Black Participation in the Civil War

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Congress in 1866 authorized four regiments of Black soldiers - two of cavalry (9th and 10th Calvary) and two of infantry (24th and 25th Infantry). These soldiers were used mostly to �ght Native Americans in the West. These men represented the �rst Black professional soldiers in a peacetime army in the United States. They came from all walks of life; some were former slaves, some free men, and some veterans of the Civil War.

The men of the 10th Calvary were the �rst to be called Buffalo Soldiers by the Native Americans. Eventually, the term was used to refer to all Black soldiers. There are a couple different explanations where that nickname came from. One explanation is that the Native Americans used this as reference to the dark

curly hair of the African descendants which resembled the coat of buffalos. Another theory is that it was used as a term of honor. The buffalo being such an integral part of Native American culture, it was used to denote the bravery of the Black Soldiers. Which explanation is accurate? The Buffalo Soldiers National Museum asserts it was given out of respect for the �ghting abilities of the 10th Calvary. The origin of the nickname, according to the museum, is Cheyenne and more accurately translates to Wild Buffalo. The nickname was given out of respect and the �erce �ghting ability of the 10th cavalry.

During the late 1800s, three Blacks graduated from West Point Academy which marked a great honor since generally speaking Blacks were barred from military academies. Henry O. Flipper, John H. Alexander, and Charles Young, who later was a military instructor at Wilberforce University (about 20 miles southeast of Sinclair s Dayton campus) were these honored graduates.

Black leadership took opposing positions on Black involvement in wars of the late 1800s. African Methodist Episcopal Church Bishop Henry McNeal Turner, along with others, opposed the wars of the late 19th century as imperialist ventures by the United States. The dominant war, the Spanish-American War, presented a quandary for some leaders. The Spanish were viewed as people of color, so there was a perceived alliance between African- Americans and the Spanish.

Charles Baylor wrote in the Richmond Planet: "the American Negro cannot become the ally of imperialism without enslaving his own race." The editors of the Des Moines Iowa State Bystander objected because they could see little difference between Spanish and American barbarism. They wrote:

"The American White man's rule in dealing with the American Negro. . . in times of peace and prosperity relegates him to the rear, deprives him of his rights as an American citizen, cuts off his opportunities of existence . . . and now they. . . have the audacity to talk about the cruelty of the Spanish toward the Cubans."

Booker T. Washington, on the other hand, advocated for Black participation. He actually spoke for most Blacks when he said, "the Negro . . . will be no less patriotic this time than in former periods." During the War, Blacks who were referred to as Smoked Yankees by the Spaniards. Blacks hoped that their service in the Spanish-American War would improve the general standing of Blacks in American society. Those hopes were quickly shattered.