buffalo soldier

English - English

Definition of buffalo soldier in English English dictionary

An African-American soldier in the US Army, serving in one of a number of segregated units under white officers, in the period after the US Civil War up to the final racial integration of the US military, at the end of the Korean War

A member of one of the African-American regiments within the U.S. Army after the Civil War, serving primarily in the Indian wars of the late 1860s. Nickname given to members of African American cavalry regiments of the U.S. Army who served in the western U.S. (1867-96). An 1866 law authorized the army to form cavalry and infantry regiments of African American men under the command of white officers; the result was the 9th and 10th cavalries and the 38th through 41st infantries. The primary mission of the cavalry regiments was to control Indians on the western frontier (the nickname "buffalo" was given by the Indians). The soldiers took part in almost 200 engagements. Noted for their courage and discipline, they had the army's lowest desertion and court-martial rates. One of the 10th Cavalry's officers was John Pershing, whose nickname "Black Jack" reflected his advocacy on behalf of African American troops

black soldiers in the U.S. Army who fought against the Indians in the West between 1867 and 1896 (Informal)

Related Terms

buffalo soldiers

plural form of buffalo soldier

Hyphenation

Buf·fa·lo sol·dier

Turkish pronunciation

bʌfılō sōlcır

Pronunciation

/ˈbəfəˌlō ˈsōlʤər/ /ˈbʌfəˌloʊ ˈsoʊlʤɜr/