Existing comment:
Origin of the Name
The legendary name, "Buffalo Soldier," is said to have originated with the Plains Indians, who thought that the hair of the black soldiers resembled the fur of the buffalo, and that their fighting spirit made them worthy opponents. The name first appeared in a letter from a frontier army wife to The Nation magazine in 1873, and it was soon widely adopted by writers and journalists. The soldiers seldom used the name amongst themselves, but they did accept the name as complimentary, and eventually the buffalo was used in the crest of the 10th Cavalry Regiment. |