USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -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: -American Plains Indians who fought against these soldiers referred to the black cavalry troops as “buffalo soldiers” because of their dark, curly hair, which resembled a buffalo’s coat and because of their fierce nature of fighting. The nickname soon became synonymous with all African-American regiments formed in 1866.

Detailed explanation-3: -The Buffalo Soldiers’ main duty was to support the nation’s westward expansion by protecting settlers, building roads and other infrastructure, and guarding the U.S. mail.

Detailed explanation-4: -It was a fight for freedom on both sides. The African American soldiers known as the “Buffalo Soldiers” were fighting to obtain a freedom they had never known, while the Apaches were fighting to hold on to a freedom they had always had.

Detailed explanation-5: -What was the focus of the Buffalo Soldiers’ service in the West? They guarded settlers, cattle herds, and railroad crews. Below, they guard a stagecoach in Kansas in 1869. They conducted campaigns against American Indian tribes on the western frontier.