Buffalo Soldiers

Historic portrait of unidentified Buffalo soldier
Portrait of unidentified soldier, caption: "Grigs 901 Kan. Ave. Topeka, Kan." reverse: "unknown soldier of 25th Infantry Regiment," undated, African American Museum & Library at Oakland Photograph collection, MS 189, African American Museum & Library at Oakland, Oakland Public Library.

Prepare for a visit to AAMLO with these special topic resource guides.

This resource guide is intended to help users locate holdings at AAMLO related to the Buffalo Soldiers.

It highlights holdings in the following areas:

● Selected Library Material at AAMLO
● Selected Archival Collections at AAMLO

Other collections may contain relevant materials. Please contact AAMLO (aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org) with any questions or to schedule an appointment to view materials in person.

Selected Library Materials

Buffalo Soldiers : The Colored Regulars in the United States Army by T.G. Steward

Buffalo Soldiers : The History and Legacy of the Black Soldiers Who Fought in the U.S. Army During the Indian Wars, Charles Rivers Editors

The Buffalo Soldiers : A Narrative of the Negro Cavalry in the West by William H. Leckie

Brothers to the Buffalo Soldiers : Perspectives on the African American Militia and Volunteers, 1865-1917 by Bruce A. Glasrud

Buffalo Soldiers at Fort Leavenworth in the 1930s and Early 1940s by George E. Knapp

Buffalo Soldier Regiment History of the Twenty-fifth United States Infantry, 1869-1926 by Quintard Taylor Jr.

Black Warriors: The Buffalo Soldiers of World War II : Memories of the Only Negro Infantry Division to Fight in Europe During World War II by Ivan J. Houston

Selected Archival Collections

Portrait of Col. Charles Young
Portrait of Colonel Charles Young, 1919, African American Museum & Library at Oakland Photograph collection, MS 189, African American Museum & Library at Oakland, Oakland Public Library.

African American Museum & Library at Oakland Photograph Collection. Includes various photographs depicting members of the 9th Cavalry, 10th Cavalry, 24th Infantry, 25th Infantry, Colonel Charles Young, and a 1925 panorama of Fort Huachuca, Arizona. See also the resource guide on Allensworth for photographs related to Colonel Allen Allensworth.

African American Museum & Library at Oakland Vertical File Collection. Selected items include:

"Battles and victories of Allen Allensworth, A.M., Ph.D. lieutenant-colonel, retired, U.S. Army," by Charles Alexander, 1914.

"To Charles Young Colonel U.S. Army," by William Nauns Ricks, 1917.

"A preliminary examination of the activities and contributions of the Third Squadron [of the] 9th Regiment U.S. Cavalry while posted at the Presidio of San Francisco," by Gregory P. Shine, 1993.

African American Museum & Library at Oakland Oral History Collection. Includes an oral history interview with Jerri Lange discussing her father's military service as a 'Buffalo Soldier.'

African American Museum & Library at Oakland Audiovisual Collection. Includes a VHS copy of a Buffalo Soldiers reunion and living history group parade circa 1992.

Calbert Family Papers. Includes William E. Calbert's 1995 speech delivered to the Greater Washington D.C. Chapter of the Buffalo Soldiers, an affiliate of the National 9th & 10th (Horse) Cavalry Association, titled “The Buffalo Soldiers.”

Alice Royal Collection. Includes correspondence from William E. Calbert to the National Buffalo Soldiers 9th & 10th (Horse) Cavalry Association.

Unidentified Panorama of Buffalo Soldiers
Unidentified Panorama (African American Cavalry Regiment), undated, African American Museum & Library at Oakland Photograph collection, MS 189, African American Museum & Library at Oakland, Oakland Public Library.

Additional Information

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Consult AAMLO's finding aids in the Online Archive of California.

We are working to create new resource guides. Have an idea for a new guide? Contact us at aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org.