By Nestor Tamayao
Recently Comrade Aaron Stoltz and I visited a museum that we never knew existed. Nestled within a residential neighborhood in Tacoma is the 9th and 10th Cavalry Buffalo Soldiers Museum. Founded in 2005, the museum showcases an overlooked part of American history: the Buffalo Soldiers. The museum began operating in 2012.
Buffalo Soldiers originally were members of the U.S. 10th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army, which was formed on September 21, 1866 at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Buffalo Soldiers later comprised other regiments, including the 9th, 24th, 27th and 28th cavalry divisions. These African American Soldiers got their nickname by the Native American tribes they fought. The term became a generic term for all-black soldier units and is used by U.S. Army units that trace their direct lineage back to the 9th and 10th Cavalry.
Notable facts about the Buffalo Soldiers include:
- First to experiment with bicycles.
- In 1898, saved the 71st New York in the now famous charge up San Juan Hill.
- Instrumental in the victory of the Spanish American War.
- Represented over 20 percent of all U.S. Calvary Units until early 1890.
- 19 Congressional Medals of Honor.
- Five West Point Graduates.
The museum is filled with many artifacts, memorabilia and fascinating information and facts. It is one of only two of its kind in the country dedicated to the Buffalo Soldiers. The other is the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum in Houston, Texas. The museum has hosted a tribute to the famed Buffalo Soldiers with an evening with famed actor Danny Glover, who starred in the 1977 film Buffalo Soldiers.
The museum is open Wednesdays and Saturdays. For more information go to http://www.buffalosoldierstacoma.org/ or 253-272-4257.