Story Time: Buffalo Soldiers and the Western Frontier

Buffalo Soldiers and the Western Frontier (2003) is written by Emily Raabe and published by PowerKids Press: New York. This book gives a brief, child friendly introduction to the role played by African American soldiers, whom Native Americans called Buffalo Soldiers, in the wars and U.S. westward expansion of the nineteenth century.
Fort Sumner Historic Site Fact: While the Buffalo Soldiers were stationed in many places all over New Mexico and the Southwest, they were never stationed at Fort Sumner. However, one group of Buffalo Soldiers did camp for a short time near Fort Sumner in 1866 while travelling to Fort Union from Arkansas, as documented in the diary of Thomas A. Muzzall a soldier in the 57th U.S. Colored Infantry. Below are his journal entries regarding Fort Sumner:
“August 31 Start early and march about 20 miles and camp at a Cavalry outpost of Fort Sumner which is 12 miles on from here. Weather hot, no wood.
Sept. 1 Start at 4 A.M. and reach Fort Sumner at 8 A.M. We camp about a half mile from the Fort. This Fort is built of adobe and has a farm of about 2400 acres; it's worked by the Navahoe Indians who are kept here to prevent them from doing any damage to the settlers. There are 7500 of these Indians here, all fed by the Govt. This Fort is on the Pecos River and is generally known as the "Bosque Redondo," which means round timber. The Pecos is so high that we will have to wait perhaps for a week for it to go down low enough for us to cross it. Weather close and sultry.
Sept. 2nd to the 5th. Lay in camp waiting for the Pecos to get low enough for fording. We have orders to kill all male Indians we may meet after leaving here, and to take the females prisoner but not to hurt them. I think we will move tomorrow. I sent some letters home. The weather is very hot.
Sept. 6 Start early and march about 12 miles. In crossing the Pecos this morning we had to unload our waggons and take the baggage over in a small boat and let the mules swim over with the waggons. We made the crossing safely and are now on what is called the Dry Horn Route, and we have near 80 miles with no water before us.”