Devils’ Cave

The 54th Regiment of Massachusetts became the first infantry of African Americans able to fight in the war. The Fifty-fourth Massachusetts paved the way for the enlistment of over 200,000 African Americans in the Union Army and Navy.   The Fifty-fourth continued to serve throughout the Civil War. They fought at Olustee, Florida; Honey Hill, South Carolina; and finally at Boykin’s Mills, South Carolina. They showed tremendous valor during their unsuccessful attack on Fort Wagner in Charleston, South Carolina. 

  Buffalo Soldiers were Afican Americans that had a determined drive to prove that they were capable of doing anything while serving in the Military. Buffalo Soldiers fought in many wars like: The Spanish American War, The Revolution War, War of 1812, World War 1 and 2. Because of the efforts of the Buffalo Soldiers, at least 18 people were presented with The Medal of Honor. During the Civil War, 180,000 African Americans were in the military. The Buffalo Soldiers formed when the 54th Regiment of Massachusetts was signed. 

Some notable accomplishments of the Buffalo Soldiers were:

• Buffalo Soldiers earned Distinguished record in the Apache War and conflicts in the Great Plains Region
•   In 1892, 6th Calvary helped quell the violence during The Johnson County War
• The 9th Calvary built the first trail to the top of Mt. Whitney
• 9th Calvary also built an arboretum in Yosemite National Park

Today, we are praying for the lives of our troops in Afghanistan and in Iraq. Right now, there are many African Americans in the war in different services branches. African Americans comprise of 30 % of the army’s enlisted force, and occupy more than 30 % of the non-combat specialties. Although the army takes about 20 to 22 % of its annual enlistees from the African-American community, 30 % of the total army enlisted force is  black because blacks stay in the army longer than whites. Fewer than 10 % of those enlistees will serve in the infantry.

African American Soldiers were not appreciated in the war efforts during the most famous war during the 18th, 19th,and the 20th century like Revolution War, War of 1812, World War 1and 2, Korean War, etc. African American Soldiers were not even soldiers; they were mostly cooks, servants, and janitors on ships.  African Americans could not be in a war with the White Infantry troops, they had to be in a seperate group called the Buffalo Soldiers, who were the 54th Regiment of Massachusetts.