Transcript

Buffalo Soldiers | The Brass Letters | American History Tellers | Podcast

From American History Tellers · Episode page · Watch on YouTube

· 39 min · 6,270 words · 40 timestamped sections

This is the full, timestamped transcript of "Buffalo Soldiers | The Brass Letters | American History Tellers | Podcast", an episode of American History Tellers published February 5, 2025 (39 min, about 6,270 words). It mentions 11 people, works and ideas, including Buffalo Soldier, Indian Wars, Benjamin H. Grierson, United States Colored Troops, Emanuel Stance.

What this episode is about

The narrative depicts a moment in post-Civil War America, focusing on a young Black man from Tennessee who is determined to enlist in the Army as a Buffalo Soldier, seeking a way to escape the life of sharecropping and forge a better future. The story highlights the tension between family loyalty and personal ambition, as he contemplates the risks and rewards of his decision to fight against Indigenous peoples in the West while considering the legacy of his late father.

Key takeaways

  • In 1866, a young black soldier wasn't just enlisting; he was rewriting his own destiny.
  • Buffalo Soldiers forged a path to citizenship while navigating the treacherous terrain of racial prejudice and conflict.
  • From sharecroppers to soldiers, black men sought dignity in service amidst a violently divided America.
  • The irony? Fighting for freedom often meant subjugating Native Americans in the quest for land.
  • Frederick Douglass knew it: military service was the ticket to equality, even when the fight was uphill.

Who speaks in this episode?

What is discussed, and when

  1. – 5:00: Buffalo Soldier, Indian Wars, George Jordan
  2. – 10:00: United States Colored Troops
  3. – 15:00: Army Reorganization Act
  4. – 20:00: Emanuel Stance, Eugene Carr, Fort Leavenworth
  5. – 25:00: Indian Wars, Emanuel Stance
  6. – 30:00: Fort Davis, Fort Leavenworth
  7. – 35:00: Indian Wars
  8. – 38:37: Emanuel Stance, Eugene Carr

Notable quotes from "Buffalo Soldiers | The Brass Letters | American History Tellers | Podcast"

  • Show you how the events of the times affected them their families and affects you now on Christmas Day 1866 a 19-year-old former slave named George Jordan traveled to Nashville…
    about George Jordan · at
  • Americans the US government deemed a threat to white settlement for decades black soldiers helped the United States wage war against native tribes in a series of conflicts…
    about Buffalo Soldier · at
  • Proclamation thousands of black men rushed to join the union ranks in total roughly 180,000 black men served in segregated regiments known as the United States colored Troops…
    about United States Colored Troops · at
  • Prevailed and on July 28th 1866 Congress passed the Army reorganization act authorizing the creation of 30 new Army regiments this included six new segregated regiments of…
    about Army Reorganization Act · at
  • The ninth Cavalry one of those men was 19-year-old Emanuel stance who became one of the first to enroll in October 1866 although he was born into slavery he could read and…
    about Emanuel Stance · at
  • Fort lenworth Kansas the fort's openly races Commander Major General William Hoffman made it his mission to make the black solders experience as miserable as possible he denied…
    about Fort Leavenworth · at
  • In American history in July the ninth Cavalry finally arrived at Fort Davis a dilapidated Army Outpost named after Jefferson Davis who was Secretary of War when the fort was…
    about Fort Davis · at
  • Again in mid October when 500 Sue and Cheyenne Warriors attacked while the Buffalo Soldiers were escorting Major General Eugene Carr to his command on Beaver Creek Carpenters…
    about Eugene Carr · at

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

  • Benjamin H. Grierson — Person · Key military commander (10th U.S. Cavalry) · 2 mentions
    Central to the episode’s formation story of the 10th Cavalry: recommended by Grant, praised by Sherman, and depicted resisting discrimination while training Black troops.
  • Emanuel Stance — Person · Featured Buffalo Soldier (9th U.S. Cavalry) / Medal of Honor recipient · 3 mentions · first at
    Highlighted as an early 9th Cavalry recruit whose literacy aided promotion and who becomes the first Black post–Civil War Medal of Honor recipient, exemplifying opportunity and valor.
  • George Jordan — Person · Narrative protagonist / featured historical figure · 1 mention · first at
    Introduced as a 19-year-old former slave who enlists in 1866 and becomes a long-serving Buffalo Soldier, illustrating why Black military service appealed after the Civil War.
  • Eugene Carr — Person · Referenced military officer (skeptical of Black troops) · 2 mentions · first at
    Used as an example of officer resistance to commanding Black regiments; later appears as a senior officer escorted/rescued during Plains fighting, underscoring changing perceptions.
  • William T. Sherman — Person · Referenced military authority / evaluator · 2 mentions
    Cited praising Grierson’s 1863 raid as exceptionally brilliant, reinforcing Grierson’s credibility as commander of Black cavalry troops.

