BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY : THE 10th CAVALRY REGIMENT IS A UNIT OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY, FORMED AS A SEGREGATED AFRICAN-AMERICAN UNIT , THIS WAS ONE OF THE ORIGINAL " BUFFALO SOLDIERS " REGIMENTS :

                          BLACK                SOCIAL               HISTORY                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       The 10th Cavalry Regiment is a unit of the United States Army. Formed as a segregated African-American unit, the 10th Cavalry was one of the original "Buffalo Soldier" regiments. It served in combat during the Indian Wars in the western United States, the Spanish-American War in Cuba and in the Philippine-American War. The regiment was trained as a combat unit but later relegated to non-combat duty and served in that capacity in World War II until its d

eactivation in 1944.

The 10th Cavalry was reactivated as an integrated combat unit in 1958. Portions of the regiment have served in conflicts ranging from the Vietnam War to Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. The current structure is by squadron, with the 1st, 4th, and 7th Squadrons assigned to three brigades of the U.S. 4th Infantry Division at Ft Carson, Colorado.

Buffalo Soldier name

The following story is one of many how the Buffalo Soldiers got their name.

In September 1867, Private John Randall of Troop G of the 10th Cavalry Regiment was assigned to escort two civilians on a hunting trip. The hunters suddenly became the hunted when a band of 70 Cheyenne warriors swept down on them. The two civilians quickly fell in the initial attack and Randall's horse was shot out from beneath him. Randall managed to scramble to safety behind a washout under the railroad tracks, where he fended off the attack with only his pistol until help from the nearby camp arrived. The Indians beat a hasty retreat, leaving behind 13 fallen warriors. Private Randall suffered a gunshot wound to his shoulder and 11 lance wounds, but recovered. The Cheyenne quickly spread word of this new type of soldier, "who had fought like a cornered buffalo; who like a buffalo had suffered wound after wound, yet had not died; and who like a buffalo had a thick and shaggy mane of hair."

Insignia

Coat of arms

• Shield: Per pale, dexter: paly of thirteen Argent and Gules, a chief Azure charged with a Native American chief's war bonnet affronté above a tomahawk and stone axe in saltire heads down all Proper, sinister: per fess quarterly Gules and Argent in 1st and 4th a tower Or gated Azure 2d and 3d lion rampant Gules crowned with a ducal cornet Or; on an oval escutcheon Azure a fleur-de-lis Or; and Sable a triangle on its base charged with a sun ombre de soleil Or between three mullets of the like pierced of the field.

• Crest: On a wreath of the colors Or and Sable an American bison statant guardant Proper.

• Motto: "READY AND FORWARD".

Distinctive unit insignia

• Description:
  • A gold color metal and enamel device 1 inch (2.54 cm) blazoned: On an heraldic wreath Or and Sable, a buffalo statant Proper.
  • On a scroll of the second fimbriated of the first the motto "READY AND FORWARD" of the like.^[3]

• Symbolism:
  • Black and gold have long been used as the regimental colors.
  • The buffalo has likewise been the emblem of the regiment for many years having its origin in the term "Buffalo soldiers" applied by the Indians to colored regiments.
  • The distinctive unit insignia is worn in pairs.^[3]

• Background:
  • The distinctive unit insignia was originally approved on 13 March 1922.
  • It was amended 6 December 1923 to change the wording in the description and the method of wear.
  • On 19 March 1951 the insignia was re-designated for the 510th Tank Battalion.
  • The distinctive unit insignia was re-designated for the 10th Cavalry on 12 May 1959.
  • The current version was re-affirmed on 22 August 1991.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Symbolism

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The 10th Cavalry Coat of arms was first confirmed on 11 February 1911 at Fort Ethan Allen in Vermont as "General Orders No. 1" by order of Colonel Thaddeus W. Jones. The 1911 description of the Arms is different than that used today, and has no functional difference except for symbolism. There was no symbolic explanations or reasons given for the basic symbols of the Regimental Arms in 1911 or when the arms were re-affirmed on 22 August 1991. The following is gathered from many heraldic and military sources.

Above the shield is part of the distinctive unit insignia, the "Buffalo" (American Bison). On the arms it faces left, which represents the western movement of the early unit across the United States. The black and gold on which the buffalo stands are "the colour of the negro" and the "refined gold" which the regiment represents.

The left side is for the 43 years of service (1866–1909) in the American West that were formative for the 10th Cavalry. The blue represents the sky and open plains of the west. The ceremonial war bonnet and eagle feathers honors the respect of the Native American tribes. The tomahawk and stone axe with the heads down indicate peace achieved. The vertical red and white stripes are for 13 major campaigns.

Upper right. The Castilian Coat of Arms, without the crown, represents the Spanish–American War and indirectly the Philippine Insurrection where the 10th helped liberate Cuba (1898) and fought in the Philippines (1899–1902).

Lower right. The black background is the African-American ancestry. Within the yellow pyramid (triangle) is a symbol of the sun and 3 stars. Under the original 1911 description of the Arms this is described as "In base sable, the Katipunan device on its base, thereon the sun in its splendour, between three mullets, one and two, all or." This stresses the Katipunan, Philippine revolutionaries, who were engaged in three years of campaigns against the 10th.

An inaccurate and informal interpretation of the lower right section by several veterans and groups of the 10th describe that section as follows; the sun with its rays showing the rebirth of the 10th as cavalry. The sun symbol is different from the 22nd Regimental sun symbol and here represents a renewal. The triangle comes from the Seventh Army pyramid patch which the 510th Tank battalion (Negro), then part of the 19th Armored Group and attached to the 4th Infantry Division and in support to the 22nd Infantry Regiment. Again, the 1911 description and use predates this informal view.

The distinctive unit insignia approved on 13 March 1922 (amended 6 December 1923) denoted its use as a paired set of devices or unit insignia with the head of the buffalo (the American bison) facing the head and neck of the individual in uniform. This is to remind the wearer that the unit totem, the "Buffalo" is forever watching them.

Regimental Song

"THE BUFFALOES"

(The Regimental Song of the Tenth Cavalry Regiment from about 1885. Sung to the tune of Stephen Foster's "Camp town Races")

10th Cavalry Regiment

We’re fighting bulls of the Buffaloes,

Git a goin’ – git a goin’

From Kansas’ plains we’ll hunt our foes;

A trottin’ down the line.

Our range spreads west to Santa Fe,

Git a goin’ – git a goin’.

From Dakota down the Mexican way;

A trottin’ down the line.

Goin’ to drill all day

Goin’ to drill all night,

We got our money on the buffaloes,

Somebody bet on the fight.

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Pack up your saddle and make it light.

Git a rolling’ – git a rolling’.

You are training fast for a hard fight;

A rolling’ down the line.

Untie your horse and boot and gun,

Git a going’ – git a going’.

Shake out your feet or you’ll miss the fun,

A rolling’ down the line.

Going’ to drill all day

Going’ to drill all night,

We got our money on the buffaloes,

Somebody bet on the fight.

It’s Troops in line for the Buffaloes,

Git a moving’ – git a moving’.

Then Squadron mass when the bugle blows’

A movin’ into line.

Pull in your reins and sit your horse,

Git a moving’ – git a moving.

If you can’t ride you’ll be a corpse;

A moving’ into line.

Going’ to drill all day

Going’ to drill all night,

We got our money on the buffaloes,

Somebody bet on the fight.th