Buffalo Soldiers | The Brass Letters | 1

American History Tellers

Wondery

Society & Culture, Kids & Family, History, Education For Kids

4.7 • 18.3K Ratings

🗓️ 5 February 2025

⏱️ 46 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In the spring of 1865, with the Civil War finally over, American lawmakers began to debate whether Black soldiers would have a permanent place in the peacetime Army. Some 180,000 Black men had fought in the Union ranks, but never before in the nation’s history had they been allowed regular status in the armed forces.

In the West, white settlers were clashing with Indian tribes who were determined to protect their land and lives from aggression. Soon, Congress would authorize six new Black Army regiments to support America’s westward expansion. Hundreds of Black men answered the call and set off for remote outposts on the frontier, searching for opportunities denied to them in civilian life. They became known as the first buffalo soldiers.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Picture this. You're transported back in time, witnessing history unfold right before your eyes, without any modern day interruptions.
0:07.3	That's the magic of Wondery Plus.
0:09.2	Immerse yourself in the stories that shaped our nation with ad-free episodes, early access to new seasons, and exclusive bonus content.
0:16.1	Join Wondry Plus in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts and experience American history like never before.
0:34.2	Imagine it's dawn on Christmas Day, 1866 in Williamson County, Tennessee.
0:40.6	You use the door of your cabin closed and gingerly step onto the frosty ground,
0:45.5	hoping you don't wake anyone inside.
0:47.8	Christmas is the one day a year that your mother sleeps in,
0:51.2	and the last thing you want is to have to explain yourself.
0:55.2	But as you reach the edge of the yard, a noise stops you in your tracks. We turn around to see your younger brother,
1:00.3	John, rubbing his eyes as he emerges from the cabin. Where are you going? None of your business. Go back to
1:06.7	bed. If you don't tell me, I'm going to wake mom.
1:13.4	Fine. I'm going to Nashville.
1:14.9	To do what?
1:16.7	To enlist in the army.
1:21.0	The army? In case you hadn't noticed, the war is over.
1:25.9	I know the war is over, but they're recruiting black men to go west and fight Indians.
1:27.9	I heard about it in town.
1:28.9	You?
1:30.5	In the Army?
1:33.9	You aren't even tall enough to look over a fence.
1:37.2	Who in their right mind is going to let you have a gun?
	...

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