America's First All-Black Military Unit | Black American Heroes

know black people have fought for this country before it was a country African-Americans have been participants willing and unwilling in this country's military from the American Revolution up to the American Civil War and the story was always the same Brave Valiant Warriors who never got the credit they deserved and faced extreme racism their service and their sacrifice was recognized by Congress after the Civil War they passed legislation to allow black soldiers to serve in the regular army this was more than a milestone it was the beginning of a long hard climb up the ranks from emancipated enslaved person to enlisted man to non-commissioned officer to West Point Cadet to Captain to General fight for progress with the Buffalo Soldiers leading the charge picture for a moment the United States in 1866 as seen through the young eyes of 19 year old George Jordan of Tennessee a young man who has lived through the evils of slavery the Carnage of Civil War and the joy of emancipation now in the unsteady early days of reconstruction the country is offering you something that once seemed unimaginable the Army offered steady paycheck opportunity to develop yourself and learn a skill than if you had never been very far from home which was not uncommon in the 19th century certainly the Army offered a good opportunity to travel that opportunity is created when Congress passes the Army reorganization Act of 1866. it would lead to the creation of four permanent standing regiments of black soldiers the 24th and 25th Infantry and the 9th and 10th Cavalry but I don't think anybody would have thought that they were going to integrate white soldiers and black soldiers in the same units that was not going to happen George Jordan is among the first to enlist he winds up in the ninth cavalry the Army treats him much the same as it does the white troops the soldiers all get the same pay they get the same medical treatment they get the same retirement everything well not quite everything the new regiments have to be commanded by white officers simply because there are no black ones and that's a challenge because even in the North many whites adhere to the racist belief that black men lack the intelligence discipline and courage to make good soldiers and military leaders even though the union had won the war racism was still alive this 1871 advertisement in the Army and Navy Journal kind of says it all it reads a first lieutenant of infantry stationed at a very desirable Post in the department of the South desires to transfer with an officer of the same grade on equal terms if in a white regiment but if in a colored regiment a reasonable bonus would be expected fortunately some officers are more enlightened men like Colonel Benjamin grierson who takes command of one of the New Black regiments the 10th Cavalry grierson I think saw soldiers not as black soldiers who I have to deal with or black soldiers who I've been forced to work with but he saw them as soldiers first in the aftermath of the Civil War America begins expanding Westward and one of the first missions for the Buffalo Soldiers is helping that expansion George Jordan is deployed to the unsettled Western frontier where the landscape is as foreign to him as the surface of the Moon would be to us in terms of just life in the Arid Southwestern deserts you know just the extremes of the climate made for a very unpleasant experience these places are very isolated and separated from large populations and so this is not an easy life and yet despite these unforgiving conditions George Jordan never quits the black regimens had traditionally higher spree lower desertion rates higher reenlistment rates only because there were so few other options for them and so if they deserted where they're going to Desert to at least if you're in the Army you have food you have shelter you have pay George's mission is what we'd call today nation building much of army life for African-American soldiers preparing posts digging trenches just the hard physical labor but the black regiments were also involved in what came to be known as the Indian Wars bloody campaigned to relocate and suppress Native Americans in favor of Westward Expansion for settlers what does it mean for black patriotism for Buffalo soldiers who are certainly Brave actively engaged and trying to demonstrate their citizenship but at the same time engaging in horrendous acts against indigenous people it's a difficult thing to swallow Buffalo Soldiers will just Protectors of the American West if you were traveling from San Antonio to El Paso Texas during the you know 1870s 1880s and and you were pinned down who would most likely come to your rescue somebody in blue and at that time the men in blue were black we have few first-hand accounts from the first generation of black soldiers only because many of them had never been educated under slavery but that changes thanks in part to the black chaplains in the regiments many black soldiers learn to read and write and that enables them to become Sergeants look at this photo in the middle with sergeant stripes on a sleeve none other than George Jordan these soldiers were rising in the rank they had Authority and they were showing their ability as men Sergeant Jordan demonstrates that ability during a skirmish near Fort Tularosa New Mexico Detachment is surrounded by 100 Apache Warriors Sergeant George Jordan was defending a small settlement with 25 Troopers and they put up a very Stout resistance and he was awarded the Medal of Honor for that Jordan and 18 other black soldiers were awarded the Medal of Honor in the Indian Wars one of those soldiers Sergeant Ed Davis will show his bravery protecting a railroad camp that comes under attack from the Cheyenne in WaKeeney Kansas Sergeant Davis with his company is able to get into a elevated position and actually kill about 13 Cheyenne Warriors so what Sergeant Davis does is very admirably heroic because of the fact that he is greatly outnumbered and he doesn't lose any men soon the black regiments earned the nickname that will outlive them all fellow soldiers

Channel: HISTORY

Views: 124,690

Keywords: history, history channel, history shows, history channel shows, the history channel, documentary history channel, history documentary, documentary, history channel full episodes, documentaries, history channel documentaries, Patriots, History, History Channel, US History, United States, US, Black History Month, heroes, black patriots, black history month, black history, one-hour documentary, historian, social justice advocate, black patriots promo, Black Patriots: Buffalo Soldiers

Id: BOXCd7Lt0IY

Length: 8min 9sec (489 seconds)

Published: Thu Feb 02 2023