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A Re-Telling by Fostina Paolino
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Black
men joined the Army of the North during the Civil War. They fought
hard to help end slavery. They fought with the Army of the North
against the Army of the South. Many black soldiers lost their lives
during the war.
After the war, two Army leaders men were given a task. They invited black men to join two cavalry units. These groups were called the Ninth and Tenth Cavalry. Each cavalry had 1,000 black men. These men were farmers, cooks, and bakers. They came from many places to be in the Army. Army officers are in the men in charge. They tell other soldiers what to do. Many black soldiers became officers during the war. But black men were not allowed to command other men. Many white soldiers were prejudiced. They did not like black soldiers just because they were black. Some white men did not want to work with the black soldiers. They did not want to be friends with them. Many white soldiers believed black soldiers were dumb and cowardly. |
The Ninth and Tenth Cavalry went to dangerous places. They protected the Western frontier. In the West, there were many Native American tribes. This was the first time Indians had seen black soldiers. They were very curious. They wanted to know about the black soldiers' hair.
The natives saw black men had hair like buffalo. The hair on the buffalo is shaggy and dark. The hair on the black men was shaggy and dark. The buffalo is sacred to the Indians. The Indians named the black men Buffalo Soldiers. The black soldiers were proud of this name.
The Buffalo Soldiers did jobs no one else
would do. They delivered all the mail. They protected the railroads.
They led survey parties through Indian lands. They fought many hard
battles. They fought against outlaws and Indian warriors. The
Buffalo Soldiers had orders to keep peace. Their job was to keep
the white men and the red men from fighting. The Buffalo Soldiers brought
law and order to the West. They made the Western frontier safe for
all.
| The Buffalo Soldiers worked hard. But they were not treated well. The Army paid them $13 dollars a month to fight. The black soldiers were given old equipment. They were given old, sick horses. They fought every battle using old, broken weapons. Many Buffalo Soldiers had to walk to battle. There were not enough horses to ride. These men lived in wet, dirty tents and shacks. Many of the men got sick. Their beds were sacks filled with moldy straw. There were lice and other bugs in their beds. But even in bad conditions, the Buffalo Soldiers still fought for peace in the West. | 
Buffalo Soldiers Wagon
Outside of the
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