Kiowa at a place called Howard’s Well and after finding eight Mexican teamsters who’d been tied to wagon wheels, scalped, doused with kerosene and set on fire… as Kenner puts it, miraculously, two were alive. But the ensuing battle didn’t go well for the mostly new troopers and the local newspapers in Texas published egregious lies immediately after the news had spread. One paper, who was clearly biased against the buffalo soldiers, the San Angelo herald said shortly after the sad engagement, quote, The Indians are terribly disgusted with the Negro troops on the frontier- they are difficult to scalp. End quote.

Also Unfortunately for the Ninth in the Lone Star State, there were countless accusations of rape on white women. It seems many black soldiers were given sentences they didn’t earn but thankfully there were some good judges who commuted many of the egregiously false accusations to a certain number of months or years of hard labor. Which, while awful, is better than death or being lynched.

Again in 1872, L Troop was stationed on the border with Mexico at Fort McIntosh where they had no barracks and where they slept in the storehouse. Their thankless job at the time was keeping peace between white ranchers and their Mexican ranch hands who would steal cattle and send them over the border to Mexico. They also were tasked with picking up the town’s trash barrels, making sure the cockfighting stayed in the town square instead of on seemingly every street, and where they fought off poor sanitation, cheap prostitutes, and cheaper liquor. The following year they were in charge of a 70 mile stretch of border along the rio grande which they tirelessly patrolled.

Occasionally, the black troopers were in more danger from civilians than from Indians. Instances of local white men shooting from trees into encampments because of some such threat or perceived slight weren’t rare. One such instance in Texas in 1869 occurred when a man named Humpy Jackson killed a Buffalo Soldier working a sawmill because a different soldier at the mill had written a letter to his daughter. Jackson would later say it didn’t matter he killed the wrong trooper because, quote, a negro was a negro and all looked alike. End quote. While enraged commanders sent some troopers to find the murderer, although not enough since there were few to spare over such a large distance, Jackson would evade capture and his folk slash anti hero status would grow in the countryside. But eventually Jackson was captured and held under house arrest by three troopers. But, the situation would quickly grow out of hand and two of the buffalo soldiers were murdered as the town essentially formed a posse to rescue the murderer. The third buffalo soldier, David Brown would make his escape in the icy waters of the San Saba River. The commander of the nearby fort McKavett, a Ranald Mackenzie would search for Jackson, burn down his home, and arrest his wife and her daughter but other problems would overtake the need to find Jackson. The trooper that survived, David Brown, on his way to the Fort after the incident, had borrowed a horse from an Irish settler named Patrick Fields. That settler had now had his wife kidnapped by Indians who had also raided his home. Meanwhile rustlers were striking out all over the area and to make matters worse, the buffalo soldiers horses were all used up. They were even resorting to using infantry horses at this point. Not to mention Mackenzie had no officers with one committing suicide, another on leave, and two more being arrested. Eventually Jackson’s wife and her daughter were released, Humpy Jackson himself was caught and stood trial, and the land went back to civilian control. Obviously, no one faced any real threat of imprisonment and all got off for the murders.

Another time in 1875, also in Texas, two troopers were killed while out on patrol by a Rancher. After the murders, Col Hatch and 60 buffalo soldiers arrested 9 suspects but only one of them went to trial. He was obviously acquitted. Then the state turned around and charged the two surviving black troopers with murder for defending themselves! Hatch was even charged with burglary for breaking into a building on the property where the ambush happened and taking back the dead troopers blood stained clothing.

As Kenner puts it about the Buffalo Soldiers, quote, nothing that the black troops did helped their image. They escorted thousands of cattle across the plains, captured rustlers too powerful for local authorities, and patrolled the Rio Grande border incessantly. Instead of receiving credit, they were harassed by the very people they were protecting. End quote. Texas wasn’t the easiest place for black soldiers but New Mexico, also filled with Texans and ex confederates, wasn’t a walk in the park either.

