HUNTSVILLE, Ala (WHNT) — In this week’s Hoover’s Heroes, Ben heard from the New Market History Project, who told him about one of their friends who just so happens to be a descendant of a buffalo soldier.
He’s a current-day cowboy who considers buffalo soldiers his heroes.
Willie Smith has made it his mission to keep the buffalo soldiers’ fighting spirit alive through storytelling a reenactments.
“They had the worst of everything, but they were fierce fighters,” Willie said.
One of those fierce fighters was Willie’s great-uncle, William.
“Private William Smith was stationed in Huntsville in 1898. He was born about 2 miles from here,” Willie said as he stood telling the story from a recent reenactment at Mid City Huntsville.
William Smith fought in the 10th Cavalry Regiment, one of several infantry regiments in the U.S. Army that were active primarily during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Willie knows their important place in our nation’s history often gets overlooked.
“They don’t know how the Buffalo Soldiers got started. They were started as an African American regiment. Nothing but African Americans. They started in 1866 in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. They didn’t get the chance to fight in a real battle until the Spanish-American War, but they had a lot of battles with the Native Americans. A lot of people don’t know how they got their name. The Native Americans gave them that nickname and they gave it to them because the buffalo soldiers were as powerful as a buffalo,” explained Willie.
The fighting spirit and resilience of the Buffalo Soldiers come alive at Mid City in June, where Willie and his wife stage a re-enactment and dress up in the Buffalo Soldiers’ uniform while riding horses just like the soldiers of that time.
“Sometimes I lay in my bed at night and feel like I can hear William Smith saying don’t let anybody forget about the buffalo soldiers,” said Willie.
The re-enactment isn’t the only reminder of the discrimination and prejudice the soldiers faced while distinguishing themselves through bravery and dedication to America’s westward expansion.
There are memorials and tributes to the Buffalo Soldiers in Huntsville as well. A newly painted mural on a gas station wall on Pulaski Pike sits behind Home Depot. A more official memorial can be found on Poplar Avenue. It honors the 10th Cavalry Regiment.
“You know it’s a tragedy to have to go through what they did, but they made significant contributions to the state, matter fact, the United States. They fought the Spanish-American War. They got five medals of honor and a lot of them got wounded,” said Willie.
Those wounds were suffered all while leaving a lasting impact on history and paving the way for greater equality in the military.
“The buffalo soldiers are my heroes,” said Willie.
Huntsville played an integral part in the history of the Buffalo Soldiers, especially the 10th Cavalry. The regiment was stationed at Camp Monte Sano. That area is now known as Calvary Hill. After the Spanish-American War, they went there to recover from yellow fever and malaria that they caught during their service in Cuba. Monte Sano was chosen as a healing retreat for them because of its reputation for clean air and water.
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