Buffalo Soldiers were United States Army regiments composed exclusively of African American soldiers, formed during the 19th century to serve on the American frontier.
The nickname "Buffalo Soldiers" was purportedly given to the regiments by the American Indian tribes who fought against them during the American Indian Wars , and the term eventually became synonymous with all of the African American regiments that were established in , including the 9th Cavalry Regiment , 10th Cavalry Regiment , 24th Infantry Regiment , 25th Infantry Regiment and 38th Infantry Regiment.
S Congress as the first all-black Army regiments in peacetime. Sources disagree on how the nickname "Buffalo Soldiers" began. According to the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum the name originated with the Cheyenne warriors in the winter of , the actual Cheyenne translation being "Wild Buffalo".
However, writer Walter Hill documented the account of Colonel Benjamin Grierson , who founded the 10th Cavalry regiment, recalling an campaign against Comanches. Hill attributed the origin of the name to the Comanche , due to Grierson's assertions. The Apache used the same term "We called them 'buffalo soldiers,' because they had curly, kinky hair It is now used for U.
Army units that trace their direct lineage back to any of the African-American regiments formed in During the Civil War , the U. The USCT was disbanded in the fall of In the Regular Army was set at ten regiments of cavalry and 45 regiments of infantry. The Army was authorized to raise two regiments of black cavalry the 9th and 10th Colored Cavalry and four regiments of black infantry the 38th , 39th , 40th , and 41st Colored Infantry , who were mostly drawn from USCT veterans.
