WEST POINT – The U.S. Military Academy will dedicate a new monument to honor, promote, and preserve the history and contributions of Buffalo Soldiers who served in the Army at West Point during a ceremony on Friday, September 10.
From 1907 to 1947, Buffalo Soldiers were assigned to the 9th and 10th Cavalry Regiments at West Point to provide instruction in mounted drill and tactics to the Corps of Cadets that included notable graduates George S. Patton Jr., Dwight D. Eisenhower, Omar N. Bradley, and others who attended the academy during those four decades.
“These Soldiers embodied the West Point motto of Duty, Honor, Country and ideals of the Army Ethic,” said Superintendent, Lt. Gen. Darryl Williams. “This monument will ensure that the legacy of Buffalo Soldiers is enduringly revered, honored and celebrated while serving as an inspiration for the next generations of cadets.”
Folklore says the African American soldiers got their name from Native Americans who said they were as fierce, strong, and tough as the buffalo.
Gifted to the academy by the Buffalo Soldiers Association of West Point, the 10-foot tall bronze trooper mounted on horseback characterizes the level of horsemanship expertise that was provided to future Army officers.
Nationally renowned sculptor Eddie Dixon was commissioned for the piece that bears a likeness to retired Staff Sgt. Sanders H. Matthews Sr., a Buffalo Soldier stationed at West Point. Matthews, who founded the Buffalo Soldiers Association of West Point.
In 1973, the academy memorialized the achievements of Buffalo Soldiers in U.S. Army history by renaming the plain on which they trained as Buffalo Soldier Field and placed a memorial rock in the far northeast corner. The Buffalo Soldiers Association of West Point advocated for the enhancement of the memorial into a larger, more substantial monument to commemorate the historical legacy of Buffalo Soldiers at West Point.
The last monument dedication to take place at West Point honored former president Ulysses S. Grant, Class of 1843, and was erected on the Plain in 2019.
The ceremony will be held at 10 a.m.
