FOR HE WHO SHEDS HIS BLOOD by Stirnweis MEDAL OF HONOR limited edition art pr

Description

" FOR HE WHO SHEDS HIS BLOOD WITH ME SHALL BE MY BROTHER " - BATTLE OF CHUCHILLO CREEK, NEW MEXICO TERRITORY 1880  by Kirk Stirnweis. Signed & numbered limited edition art print. SOLD OUT long ago. Measures 22" x 19" and in MINT condition. No Defects. Comes with Certificate of Authenticity. Number will be different than the one pictured.  Publishers Proof edition and Limited to only 100 in the edition. Lieutenant George Barnett, First Sergeant Moses Williams & Private Augustus Walley, I Troop, 9th Cavalry Regiment, brave intense rifle fire in an heroic rescue attempt of three fellow Buffalo Soldiers pinned down by an Apache war party. Burnett, Williams and Walley received the Medal of Honor for their gallant actions.  Insured USPS Priority mail delivery in the Continental US.  Will ship Worldwide and will combine shipping when practical.
Will be shipped in a extra heavy duty tube.
Handling charge is for the heavy duty tube and the $ 4.00 surcharge imposed by the post office for items over 22" in length.
Buffalo Soldiers
originally were members of the
10th Cavalry Regiment
of the
United States Army
, formed on September 21, 1866, at
Fort Leavenworth
,
Kansas
. This nickname was given to the Black Cavalry by
Native American
tribes who fought in the
Indian Wars
. The term eventually became synonymous with all of the
African-American
regiments formed in 1866:
9th Cavalry Regiment
10th Cavalry Regiment
24th Infantry Regiment
25th Infantry Regiment
Second 38th Infantry Regiment
Although several African-American regiments were raised during the
Civil War
as part of the
Union Army
(including the
54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry
and the many
United States Colored Troops
Regiments), the "Buffalo Soldiers" were established by
Congress
as the first peacetime all-black regiments in the regular U.S. Army.
[1]
On September 6, 2005,
Mark Matthews
, the oldest surviving Buffalo Soldier, died at the age of 111. He was buried at
Arlington National Cemetery
.
[2]
Sources disagree on how the nickname "Buffalo Soldiers" began. According to the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum, the name originated with the
Cheyenne
warriors in the winter of 1877, the actual Cheyenne translation being "Wild Buffalo". However, writer Walter Hill documented the account of
Colonel Benjamin Grierson
, who founded the 10th Cavalry regiment, recalling an 1871 campaign against
Comanches
. Hill attributed the origin of the name to the Comanche, due to Grierson's assertions. The Apache used the same term ("We called them 'buffalo soldiers,' because they had curly, kinky hair ... like bisons") a claim supported by other sources.
[3]
[4]
[5]
[6]
Another possible source could be from the
Plains Indians
who gave them that name because of the bison coats they wore in winter.
[7]
The term Buffalo Soldiers became a generic term for all black soldiers. It is now used for U.S. Army units that trace their direct lineage back to any of the African-American regiments formed in 1866.
Head of an American buffalo
Service
[
edit
]
During the Civil War, the U.S. government formed regiments known as the
United States Colored Troops
, composed of black soldiers and Native Americans. The USCT was disbanded in the fall of 1865. In 1867 the Regular Army was set at ten regiments of cavalry and 45 regiments of infantry. The Army was authorized to raise two regiments of black cavalry (the
9th
and
10th (Colored) Cavalry)
and four regiments of black infantry (the
38th
,
39th
,
40th
, and
41st (Colored) Infantry)
, who were mostly drawn from USCT veterans. The first draft of the bill that the House Committee on Military Affairs sent to the full chamber on March 7, 1866 did not include a provision for regiments of black cavalry, however, this provision was added by Senator
Benjamin Wade
prior to the bill's passing on July 28, 1866.
[8]
In 1869 the Regular Army was kept at ten regiments of cavalry but cut to 25 regiments of Infantry, reducing the black complement to two regiments (the
24th
and
25th (Colored) Infantry)
. The 38th and 41st were reorganized as the 25th, with headquarters in
Jackson Barracks
in
New Orleans, Louisiana
, in November 1869. The 39th and 40th were reorganized as the 24th, with headquarters at
Fort Clark
, Texas, in April 1869. The two black infantry regiments represented 10 percent of the size of all twenty-five infantry regiments. Similarly, the two black cavalry units represented 20 percent of the size of all ten cavalry regiments.
