LEAVENWORTH, Kan. — This Black History Month, a group of historians is working to preserve and publicize the stories of Black military pioneers, particularly those from the Missouri and Kansas regions.
A gold mine of military memorabilia sits in Leavenworth, Kansas, at the Richard Allen Cultural Center and Museum.
It's the former home of William Bly, a Black man who fought in one of the so-called "Buffalo Soldier" units during World War One.
"They were soldiers who were not considered really soldiers at the time," Edna Wagner, executive director of the Richard Allen Center said. "They were African American men who wanted to do something for their country."
It was a long struggle for Black men to gain the right to fight for their own freedom.
"In every American war, Black Americans endeavor to serve. In every American war, white Americans tried to prevent that," Debra Sheffer, a history professor at Park University, explained. "Military service traditionally meant full citizenship, so that was the heart of the issue."
The first unauthorized regiment of Black soldiers was formed in Kansas in 1862.
Senator James Henry Lane ignored orders from President Lincoln and Secretary of War Edwin Stanton and began recruiting Black man for the 1st Kansas Colored Volunteer Infantry Regiment.
That was the first regiment made up of free Black men to see combat — not the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, as portrayed in the movie Glory — according to Fort Scott program manager Carl Brenner.
The regiment fought in the Battle of Island Mound in Bates County, Missouri, in October of 1862.
Despite being outnumbered, the Black unit suffered fewer losses than the Confederate side.
In 1863, when the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, the regiment was formally mustered into federal service at Fort Scott.
"This was a big step forward, allowing people that were considered by way too many people as property to actually be human beings and be able to fight for their beliefs," Brenner said. "Because how would you feel when decisions are made that you have no control over but their decisions over your life?"
In 1866, Congress passed the Army Reorganization Act, creating six new all-Black regiments.
One of those regiments, the 10th Cavalry, formed at Fort Leavenworth. This was the first regiment to get the nickname of "Buffalo Soldiers."
"The Native Americans named them, and it was because of their wooly hair, the fur that they wore on their backs from the buffaloes to stay warm and their courage to fight," Wagner said.
Eventually, all of the Black units became known as the Buffalo soldiers, until President Harry Truman finally desegregated the military in 1948.
Today, the name is still used by U.S. Army units that can trace their direct lineage back to the original all-Black units.
The legacy also lives on through the stories of brave Black military pioneers, like Cathay Williams.
She was born into slavery in Independence, Missouri, in 1844 and forced into military service.
After the Civil War, job opportunities for Black women were nearly non-existent.
In order to earn some money, Williams enlisted in the army by disguising herself as a man, under the name William Cathay.
"In those days, they didn't do physicals [or] anything. You just signed your name," William Wallace, historian at the Richard Allen Center said.
Williams was assigned to the 38th Infantry Regiment, which would eventually become one of the Buffalo Soldier units.
She served for three years before a doctor discovered her true identity and she was discharged. She never received a pension or disability compensation for her time in the service.
A monument to Williams now stands outside the Richard Allen Cultural Center and Museum.
Just down the road, at Fort Leavenworth, stands a Buffalo Soldier monument, a project initiated by General Colin Powell and dedicated in 1992.
The stories of the Buffalo Soldiers also live on through those who knew them.
Wallace grew up in Leavenworth, surrounded by former Buffalo Soldiers.
He lived on the same block as Jalester Linton, a retired Master Sergeant who served in one of the Buffalo Soldier units in both World Wars.
When Linton left the service and moved back to Leavenworth, he opened a barber shop.
Wallace and his brother used to get their hair but by Linton, but they didn't learn about his pioneering history in the military until years later.
Wallace has dozens of stories like this, which he tells while giving tours at the Richard Allen Center.
Those stories, and the relics and monuments at the Richard Allen Center and Fort Leavenworth, serve as important learning tools for future generations.
"African American men have fought in every war, from the Spanish American War and on, but that's not taught," Wallace said. "I wish that somewhere in the curriculum of the schools that they would teach our children about the Buffalo Soldiers, I think they were very significant."
"The legacy of these troops is their dedication, their commitment, their valor, their perseverance, as Americans, regardless of the racism," Sheffer said. "They never gave up, never gave up. So that is what I would want people to remember, that these Americans were some of the most dedicated and valorous Americans that we have."
More information about tours is available on the Richard Allen Cultural Center and Museum website.
