Historical Spotlight: The Buffalo Soldiers
My husband is a bicycle enthusiast. It’s one of his favorite ways to exercise and he’s super knowledgeable about the parts, brands, YouTube content creators, professional cyclists, and racing events. He’s so tapped in that he even has his very own bike trainer so he can simulate riding outside when weather conditions and time commitments aren’t ideal. Join me as we shine a Historical Spotlight on the Black Buffalo soldiers who shared my husband’s passion and biked across America in the late 1800s.
The 25th Infantry Regiment Bicycle Corps was one of six segregated units formed by the United States Army immediately after the Civil War. They were led primarily by white officers and served on the Western frontier. The group often clashed with Native Americans in the area who nicknamed them Buffalo Soldiers because of the similarities of their curly hair to buffalo manes.
On June 14, 1897, the volunteer bicycle corps, who were also known as Iron Riders, began their journey from Fort Missoula, Montana to St. Louis, Missouri. The 1,900 mile trip took 41 days to complete and they stopped at towns such as Big Timber to rest, recuperate, and fellowship with the locals.
The journey was a demonstration to show Army officials how effective bicycles were for transporting troops and other goods, since bikes were less expensive and easier to maintain than horses. Historically, it was right before automobiles took off, so society heavily utilized cycling to get around.
Lieutenant General Nelson A. Miles was a veteran of the Civil War and the American Indian Wars and was a key advocate of using bikes in the Army. He authorized several trials to test the effectiveness including relay teams that delivered messages from Chicago to New York and Washington, D.C. to Denver.
Taking it a step further, James A. Moss, one of the white officers stationed with the 25th Infantry platoon, wanted to see how the bikes would do on a long ride across rough terrain in the West. Nelson approved the project in 1896 and James approached several bike manufacturers for equipment donations to get the wheels set in motion.
A.G. Spalding & Bros. participated in the program and developed the Military “Special”, a modified version of one of the most popular models. The bicycles had a sturdier front fork to absorb the bumps on rough roads, an ergonomic seat designed for comfort, and metal tire rims instead of wood.
To prepare the troops for the longer trip, James led them on daily rides in increasingly challenging conditions. In August 1986, nine Iron Riders went on a round-trip ride to Yellowstone National Park. The group included James, Sergeant Dalbert P. Green, Corporal John G. Williams, musician William W. Brown, and privates Frank L. Johnson, William Proctor, William Haynes, Elwood Forman and John Findley.
The ride to Yellowstone was a success, even though the men had to ride on bikes that weighed close to 80 pounds when packed with gear and food. There were delays from bad weather, flat tires, and broken equipment that prolonged the trek. The bikes were also only single-gear, which contributed to their fatigue and exhaustion. Despite all of these challenges, the men covered 797 miles in just 5 and a half days of biking.
After just a year of preparation, the troops were ready to attempt the ride to St. Louis. It took a lot of planning to schedule the key areas for resupplying of food, clothing, and replacement gear. The platoon was expanded from nine to 20 men and included five men from the Yellowstone trip. Among the newcomers were Sergeant Mingo Sanders, Lieutenant Corporal Abram Martin, musician Elias Johnson, and privates George Scott, Hiram L. B. Dingman, Travis Bridges, John Cook, Richard Rout, Eugene Jones, Sam Johnson, William Williamson, Sam Williamson, John H. Wilson, Samuel Reid and Francis Button. Doctor Lieutenant James M. Kennedy and reporter Edward H. Boos of the Daily Missoulian also joined the group.
The troops pedaled up mountains, through forests, over deserts, across rivers, and traversed on dirt trails, unpaved roads, and even railroad tracks to avoid getting stuck in any muddy terrain. Even though Western Expansion had been happening since the early 1800s and the Black Cowboys were making good progress settling the land, many of the routes were still dangerous and rough.
They clocked 50 miles per day as they traveled through Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Missouri, and even endured insane weather including snow, sleet, hail, heavy rain, and excessive heat. It was sometimes difficult finding drinkable water and many of the men got sick along the way and had to catch up by train.
Not only did they make headlines for their amazing feat, but they were also recognized for fighting against the widespread racism in the military and every other aspect of society. They were typically well received on their journey, but the further south they went, the more discrimination they faced. They were even turned away from camping on certain farms in Missouri, due to the freshly abolished institution of slavery.
On July 24th, 1897, they were warmly escorted into St. Louis by police and nearly 1,000 amateur cyclists. There was a parade and receptions to celebrate their amazing accomplishment, and about 10,000 people visited their campsite.
After their journey was completed, their story and willpower lived on as a testament to their amazing work ethic and desire to change society. They impacted not only the local communities they passed through, but also made international history from the widespread news coverage. Even today, there are commemorative events hosted along the route by local historical groups.
The trip was a success, but bicycle expansion got pushed to the side by technological advancements and an impending war. The Army disbanded the bicycle corps to instead funnel resources, time, and energy into the mechanized infantry as the future.
While their accomplishment was quickly overshadowed by other racial events happening like the Spanish-American War and the Brownsville Affair, their legacy and incredible journey will never be forgotten.
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Signed,
Jessica Marie