[8]
During the peacetime formation years (1865-1870), the black infantry and cavalry regiments were composed of black
enlisted soldiers
commanded by white commissioned officers and black noncommissioned officers. These included the first commander of the 10th Cavalry
Benjamin Grierson
, the first commander of the 9th Cavalry
Edward Hatch
,
Medal of Honor
recipient
Louis H. Carpenter
,
Nicholas M. Nolan
. The first black commissioned officer to lead the Buffalo Soldiers and the first black graduate of
West Point
, was
Henry O. Flipper
in 1877.
From 1870 to 1898 the total strength of the US Army totaled 25,000 service members with black soldiers maintaining their 10 percent representation.
[8]
History
[
edit
]
Indian Wars
[
edit
]
Main article:
Indian Wars
From 1866 to the early 1890s, these regiments served at a variety of posts in the
Southwestern United States
and the
Great Plains
regions. They participated in most of the military campaigns in these areas and earned a distinguished record. Thirteen enlisted men and six officers from these four regiments earned the
Medal of Honor
during the Indian Wars. In addition to the military campaigns, the Buffalo Soldiers served a variety of roles along the frontier, from building roads to escorting the
U.S. mail
. On April 17, 1875, regimental headquarters for the 10th Cavalry was transferred to
Fort Concho
, Texas. Companies actually arrived at Fort Concho in May 1873. The 9th Cavalry was headquartered at
Fort Union
from 1875 to 1881.
[9]
At various times from 1873 through 1885, Fort Concho housed 9th Cavalry companies A–F, K, and M, 10th Cavalry companies A, D–G, I, L, and M, 24th Infantry companies D–G, and K, and 25th Infantry companies G and K.
[10]
From 1880 to 1881, portions of all four of the Buffalo Soldier regiments were in New Mexico pursuing
Victorio
and
Nana
and their Apache warriors in
Victorio's War
.
[11]
The 9th Cavalry spent the winter of 1890 to 1891 guarding the
Pine Ridge Reservation
during the events of the
Ghost Dance War
and the
Wounded Knee Massacre
. Cavalry regiments were also used to remove
Sooners
from native lands in the late 1880s and early 1890s.
Buffalo Soldier in the 9th Cavalry, 1890
Buffalo Soldiers
Buffalo Soldier troopers in formation, ready for inspection in Cuba.
United States Army
African Americans served in the U.S. Military during the Civil War and continued to serve afterwards. Many of these soldiers went on to fight in the Spanish-American War and the Philippine-American War. Although the pay was low, only a month, many African Americans enlisted because they could earn more and be treated with more dignity than they often received in civilian life.
In 1866, Congress established six all-black regiments (consolidated to four shortly after) to help rebuild the country after the Civil War and to fight on the Western frontier during the "Indian Wars." It was from one of these regiments, the 10th Cavalry, that the nickname Buffalo Soldier was born. American Plains Indians who fought against these soldiers referred to the black cavalry troops as "buffalo soldiers" because of their dark, curly hair, which resembled a buffalo's coat and because of their fierce nature of fighting. The nickname soon became synonymous with all African-American regiments formed in 1866.
In addition to their military duties, the Buffalo Soldiers also served as some of the first care takers of the national parks. Between 1891 and 1913, the U.S. Army served as the official administrator of Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks. The soldiers were stationed at the Presidio of San Francisco during the winter months and then served in the Sierra during the summer months. While in the parks, soldier's duties included fighting wildfire, curbing poaching of the park's wildlife, ending illegal grazing of livestock on federal lands, and constructing roads, trail and other infrastructure. In 1903,
Captain Charles Young
led a company of Buffalo Soldiers in Sequoia and General Grant (now
Sequoia and King's Canyon
) National Parks. Young and his troops managed to complete more infrastructure improvements than those from the previous three years. They completed a road to the Giant Forest and a road to the base of Moro Rock. Their work on these new roads now allowed the public to access the mountain-top forest for the first time.
The Buffalo Soldier regiments went on to serve the U.S. Army with distinction and honor for nearly the next five decades. With the disbandment of the 27th Cavalry on December 12, 1951, the last of the storied Buffalo Soldiers regiments came to an end.
