November 29, 2023 Fort Huachuca, Arizona Part 2 of 2

The main museum is across the street from the annex and right next to the historic parade grounds.

This was also a static museum with a lot of information.

It started with the history of the area.

I have researched the location of the kill sites and that is for another day.

If you have been following us since Texas, note the similarities:

It was not only SE Arizona that was abandoned, it was most of the southwestern United States.  Very interesting!

European-made steel helmet and breastplate used by the Spanish in the American Southwest in the 1500s.  Can you imagine how hot this must have been?  Great protection for arrows but hot to wear!

The timeline continued with the Spanish invasion.  By 1821, the Spanish retreated to Mexico.

The Mexican – American War Battlefields:

(I did not blow this up because there was so much information.  I have included it for me in the future as an FYI.  It can be enlarged to see the details.)

The end result of the war is American gained land and then purchased more in 1854 to complete what is America today!

 

Civil War battles in the Southwest (Details below):

So these soldiers were fighting the Confederates as well as the Apaches.  WOW!

The furthest west that the Civil War was fought was Picacho Peak (near Casa Grande, AZ):

The furthest north in the Southwest that the Civil War was fought was northeast of Santa Fe:

   

 

I knew many of the battles in the east and into Texas but did not know that the Civil War went into Arizona.

Private, 1st Dragoons, 1860:

By 1886, there were 28 heliograph stations relaying information about hostile movements by Apaches.

 

 

Enlisted infantryman’s dress coat and helmet with the Apache surrender picture in the background:

The next part of the museum was dedicated to the Buffalo Soldiers:

HOW DID THE BUFFALO SOLDIERS GET THEIR NAME?

“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.”

“Throughout the era of the Indian Wars, approximately twenty percent of the U.S. Cavalry troopers were Black, and they fought over 177 engagements. The combat prowess, bravery, tenaciousness, and looks on the battlefield, inspired the Indians to call them Buffalo Soldiers. The name symbolized the Native American’s respect for the Buffalo Soldiers’ bravery and valor. Buffalo Soldiers, down through the years, have worn the name with pride.”

 

   

 

   

Notice the hat – it became a lasting uniform legacy for National Park Rangers.  And it all started with the Buffalo Soldiers fighting in Cuba.

   The Buffalo Soldier Logo:

 

  

 

  

 

More information can be found here: 

https://buffalosoldiersmuseum.org/the-buffalo-soldiers/

https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/buffalo-soldiers

https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/proud-legacy-buffalo-soldiers

https://www.thenmusa.org/articles/buffalo-soldiers/

https://www.thenmusa.org/articles/buffalo-soldiers/

”As Buffalo Soldiers returned from the Philippines, though, the narrative had begun to shift in popular memory. Seeking to glorify his Rough Riders, Roosevelt downplayed the role of Black Soldiers in Cuba. “Black Jack” Pershing’s vision of Cuba marking a new unity between the races crumbled in the face of prejudice among politicians and senior military leaders in Washington. Some units made their presence felt in other ways, ignoring the racism. Several troops from the 9th Cavalry and a company from the 24th Infantry Regiment served as park rangers in Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks before the establishment of the National Park Service. In 1903 Capt. Charles Young, the third Black graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, became the first Black superintendent of a National Park when he became the Military Superintendent of Sequoia National Park. The Buffalo Soldiers’ symmetrical “Montana Peak” to the Stetson hat, a relic from Cuba, became a lasting uniform legacy for the Park Rangers.

On September 6, 2005, Mark Matthews, the oldest living Buffalo Soldier, died at the age of 111. In 2023, 101-year-old Robert Dixon was recognized as the last surviving Buffalo Soldier at West Point. Today there are monuments honoring the Buffalo Soldiers in Kansas at Fort Leavenworth and Junction City. They have also been immortalized in popular culture through songs like reggae giant Bob Marley's "Buffalo Soldier," television productions like 1997's "Buffalo Soldiers" starring Danny Glover, and in films like Spike Lee's "Miracle at St. Anna," which chronicles the Buffalo Soldiers who served in the invasion of Italy in World War II.

The remarkable courage demonstrated by these proud African American soldiers in the face of fierce combat, extreme discrimination in the Army, deadly violence from civilians and repressive Jim Crow laws continues to inspire us today.”

What an incredible legacy and what a learning experience for Andy and I.  AWESOME MUSEUM!  Highly recommended.

There is another museum at Fort Huachuca - Fort Huachuca Army Intelligence Museum.   We decided to save it for another day.

We had lunch on base at Jeannie’s Diner – a nice 50-60’s style diner with great food.

What a great day!