Vancouver – Author John P. Langellier will discuss his book — “Fighting for Uncle Sam: Buffalo Soldiers in the Frontier Army”– at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Fort Vancouver Visitor Center, 1501 E. Evergreen Blvd.
The event is free and open to the public.
Langellier will describe the role the African-American Buffalo Soldiers played in opening the West. They were six all-black regiments established in 1866, totaling 6,000 men. By the 1890s, black soldiers comprised 20 percent of America’s frontier cavalry.
The Buffalo Soldiers played a key part in the development of the national park system. At locations including Sequoia and Yosemite, they served in the roles later assumed by national park rangers.
Their story “is one that is closely connected to our national park,” said Bob Cromwell, acting chief ranger at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site. “African-American soldiers from Company B of the 24th U.S. Infantry Regiment were stationed at Vancouver Barracks in 1899, and were an important part of the community here.”
