In 1866, as the United States government started to rebuild from the Civil War, they decided to add a few new cavalry and infantry units. The units were made up of the first professional Black soldiers in the country. Those men soon became known as Buffalo Soldiers and were there for some of the country's most historical moments. Listen to learn more about this special group of veterans.

SOURCES

“The Army.” The Evening Telegraph (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), October 9, 1960. www.newspapers.com.

Clark, Alexis. “Why Buffalo Soldiers Served among the Nation's First Park Rangers.” History.com. A&E Television Networks, June 16, 2020. https://www.history.com/news/buffalo-soldiers-national-parks-rangers.

Doyle, Dan. “Meet the Last Living Buffalo Soldier in the US Army.” The Veterans Site News, February 24, 2020. https://blog.theveteranssite.greatergood.com/williams-buffalo-soldier/.

Drummond, Jennifer M. “A Buffalo Soldier's Story.” Chesterfield Observer, February 18, 2009. https://www.chesterfieldobserver.com/articles/a-buffalo-soldiers-story/.

History.com Editors. “Buffalo Soldiers.” History.com. A&E Television Networks, December 7, 2017. https://www.history.com/topics/westward-expansion/buffalo-soldiers.

“Jackie Robinson.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, October 24, 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackie_Robinson.

“Joe Louis.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, October 29, 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Louis.

Lohmann, Bill. “Virginia Man Who Was One of the Last Surviving Buffalo Soldiers Dies.” The News & Advance, April 5, 2021. https://newsadvance.com/news/state-and-regional/virginia-man-who-was-one-of-the-last-surviving-buffalo-soldiers-dies/article_d9d1f115-16c3-566f-a7e1-8d86f059a5a4.html.

“Mark Matthews.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, October 9, 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Matthews.

“The Proud Legacy of the Buffalo Soldiers.” National Museum of African American History and Culture, February 8, 2018. https://nmaahc.si.edu/blog-post/proud-legacy-buffalo-soldiers.