This uniform is similar to what would have been worn by some non-commissioned officers of the 9th Cavalry when they were stationed at Fort Walla Walla.
For Black History Month, the Museum is looking at the information we have about the Buffalo Soldier groups associated with Fort Walla Walla.
In early 2021, the museum acquired a pattern 1884 dress coat and pattern 1881 dress helmet for the 24th Infantry. Stationed at Fort Walla Walla in 1899, Troop M of the 24th Infantry was one of two groups of Buffalo Soldiers that served here. In honor of Black History Month, a special case was prepared to showcase this acquisition. The Museum has long been searching for artifacts related to the two Buffalo soldier groups associated with the fort.
New acquisition: pattern 1884 dress coat and pattern 1881 dress helmet for the 24th Infantry. Troop M of the 24th Infantry was one of the groups of African American soldiers, stationed here in 1899.
While segregated African American regiments existed in the U.S. Army during the Civil War, the first professional African American army regiments were created by Congress in 1866. Eventually, these regiments were condensed to the 9th and 10th Cavalries and 24th and 25th Infantries. These groups were dispatched to the territories to fight in the Indian Wars, where they received from Plains Indians the name by which their regiments are best known: the Buffalo Soldiers. These regiments also fought in Cuba during the 1898 Spanish American War and in the Philippines. While the enlisted men were African American, the officers were almost exclusively white.
In the Community
The 9th Cavalry Field Staff, Band, and Troops E, F, G, and H were stationed at Fort Walla Walla from 1902 until 1904. During this time, the 9th Cavalry Band became a popular fixture in the community. Regular concerts were held on the parade grounds at the fort and each Sunday at Dreamland Park. The band also provided music for community events like baseball games, parades, and even commencement ceremonies at Whitman College. The 9th Cavalry Orchestra was also noted as providing music at parties and dances.
The 9th Cavalry Band in an undated photo, published in the Seattle Republican, May 27, 1904. The names included in the caption are: James H. Willis, Theo M. Brinson, Andrew Hartwood, Chas. E. Hmmock, Simone Negrito, Granciano Bauitista, Filipe Losa, Morris Taylor, Thomas Pleasant, Tennessee Patton, Harrison Henderson, John Dickson, Wm. H. Oliver, Maurice E. Green, John Wilson (Chief Trumpeter), Nicolas Barcelo, Vendal Alcomendas, John Singleton, Jas. A Thompson (Principal Musician), Basilio Gonzales, Major [W]oodard (First Sergeant and Drum Major), Gorgonio Cervera, Emilio Jasinillo, Chas. D. Condol. Source: Library of Congress.
The athletic prowess of the 9th Cavalry troops was well documented, both in community competitions as well as military contests. Sports provided a welcome diversion for the troops, and they were known to play baseball and basketball against local teams.
In May 1904, twenty-five of the 9th’s most capable athletes and soldiers were sent to Fort Vancouver to participate in the annual athletic competition between regiments stationed in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. The three-day meet included events like the pole vault and rope climbing, and a baseball game took place each day. The Evening Statesman reported that the 9th Cavalry troops placed first in eight events, second in four events, and third in four events. Private Clinton Murray of Troop G took first in the standing high jump, and Corporal Richard W. Peters of Troop E took first in the running broad jump. In rope climbing, Private Andrew Houston of Troop E took second and Private Isaac Watkins of Troop H took third. In shelter tent pitching, Privates Jones and Walker of Troop F took third.
The 9th Cavalry’s baseball team won all their games in Vancouver. The Saturday game against the Eighth Battery was a close one, but Private Pleasant of Troop F caught a long fly to save the game. After the contest, Troop F presented him with a silver cup for his outstanding sportsmanship.
The 9th Cavalry’s baseball team was considered by the Evening Statesman to be one of the best amateur teams in Eastern Washington. Known as Lieutenant Gibbon’s “Squadron Team,” they played against local college and amateur teams. The Squadron was made up of Bryson, White, Pleasant, Brown, Golden, Allen, Tinsley, Woodward, Blanch, and Corbett. When a flood wiped out most of the city of Heppner, Oregon in June 1903, the Squadron and Walla Walla teams played two weekend benefit games for the city, with the 9th’s band performing before the games.
Photo of President Roosevelt’s carriage during his visit to Walla Walla. The Museum is in search of additional Roosevelt visit photographs, particularly those that clearly show the troops in his protection detail. From Fort Walla Walla Museum archives.