George Ritter Burnett
(April 23, 1858 – November 1, 1908) was a
United States Army
officer who received the U.S. military's highest decoration, the
Medal of Honor
.
[1]
Contents
1
Life and career
2
Medal of Honor citation
3
See also
4
References
Life and career
[
edit
]
Burnett graduated from the
United States Military Academy
in 1880. On August 16, 1881, he was serving as a second lieutenant with the
9th Cavalry Regiment
of the
Buffalo Soldiers
. On that day, Burnett participated in
the Battle of Cuchillo Negro Creek
in the
Black Range
Mountains near Cuchillo Negro Creek of
New Mexico
, where he was cited for helping rescue stranded soldiers under heavy fire. One of his
privates
,
Augustus Walley
, and a first sergeant,
Moses Williams
also received the Medal of Honor for actions in this battle. He retired due to injuries in February 1891. He subsequently served as a colonel in the
Iowa National Guard
from 1892 until 1905, and in the
Missouri National Guard
from 1905 until 1908.
Burnett served as United States
Vice Consul
and Acting
Consul
in
Kehl
,
Baden
,
Germany
from September 1905 to March 1907. He also worked at many military preparatory schools.
[2]
Medal of Honor citation
[
edit
]
Rank and organization. Second Lieutenant, 9th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Cuchillo Negro Mountains, N. Mex., August 16, 1881. Entered service at: Spring Mills, Pa. Birth. Lower Providence Township Pa. Date of issue: July 23, 1897.
[1]
Citation:
Saved the life of a dismounted soldier, who was in imminent danger of being cut off, by alone galloping quickly to his assistance under heavy fire and escorting him to a place of safety, his horse being twice shot in this action.
Moses Williams
(October 10, 1845 – August 23, 1899) was a
Buffalo Soldier
in the
United States Army
and a recipient of America's highest military decoration—the
Medal of Honor
—for his actions in the
Indian Wars
of the
western United States
.
Contents
1
Biography
2
The Military Service of Moses Williams
2.1
San Antonio 1867-1875  [edit]
2.2
Battle of Cuchillo Negro Creek 1881
2.3
Fort Stevens, Oregon 1895 - 1898
2.4
Retired May 12, 1898
3
Medal of Honor citation
4
Theories on the origination of the name Buffalo Soldiers
5
See also
6
References
Biography
[
edit
]
Childhood
The details of Williams childhood are sparse. He was born in
Carrollton, Louisiana
, which is described as a “residential bedroom suburb of New Orleans. The only record of his childhood was his army reenlistment form from 1871 which says, “Father and Mother died while I was an infant”…. “One brother died of consumption; one sister died of fever”
[1]
On July 28, 1866, as part of The Army Reorganization Act of 1866 - Buffalo Soldiers the 39th Congress added two Cavalry regiments specifically for Black soldiers, who were identified as
United States Colored Troops
. Historical documents show that they were also called “colored regulars” to identify them as more than auxiliary troops
[2]
Historian Anthony L. Powell explains from first-hand account that joining the Army was a significant opportunity for young African American men; it offered economic security, purpose and an education.  He points out that the post-civil war economy left large numbers of African Americans unemployed and homeless.
[3]
The Military Service of Moses Williams
[
edit
]
Enlisted 1866
In October 1866 Williams joined the newly formed 9th Cavalry regiment in New Orleans,  Louisiana. Having no education before joining the army, he signed his enlistment form with an “X”. Soon after he attended training camp in Greenville, Louisiana.
[4]
Buffalo Soldiers fought during the day and went to school most evenings, learning reading, writing and math.
[5]
San Antonio 1867-1875  [
edit
]
[
edit
]
In March 1867, under the leadership of
Colonel Edward Hatch
, Williams was part of the twelve companies sent to San Antonio, Texas Buffalo Soldiers West Texas. There he was provided more training. In August 1867, he was promoted to First Sergeant of Company F.
[6]
In West Texas Company F of the 9th cavalry regiment was dispatched to protect stagecoach stations and mail delivery from raids by Comanches and Kiowas. When he reenlisted in 1871  he was moved to Company K of the Ninth Cavalry to serve as a First Sergeant.
Battle of Cuchillo Negro Creek 1881
[
edit
]
August 16, 1881, Williams was serving in Company I of the 9th Cavalry Regiment. On that day he participated in the Battle of Cuchillo Negro Creek in the Black Range Mountains near Cuchillo Negro Creek of New Mexico.
