The Buffalo Soldier Monument Fort Leavenworth, KS
Posted by: 
Woobie491
N 39° 20.759 W 094° 55.153
15S E 334618 N 4356927
A 13-foot bronze monument of a Buffalo Soldier on his horse.
Waymark Code: WME6HP
Location: Kansas, United States
Date Posted: 04/09/2012
Views: 7
The following is borrowed from Kansas Sampler Foundation.
The Buffalo Soldier Monument, located at Grant and Stimson avenues, stands as a tribute to the Buffalo Soldiers. A 13-foot bronze monument of a Buffalo Soldier astride his horse and a smaller bust nearby was dedicated in 1992 by Gen. Colin L. Powell, then-chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who was the first African-American to serve in that capacity. Eddie Dixon was the sculptor.
Buffalo Soldiers were members of an all-black regiment in the U.S. Army. The 10th Cavalry was formed on September 21, 1866 at Fort Leavenworth and was the regiment that the Indians first called "buffalo soldiers."
The United States Congress authorized the formation of several African American regular Army regiments in 1866. The first one, the 9th Cavalry, was constituted July 28, 1866 in Louisiana. A short time later, the 10th Cavalry was formed at Fort Leavenworth September 21, 1866.
The 10th Cavalry Regiment was under the command of Brevet Major General Benjamin H. Grierson, famous for his Civil War cavalry exploits. The 10th, along with the 9th Cavalry, 24th Infantry and 25th Infantry, formed the first all-black regular regiments in the United States Army. The name eventually spread to signify all four of the African-American regiments in frontier service.
Almost immediately the 10th was engaged in campaigning in western Kansas and participated in conflicts with the Cheyenne in the vicinity of Fort Hays.
The troopers quickly earned a reputation for their orderly conduct, fighting ability and determination to follow orders. Their courage under fire was commonly noted and their desertion rate was among the lowest in the Army.
The black soldiers gained respect amongst their opponents who labeled them as "Buffalo Soldiers." Taking pride in their new name the 10th Cavalry adopted the buffalo on their regimental crest, as did the 92nd Infantry Division.
The Buffalo Solders left Fort Leavenworth to win repeated honors on the Great Plains and in the West.
A little known fact about the 10th Cavalry is they fought alongside Theodore Roosevelt and the Rough Riders in Cuba earning praise for their audacity during the battle for Santiago.
The regiment served in a series of posts in the United States and in the Philippines following the war with Spain.
On July 1, 1909, the Army formed the Command and General Staff School Support Detachment, Colored, which became the 10th Cavalry (minus the 2nd Squadron and the Machine Gun section) Oct. 12, 1931. From 1931 to 1940, the 1st Squadron of the 10th Cavalry served at Fort Leavenworth. The major function they performed in the peacetime years of the first half of the twentieth century was as essential support troops for the Command and General Staff College.
The 10th Cavalry joined Gen. John J. Pershing's punitive expedition into Mexico in 1916. From then until 1931 the 10th patrolled the border with Mexico. In 1931, the mission changed and the squadrons took on training support at Fort Leavenworth, Kan.; Fort Myer, Va.; and at the United States Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. With the onset of World War II, the 10th was brought together again at Camp Funston (Fort Riley), Kansas.
Fort Leavenworth takes great pride being the home of the Buffalo Soldiers.
Website pertaining to the memorial: [Web Link]
List if there are any visiting hours:
TBD
Entrance fees (if it applies): None
Type of memorial: Statue
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