Eighth graders from Cottondale High School learned about the history, equipment and dress of the Buffalo Soldiers, military regiments of African American soldiers started in 1866, as a continuation of their studies of that time period and also of Black History.
The experience was coordinated by Cottondale High School teacher Demeetris Beachum as a way to get students familiar with the people from after the Civil War, a period the students are currently studying.
Will Barnes, president of the Marianna chapter of the Buffalo Soldiers, said the Buffalo Soldiers began with two cavalry regiments created in 1866. The soldiers were mainly stationed out west. They built and defended forts and roads, along with other peacetime activities such as building telegraphs and mapping the area.
Certain regiments and experienced soldiers fought in the Spanish-American War, WWI, WWII and the Korean War. Regiments were either integrated or disbanded by the end of the Korean War. There is a Buffalo Soldiers integrated regiment in California, Barnes said.
“If we tried to give you the whole history of the Buffalo Soldiers it’d take weeks,” Barnes said.
Students were also able to see and ask questions about the original Buffalo Soldiers’ dress – Union uniforms – and weapons. A (sheathed) bowie knife and saber were on hand, along with several paintings depicting the lives of Buffalo Soldiers.
The group also spoke to the students about military life, from the levels of command to jargon. The members present each served about 20 years in the U.S. Army.
Barnes said he joined the Buffalo Soldiers because he had never heard of them in school.
The group encouraged the students to not only stay in school but study hard.
“A high school diploma isn’t getting it anymore,” Barnes said. “You have to go further.”
There are 45 chapters of the Buffalo Soldiers with 1,200 members in the U.S., two of which are in Florida - the Marianna chapter and a Tampa chapter. There are 15 members in the Marianna chapter.
The chapter works to bring the history of the Buffalo Soldiers to the community while also giving back to the community. The Buffalo Soldiers encouraged students to do the same. Last Thanksgiving, the chapter gave away Thanksgiving dinners to those in need.
“Never forget where you came from and always come back and give back,” Emmitt Hill said.
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