Fighting for Uncle Sam, Read About the Buffalo Soldiers in the Frontier Army as you travel along!

On a recent trip to Cedar Rapids I immersed myself in African American Military history with the book, “Fighting for Uncle Sam, Buffalo Soldiers in the frontier Army by John P. Langellier. “Fighting for Uncle Sam, Buffalo Soldiers in the Frontier Army” is a great book that tells about a little known history of African American’s in the military from the time of the American Revolution to present day.

 The book is written by John P. Langellier, is a historian and researcher that has written books about George Armstrong Custer, Native American soldiers and more about military history.  This book has been eye opening because I never dreamed that African American’s had served in military capacity until after the Civil War.  Langellier shares, “During the Revolutionary War, blacks served with both the colonial forces and the British.”

Some were free men and others enslaved.  At first blacks were banned from fighting during the Revolutionary War then when need arose, they reversed the ban and the men proved to be great help.  Promises were made that if they served that they would be free at the end of the war, but like many times in history, sadly this was not always the case.

The African American soldier fought with the Union Army during the Civil War and after the war many served out west.  This was a new territory and way of life for both them and those that they served.  Many protected settlers from Indian bands and sometimes had more freedom than out east, but they still faced persecution even when serving the country that had once enslaved many of them.

The news was not always bad, in many cases they were honored and their bravery is outlined in Langellier’s history.

The story covers Garrision life and the Spanish American War where the African American troops were expanded and troops were directed for a short while by Black officers.  This only lasted though until after the War when Theodore Roosevelt took away the Black officers and reverted to White ones once more.  In his book, Langellier hits both the high points and the low points of being an African American in Uncle Sam’s service.

This book offers insight into the brave men that served our country and the struggles they faced as service men.  This is a history that everyone should read and know. A  great read especially when traveling to historic destinations. Works well to read it out loud and share as you ride!

For details about the book, log onto https://www.schifferbooks.com/search/results.html?search_in_description=1&search-option=&keyword=Fighting+for+Uncle+Sam&x=28&y=17.