After five years of patrolling the southern border in Texas which included a one thousand three and forty-eight mile patrol for L Troop in a two month span of constant marching, they were sent to New Mexico. L Troop is the same one that cleaned up trash and stopped cockfighting in ’72. After four months of marching there on foot, they reached Fort Union near Las Vegas. Las Vegas if you remember from the intro episode to the show, is the archaeological boundary of the southwest which is Las Vegas nevada to Las Vegas New Mexico and Durango colorado to durango Mexico but obviously that’s just a nice way to remember it. In reality it extends so much further. Well troop L was stationed in this area when they got caught in yet another engagement with civilians in a town called Cimarron.

Side note: I once had a delicious green Chile cheese burger after a New Year’s Day hike up a mountain in the nearby cimarron canyon state park. I should have done more research because the further I went up, the deeper the snow got and the trail became almost impassable. The only reason I continued is because I could tell where the trail was by the carved and initialed birch trees that lined the path. I didn’t make it to the top though since the rock scrambling that was required was impossible due to ice. Still a nice and tiring winter day hike where I got to see a frozen waterfall and hear the water run beneath the frozen top of the creek. But the trudging through crotch deep snow left me famished. Hence the delicious green Chile burger. And now that I’m thinking about it, this was in January of 2021 and I remember there was this egregious one hundred and seventy-five dollar fine for anyone caught hiking in the park who was from out of state or had an out of state license plate. I had to back into the side of the road parking space, concealing my license plate so I wouldn’t be fined by a sheriff. I was told to do that by a ranger of all people. Anyways, In the town of Cimarron, I noticed a lot of Wild West stuff and faces on the side of the road and ads for a museum and I wish I had checked it out further! But I didn’t know about any of this and it was winter and it was all closed regardless. But anyways! Back to the buffalo soldiers. When thirty of the troop arrived in Cimarron, the residents let loose racism and violence on an unfortunate scale.

Three troopers were murdered in a saloon by the possible nephew of Davey Crockett, a David Crockett and his partner in crime, Gus Heffron. The troopers were apparently murdered in cold blood as they entered a saloon after having been warned that no n words were welcome. Everyone claimed it was self defense, of course and the two killers escaped justice.

By 1878 the ninth cavalry Buffalo soldiers had only 274 men and 34 were on detached assignment. They were simultaneously en route to the Ute frontier in Colorado, maintaining the truce between whites and hispanics in el paso, watching the warm springs apache, and monitoring the growing war in Lincoln county which involved Billy the kid, the regulators, and a five day gunfight that I will no doubt discuss in a future episode. In other words, the Buffalo Soldiers were busy and having some of their own murdered in saloons or slandered in the press wasn’t easy on morale. And neither was the life of a soldier.

During some marches on patrols or scouts, the buffalo soldiers would walk until their boots gave way and they had to resort to using improvised or recently looted Indian moccasins. Other times, the troopers would march in freezing weather and blizzards, like during the Red River War of 1874 to 1875 or when they first began chasing Indians through the Texas Panhandle and around the Llano Estacado.

In this Red River War of 1874 to 1875, the Ninth, as well as the 10th, and a lot of white units, were tasked with removing the Comanche, Kiowa, Southern Cheyenne, and Arapaho from the Texas Panhandle and relocate them to Indian Territory, or Modern day Oklahoma. The Buffalo Soldiers would go on to fight in over 20 battles during harsh panhandle weather and on rough terrain with little to no food for themselves or their horses. Often times their horses would collapse from under them forcing them to walk on foot with their saddles on their backs. Dozens of digits would be amputated due to frostbite and hundreds of horses froze to death before the southern plains Indians finally capitulated and gave up their free way of life.

I think now’s a good a time as any to bring up one of the coolest and most memorable leaders of the Buffalo Soldiers, a Major Guy Henry, who I’ll refer to as Henry from here on out.

