The Greater Atlanta Buffalo Soldiers

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Awesome day at the Tuskegee Veterinary School Horse Health Fair.

Tuskegee University Veterinary School Horse Health Fair🐎 Saturday Oct 26th 2024 0900-1400 hours. All Horse owners are welcome to bring your horses and get immunized at a reduced rate. Tuskegee University Veterinary Large Animal School 1607- Hospital Rd Tuskegee, Alabama, 36088

" READY AND FORWARD "

1897: African American Buffalo Soldiers test bikes for Army on 1,900 mile expedition
In 1897, 20 soldiers, an army surgeon and a reporter led by Lt. James A. Moss, rode bicycles from Fort Missoula in Montana to St. Louis, Missouri. The trip was made as an experiment to see whether the bicycle could serve a useful purpose in the Army.
1890s America was also experiencing a bicycle-craze due to the recent invention of the "safety bicycle" (a bicycle with wheels of equal size and chain driven). Accounts make it clear that Moss had a romantic streak, and enjoyed the outdoors, as well as what he referred to as "the poetry of cycling".
The 41-day journey to St. Louis was 1,900 miles and took the men through Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska and Missouri. In the 1890s, the Army was segregated, with most black units (a.k.a "Buffalo Soldiers") serving in the isolated outposts in the West. Fort Missoula, at that time, was home to the 25th Infantry, a black regiment. Moss was a Southerner and recent graduate of West Point. He was only twenty-five years old. He and some of the '97 riders had done trips before. In the summer of 1896, eight of them rode first to the Mission Mountains, north of Missoula and then Yellowstone Park. For the St. Louis trip, Moss picked a path that mostly followed the railroads -- the Northern Pacific to Billings and then various arms of the Burlington the rest of the way.
Fortunately, Eddie Boos, a nineteen-year-old, rode along with the Corps to St. Louis and wired lengthy reports to the local Missoula paper, as well as newspapers all over the United States.
Combining his accounts with those of Lt. Moss, we get a fairly detailed picture of the trip. Sadly, no accounts from the soldiers, themselves, are known to exist. We only know them through Boos and Moss's somewhat stereotyped descriptions. Nevertheless, what comes through is a group of highly dedicated, tough, resilient, men who at the end of a long, hard ride still had a keen sense of humor and enjoyment of life*. A year after the trip they proved their mettle as soldiers, securing key victories during the Spanish-American War. Boos tells us that the Corps was escorted by hundreds as they drew closer to the finish of their journey and were welcomed by over 10,000 upon reaching their goal in Forest Park in St. Louis.

On this day in history, North Carolina’s first African American regiment was mustered into Union service at New Bern, N.C. At least five members of the regiment were from Roanoke Island and served in Companies A, E, and F.
The 35th USCT (also known as the 1st North Carolina Colored Volunteers) would serve in Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina, notably fighting at Olustee in Florida in February 1864. Fighting alongside the 54th Massachusetts Infantry (the regiment highlighted in the movie “Glory”) The 35th USCT held off savage Confederate counterattacks, saving the rest of the Union army as it retired back to Jacksonville, FL. Faced with difficulties both Union and Confederate, the 35th overcame them and was mustered out in 1866 as a much-respected regiment.
Image Description: 17 African American men wearing light blue overcoats and carrying muskets stand in a group.

This is a rare photograph shows a Union Army Camp scene where soldiers are entertained by a group of African American minstrel performers.

In a February 2023 Black History Month speech given to the Kentucky State Legislative body, we called for the establishment of the Brigadier General Charles Young Memorial Historical Corridor. The legislative request was carried forward by State Senators Gerald Neal and Stephen West. Governor Andy Beshear signed Senate Joint Resolution #58 into law in March of 2023. We unveiled the first road sign on June 1st in a ceremony held at the Kentucky/Ohio bridge in Maysville. The route begins in Nicholasville at Camp Nelson to Charles Young’s birth cabin in Mays Lick. Within the sixty-eight miles separating the locations lies Second Baptist Church where the Young Family worshiped in the mid 1860’s before seeking freedom on the Ohio side of the river, and the Rosenwald Negro School established in the 1920s.

We requested the State of Ohio expand the corridor from Ripley, Ohio where Charles Young was raised to Wilberforce, the location of the National Monument and a host of other Black History sites. Representatives Terrence Upchurch and Adam Holmes carried the request forward in co-sponsoring House Resolution #253.