Concepts & topics

  • Buffalo Soldier — Concept · Core topic · 1 mention · first at
    Central theme of the episode, discussing the history and significance of the Buffalo Soldiers in the US military.
  • Indian Wars — Concept · Core topic · 3 mentions · first at
    Discusses the conflicts between the US military and Native American tribes, involving the Buffalo Soldiers.
    Americans the US government deemed a threat to white settlement for decades black soldiers helped the United States wage war against native tribes in a series of conflicts…
  • United States Colored Troops — Concept · Key argument · 3 mentions · first at
    Discusses the role of black soldiers in the Civil War and their transition to peacetime service.
  • Army Reorganization Act — Concept · Key argument · 1 mention · first at
    Legislation that established the permanent presence of black soldiers in the US Army.

Places & events

  • Fort Leavenworth — Place · Setting · 2 mentions · first at
    Key location where the 10th Cavalry faced discrimination and began their service.
  • Fort Davis — Place · Setting · 3 mentions · first at
    Important outpost where the 9th Cavalry was stationed and faced challenges.

Full transcript with timestamps

wondering imagine it's Dawn on Christmas Day 1866 in Williamson County Tennessee you ease the door of your cabin closed and gingerly step onto the frosty ground hoping you don't wake anyone inside Christmas is the one day a year that your mother sleeps in and the last thing you want is to have to explain yourself but as you reach the edge of the yard a noise stops you in your tracks you turn around to see your younger brother John rubbing his eyes as he emerges from the cabin where are you going none of your business go back to bed if you don't tell me I'm going to wake mom fine I'm going to Nashville to do what to enlist in the Army the Army in case you hadn't noticed the war is over I know the war is over but they're recruiting black men to go west and fight Indians I heard about it in town you in the Army you aren't even tall enough to look over a fence who in their right mind is going to let you have a

gun I promise I'm going to send money home the Army pays regular wages it'll be more than I'm making here that's for sure but what about ma what about me I can't stay here and be a sharecropper working for a man who thinks he still owns me dying in the field like our old man did he gave everything away and got nothing in return I want something more John glances at the bag slung around your shoulders and looks down at the ground and kicks the Frozen dirt lost in thought finally he meets your gaze and nods just don't get yourself killed ma would never let me hear the end of it you take care of each other while I'm gone I'll send money when I can you step forward to wrap your arms around him you can't let him know that you're just as scared as he is but you can't just waste away on this Plantation you have to be your own man even if it means risking your

life from wondery I'm Lindsey Graham and this is American history tellers our history your story on our show we'll take you to the events the times and the people that shaped America and Americans our values our struggles and our dreams we'll put you in the shoes of everyday people as his history was being made and we'll show you how the events of the times affected them their families and affects you now on Christmas Day 1866 a 19-year-old former slave named George Jordan traveled to Nashville to enlist in a new all black Army regiment it was the start of a 30-year career as a professional soldier in the Army Jordan learned to read and write Rose to the rank of Sergeant and eventually received the nation's highest military honor Jordan joined one of six new black regiments created by Congress in 1866 for the first time in American history black men had a permanent place in the US military most were stationed

in isolated posts on the frontier charged with making the West safer settlement in scorching deserts and Frozen Plains black soldiers built roads laid Telegraph lines mapped thousands of square miles and protected railroad Crews and settlers but opening the West meant fighting and displacing the Native Americans the US government deemed a threat to white settlement for decades black soldiers helped the United States wage war against native tribes in a series of conflicts known as the Indian Wars the Native Americans they fought dubbed them Buffalo Soldiers during a time of intense racial turmoil in the South Service in the Army provided black men with a steady income education and a chance to claim equal status as American CI citizens but while fighting Indians on the battlefield many Buffalo Soldiers also fought Prejudice within the Army their legacy of service is a reminder of the complicated relationship of black