Henry fought bravely in the Civil War for the north before being stationed in The Black Hills of South Dakota to look over some prospectors who were illegally penetrating into Indian Lands. On this mission he got stuck in a sub-zero temperature blizzard that would result in him losing a finger and getting frostbitten so bad that his left hand never closed properly again. Then later in 1876 against the Sioux he was shot through the face. Despite choking on and being blinded by his own blood, he continued to lead his men during an ambush until he passed out. Later he would say after being asked how badly he was injured that quote, the doctors have just told me that I must die, but I will not. End quote. He was then transported in a hammock between two mules over two hundred miles but along the way, the mules threw him 20 feet down a rocky cliff. When he was asked how he felt once the men had found him, he said, quote, bully! Never felt better in my life.  Everybody is so kind. End quote. By 1881 Henry was assigned to the Ninth Cavalry in south central new mexico to look after the Mescalero apaches. It didn’t take long though for Henry to become the loudest and most ardent supporters of the black buffalo soldiers in all of the military. Even more so than Hatch. Henry would write multiple articles and books about the Buffalo soldiers, often anonymously. He had previously written many other works for the military, some still in use today, so he was a pretty good and prolific writer and he knew that his anonymous articles in the Army and Navy Journal would be read by his troopers who no doubt enjoyed some good words in the press.

By 1885, under Henry’s direction and dedication, the Ninth’s Buffalo Soldiers became known as Super Soldiers. They were some of the best drillers and marksmen in all of the Army. Before a battle in Oklahoma against some Boomers even had a chance to begin, the Boomers surrendered once it was discovered they were going up against Henry and his Buffalo Soldiers. More on the Boomers later. But Henry’s accomplishments with marksmen training was so successful that it got him transferred out of the Cavalry and he was put in charge of all of army marksmen, period.

That wouldn’t last forever though, and by 1890, much of the Ninth was back under his command. But more on that later.

As I just mentioned, in 1875, the Buffalo Soldiers of the Ninth would leave Texas for the even further west frontier of New Mexico where the ones not stationed at Fort Union would run right smack dab into the Apache Wars. You dang well know the Apache Wars are going to be the subject of a future podcast but here’s the gist:

The Apaches, much like their neighbors the Comanches, were fierce as heck. They’d defeat the Spanish, Mexican, and American militaries for hundreds of years before finally surrendering to the US Army’s vastly superior weaponry and endlessly growing numbers. They were again like the comanches, legendarily awesome. But their ties to the Buffalo Soldiers is one that ends in sadness. When a powerful Apache Chief named Victorio was leading his people from the Mescalero reservation where he was surrounded by his enemies and in a desert filled with pestilence and heat, because it’s important to note that the warm springs apaches of Victorio were high desert people and the Mescalero Res was in the lowlands… well Victorio was leading his people to their old homes in Ojo Caliente, near Taos, when they ran into a small patrol of buffalo soldiers whereupon they killed 5 of the black troopers. They also killed three civilians, took fifty horses, and 18 mules. So a great haul for Victorio but not a good day for those who were killed. This violent incident would ultimately lead to the masses of US Cavalry and soldiers that would scour the hills, desert, and forests of the area in search of them for years to come. Col Hatch would send four companies of the ninth cavalry to either capture or kill Victorio in what would become known as Victorio’s War but they would succeed at neither. He, at most had 100 fighters but usually less than 50 and the US Army had over 1,000 troops searching for him. He was by far one of the finest guerrilla fighters of his day.

A month after that slaughter of the small patrol on September 18th, 1879, at Las Animas Canyon, The Apache Chief clashed again with two companies of pursuing Buffalo Soldiers and their Navajo guides whom he pinned down in a canyon after a brilliant move of doubling back. The Cavalry thought they were going to have him but instead were riding directly into a trap.

Interestingly, this area is now known as Vic’s Peak in Victoria Park, not Victorio, which it should be. So the buffalo soldiers were pinned down behind what few boulders and rocks they could find while Victorio and his people fired from above and around them and even from a side canyon known as Massacre Canyon today… not to spoil the ending of this engagement. More troopers showed up to help but they too were pinned down by bullets and arrows. When a nearby camp of miners came to the rescue, they too were pinned down with everyone’s horses getting slaughtered and everyone’s bullets getting low. The shooting only ended with nightfall which is when the miners and buffalo soldiers fled the scene of carnage leaving behind for Victorio much needed supplies, food, and blankets for his 200 Apache Warriors, women, and children.

The official numbers aren’t to be believed but at the site today, there are 32 graves which really doesn’t explain the Army’s 5 or 6 Troopers, depending on which report you read, that were killed. Along with some Navajo guides, and some civilians, probably the miners. Whatever the number is, it wasn’t a pretty day for the buffalo soldiers who lost a lot of their own as well as 36 dead horses.

