
The 10th Cavalry
The 10th Cavalry was formed at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas in 1866.
Very high standards of recruitment were set by the regiments'
commander and Civil War hero Benjamin Grierson. As a result,
recruitment and organization of the unit required slightly over one
year. By the end of July 1867 eight companies of enlisted men had
been recruited from the Departments of Missouri, Arkansas, and the
Platte.
Life at Leavenworth was not pleasant for the 10th. The Fort's
commander, who was admittedly opposed to African-
Americans serving in the regular army, made life as difficult as he
could on the new troopers. Grierson sought to have his regiment
transferred, and subsequently received orders moving the regiment to
Fort Riley, Kansas later that summer. Within two months of the
transfer, the final four companies were in place.
For the next eight years, the 10th was stationed at numerous forts
throughout Kansas and Indian Territory (now Oklahoma). They
provided guards for workers of the Kansas and Pacific
Railroad, strung miles of new telegraph lines, and to a large
extent built Fort Sill. Throughout this period, they were
constantly patrolling the reservations in an attempt to prevent Indian
raids into Texas. In 1867 and 68, the 10th participated in Gen.
Sherman's winter campaigns against the Cheyennes, Arapahos, and
Comanches. Units of the 10th prevented the Cheyenne from fleeing to
the northwest, thus allowing Custer and the 7th Cavalry to defeat
them at the decisive battle near Fort Cobb, Indian Territory.
In 1875, the 10th Cavalry moved its headquarters to Fort Concho in
west Texas. Other companies were assigned to various forts
throughout the area. The regiment's mission in Texas was to protect
mail and travel routes, control Indian movements, provide protection
from Mexican revolutionaries and outlaws, and to gain a knowledge
of the areas terrain. The regiment proved highly successful in
completing their mission. The 10th scouted 34,420 miles of
uncharted terrain, opened more than 300 miles of new roads, and laid
over 200 miles of telegraph lines. The scouting activities took the
troops through some of the harshest and most desolate terrain in the
nation. These excursions allowed the preparation of excellent maps
detailing scarce water holes, mountain passes, and grazing areas that
would later allow for settlement of the area. These feats were
accomplished while having to be constantly on the alert for
hit-and-run raids from the Apaches. The stay in west Texas produced
tough soldiers, who became accustomed to surviving in an area that
offered few comforts and no luxuries.
The 10th Cavalry played an important role in the 1879-80
campaign against Chief Victorio and his renegade band of
Apaches. Victorio and his followers escaped from their New Mexico
reservation and wreaked havoc throughout the southwest on their
way to Mexico. Col. Grierson and the 10th attempted to prevent
Victorio's return to the U.S., and particularly his reaching New
Mexico where he could cause additional problems with the Apaches
still on the reservations. Grierson, realizing the importance of water
in the harsh region, decided the best way to intercept Victorio was to
take control of potential water holes along his route.
The campaign called for the biggest military concentration
ever assembled in the Trans-Pecos area. Six troops of the 10th
Cavalry were assigned to patrol the area from the Van Horn
Mountains west to the Quitman Mountains, and north to the Sierra
Diablo and Delaware Mountains. Encounters with the Indians usually
resulted in skirmishes, however the 10th engaged in major
confrontations at Tinaja de las Palmas (a water hole south of Sierra
Blanca) and at Rattlesnake Springs (north of Van Horn). These two
engagements halted Victorio and forced him to retreat to Mexico.
Although Victorio and his band were not captured, the campaign
conducted by the 10th was successful in preventing them from
reaching New Mexico. The 10th's efforts at containment exhausted
the Apaches. Soon after they crossed the border, Victorio and many
of his warriors were killed by Mexican troops on October 14, 1880.
In 1885, the regiment was transferred to the Department of Arizona.
Once again the 10th was involved in the arduous pursuit of renegade
Apaches under the leadership of Geronimo, Mangus, and the Apache
Kid.
After twenty years of service in some of the most undesirable posts
in the southwest, the regiment, now under the command of Colonel
John K. Mizner, was transferred to the Department of Dakota in
1891. The regiment served at various posts in Montana and Dakotas
until 1898.
Buffalo Soldiers: Daily Life on the Frontier
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