Buffalo Soldiers in the 1890s

William McBryar, a Buffalo Soldier in the Tenth U.S. Cavalry, received the Medal of Honor for his participation in the 1890 Cherry Creek Campaign in the Arizona Territory. He was later a member of another Buffalo Soldier regiment, the Twenty-Fifth U.S. Infantry, during the Spanish- American War.

William Othello Wilson was a member of the Ninth U.S. Cavalry at the end of the Plains Wars (1890). He was awarded the Medal of Honor for bravery on December 30, 1890. Wilson was the last American soldier to receive the Medal of Honor for actions on American soil. He died in Hagerstown, Maryland, in 1928.

Edward Lee Baker, Jr., was a Buffalo Soldier who was awarded the Medal of Honor for gallantry during the Spanish American War in Cuba on July 1, 1898. He served in numerous units including the Forty-ninth Infantry, U.S. Volunteers. He was commissioned a captain in the Philippine Scouts in 1902. He died on August 26, 1913, at the age of 47 and was buried in Los Angeles, California.

Fitz Lee was born in June 1866 in Dinwiddie County, Virginia. As a Buffalo Soldier, he earned the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Spanish American War on June 30, 1898. He died in Leavenworth, Kansas, on September 14, 1899, at the age of 33.

George Henry Wanton was born on May 15, 1868, in Paterson, New Jersey. He earned the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Spanish American War on June 30, 1898. He retired from the Army in 1925 as a master sergeant. He died on November 24, 1940, at the age of 72.

Dennis Bell was born on December 28, 1866, in Washington, D.C. He enlisted in the Army in 1892. On June 30, 1898, during the Spanish-American War, Bell along with three other soldiers, voluntarily went ashore to rescue wounded comrades during the Battle of Tayacoba. The following year, he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions that day. He is buried is Arlington National Cemetery, Section 31, Site 349.

John Hanks Alexander was born on January 6, 1864, in Helena, Arkansas. He attended the United States Military Academy, and in 1887 he became the second African American to graduate. He was a roommate and mentor to Charles Young at West Point and in the U.S. Army. He died on March 26, 1894, in Springfield, Ohio, and was buried at the Cherry Grove Cemetery in Xenia, Ohio.

Throughout his life, Charles Young overcame countless obstacles in his ascent to prominence. In spite of overt racism and stifling inequality, Young rose through the military ranks to become one of the most respected leaders of his time. From leading men in combat on foreign soil to leading men domestically in our country's national parks, Young led by example and inspired a generation of new leaders. He was posthumously promoted to Brigadier General on November 1, 2021.

Buffalo Soldier Sergeant Richard Williams received a special commendation for his bravery during the Battle of San Juan Hill and later served at Vancouver Barracks.

Buffalo Soldier Mack Stanfield served at military posts throughout the American west, and served in overseas conflicts.

Isaiah Mays was born enslaved in Virginia. On May 11, 1889 Mays was a corporal in Company B of the 24th Infantry when he was attacked in the “Wham Paymaster Robbery.” During the fighting he crawled and ran over two miles to the nearest ranch to get help. He was awarded the Medal of Honor on February 19, 1890. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Section 1, Grave 630-B.

Buffalo Soldier Sergeant Ezekiel H. Hill served at several military posts throughout the western United States and overseas during the Spanish American and Philippine Wars.

Edward Bordinghammer was a soldier in the segregated military for nearly 30 years. He served his country from New York to Alaska to Texas. During his time at Camp Skagway, Alaska, he was a musician for Company L, 24th Infantry.

Buffalo Soldier Sergeant Charles W. Grayson served at several U.S. Army posts, and overseas during the Spanish-American and Philippine Wars.

Benjamin Brown was an early African American recipient of the Medal of Honor, and had a military career that took him throughout the United States and the world.

Augustus Snoten served in the segregated military for nearly 30 years. His service took him from Puerto Rico to Alaska and many places in between.

Black Seminoles were descendants of self-emancipated formerly enslaved people from Coastal Carolina and Georgia who partially assimilated with the Seminole people of Florida. In 1870 a group of Black Seminoles who had migrated to Texas from Mexico formed the Seminole Negro Indian Scouts. They scouted for the U.S. Army on the Texas frontier. Four Black Seminoles received the Medal of Honor.

In 1896, the Twenty-Fifth Infantry Bicycle Corps was authorized to test the use of bicycles to transport soldiers. They made several experimental rides including one through Yellowstone National Park. In 1897, they made their longest experimental ride from Fort Missoula, Montana to St. Louis Missouri.

Charles Young created the military science and tactics program at Wilberforce University when he took over the post from his friend and mentor John Hanks Alexander after Alexander’s death. The program prospered during the four years Young was in charge. It was the first program of its kind in the country for African American students.

The Buffalo Soldiers played a key role during the Spanish-American War. The war lasted only a few months and was known as “The Splendid Little War.” Five Buffalo Soldiers were awarded the Medal of Honor for their heroic actions in Cuba during the war.

From 1899 to 1900, "Buffalo Soldiers" from Company B of the 24th U.S. Infantry Regiment were stationed at Vancouver Barracks. This marked the first time in the history of the post that a unit from one of the Army's four African American regiments comprised the post's regular garrison of troops.

Arriving in May of 1899, the men of Company L, 24th Infantry, United States Army served their country from northern Lynn Canal. These Buffalo Soldiers fought a war on two fronts: protecting the community of Skagway while facing discrimination from the same people they served.