soldiers to their government and to the native people they helped suppress this is episode one in our three-part series on the Buffalo Soldiers the brass letters on July 6th 1863 America's leading abolitionist Frederick Douglas stood before a packed audience in Philadelphia's National Hall and delivered a rousing call to Arms he declared once we let the black man get upon his person the brass letters us let him get an eagle on his button and a musket on his shoulder and bullets in his pocket there is no power on Earth which can deny that he has earned the right to citizenship by then America was more than 2 years into the Civil War President Abraham Lincoln had finally issued the Emancipation Proclamation freeing enslave people in the Confederate States and authorizing the enlistment of black men into the Union Army but the idea of arming black men was controversial in both the South and

the north black soldiers had fought in the Revolutionary War and the war of 182 but they had never served in the regular army and they were banned from State militias and even as Union Army losses mounted Lincoln and his advisers were reluctant to allow black men to take up arms but as the Civil War dragged on and the death toll climbed sentiment began to change over time President Lincoln's desire to end the conflict outweighed his fears of any public backlash so in the wake of the Emancipation Proclamation thousands of black men rushed to join the union ranks in total roughly 180,000 black men served in segregated regiments known as the United States colored Troops or usct they believed as Frederick Douglas did that Army service would help them lay claim to full citizenship once the war was won over the next 2 years usct soldiers fought bravely and some of the war's most brutal battles and 16 black

soldiers were awarded the Medal of Honor for their Valor in combat the nation's highest military recognition by the war's end in April 1865 40,000 black men had died to save the union and slavery and seek their own freedom and citizenship but there were early signs that the path to citizenship would not be straight forward in May 1865 nearly a quar of a million Union Soldiers paraded through Washington DC in a celebratory Grand Review the Victorious Union Army marched proudly from the capital to the White House past thousands of cheering flag waving Spectators and in the days that followed most of the soldiers would muster out of the army and return to civilian life but the troops who marched down Pennsylvania Avenue that day were nearly all white the black soldiers who helped carry the union to Victory were nowhere to be seen because most of them were still on active duty across the South they would soon find themselves

waging a new war imagine it's June 1865 in Baton Rouge Louisiana it's a hot humid evening and your uniform clings to your skin you're a sergeant in the United States colored Troops charged with keeping the peace in Baton Rouge in the aftermath of the war after a long day on patrol you and five soldiers in your unit walk into a small bar tucked away on a Dusty side street you blink your eyes adjusting to the dim light inside the other patrons stare at you as you and your fellow soldiers step up to the bar six beers please the bartender a white man in his 50s looks up from the glass he's cleaning he Narrows his eyes we don't serve your kind here you all better find somewhere else to go you take a deep breath willing yourself to keep you cool we just just want a drink to cool down that's all it's best you don't make any trouble he slams The Glass down on the bar and the room Falls silent I ain't

the one causing trouble you all are the ones plundering our homes and stirring up the fredman it ain't right bar erupts in Applause your men shift uneasily beside you and your muscles tense all we're doing is protecting those freedmen from anyone who wants to do them harm you think wearing that blue arm Army coat makes you a man you think it makes you better than me it makes me a soldier it makes me someone who fought for freedom for the union I think that at least gives me the right to a drink after a long day bartender's hands grip the edge of the bar his knuckles going white and his gaze full of Venom oh so you think you're some kind of hero then wait until I show you and your friends what you really are before you can react the bartender throws down his drag and storms around the bar coming straight for you you glance around the room all eyes are on you but no one moves to help you and

your fellow soldiers are on your own While most white soldiers mustered out of the army and made their way home the majority of usct soldiers remained on active duty some 120,000 of them were still stationed in the South even after the war ended many of them had enlisted in 1863 for three-year ter terms and their white officers deemed their terms incomplete but the Army also kept the black soldiers in service for practical reasons Army officials knew that most of the soldiers were former slaves who faced an uncertain future once they mustered out the New York Times explained they would be in great measure helpless and friendless Wanderers were they disbanded in mass as our white troops have been so for the time being tens of thousands of black soldiers remained on duty in the South they were tasked with maintaining order defending the Union victory and protecting the freedom of former slaves but many white

