Buffalo soldiers

The article reveals a gap in Memorial Park’s master plan — the Buffalo Soldier. In a 2016 Chronicle essay (“The Texas history that’s not in the textbook,” Page A2, Aug. 23), Andy Dewey discusses how the Army “sent the all-black 3rd Battalion of the 24th United States Infantry, along with their seven white officers.” The Buffalo Soldiers, as they were widely known, were assigned the hard labor to construct the base. As soldiers, the infantrymen expected to be treated with equality but white peace officers harassed and discriminated against them. Racism was rampant in the city and a riot broke out in the Fourth Ward on August 23, 1917.

The Texas State Historical Association writes that a confrontation between a Houston police officer and a Buffalo Soldier, Corporal Charles Baltimore, a military policeman, over an inquiry related to another soldier’s arrest, led to a riot in Camp Logan and a march on the Fourth Ward. In the end, 118 African-American soldiers were court-martialed, 19 of whom were hanged.

Segregation and racism are unsavory memories, and Camp Logan underscores the segregation that dominated the military and the city of Houston during that time period. But the Buffalo Soldiers represent early efforts by the U.S. military to respect the African-American soldier. A monument honoring the 1866 African-American Buffalo Soldier military units was erected in 2016 in Memorial Park in Colorado Springs, Colo. The master plan, too, has a unique opportunity to fill its gap by recognizing and honoring the contribution of African-American Buffalo Soldiers. Michelle Belco, Houston