Fort Stevens, Oregon 1895 - 1898
[
edit
]
Williams became one of the first African-American Ordnance Sergeants in 1886, and starting in 1895, served at Fort Stevens, Oregon, where he was charged with the care of large coastal gun emplacements.
Retired May 12, 1898
[
edit
]
According to military records Williams retired in May 1898[1] due to health issues. He lived in Vancouver Washington at the Vancouver Barracks next year at the age of 53. Williams only had nine books, a pipe, a cigar holder, some stamps, a pen, pen points, his bed, some chairs, some neckties, and to his name.[2] He was buried in Vancouver Barracks Post Cemetery
Vancouver, Washington
.
He was buried in Fort Vancouver Military Cemetery, Vancouver, Washington.
Medal of Honor citation
[
edit
]
First Sergeant Williams' official Medal of Honor citation reads:
Rallied a
detachment
, skillfully conducted a running flight of 3 or 4 hours, and by his coolness, bravery, and unflinching devotion to duty in standing by his commanding officer in an exposed position under a heavy fire from a large party of
Indians
saved the lives of at least 3 of his comrades.
Augustus Walley
(March 10, 1856 – April 9, 1938) was a
Buffalo Soldier
in the
United States Army
and a recipient of America's highest military decoration—the
Medal of Honor
—for his actions in the
Indian Wars
of the
western United States
.
Contents
1
Biography
2
Medal of Honor
3
See also
4
References
Biography
[
edit
]
Walley was born into slavery in Reisterstown, Maryland in 1856.
[1]
He joined the army from
Baltimore
in November 1878.
[2]
On August 16, 1881, Walley was serving as a
private
in Company I of the
9th Cavalry Regiment
. On that day, Walley participated in
the Battle of Cuchillo Negro Creek
in the
Black Range
Mountains near Cuchillo Negro Creek of
New Mexico
, where he was cited for "[b]ravery in action with hostile
Apaches
" for helping rescue stranded soldiers under heavy fire. His Lieutenant,
George Ritter Burnett
, and First Sergeant
Moses Williams
also received the Medal of Honor for their actions in this battle. Nine years later, on October 1, 1890, he was issued the Medal of Honor for his actions during the engagement.
Walley retired from the army in February 1907, having also served in the
Spanish–American War
and
Philippine–American War
. In 1918, he volunteered for duty at Camp Beauregard, Louisiana, but was turned away because of his age. Walley remained in Beauregard as a laborer for the Army for the remainder of the first world war.
[1]
He died at age 82 and was buried at Saint Luke's Cemetery in
Reisterstown, Maryland
.
Medal of Honor
[
edit
]
Rank and organization: Private, Company I, 9th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Cuchillo Negro Mountains, N. Mex., August 16, 1881. Entered service at: ------. Birth: Reistertown, Md. Date of issue: October 1, 1890.
[3]
Citation:
Bravery in action with hostile Apaches.
Buffalo soldiers were African American soldiers who mainly served on the Western frontier following the American Civil War. In 1866, six all-Black cavalry and infantry regiments were created after Congress passed the Army Organization Act. Their main tasks were to help control the Native Americans of the Plains, capture cattle rustlers and thieves and protect settlers, stagecoaches, wagon trains and railroad crews along the Western front.
Who Were the Buffalo Soldiers?
No one knows for certain why, but the soldiers of the all-Black 9th and 10th Cavalry Regiments were dubbed “buffalo soldiers” by the Native Americans they encountered.
One theory claims the nickname arose because the soldiers’ dark, curly hair resembled the fur of a buffalo. Another assumption is the soldiers fought so valiantly and fiercely that the Indians revered them as they did the mighty buffalo.
Whatever the reason, the name stuck, and African American regiments formed in 1866, including the 24th and 25th Infantry (which were consolidated from four regiments) became known as buffalo soldiers.
The 9th Cavalry Regiment
The mustering of the 9th Cavalry took place in New Orleans, Louisiana, in August and September of 1866. The soldiers spent the winter organizing and training until they were ordered to San Antonio, Texas, in April 1867. There they were joined by most of their officers and their commanding officer, Colonel Edward Hatch.
Training the inexperienced and mostly uneducated soldiers of the 9th Calvary was a challenging task. But the regiment was willing, able and mostly ready to face anything when they were ordered to the unsettled landscape of West Texas.