Southerners refused to accept the presence of thousands of armed black men in uniform white Southerners taunted and harassed the black soldiers they met in the street and they did everything they could to damage their reputations in Texas and Louisiana white civilians went so far as to Dawn blackface and disguise themselves as usct troops before committing crimes against other whites even in border states like Kentucky white legislators petitioned Federal officials to replace the black soldiers with white ones general-in-chief ulyses S Grant expressed his own concerns describing the need to avoid unnecessary irritation and the demoralization of Labor in those States He also feared for the safety of black soldiers if they continued serving in the South and as time went on clashes between white Southerners and black occupation troops only became increasingly common in May 1866 a group of solders ERS in Memphis

who had recently mustered out of the usct got into an argument with white police officers crowds gathered on the scene and the argument escalated into gunfire that ignited violence across the city after 3 days 46 black people and two white people had been killed and five black women had been raped dozens of black homes schools churches and businesses were burned the New York Times placed part of the blame on the behavior of the usct soldiers declaring since the muster out they have frequented whiskey shops and been guilty of excesses and disorderly conduct this tension and violence between black soldiers and white civilians made the long-term future of black men in the Army uncertain by the spring of 1866 A year had passed since the end of the Civil War and most usct regiments had been disbanded now the debate turned to the question of whether black men would have a permanent place in the regular

peacetime Army and resistance was fierce some democratic legislators used racist arguments to insist that black men were inherently unfit to serve other opponents pointed to recent evidence of animosity between white civilians and black soldiers arguing that enlisting black soldiers would be contrary to the goal of restoring peace and Harmony after the war Delaware Senator Willard Salsbury senior declared if you were to send negro regiments into the community in which I live to brandish their swords pistols and guns their very presence would be a stench in the nostrils of the people Republican senator Benjamin Wade responded to Salsbury declaring if it is necessary to station troops anywhere to keep the peace in this nation I do not care how obnoxious they are to those who undertake to stir up sedition most Republican politicians wholeheartedly supported black enlistment pointing to black soldiers strong record of service

in the Civil War and those lawmakers were well aware of the reliability of black soldiers during the war Senator Wade insisted that black soldiers would be less like L to Desert their posts and their white counterparts because of the lack of employment opportunities for black men outside the Army in the end the Republican majority in Congress prevailed and on July 28th 1866 Congress passed the Army reorganization act authorizing the creation of 30 new Army regiments this included six new segregated regiments of black troops two Cavalry regiments the 9th and 10th and four infantry regiments that within 3 years would be Consolidated into two 24th and the 25th for the rest of the century black soldiers would make up roughly 10% of the US Army the total size of which hovered around 25 to 30,000 troops down from 1 million at the end of the Civil War but legislators knew that many black soldiers would be

illiterate former slaves so a key provision of the new law mandated that a chaplain be assigned to each regiment tasked with educating the soldiers in Reading Writing and math so that they could handle paperwork and read and write messages and it was widely understood that the new regiments would be led by white commissioned officers following the precedent set by the usct regiments during the Civil War many white Americans opposed the idea of black men serving as commissioned officers especially if they would have authority over white soldiers but despite the new Law's limitations it was a turning point in the history of the US Army and soon white officers would turn to the task of recruiting black soldiers for their regiments thousands of black men would heed The Call to Arms see seeking a new Pathway to equality and full American

citizenship in the summer of 1866 army recruiters swept through American cities with the goal of filling the ranks of six newly created all black regiments the four infantry regiments organized quickly by drawing from the large pool of Civil War veterans however finding recruits for the new Cavalry regiments would prove more difficult because very few black men had served in the Cavalry during the Civil War the Army also needed to be able to find officers to command these new regiments and for the Cavalry General ulyses S Grant had two veteran officers in mind he recommended that Colonel Edward hatch lead the ninth us Cavalry and that Colonel Benjamin H greerson command the 10th hatch was a blonde blue-eyed native of Maine who served as a colonel of the second Iowa Cavalry he survived a bullet wound in his lung in battle in Moscow Tennessee and later he was lauded for his bravery and aggression spearheading the Cavalry

