Buffalo Soldier Regiment: History of the Twenty-fifth United States Infantry, 1869-1926

In a debate in the Senate on July 9, 1866, contemplating the formation of a black infantry regiment, some senators observed that "if it was a privilege to serve in the Army, the colored troops had earned the privilege by their gallantry, and that if it was a duty, they should not be allowed to shirk it." Indeed, black soldiers had been serving since the Revolutionary War, but now, for the first time, they became part of the regular army, enjoying the same privileges, performing the same dut...