USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Who Were the Buffalo Soldiers? No one knows for certain why, but the soldiers of the all-Black 9th and 10th Cavalry Regiments were dubbed “buffalo soldiers” by the Native Americans they encountered. One theory claims the nickname arose because the soldiers’ dark, curly hair resembled the fur of a buffalo.

Detailed explanation-2: -The U.S. volunteers were special regiments raised for the Spanish-American War. The most famous of these is the First Volunteer Cavalry, the official name of the Rough Riders. There were three volunteer cavalry units, three volunteer engineers, ten volunteer infantry regiments, and a volunteer signal corps.

Detailed explanation-3: -Yet, when the Spanish American War broke out in 1898, African Americans joined the fight. They included Regular Army troops and several African American volunteer and National Guard units, such as the 9th Volunteer Infantry, 8th Illinois and 23rd Kansas.

Detailed explanation-4: -Established in 1866, these units had previously served on the United States’ western frontier, where they came to be known as the “Buffalo Soldiers.” (According to many accounts, this nickname was given to them by the Native Americans they encountered and fought in the West.)

Detailed explanation-5: -According to popular lore, Native Americans coined the term “Buffalo Soldiers” either because the soldiers’ dark curly hair resembled a buffalo mane or because the soldiers fought like the fierce Great Plains buffalo.