A few months after Animas Canyon, in November, A Troop of the Ninth was sent deep into Mexico to pursue Victorio. A Troop was led by a beloved and brave Lieutenant Matthias Day who would be leading his men into a harsh 725 mile march. After a summer drought, the troopers took their pursuit of the Apaches through an exceptionally dry Mexican desert with the only source of water being watering holes. But the Apaches knew this.

Lieutenant Charles Gatewood added, after realizing the watering hole was almost dry, that the indians had made the situation worse because they had, quote driven their horses through it and so thoroughly stirred it up, that it was about the consistency of thin mortar. Men and animals tried to drink it, but not with much success. End quote. Being thirsty in the desert after a long march, or climb, can make a person crazy or as Gatewood put it, filled with quote unquote wild insanity. Take it from me who despite logging countless miles on the ground or feet on a cliff wall, have ran out of water way too many times. Gatewood continued by saying that, quote, men began to offer a month’s pay for just one swallow of water. There was no singing, no joking, no conversation, no smoking, and the banjo that used to enliven the men, on the march and around the camp-fires at night, was silent. End quote. The next watering hole they came to that day looked clear and cool but the Apaches had cleverly and cruelly dumped a disemboweled coyote in it which left it thoroughly poisoned. Gatewood recalled that, quote, several who drank of it became violently ill. End quote. Thankfully, they found a spring the following day which saved their bacon. Gatewood said of the miracle, quote, White, colored and red men, horses and mules, all rushed for the water. They drank of it, they rolled in it, they wept and cheered and danced in it, and the mud they made seemed to make no difference in drinking. End quote.

Victorio would soon be gunned down in Mexico essentially out of food, supplies, and most importantly bullets. But between Victorio’s brave and fruitless journey and Geronimo’s future escape the Buffalo Soldiers worked tirelessly to keep the Apache on their reservation in New Mexico and Arizona. From 76 to 81 the soldiers would fight numerous battles in countless rugged hot mountain ranges to both confiscate and lose numerous horses, mules, and fighters. In 1880, 25 men of K Troop under Sargent Parker were sent to escort a train of provisions to Fort Tularosa in central New Mexico they were to set up a supply depot and guard against Apache attacks. Not long after the Buffalo Soldiers arrival, the Apaches did indeed attack with 100 warriors but the troopers repelled the force and kept them from taking their many horses and livestock. About ten years later, Sargent Parker would earn the Medal of Honor for his bravery in the assault.

Later that year, even after Victorio had been killed in Mexico, his fiercest lieutenant, Nana began an equally destructive rampage through New Mexico. K Troop under Parker was again sent to stop them but this time, the Buffalo Soldiers became surrounded in the counterattack. But after two hours of fierce fighting with little to no cover, the Buffalo Soldiers repelled them and survived. Although they lost two and had three severely injured. Nana would also have a thousand troopers looking for him as he took hostages, killed up to 50 American civilians, slain hundreds of horses, and quite a few buffalo soldiers and their officers. He accomplished all of this over just a few months and over a one thousand mile area. He would escape into Mexico, surrender, and die of natural causes in Oklahoma in 1896. Oh, and at the time of Nana’s raids, he was half blind, suffered from severe arthritis… and he was in his 80s.

Moving up north, in 1879 trouble was brewing with the White River Utes of Northwestern Colorado who were being forced to plow and grow crops instead of graze their ponies. To push back, they were quote unquote harassing settlers. The Ute’s dedicated Indian Agent, a Nathan Meeker, who was the driving force of the grow instead of graze campaign, eventually decided to call for backup from the US Army.