Advance at the Battle of Nashville off the battlefield his personable nature earned him the trust and admiration of his troops but Benjamin greerson was an unlikely Cavalry commander when he was 8 years old a horse kicked him in the face leaving him with a large scar across his cheek and a strong dislike of horses when the Civil War began he left his job as a Small Town music teacher in Illinois and sought a commission as an infantry officer instead he was appointed as a major in the Cavalry despite his initial disappointment though greerson threw himself into the challenge he poured over books on Battle Tactics to make up for his lack of military education and he soon turned his recruits into First Rate cavalrymen in the spring of 1863 he led a daring 600m raid through the heart of Mississippi to divert conf detention from Grant's attack on Vicksburg General William Tuma Sherman praised The Raid as

the most brilliant expedition of the war afterwards greerson was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General and his portrait was published on the cover of Harper's Weekly during the war he also developed a respect for the combat capabilities of black men following the siege of Port Hudson Louisiana in the summer of 1863 greerson wrote to his wife Alice declaring that the good fighting qualities of negroes had been settled on a doubt his high regard for black Soldiers made him the ideal man to lead the 10th Cavalry after accepting his appointment greerson established headquarters at Fort lenworth Kansas while hatch went to work in Greenville Louisiana next both men turned their attention to the problem of filling the officer ranks of their regiments but they soon discovered that there were few experienced officers who were willing to command black troops brevit Major General Eugene Carr declined to

commission insisting that black men could could not make good soldiers and accepted a lower rank so he could serve with a white regiment and the young Rising Star George kuster who went on to lead troops against Native Americans in the controversial Battle of Little Big Horn refused hatch's offer to serve as a second in command instead he took the same position with the all- white seventh Cavalry and recruitment was not just difficult for officers even in New Orleans Louisiana where large numbers of black Civil War veterans lived recruiters for the ninth Cavalry faced an up battle in the fall of 1866 the previous summer a white mob attacked dozens of black protesters peacefully Marching for voting rights at least 50 black residents were killed many of them were veterans only months later the city was still reeling from the violence and white hostility to black men in uniform persisted but

despite white resistance recruiters managed to enlist roughly 800 men into the ninth Cavalry one of those men was 19-year-old Emanuel stance who became one of the first to enroll in October 1866 although he was born into slavery he could read and write which made him an attractive recruit despite his 5- foot stature his literacy also helped him quickly rise through the ranks of non-commissioned officers and within a few months he would be appointed Sergeant Army service was an appealing Prospect for menlike stance in the aftermath of the war black Southerners faced violence discrimination and high unemployment the military offered food shelter and steady pay $13 a month was a meager wage but it was the same offered to white soldiers and more than they could expect to earn as civilians Army service also offered black men an opportunity to prove their manhood in a society that had largely devalued their

worth but despite the promises of military life the ninth cavalry's early experiences were anything but ideal in Orleans the new recruits were crammed into a poorly ventilated former cotton packing plant even as a Cera epidemic r through the city nearly 40 recruits died that fall While others simply gave up and fled meanwhile in Kansas Benjamin greerson faced his own challenges organizing the 10th Cavalry and training his new recruits though many enlistees join the military to escaped discrimination in civilian life they would soon find that prejudice had followed them into the army ranks imagine it's a Sunday morning in June 1867 at Fort Le Kansas you're an army colonel and commander of the 10th us Cavalry Regiment as is custom all units in the Garrison are parading today Summer Sun beats down on you as you lead your recruits in formation on the fort's dusty parade ground attention your men snap to attention

their Newfound precision and discipline fills you with pride but just as you're about to order them to march Major General William Hoffman enters your peripheral vision he stries toward you a familiar Scout etched on his face get those people off the ground your regiment will remain at rest today you meet his gaze willing yourself to maintain your composure as you face another argument with the commander of the fort sir these men will parade just like everyone else they are no different than any other unit they will be treated as equals they are not equals you'll do well to remember that a hot surge of frustration rises in your chest you've had enough first you quarter my men in the most flood prone area of the fort do you know how many of them have fallen ill with pneumonia and now this I will not accept any more indignities I'm drawing the line hofman takes a step towards you his face taught with anger

you dare contradict a direct order from your Superior officer General these men have trained hard they've earn the right to parade here just like any other unit in this fort you can call it insubordination if you like but I won't dishonor these men by sending them away for your comfort I ought to have court Marshal charges drawn up against you go right ahead and try without waiting for a response you turn on your heel to face your regiment forward March you watch your men march with Fierce satisfaction you're more determined than ever to get your unit away from Fort lenworth and away from Hoffman's bigotry you need to get them into the field as soon as possible to somewhere they can serve with the dignity befitting soldiers of the United States Army when the 10th Cavalry organized at Fort lenworth Kansas the fort's openly races Commander Major General William Hoffman made it his mission to make the

