Some of the earliest burials at the Santa Fe National cemetery include the 10th Calvary Regiment known as the Buffalo soldiers. They provided protection to western settlers during Manifest Destiny. The remains of sixty-four Buffalo Soldiers stationed at the Fort Craig are interred at the National Cemetery in Santa Fe. These soldiers can be found buried below the Fort Craig monument on the north side of the cemetery.
Civil War Regiment
The Buffalo soldiers were a contingent of black men in the Union Army during the Civil War. They became the 9th and 10th cavalries in the region. The mandate of the Buffalo soldiers provided protection from marauding Indians and Mexican revolutionaries. Bandits and cattle rustlers who roamed the territory had to stay clear of the Buffalo soldiers. Several African American troops came about during the Civil War, shortly after Congress established the first peacetime all-black regiments in the U.S. Army.
Santa Fe National Cemetery
Some of the earliest burials at the Santa Fe National cemetery include the 10th Calvary Regiment known as the Buffalo soldiers. They provided protection to western settlers during Manifest Destiny. The remains of sixty-four Buffalo Soldiers stationed at the Fort Craig are interred at the National Cemetery in Santa Fe. These soldiers can be found buried below the Fort Craig monument on the north side of the cemetery.