The soldiers’ main mission was to secure the road from San Antonio to El Paso and restore and maintain order in areas disrupted by Native Americans, many of whom were frustrated with life on Indian reservations and broken promises by the federal government. The Black soldiers, facing their own forms of discrimination from the U.S. government, were tasked with removing another minority group in that government’s name.
The 10th Cavalry Regiment
The 10th Cavalry was based in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and commanded by Colonel Benjamin Grierson. Mustering was slow, partly because the colonel wanted more educated men in the regiment and partly because of a cholera outbreak in the summer of 1867.
In August 1867, the regiment was ordered to Fort Riley, Kansas, with the task of protecting the Pacific Railroad, which was under construction at the time.
Before they left Fort Leavenworth, some troops fought hundreds of Cheyenne in two separate battles near the Saline River. With the support of the 38th Infantry Regiment—which was later consolidated into the 24th Infantry Regiment—the 10th Cavalry pushed back the hostile Indians.
The cavalry lost just one man and several horses despite having inferior equipment and being greatly outnumbered. It was just one of many battles to come.
Indian Wars
Both the 9th and 10th Cavalry Regiments participated in dozens upon dozens of skirmishes and larger battles of the Indian Wars as America became obsessed with westward expansion.
For instance, the 9th Cavalry was critical to the success of a three-month, unremitting campaign known as the Red River War against the Kiowas, the Comanches, the Cheyenne and the Arapahoe. It was after this battle that the 10th Cavalry was sent to join them in Texas.
Troops H and I of the 10th Cavalry were part of a team that rescued wounded Lieutenant-Colonel George Alexander Forsyth and what remained of his group of scouts trapped on a sand bar and surrounded by Indians in the Arikaree River. A couple weeks later, the same troops engaged hundreds of Indians at Beaver Creek and fought so gallantly they were thanked in a field order by General Philip Sheridan.
By 1880, the 9th and 10th Cavalry Regiments had minimized Indian resistance in Texas and the 9th Cavalry was ordered to Indian Territory in modern-day Oklahoma, ironically to prevent white settlers from illegally settling on Indian land. The 10th Cavalry continued to keep the Apache in check until the early 1890s when they relocated to Montana to round up the Cree.
About 20 percent of U.S. Cavalry troops that participated in the Indian Wars were buffalo soldiers, who participated in at least 177 conflicts.
Buffalo Soldiers Protect National Parks
Buffalo soldiers didn’t only battle unfriendly Indians. They also fought wildfires and poachers in Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks and supported the parks’ infrastructure.
According to the National Park Service, buffalo soldiers billeted at the Presidio army post in San Francisco during the winter and served as park rangers in the Sierra Nevada in the summer.
Buffalo Soldiers in Other Conflicts
In the late 1890s, with the “Indian problem” mostly settled, the 9th and 10th Calvary and the 24th and 25th Infantry headed to Florida at the start of the Spanish-American War.
Even facing blatant racism and enduring brutal weather conditions, buffalo soldiers earned a reputation for serving courageously. They fought heroically in the Battle of San Juan Hill, the Battle of El Caney and the Battle of Las Guasimas.
The 9th and 10th Cavalry Regiments served in the Philippines in the early 1900s. Despite proving their military worth time and again, they continued to experience racial discrimination. During World War I, they were mostly relegated to defending the Mexican border.
Both regiments were integrated into the 2nd Cavalry Division in 1940. They trained for overseas deployment and combat during World War II. The 9th and 10th Cavalry Regiments were deactivated in May 1944.
Mark Matthews
In 1948, President Harry Truman issued Executive Order 9981 eliminating racial segregation in America’s armed forces. The last all-black units were disbanded during the 1950s.
Mark Matthews, the nation’s oldest living buffalo soldier, died in 2005 at age 111 in Washington, D.C.
Buffalo soldiers had the lowest military desertion and court-martial rates of their time. Many won the Congressional Medal of Honor, an award presented in recognition of combat valor that goes above and beyond the call of duty.
Buffalo Soldiers Legacy
Today, visitors can attend the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum in Houston, Texas, a museum dedicated to the history of their military service. Bob Marley and The Wailers immortalized the group in the reggae song “Buffalo Soldier,” which highlighted the irony of former slaves and their descendants “stolen from Africa” taking land from Native Americans for white settlers.