black solders experience as miserable as possible he denied the black recruits adequate equipment leveled Petty charges against them and order them to stay 10 to 15 yards from White troops at all times you also quartered them in low ground susceptible to flooding before long several recruits were hospitalized with pneumonia greerson did what he could to fight back against such blatant discrimination instructing his company commanders to avoid using the term colored in reports and emphasizing that they were simply the 10th Cavalry Regiment he also protested to his Department headquarters demanding fair and equal treatment for his men he affirmed colored Troops will hold their place in the army of the United States as long the government lasts but greerson was still desperate to escape Fort lenworth and requested a transfer for his regiment in the meantime he busied his soldiers with rigorous

training in horseback riding marching and Marksmanship then in the spring and summer of 1867 the ninth and 10th cavalries would head West to serve in the Great Plains and in the mountains and deserts of New Mexico and Arizona the soldiers would be tasked with supporting Westward Expansion by building roads and Telegraph lines protecting settlers and railroad construction Crews and escorting US mail carriers but above all else they would be charged with subduing the American Indians who stood in the way of this Westward Expansion for centuries Indians of the Great Plains were free and independent they roamed the Prairies hunting Buffalo for meat and hide but by the middle of the 19th century white settlers had threatened their way of life by introducing diseases devastating foraging grounds contaminating water sources and running off Buffalo nevertheless tens of thousands of Indians insisted on remaining free

rather than agreeing to live on reservations at the mercy of white men for their resistance to white settlement the US government considered them hostile but conflict with Indian tribes was not the only reason for sending black soldiers West the politics of reconstruction also came into play army officials hoped that by keeping black soldiers away from the south they could reduce tensions so in March 186 7 Emanuel stance and the other soldiers of the ninth Cavalry left Louisiana for Fort Davis in West Texas but during their travels the soldiers quickly discovered they would be fighting a war on two fronts one against the Indians and one with their own Army the soldiers were accompanied by Lieutenant Edward hail a white company commander who quickly gained a reputation as a sadistic bigot in April the regiment arrived at San Pedro Springs outside San Antonio while there hail ordered several

black soldiers to be hung by their wrists from tree limbs for responding too slowly to his orders when the Black Sergeant Harrison Bradford protested an argument escalated into gunfire that killed Bradford and a lieutenant as a result of this incident several black soldiers were Court marshaled while hail got off with only a reprimand so before they even arrived at their final post ninth Cavalry was stained by accusations of mutiny and soon they would face the challenge of guarding hundreds of miles of one of the most turbulent Frontiers in American history in July the ninth Cavalry finally arrived at Fort Davis a dilapidated Army Outpost named after Jefferson Davis who was Secretary of War when the fort was constructed it was nestled in a Mile High Desert Canyon in West Texas near the Mexican border roughly 200 mil southeast of El Paso but there at Fort Davis their main duty was to defend 600 miles of the Meandering

Rio Grand Frontier and a vast region in West Texas water was often scarce and temperatures ranged from over 100° in summer to below freezing in Winter displac kowa kamanchi and Apache Indians who had refused to settle on reservations roam the area indian warriors Mexican Bandits and white cattle thieves found a Haven in the thick brush along the Rio Grand and they had brought the area to a state of near Anarchy the ninth cavalrymen would quickly discover that keeping at peace was nearly impossible and conditions were no less difficult for the soldiers of the 10th Cavalry stationed nearly 900 Mi to the north they would soon find themselves plunged into the thick of a raging struggle for control of the Southern planes one small unit would enter The Fray in a surprise attack and threaten to turn into a

massacre in the summer of 1867 Colonel Benjamin greerson and the men of the 10th Cavalry left the misery of Fort lenworth behind after receiving transfer orders they traveled more than 100 miles west to their new headquarters of Fort Riley Kansas from there three companies were stationed to the south in what was then Indian Territory in present day Oklahoma the rest were posted along the Kansas Pacific Railroad then under construction in Central Kansas but soon the rookie soldiers would face their first test from Southern Plains Indians determined to make a stand since the 1840s the Sue Cheyenne and arapo had faced increasing pressure from White Settlement these settlers had brought livestock to the region that spread disease among the free roaming Buffalo and depleted their forage the armies 1864 Massacre of hundreds of unarmed Cheyenne near Sand Creek Colorado had also ignited armed conflict across the

