1. Buffalo soldiers

2. African American Soldiers
Showed great combat skills during Civil War
Congress sent regiments to serve in west after war
Native Americans called them Buffalo Soldiers – sign of respect

3. On the frontier
Texas
discriminated against by settlers and white officers
Poor supplies/horses
Against the odds – they did a good job

4. Texas forts Built and renovated dozens of forts
Strung thousands of miles of telegraph lines
Escorted wagon trains; stagecoaches; cattle herds; railroad crews
Opened new roads
Mapped vast areas of the West