To answer the call, the decidedly unqualified Major Thomas Thornburgh and his Fifth Cavalry from Wyoming came riding down… only for them to be ambushed in the Valley of the Milk River. Within the opening volley of shots, Thornburgh and ten of his men were dead with another 23 wounded, including the Fifth’s recently, as in the last few moments, promoted commander, Captain J Scott Payne. Payne gave out the order to dig trenches and sent men to call for help. The Utes meanwhile, killed the Indian agent Meeker and nine of his men and more came to join the battle that was looking more and more bleak for the Cavalry soldiers. Thankfully, Captain Francis Dodge of Troop D of the 9th was much closer than the next closest backup which would have taken a week to arrive. So the moment Dodge learned of the attack he ordered his meager sounding, but remember, these are Buffalo Soldiers, 35 troopers to head to the rescue. They each grabbed 125 rounds of ammunition, three days worth of rations, and set out in the cover of darkness, leaving behind their supply train even. They used hunting trails to be sneaky and reduce danger and made it to the beleaguered 5th in amazing time. They’d gotten there at 4:30 am, riding bravely down the valley without taking a single bullet in the dark. Dodge assumed command and had everyone dig in deeper and wait for morning.

Kenner goes into some of the praise and adoration the white soldiers of the Fifth heap upon their black comrades but I won’t be repeating them due to their liberal use of the “n” word but I will quote the second half of Captain Joseph Lawson’s statement, quote, the men of the ninth cavalry are the whitest black men I ever saw. End quote. The buffalo soldiers saved their bacon and even shared some of their actual bacon with the Fifth when the sun rose. After a few evenings of holding out in which all but four of the cavalry’s horses had been killed, the Indians ended the siege and everyone was able to escape.

Because of this rescue, the Buffalo Soldiers were treated as heroes. Once they’d arrived at Fort Fred Steele, the soldiers were treated to a welcoming back that had probably never been afforded a black unit until that time. There were columns of men to greet them, cheers, applause, tears, and salutes. Two days later in Denver, the governor and the black citizens of the city threw the Troopers a party at the local YMCA with food, more cheers, and music from the city’s apparent only quote unquote colored band. It would be some time before the Black buffalo soldiers received such a warm reception again and it would again be saving white folks bacon.

Because of that rescue mission, 11 Medals of honor were awarded to the troopers. One such recipient was named Henry Johnson who would later fight Victorio before reenlisting multiple times, leaving the service, and then coming back before being deployed to Cuba in the Spanish American War.

In 1881, the Ninth was moved again, but this time to Kansas, specifically, Fort Riley. Their main mission was to now DEFEND the Indians instead of hunt and kill them. Enter, the Boomers.

Really quickly though. My last name, obviously, is Riley and I briefly lived with my Apache Helicopter flying best friend just outside of Fort Riley. And to tie this little part of the story together, I lived in Oklahoma for 11 years, which five of those years saw me as a student at the University of Oklahoma, Boomer, Sooner! But, the Boomers, aren’t really the heroes of this story.

Here’s Kenner on the growing unrest in Oklahoma,

By the spring of 1884, relations between the Boomers, as the intruders were called, and the Ninth Cavalry had been following the same pattern for more than two years. Would-be settlers from Kansas entered the unassigned lands in the center of what is now Oklahoma and staked out farms. Troops searched them out, arrested them, and escorted them to the Kansas border. Since convictions before local juries were impossible to attain, the violators were simply released, free to repeat their incursions. Needless to say, too many repetitions of this pattern were stretching the nerves of both sides dangerously thin. Adding fuel to the volatile situation was the intense prejudice held by the settlers against the black soldiers and their white officers.

So it was in 1884 when the situation really began to get out of hand. The two leaders of the movement to secure land in the Indian Territory were David Payne and W L Couch who figured they’d eventually win out by sheer numbers alone. Which, seemed to be true as over 600 of them entered in April of that year and two thousand throughout the year. Conversely, the Buffalo Soldiers under Captain Carroll had only 133 troopers and seven officers with which to destroy the dwellings, tear up the plowings, and escort the squatters back to Kansas. Often times, this resulted in violence. But thankfully, not the shooting kind. The Buffalo Soldiers seemed to be constantly in fist fights with sometimes forty or more Boomers at once! Usually it was 15 or so Black troopers and Indian Scouts and one white officer versus the lot of them. Seriously, it’s amazing more Boomers weren’t shot and numerous times pistols and rifles were drawn to conclude one of these fistfights that were getting out of hand for the always outnumbered troopers. Here’s a great quote from one of the Boomers who were there. He said that the Buffalo Soldiers quote, ordered the work stopped, which caused a fight. This fight began with axes, but all weapons were ordered down and then it became a 'fist and choke' fight, which lasted quite a while but no one was seriously hurt. End quote.

