Red, White, and Black: The US Army in the West 1866-1891
Indian scouts on Geronimo’s trail in Mexico during the mid-1880s included Yavapai Rowdy (front row, far left), who later received the Medal of Honor, and the White Mountain Apache leader Alchesay (back row far left). Sam Bowman, an African American Spanish-speaking interpreter stands in the same row with Alchesay at the opposite end of the line.
– Courtesy of John Langellier
After four years of fighting, the Civil War ended. The victorious Union Army soon disbanded, leaving behind a small force of regulars to such diverse duties as guarding the Eastern Seaboard, serving as an occupation force in the South during Reconstruction, and returning to its numerous functions in the West. The work in the West often proved frustrating, especially because after Lee’s surrender the authorized strength of the U.S. Army shrank to 54,302 officers and men, while the salary of a private was decreased three dollars per month, which