Southern Plains and construction of the Transcontinental Railroad deepened native resentment and in April 1866 7 an army campaign to subdue hostile tribes only worsened the situation sparking a full-scale war throughout much of the region a black infantry Commander wrote to the Army and Navy Journal that summer declaring this is the beginning of the great and last Indian struggle for his existence so in early August 1867 the soldiers of the 10th Cavalry were ordered to find a group of shyan Warriors who had attacked a railroad construction crew 30 soldiers tracked them down at the saine riv rer in Central Kansas where they suddenly found themselves surrounded by 400 Warriors the outnumbered soldiers who had not yet experienced major combat dismounted and maneuvered themselves into a hollow square around their horses maintaining this position they began marching back to their Fort while fending off attacks

from all sides after 6 hours of battle the Cheyenne finally retreated and the 10th had suffered their first combat death Sergeant William Christie but the rest survived their white Captain declared it is the greatest Wonder in the world that my command escaped being massacred he applauded his soldiers Devotion to duty and coolness Under Fire by the end of the summer of 1867 the 10th Cavalry had shed their rookie status and soon Plains Indians began referring to them as Buffalo Soldiers while the origin of this nickname is disputed many believe the Cheyenne were the first to use it likening black solders to bison either due to their curly hair or because of their ferocity in battle the cavalrymen did not initially adopt the name but they would later come to embrace it including the image of a buffalo on their regimental Crest as a symbol of Pride the name Buffalo Soldiers eventually became

synonymous with all the black regiments formed in 1866 but wherever the term came from after a summer of violence the Buffalo Soldiers were relieved that the fall of 1867 brought a fragile pece to the Southern Plains in October the US government signed the medicine en lodged treaty with the Southern Plains tribes the kamanche and Kwa tribes were allotted a 3 million acre reservation in Indian Territory in exchange for agreeing to settle on this reservation the US government promised to provide the tribes with food supplies and protection but in the end Congress failed to release the funds needed to live up to the treaty's promises and by the next summer of 1868 there was renewed violence in the plains prompting one of the most harrowing episodes of the Indian Wars imagine it's the morning of September 25th 1868 for 8 days you and dozens of other Scouts under the command of major George foresight have been trapped on a sand

bar in Colorado's aicer River following an attack by hundreds of Cheyenne Warriors lie in the sand trying to ignore the throbbing pain in your broken leg it's swollen now and twisted awkwardly beneath you your friend Thomas crouches beside you is living lips are cracked and his face is sunken and covered in Grime he holds out a chunk of shriveled horse meat here have some of this your stomach churns and you shake your head that horse meat makes me sick it was bad enough before it went rancid come on you need to keep your strength up just one bite fine you nibble on the meat it's taste bitter and metallic but you force yourself to chew it's throat is dry it takes everything in you to swallow it down I can't take this anymore if there any bullets left you may as well shoot me dead don't talk like that we're going to be rescued Jack and Pierre ran for help a week ago and still haven't returned they're probably dead just like

you and I will be soon if we're lucky you can't lose hope we just need to hold on a a little longer look over to the ditch where your commanding officer major foresy lies dying someone should put foresy out of his misery he's a fighter just like the rest of us we've all survived this long it's got to be a reason we can't give in now suddenly you hear galloping horses and your heart starts to race that must be the Cheyenne coming to finish this off Thomas looks past you and a grin spreads over his face you follow his gaze where a group of black cavalrymen are Galloping down the hillside is that what I think it is our rescue Party Shock and relief wash over you as the soldiers approach the river you never expected to be overjoyed by the sight of black men in uniform but one day longer and you may not have survived on the morning of September 17th 18 1968 a large group of Cheyenne Warriors attacked 48 white civilian

Scouts under the command of major George foresight taking cover on a small Brushy Sandbar in the erery river in eastern Colorado the scouts fended off repeated charges until the Warriors finally departed that night six men were killed and 15 wounded and the remainder were stuck on the island without rations or medical supplies in the middle of hostile territory but two Scouts managed to slip away that night for nearly 5 days days they wandered some 85 miles before encountering two black soldiers riding out from Fort Wallace in Kansas the black Troopers raced to alert their Superior officer Captain Lewis H Carpenter who quickly set out on a rescue mission with a company of 10th cavalrymen 3 days later the soldiers discovered a gruesome scene when they approached the island in the erery river the stench of death lingered in the air 50 dead horses formed a ring around the survivors who had been without food or

