The Forgotten Heroes

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

In this well-researched, revealing book, journalist Cox ( Undying Glory ) tells the story of the all-black units of the 9th and 10th Cavalry, also known as the Buffalo Soldiers. The book focuses on the years between 1866 and 1891, when the Buffalo Soldiers rode hundreds of thousands of miles on the western frontier, mapping uncharted territory and laying the groundwork for the creation of eight states. They achieved these goals despite consistently being treated as inferiors, receiving the poorest horses and equipment, and being assigned tasks considered too dangerous for white soldiers. Of equal interest is the role the Buffalo Soldiers played in removing Native Americans from their homelands; the author effectively argues that the American government--George Armstrong Custer and Theodore Roosevelt in particular--used one oppressed group to systematically destroy another in order to win land for white settlers under the guise of patriotism. Cox eloquently articulates the dilemma many soldiers faced as they were forced to choose between their jobs and their consciences. Although the narrative sometimes falls into a cataloguing of expeditions and battles, it provides new insights into a fascinating piece of American history and challenges traditional visions of westward expansion. Ages 8-14. (Nov.)

The ALAN Review - Jeanne Marcum Gerlach

This book contains historical truths about the black cavalrymen who were recruited in the late 1800s by the United States Government to help open up the West. Cox uses factual information and archival photographs to tell the story of how these men who protected settlers, carried the mail, and fought battles against Native Americans came to be known as Buffalo Soldiers. Through a mature narrative technique, Cox explains to the reader how many African-Americans enlisted in the cavalry after the Civil War because there were still few civilian opportunities for them. The irony is that while they joined hoping to find new freedoms, they took freedom away from others-Native Americans. Young readers, who are often unfamiliar with the story of the Buffalo Soldiers, should find the book both informative and moving.

Janice Del Negro

After the Civil War, two U.S. Cavalry regiments of African American soldiers were assigned to the frontier to uphold law and order, protect settlers, carry the mail, and solve "the Indian problem." The irony of black soldiers in search of new lives helping to destroy Native Americans who wanted to keep their way of life intact is not lost on Cox. It colors his narration of the tragic and heroic events that occurred and is even apparent in his chapter titles. To keep his perspective intimate, Cox makes it a point to talk about specific men (white, African American, and Native American) by name, give their personal stories, and place them in our national history. Illustrated with black-and-white photographs and enlivened by quotes from primary sources, this is history as epic tragedy--the story of a people released from slavery but not free, and of a free people destroyed in the name of Manifest Destiny.