Buffalo Soldiers Photographs

Black soldiers of the Ninth and Tenth U.S. Cavalry (called “buffalo soldiers” by the Plains American Indians) garrisoned Fort Robinson for eighteen years and played an important role in northwestern Nebraska’s history. In 1885 the Ninth Cavalry arrived at Fort Robinson, which was regimental headquarters from 1887 to 1898. The black troopers helped build the new post during the fort’s 1887 expansion and were the first cavalrymen sent to the Pine Ridge Reservation during the Ghost Dance of 1890. Lt. John Alexander, the second African American graduate of West Point, and Henry Plummer, the first black chaplain in the regular army, served here. So did ten buffalo soldiers who received the Medal of Honor.

These photographs depict just a few of the buffalo soldiers who served at Fort Robinson.