The 10th Cavalry was formed at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas in 1866. Eight companies of enlisted men had been recruited from the Departments of Missouri, Arkansas, and the Platte. The majority of the new recruits had served in all Black units during the Civil War.
Life at Leavenworth was not pleasant for the 10th. The Fort's commander, who was opposed to African-Americans serving in the regular army and made life as difficult as he could on the new troopers. Grierson the commander of the 10th Cavalry sought to have his regiment transferred, and subsequently received orders moving the regiment to Fort Riley, Kansas later that summer. Within two months of the transfer, the final four companies were in place. The 10th was stationed at many forts throughout Kansas and Indian Territory. Indian Territory is now Oklahoma. 10th Cavalries' services included provided guards for workers of the Kansas and Pacific Railroad, subduing Mexican revolutionaries, hostile Native Americans, or Indians that were not on the reservations, outlaws, comancheros, and rustlers.These services were invaluable and unrecognized. The Buffalo Soldiers explored and mapped vast areas of the southwest and strung hundreds of miles of telegraph lines. They built and repaired frontier outposts around which future towns and cities sprang to life. The Buffalo Soldiers consistently received some of the worst assignments the Army had to offer. They faced prejudice becouse of the colors of their Union uniforms and their skin. The desertion rate for enlisted personnel was approximately 25 percent. Desertions among White regiments were about three times greater than those among Black units. Negro troopers were called the Buffalo Soldiers, a name given to them by the Cheyenne,who compared their dark, wiry hair with that of the buffalo, the central creature of Cheyenne lives and culture. The African-American troopers, were very proud of their uniform and of their profession as soldiers.
A country with no regard for its past, will do little worth remembering in the future.
-Abraham Lincoln-
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