John H. Martin: Buffalo Soldier

In July 1866, the United States Congress authorized the formation of the first peacetime all-black regiments in the U.S. Army. The regiments, composed of the 9^th and 10^th Cavalry and the 24^th Infantry (reorganized from the 39^th and 40^th) and the 25^th  Infantry (reorganized from the 38^th and 41^st).

According to the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum in Houston, Texas, the nickname derived from the Cheyenne warriors during the winter of 1877, who thought the soldiers fought like “wild buffalo.” However, Colonel Benjamin Grierson, who commanded the 10^th Cavalry, recalled the name much earlier, during the 1871 campaign against the Comanches. They thought the soldiers’ curly hair like that of the bison. Another source comes from the Plains tribes. They gave them the name because of the bison coats worn by the troops in winter. Eventually, all four regiments proudly became known as the Buffalo Soldiers.       

                                                       

Buffalo Soldier Statue at Leavenworth, Kansas

John H. Martin was born in 1848 in Cleveland, Ohio, to Robert and Emily (Hall) Martin. He had served with the United States Colored Troops during the Civil War. His regiment, the 25^th Infantry, had disbanded along with other USCT in the fall of 1865. But Martin, like many USCT veterans chose to re-enlist with the newly formed black  regiments. According to his obituary, John Martin served as a musician in the 25^th Infantry for fifteen years.                     

The regiments were stationed at Army posts in the Southwest and on the Great Plains They fought during the Indian Wars, built wagon roads, constructed telegraph lines, protected settlements, served as scouts, and escorted the U.S. mail. Portions of the Buffalo Soldier regiments fought the Apache in New Mexico and pursued Victorio in Mexico. Despite their courageous service, many experienced racial prejudice from settlers as well as members of the U.S. Army. The first black commissioned officer to lead the Buffalo Soldiers was Henry O. Flipper, the first African American graduate of West Point in 1877. At least 18 Buffalo Soldiers received the Medal of Honor during the Indian Wars.   

                 

Lt. Henry O. Flipper
Courtesy of West Point

                                  

Following his service, Martin returned to Ohio. On November 4, 1885, he married Mary Ann Davison at Oberlin, Ohio, the daughter of James and Lucy Bell (Roberson) Davison, originally from West Virginia. The couple settled in Fremont, Ohio on Sandusky Avenue and then Whittlesey Street. Martin was employed for many years as a silver polisher at Claus Shear Works. They were the parents of five children. Mary Ann passed away in 1922. John Martin spent his final days at the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home in Sandusky, Ohio. He died there March 26, 1926 at the age of seventy-seven. Both he and Mary Ann are buried in Fremont’s Oakwood Cemetery. The image below is courtesy of Find A Grave.

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