At one point near Stillwater, Oklahoma, where many of my listeners went to college, no ill feelings towards them, the buffalo soldiers, some 375 strong, with cannons, amassed against a camp of 200 boomers, led by the aforementioned Couch. Instead of shooting it out though, the troopers cut off the boomers supply lines in the hopes of a successful freezing winter siege. Eventually, Hatch himself rode in and spoke with couch over the span of a few days until he gave him the ole Raylan givens quote be outta town by 8am tomorrow or we will be obliged to open fire. End quote. Couch and the Boomers, despite not believing the Army would fire on them, surrendered minutes before the deadline.

There’s an interesting story I found that took place in 1886 when two companies of Buffalo Soldiers, led by Major Frederick Benteen, were selected to build Fort Duchesne in northeast Utah near the Uintah Reservation. First of all, the Uintah Utes wanted nothing to do with the Buffalo Soldiers, who some still remembered from the Milk River Incident when the Ninth rode in to save the Fifths behinds. The Utes complained to their Indian Agent saying, quote, All over black! All over black! Buffalo Soldiers! Wooly Head! Wooly Head! Don’t like them! Black white man! Don’t let them come! Bad, very bad! End quote. But soon they realized that they were there to protect them and to build the fort, which they did after suffering through a harsh winter in tents. Major Benteen, by the way, was a true racist saying he, quote, took no interest in this race of troops on account of their low-down rascally character. End quote. He was also a raging alcoholic. He also apparently hated everyone and proved it by once drunkenly pulling his revolver on the Mormon Sheriff of Uintah County before being disarmed by a deputy. For that he was essentially run out of the military. But he has a quote I have to say before moving on. Some think I came here to fight Indians, but I came here to fight Mormons. He’d die in Atlanta from alcoholism before the end of the century.

A year later these same Buffalo Soldiers would stop a posse of militiamen, national guardsmen, cowboys, and sheriff’s deputies from entering Utah and the Uintah Reservation and probably slaughtering many innocents. I imagine the Ute’s earlier cries of don’t let the buffalo soldiers come were forgotten then.

In February of 1887, in Crawford, Nebraska, an unfortunate scene played out with some Buffalo Soldiers, but a scene I enjoy because it reminds me of Nat Love. After a drunken fight with a white prostitute, Private Lee Irving fired his gun into the air outside the saloon with some fellow troopers who promised to return with enough of them to burn the place to the ground. Then, one of Irving’s comrades, a private Henry Chase, hopped up on his horse, and rode INTO the saloon before asking to be served a drink. Which he was. And which he took outside to finish. I just love the idea of riding a horse into a saloon and I would like to see it more often in westerns.

Although this real life instance came with consequences. Both men would get into big trouble with both of them serving time and being kicked out of the army. Although, both would be permitted to reenlist and both did. Irving would be wounded in the Ghost Dance affair in 1890 which gave him the distinction of being the last wounded Buffalo Soldier of the Ninth cavalry against the Indians.

And speaking of the Ghost Dance Affair,

The Ghost Dance is an extremely fascinating amalgamation of religions and beliefs that started with a Paiute named Wodziwob that stated that the Native Americans would soon rise to power again after overthrowing the whites and they’d bring back traditional culture, food, and their way of life. This belief would spread throughout the area but would fizzle out or become incorporated into other movements. That is until Wovoka, whose father had known and helped Wodziwob would revive it in 1889. Influenced by the original ghost dance, Presbyterian ranch workers, and the nearby Mormons, Wovoka had a vision where he talked to God before coming back and announcing himself, essentially, as the return of Jesus Christ. This second Ghost Dance ended up spreading as far as the Mississippi River, the pacific ocean, down into Mexico, and up to Canada. It then came to the Sioux just as they had decided they’d had enough of Reservation life and were planning on going back to their traditional ways.

The Sioux definitely took the overthrow the white man part of the doctrine to heart but they weren’t quite sure what to do with the black faces that they were running into with the Buffalo Soldiers. This was such a unique circumstance that Major Henry of the Ninth, who I had talked about earlier, would suggest to the Army to bring in even more Buffalo Soldiers to help with the rebellion.