water surviving on decaying horse meat for more than eight days their wounds were infested with maggots and major George foresight was badly wounded lying in a hole in the sand much to the relief of the surviving men the 10th Cavalry troops had brought a wagon of food and supplies they pitched tents separated the Dead from the wounded and fed the survivors foresight and his men knew that without the 10th cavalry's rescue efforts they would have perished black soldier Ruben Waller reflected that in the aftermath of the rescue the white Scouts sure treated us black soldiers right for what we had done for them and it wouldn't be their last active heroism the 10th Cavalry came to the rescue again in mid October when 500 Sue and Cheyenne Warriors attacked while the Buffalo Soldiers were escorting Major General Eugene Carr to his command on Beaver Creek Carpenters men quickly formed a defensive position and repelled

the attackers with no losses on their side in both incidents that fall the 10th Cavalry had come to the rescue of white officers who had previously doubted their abilities General Philip Sheridan personally commended the black soldiers and recommended Carpenter for a medal of honor but white officers were not the only ones to receive the Medal of Honor for their bravery on the frontier in Texas the n9th cavalry's Emanuel stance logged more than 630 mil of hard riding scouting and escorting in 1869 at the end of that year he and other members of the ninth cavalry's F Troop were moved to Fort mcav it nearly 300 Mi further west and on May 20th 1870 the officer in charge of F Troop learned that aache Indians had abducted two white children 4 days earlier about 40 Mi East he sent stance with a 10-man Detachment to kapoo Springs to search for the children and apprehend the kidnappers on the way stance and his men

encountered a band of Indians threatening a wagon train he described what happened next I immediately attacked by charging them they tried hard to make a stand but I set the Spencer rifles to talking and whistling about their ears so Lively that they broke in confusion and fled to the hills although stance failed to recapture the abducted children he had bravely defended the Wagon train and recovered several stolen horses as a result Stan's Commander recommended him for a Congressional Medal of Honor the nation's highest recognition on July 24th 1870 the medal was presented in front of the entire Garrison at Fort mccavit stance later reflected on his pride that day declaring that he would cherish the gift as a thing of Priceless value and Endeavor by my future conduct to Merit the high honor conferred upon me he was the first black soldier to receive a medal of honor in the post Civil War period by 1870 Buffalo

Soldiers had proved their medal in the most challenging of circumstances but resistance remained to black men leading within the commissioned officers ranks and soon the nation's Premier officer training school would become a new front in the Buffalo Soldiers long battle for equality and justice from Wonder e this is episode one of our three-part series Buffalo Soldiers from American history tellers in the next episode James Webster Smith becomes the first black Cadet in the 70-year history of the US Military Academy at West Point and in the desolate staked Plains of West Texas a routine scouting Mission turns deadly American history tellers is hosted edited and produced by Me Lindsey granford Airship audio editing by Christian paraga sound design by Molly Bach music by Lindsey Graham voice acting by Ace Anderson this episode is written by Ellie Stanton edited by Dorian Marina produced by Alita rosanski

managing producer Desi block senior managing producer Callum flues senior producer Andy Herman and executive producers are Jenny low Beckman Marsh Louie and Aon oity for Wy

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "Buffalo Soldiers | The Brass Letters | American History Tellers | Podcast"?

Lindsey Graham (Host), Frederick Douglass (Guest), Emanuel Stance (Guest), Colonel Benjamin Greerson (Guest), Major General William Hoffman (Guest).

What is "Buffalo Soldiers | The Brass Letters | American History Tellers | Podcast" about?

The narrative depicts a moment in post-Civil War America, focusing on a young Black man from Tennessee who is determined to enlist in the Army as a Buffalo Soldier, seeking a way to escape the life of sharecropping and forge a better future. The story highlights the tension between family loyalty and personal ambition, as he contemplates the risks and rewards of his decision to fight against…

What is mentioned in this American History Tellers episode?

11 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Buffalo Soldier, Indian Wars, Benjamin H. Grierson, United States Colored Troops, Emanuel Stance, George Jordan. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "Buffalo Soldiers | The Brass Letters | American History Tellers | Podcast"?

The episode runs 39 min; the transcript is about 6,270 words in 40 timestamped sections.

More from American History Tellers

About this transcript: the episode's spoken words as captioned on YouTube, split into timestamped sections. Reclip.Me locates every person, work and idea in the text, keeps the time it is first named, and quotes the words around it verbatim. Last updated January 24, 2026.