"On the American frontier, African American units of the U.S. Army - nicknamed "Buffalo Soldiers" by their Indian opponents - were renowned for their fortitude, courage, and ability to handle difficult assignments. Despite such respect in the military, by the end of the nineteenth century Black civilians were still being subjected to Jim Crow laws, lynchings, and continuous discrimination. At this same time newspapers were reporting glowing accounts of the heroism of four Black regiments during the Spanish-American War." "In an effort to bolster Black pride and stem the increasing racism of the age, Dr. T. G. Steward (1843-1924), chaplain of the U.S. Army's Twenty-fifth Infantry, requested and received permission from the army to publish this fascinating account of the Black soldier's military service in Cuba. After summarizing the African American contribution to all of the wars and conflicts leading up to the Spanish-American War, Steward concentrates on the war in Cuba. Among the intriguing episodes recounted are the rescue of the Rough Riders led by Theodore Roosevelt, the capture of the stone fort at El Caney, the service of the Black infantrymen as volunteer nurses in the yellow fever camps, and long excerpts from the diary of Medal of Honor winner E. L. Baker of the Tenth Cavalry."--BOOK JACKET.
