Friends of the Allen Public Library

Buffalo Soldiers at Library

by Tom Keener

The Dallas County Buffalo Soldiers ride into the Allen Public Library at 7 p.m. Thursday, February 24.

U.S. Army units composed of African-American soldiers, the Buffalo Soldiers fought with bravery and valor.  From 1866 to the Korean War, Buffalo Soldiers won a number of grueling but decisive battles.   Sergeant Major Paul Allen will discuss the history of the Buffalo Soldiers and will lead in drill reenactments.

The son of the late Henry and Mythetta “Ruth” Sweat Allen, Allen native Sgt Maj. Allen attended the Allen Colored School.  During the summers, he worked for farm foreman Herbert Jones hauling hay, chopping and picking cotton, and pulling corn on properties that were farmed by the Curtises, Malones, Lynges, and Bolins.  After retiring from the military, he served in the Dallas Police Department.

Sgt. Maj. Allen declares, “The Buffalo Soldiers present black people who fought for their county, then returned to private life to endure unequal justice.  They exhibited resilience and character and demonstrated enthusiasm, patriotism and love for their country.”

Established by Congress as the first peacetime all-black regiments in the regular U.S. Army, Buffalo Soldiers were members of the 9^th and 10^th Calvary regiments, 24^th and 25^th Infantry Regiments of the United States Army.  Officially named the “Negro Calvary,” the term Buffalo Soldier was given by the Native-American tribes they fought. From 1866 to the early 1890s, these regiments served at a variety of posts in the Great Plains and American Southwest where they faced treacherous conditions that included escorting U.S. Mail in dangerous areas.  Their heroic efforts garnered them a distinguished reputation.

After the conclusion of the Native-American disputes, these regiments continued to serve in the Spanish-American War, including the Battle of San Juan Hill in Cuba, where they assisted in forcing the surrender of the Mexican and German forces along Arizona’s southern border. If the U.S. Army had lost this battle, an invasion of the American Southwest could have ensured.