But on Christmas Eve 1890, Henry, who was back in charge of the black Troopers would lead his Buffalo Soldiers into battle again as he was ordered to intercept Big Foot’s Lakota band before he could link up with Short Bull and Kicking Bird who had all left their reservations. In just a few hours, Henry and the troopers marched 50 miles which convinced many Indians to turn back and go to their awful new home. Sioux scouts would later say that Short Bull’s followers had said, quote, we give up; we are afraid of those black devils. End quote.

For the next four days the Ninth under Henry would search the badlands and surrounding area but would come up empty. Which is a shame because instead of these awesome soldiers, Big Foot and his Indians ran into the Seventh Cavalry’s Col James Forsyth who instead of disarming the Indians… massacred 250 of them and wounded another 51. Men, women, and children were all slaughtered indiscriminately as the army rained lead upon their encampment. It’s a truly sad and horrific story.

Henry and his buffalo soldiers, after trekking 40 miles through the badlands that day were informed of the massacre and within 40 minutes were packed up and ready to head to the pine ridge reservation. In biting bitter cold they trotted back to the camp with many of them asleep in the saddle once they arrived. A few of them then had to immediately turn back around and ride four miles out to their besieged wagon train where they dispersed the Sioux, bringing everyone to the agency safely. Corporal William Wilson received the Medal of Honor and was the last Buffalo Soldier to do so during the Indian Wars because of his bravery in returning for the wagon train. By now, they’d all been riding for nearly thirty hours straight and even the horses had laid down to sleep but still Henry was ordered to investigate some fires that had been set by angry Sioux at a mission nearby. He asked for at least two hours of rest which he was granted… so instead Forsyth’s Seventh was called out to the scene where… they promptly got surrounded by Sioux warriors firing down upon them from all sides and at elevated positions. All they could do was take cover and wait. At least until Henry and the Buffalo Soldiers heard about their plight.

Mustering the last ounce of strength they had, they rode with their tired horses to the mouth of the canyon, unloaded a Hotchkiss gun, and unloaded on the Sioux. A Hotchkiss gun is a lot like a Gatling gun in that it has a rotating barrel and can shoot 68 rounds per minute. So the ferocious gun and the charging black soldiers rescued the Seventh and rode themselves into the history books. Newspapers at the time wrote about the Ninth cavalry and their success at this battle and how they saved the Seventh from the same fate as Custer’s fourteen years prior. Soon after this battle, the last of the Sioux would capitulate and head back to their reservation.

The Ninth, as a reward was then ordered… oh, to watch over the Pine Ridge Reservation throughout the winter in only a tent. In the introduction episode to this series I mentioned how the Buffalo Soldiers were heard singing in their Sibley tents as 20 foot high snow banks piled up around them in 1891. Well, this is that time. And while 20 foot snow banks did pile up, some were as high as 30. There were constant blizzards with some producing gale force winds and thirty below zero temperatures. As a man from the south, like most of the troopers of the buffalo soldiers, I can tell you also having felt thirty below zero temperatures that you are NOT ready for it… no matter how much you put on or prepare to feel the sting in your eyes and lungs and on your skin, you’re never ready for how it really feels. But at least now you can get into a heated building! These guys had tents… not to mention, they were sharing their space with cattle! So when it was really rough, the cows would attempt to crowd into the warm tents along with the men. From Henry, quote, the brutes, anxious for warmth and protection, crowd into our tents and… the occupancy of the same by a man and a Texas steer at the same time is not an agreeable thought. End quote. And also like I mentioned in the introduction, the Flu wrecked havoc. To sum up the entire situation, a private W. H. Prather wrote a really great poem I will read now, quote:

As the Second checked the Ninth rode out,

the Bad Lands to "explo,"

With Colonel Henry at their head

they did not fear the foe.

From Christmas eve they rode

till dawn of Christmas day.

The redskins heard the Ninth were near

and fled in great dismay.

And now the Campaign's over

and the soldiers march away,

All have done their share,

you see, whether 'twas thick or thin,

And helped to break the "Ghost dance" up

and drive the hostiles in.