Presidential Visit
When President Theodore Roosevelt visited Walla Walla during his Western tour in 1903, thousands from the Inland Northwest lined the streets to see the parade as it moved up Elm Street toward Whitman College. In the procession, the 9th Cavalry Band played a march as troops from the 9th Cavalry and 30th Battery escorted the president’s carriage to Memorial Hall. In his address to the city, Roosevelt acknowledged his fellow Spanish American War veterans. The Buffalo Soldier cavalries had fought alongside Roosevelt’s Rough Riders during the Battle of San Juan Hill to secure a key position outside Santiago during the war in Cuba.
The Men Behind the Uniform
Chaplain George Washington Prioleau’s military career was highlighted in the Seattle Republican, May 27, 1904. Source: Library of Congress.
It’s vital to remember that many of these soldiers’ parents, and some of the soldiers themselves, were former slaves. The first generation of free African Americans was fighting to liberate Cuba and the Philippines from Spanish rule while they were denied equal rights in their own country.
Chaplain George Washington Prioleau (1856-1927), who was born a slave in South Carolina, became only one of five chaplains in the Buffalo Soldier regiments. He was stationed at Fort Walla Walla with the 9th and served in both Cuba and the Philippines.
Prioleau attended Wilberforce University before becoming an AME pastor. He taught theology courses while earning his Doctor of Divinity, and in 1895 was appointed chaplain of the 9th Cavalry by President Cleveland. He entered the army at the rank of Captain and would serve on the regiment for over 20 years, the longest term of any army chaplain.
He was responsible for attending to the spiritual needs of the troops, providing basic education and counseling, and performing services for weddings and funerals. On February 20, 1903, Annie, his wife of 18 years, passed away in the Fort Walla Walla hospital. Prioleau continued to serve in the Buffalo Soldier regiments until retiring at the rank of major in 1921.
Prioleau submitted many editorials challenging the discrimination faced by black troops from both white soldiers and civilians, including how they were barred from entering the same restaurants that invited white soldiers to eat free of charge.
Through Chaplain Prioleau’s duties, we find small details about the lives of his fellow soldiers. He presided over the wedding of Sergeant John A. Johns of Troop H and Miss Hattie Green in front of 250 guests. He also wed Trooper William H. Oliver to Miss Alice Clark.
He conducted the funeral services for Marcia G. Washington, wife of Sergeant Major William Washington, in June 1904. Their child, Philip, died at the fort six months prior. Both graves can be found in the fort cemetery. Also in the cemetery is a marker for Private George Middleton of Troop H, who died aged 26. Records from this time period also list his first name as Joseph.
Marcia G. Washington, the wife of Sergeant Major William Washington, died in June 1904. Their son, Philip L. Washington, passed away the previous winter.
Private George (or Joseph) Middleton of Troop H died aged 26 at the Fort Walla Walla Hospital in January 1903.
John A. Logan, who served in Cuba and the Philippines, was a quartermaster’s clerk at Fort Walla Walla. He was discharged in August 1903 and leaving to settle in San Francisco with his wife, a California native.
Corporal Charles Spurlock of Troop E fell ill and died at American Lake. He was buried at Fort Lawton with full military honors, attended by the band and four companies of the Tenth Infantry. Spurlock had served in the army for 24 continuous years and was a veteran of the wars in Cuba and the Philippines.
Maneuvers at American Lake
On June 20, 1904, the 9th Cavalry departed from Fort Walla Walla to participate in the first large-scale military maneuvers at American Lake near Tacoma. When they passed through Ellensburg, the local paper recorded that they had 344 horses, eight wagons, and 16,000 pounds of baggage. In all, 292 enlisted men and 18 officers made the 282-mile journey to attend the maneuvers.
Over 4,500 troops and militiamen from Washington, Oregon, and Idaho would participate in 14 days of training and mock battles. Several top military officials, including General McArthur, were on hand to observe the battle scenarios. The location and training exercises were considered a success, and federal money was well spent.
After a long journey and two weeks of exhausting work, the troops returned to Fort Walla Walla by train on July 23. By October, the 9th Cavalry had moved on from Walla Walla.
We hope you will come to see the new uniform on display with an appreciation for the tremendous sacrifices and hardships faced by these men who wore it.
Fort Walla Walla Museum would like to thank volunteer Kathy Stritzel for research assistance.