Pending Governor Mike DeWine’s signature, the corridor extension will add another eighty-six miles and six additional historic Black locations to the route. Beginning with the abolitionist John Parker home in Ripley to Payne Theological Seminar in Wilberforce the route traces the life of Charles Young. The route encompasses the Charles Young and Buffalo Soldiers National Nonument, the Afro African Museum and Wilberforce University, where he once taught.

The expansion increases the length of the corridor to one hundred and fifty-four miles, making it the largest region in the nation named honoring a Black veteran. While we are pleased with General Young having the honor, that was not the motivation behind us seeking the legislation. Instead, it offered a way for all ten historical treasures in the region to be recognized while focusing attention on General Young and his history. I traveled the route and met many of the people who are the stewards of the historical locations. The route is an education in Black American History from Camp Nelson, where Black Soldiers (US Colored Troops) were garrisoned and trained during the Civil War era to the Underground railroad that operated on both sides of the Kentucky/Ohio River. As Black History comes under attack in some parts of the country, the corridor offers an opportunity to support the preservation of the history by making it a point to visit. It is our hope the corridor will become a revenue generator to support future preservation efforts and public activities in the region. It is a weekend of meeting nice people in two states, eating great food, seeing the sights, and learning more about Black American History. Your visit would help preserve the history by showing public interest. Plus, it is more educational than Disneyland and closer than Europe.

Special thank you to former Kentucky State Representative Mike Denham, Kentucky State Senators Gerald Neal and Stephen West, and Ohio Representatives Terrence Upchurch and Adam Holmes for sponsoring the Corridor Resolutions.

We “Salute” Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear and Ohio Governor Mike DeWine for signing the Initiatives.

Here is a little history for individuals that are fans of the movies Top Gun and Top Gun: Maverick.

The first Top Gun competition was held in 1949.

The caucasian pilots competed with the latest state of art aircraft, while the African-American pilots were forced to compete with the much older, obsolete planes.

After 3 days of competition, The Tuskegee Airmen team of : Captain Alva Temple, 1st Lieutenant Harry Stewart, 1st Lieutenant James Harvey, and 1st Lieutenant Halbert Alexander (alternate) were announced the winners.

There was dead silence in the room.
Not one of their (hypocrite) colleagues applauded this accomplishment.

The victory was swept under the rug and the trophy was not seen by the public for 55 years.
Introducing the real Top Guns

Black Cowboys in Bonham Texas 1890

George Prioleau was born enslaved in Charleston, South Carolina, on May 15, 1856. He graduated from the Avery Institute in 1875 before attending Claflin University, a historically black university in Orangeburg, South Carolina. Prioleau attended Wilberforce University, a historically Black University in Wilberforce, Ohio, to earn a degree in theology. After graduating, he became a preacher and a teacher before he returned to Wilberforce to become a theology professor at Payne Theological Seminary in 1889. He earned his Doctor of Divinity from Payne Theological Seminary in 1895.

Shortly after, Prioleau received an appointment from President Grover Cleveland to serve as the chaplain for the Ninth Cavalry. He joined the Ninth Cavalry in Fort Robinson, Nebraska. As the chaplain, he was responsible for the Post School, curriculum, and religious services.

In 1898, The Ninth Cavalry entered the Spanish-American War. Although his unit was deployed, Prioleau was unable to join them due to contracting malaria. After he recovered, he served as a recruiting officer in the south. Prioleau served 20 years with the Ninth Cavalry before being transferred to the Tenth Cavalry, then eventually the Twenty-Fifth Infantry. He retired from the military in 1920.

After his retirement he moved to Los Angeles, California, and helped found Bethel A.M.E Church. George Prioleau died on July 15, 1927, after falling from a ladder while painting the church. He is buried in the Los Angeles National Cemetery in Los Angeles, California, Plot 52, A-17.

Photo: Chaplain George Washington Prioleau. Public Domain

"LEST WE FORGET" Henry O Flipper Buffalo Soldier!!

Troopers come together after a productive meeting. "READY AND FORWARD"

WE CAN, WE WILL

READY AND FORWARD

GAAC Celebrating Black History Month!

Supreme Court Justice
Thurgood Marshall
https://youtu.be/kAZdZFa3OkI?si=qnABcAgln3A_wUqj

The Last Dragon! A true 80’s classic! 💕

Happy New Year from The GAAC The Greater Atlanta Buffalo Soldiers

Young people who inspire us 🙌🏾

https://youtu.be/BqIidpUmFr8?si=rUobqavRkjqweUSx

MLK: The Assassination Tapes (Full Episode) Peabody Award WinnerRelive an unspeakable tragedy detailed with unforgettable images, videos, and recordings only recently rediscovered.From: MLK: THE ASSAS...

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GAAC Celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. January 2024