All the rest have gone home,

and to meet the "blizzard's" wintry blast

The Ninth, the willing Ninth,

is camped here 'til the last.

We were the first to come,

will be the last to leave;

Why do we stay, why this reward receive?

In good warm barracks our recent comrades take their ease

While we "poor devils" and the Sioux are left to freeze

And "cuss our luck" and wait 'til some one pulls the string

Which starts "Short Bull" out with another "Ghost dance" in the Spring.

Thankfully, by March, they were on their way to Fort Robinson and out of the tents. Unthankfully, they were marching straight into yet another blizzard. The next morning, they left the small settlement of Chadron, Nebraska, for what Kenner calls, quote one of the toughest marches in the Ninth’s history. End quote. He goes on to say,

Men had to break through deep drifts that concealed the trail so that the route was often lost. Many were ill with the flu, and almost all were suffering from snow blindness. Faces were so blistered and burned from the snow reflection that "officers could hardly be recognized from the privates." In summation, Henry lodged a muffled criticism: "The march was a fitting finale to a hard winter's camp” and "reminded once more" that men should be exposed to winter marches only when absolutely necessary. End quote.

As their actual reward for all of this and for their saving of the Seventh after riding 102 miles in 30 hours, Henry finally did secure the Buffalo Soldiers the greatest honor that could be awarded. They were stationed in Washington DC in front of the whole nation and the world. This was the first time black soldiers were stationed in the nation’s capital and Henry didn’t let the world forget it. He would write more articles, parade the troops through the streets, put on daily mounted highly visible drills, visible inspections, and more. They were there for three years without incident and to much acclaim. Inspector General R P Hughes would say of the buffalo soldiers that they had a, quote, exactness in drill that I have never seen equaled. End quote. In 1892, Henry was promoted to Lieutenant Col of the Seventh Cavalry and would stay in DC as the Ninth went home thankful for his service and leadership. Henry would praise his men in publications and his men would write equally praising ones in return. Henry would later work very briefly with the 10th Cavalry Buffalo Soldiers before they went to Cuba before succumbing to pneumonia in 1899. He was extremely well remembered by his men and at his funeral his son would comment on how grateful he was to have known them. Guy Henry Jr. would go on to have his own distinguished military career. He’d fight in the Spanish American war, teach cavalry to many more troopers, and compete for the United States in the 1912 Olympics. Obviously he competed from atop a horse in dressage, eventing, and show jumping. He would win the bronze that year for the United States and he credits much of his success to working so closely with and practically being raised by the Buffalo Soldiers.

Immediately after the close of the Indian Wars, the Buffalo Soldiers would fight in the Phillipines and Cuba where they may have beat Teddy Roosevelt and his Rough Riders to the top of San Juan Hill. In the September 2nd, 1898 Issue of the Army and Navy Journal, this story was published,

The Rough Riders were in a bad position on San Juan Hill at one time and it was generally admitted they could not have held their position but for the splendid charge of the Ninth Cavalry to their support. After the worst of the fighting, a rough rider, finding himself near one of the colored troopers, walked up and grasped his hand, “we’ve got you fellows to thank for getting us out of a bad hole.”

“Dat’s alright, boss,” said the negro, with a broad grin. “Dat’s alright. Its all in the the family. We call ourselves the colored rough riders.”

Teddy would later say of them, quote, no one can tell whether it was the Rough Riders or the men of the 9th who came forward with the greater courage to offer their lives in the service of their country. End quote.

The Buffalo Soldiers had been offering their lives since the end of the Civil War, and doing it in outstandingly brave ways in harsh climates against the toughest opponents… And with that, I will end this episode. Next time, we’ll dive into the 10th Cavalry’s exploits. Stay tuned.

National Park Service Website

Charles River Editors the Buffalo Soldiers: The History and Legacy for the Black Soldiers Who Fought in the US Army during the Indian Wars

Buffalo Soldiers and Officers of the Ninth Cavalry 1867-1898 by Charles L Kenner

The Black West by William Loren Katz

The Apache Wars by Paul Andrew Hutton

Buffalo Soldiers on the Colorado Frontier by Nancy K Williams

http://www.buffalosoldier.net/BuffaloSoldiers&ChiefVictorio.htm