Huntsville is obviously a city rich in military history and home to several monuments dedicated to the memory of those who served our country.
One of these, though, is so rare that it is the only memorial of its type east of the Mississippi, and one of only four in the entire country.
Cavalry Hill & the Buffalo Soldiers
In front of the previous home of the Academy for Academics and Arts (and current home of Greengate School) on what is referred to as “Cavalry Hill” is a 35,000-pound, 10-foot-tall monument featuring Sgt. George Berry riding his horse up Cuba’s San Juan Hill carrying the regimental flag.
This is a memorial to the famous Buffalo Soldiers.
Buffalo Soldiers is a name originally given to African-American men assigned to the 10th Cavalry Division in 1866, who became famous fighting the Native Americans as the United States expanded westward, and later used more broadly.
The Buffalo Soldiers were established by Congress to be the first peacetime all-black regiment in the U.S. Army.
These troops went on to fight in many wars for the United States, and even spent time here in Huntsville.
Huntsville Connection
Hundreds of Buffalo Soldiers commanded by Army legend “Black Jack” Pershing camped on a hill just north of present-day University Drive from Oct. 18, 1898, until Jan. 28, 1899, after returning from the brief but bloody Spanish-American War in Cuba.
The soldiers camped on the hill were so popular with the local populace that the site of their camp became known as Cavalry Hill.
The only other statues honoring the Buffalo Soldiers are located out West where the mounted troops gained their notoriety.
Besides Huntsville, the only three cities to visit one of these historic memorials are Junction City, Kansas, El Paso, Texas, and Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas.
Wil Elrick hails from Guntersville, Alabama where at an early age he developed a love for both trivia and history. He has spent the last 20 odd years, fine tuning the art of communication while working in law enforcement, writing, television media, historical research, and public speaking. He lives in North Alabama with his two boys, and a neurotic German Shepherd Dog. He one day hopes that Bigfoot is proven real. Wil’s new book Alabama Scoundrels is available from History Press.
