1 00:00:01,320 --> 00:00:04,280 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff You Missed in History Class, a production 2 00:00:04,400 --> 00:00:15,200 Speaker 1: of iHeartRadio. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. I'm Tracy V. Wilson, 3 00:00:15,280 --> 00:00:18,640 Speaker 1: but I'm Holly Fryed. Back in February, we got an 4 00:00:18,640 --> 00:00:22,320 Speaker 1: email from listener Callista, who sent along an idea for 5 00:00:22,360 --> 00:00:27,440 Speaker 1: an episode, along with some adorable cat pictures. Kitty cats 6 00:00:27,440 --> 00:00:30,200 Speaker 1: who have very big feet because of their extra toes. 7 00:00:30,240 --> 00:00:33,879 Speaker 1: I love them. Your babies have extra deck mind you, 8 00:00:34,560 --> 00:00:38,080 Speaker 1: they both have extra toes, and one has particularly big feet. 9 00:00:38,159 --> 00:00:41,200 Speaker 1: With all of her extra toes, they're facute, So thank 10 00:00:41,240 --> 00:00:45,200 Speaker 1: you for that, Callista. The topic was the twenty fifth 11 00:00:45,240 --> 00:00:49,599 Speaker 1: Infantry Regiment Bicycle Corps, also known as the Iron Riders. 12 00:00:50,440 --> 00:00:53,400 Speaker 1: This was part of the segregated US Army units that 13 00:00:53,479 --> 00:00:55,840 Speaker 1: came to be known as the Buffalo Soldiers, and the 14 00:00:55,920 --> 00:00:59,000 Speaker 1: Bicycle Corps got a lot of attention back in twenty 15 00:00:59,040 --> 00:01:03,600 Speaker 1: twenty two for their Quasquas Centennial. I, however, do not 16 00:01:03,760 --> 00:01:07,399 Speaker 1: remember ever hearing about them until getting this email, so again, 17 00:01:07,640 --> 00:01:13,160 Speaker 1: thank you, Callista. We have mentioned the Buffalo Soldiers in 18 00:01:13,240 --> 00:01:15,920 Speaker 1: a few episodes over the years, and we've lined one 19 00:01:15,959 --> 00:01:19,200 Speaker 1: of those episodes up for this week's Saturday Classic. We 20 00:01:19,360 --> 00:01:23,520 Speaker 1: have also gotten some requests for an episode dedicated just 21 00:01:23,680 --> 00:01:27,720 Speaker 1: to the Buffalo Soldiers, but these regiments existed for almost 22 00:01:27,840 --> 00:01:31,440 Speaker 1: a century. They were involved in a bunch of different 23 00:01:31,480 --> 00:01:35,280 Speaker 1: wars and a whole array of non combat duties during 24 00:01:35,280 --> 00:01:39,520 Speaker 1: that time, so like a general episode on the Buffalo 25 00:01:39,560 --> 00:01:43,920 Speaker 1: Soldiers just felt very broad. This episode, though, does give 26 00:01:44,000 --> 00:01:46,880 Speaker 1: us an opportunity to talk some more about the background 27 00:01:47,000 --> 00:01:50,440 Speaker 1: on the Buffalo Soldiers, including where that name comes from, 28 00:01:50,520 --> 00:01:54,200 Speaker 1: which we will be getting to. The Buffalo Soldiers were 29 00:01:54,280 --> 00:01:57,680 Speaker 1: established not long after the end of the US Civil War. 30 00:01:58,440 --> 00:02:01,760 Speaker 1: The United States Army had own enormously during the war, 31 00:02:01,840 --> 00:02:06,080 Speaker 1: reaching a peak of roughly a million troops. Congress formally 32 00:02:06,160 --> 00:02:09,680 Speaker 1: legalized the enlistment of black soldiers in eighteen sixty two. 33 00:02:10,600 --> 00:02:15,000 Speaker 1: When President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation the following year, 34 00:02:15,440 --> 00:02:19,119 Speaker 1: he stated that quote such persons of suitable condition will 35 00:02:19,120 --> 00:02:22,040 Speaker 1: be received into the Armed Service of the United States 36 00:02:22,080 --> 00:02:26,359 Speaker 1: to garrison forts, positions, stations, and other places, and to 37 00:02:26,560 --> 00:02:31,200 Speaker 1: manned vessels of all sorts insaid service. The US military 38 00:02:31,280 --> 00:02:35,839 Speaker 1: started actively recruiting black servicemen, who typically served in segregated 39 00:02:35,919 --> 00:02:40,280 Speaker 1: units under the command of white commissioned officers. This included 40 00:02:40,320 --> 00:02:44,360 Speaker 1: the fifty fourth Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment. We ran our 41 00:02:44,400 --> 00:02:47,480 Speaker 1: episode on them as a Saturday Classic in February of 42 00:02:47,520 --> 00:02:52,120 Speaker 1: twenty nineteen. The Civil War ended in eighteen sixty five, 43 00:02:52,520 --> 00:02:55,840 Speaker 1: and on July twenty eighth of eighteen sixty six, Congress 44 00:02:55,880 --> 00:02:59,520 Speaker 1: passed an Act to Increase and Fix the Military piece 45 00:02:59,600 --> 00:03:04,280 Speaker 1: Establishishment of the United States. This outlined what the nation's 46 00:03:04,360 --> 00:03:08,040 Speaker 1: peacetime military would look like, including how many regiments there 47 00:03:08,080 --> 00:03:12,080 Speaker 1: would be and what kind. Sections three and four of 48 00:03:12,160 --> 00:03:16,360 Speaker 1: this act included the creation of cavalry and infantry regiments 49 00:03:16,360 --> 00:03:20,120 Speaker 1: that would be made up specifically of black men. Black 50 00:03:20,160 --> 00:03:23,200 Speaker 1: soldiers had served in the US military going back to 51 00:03:23,280 --> 00:03:27,440 Speaker 1: its very beginnings, including serving in the Revolutionary War and 52 00:03:27,480 --> 00:03:30,880 Speaker 1: the War of eighteen twelve, but this was the first 53 00:03:30,960 --> 00:03:36,040 Speaker 1: time black troops were designated as a permanent part of it. Initially, 54 00:03:36,120 --> 00:03:39,440 Speaker 1: there were to be two cavalry regiments and four infantry, 55 00:03:39,760 --> 00:03:43,440 Speaker 1: but another law passed in eighteen sixty nine consolidated the 56 00:03:43,480 --> 00:03:48,240 Speaker 1: infantry regiments to two. Ultimately, the Buffalo Soldiers included the 57 00:03:48,400 --> 00:03:51,440 Speaker 1: ninth and tenth Cavalry and the twenty fourth and twenty 58 00:03:51,480 --> 00:03:57,160 Speaker 1: fifth Infantry. As we've said the US military was racially segregated, 59 00:03:57,440 --> 00:04:01,600 Speaker 1: but beyond that, the military assumed correctly that a lot 60 00:04:01,640 --> 00:04:05,280 Speaker 1: of people, both soldiers and civilians, would respond to the 61 00:04:05,320 --> 00:04:10,400 Speaker 1: presence of black soldiers with hostility or violence, so initially, 62 00:04:10,440 --> 00:04:14,360 Speaker 1: these soldiers were stationed mainly in areas that the US 63 00:04:14,480 --> 00:04:18,120 Speaker 1: thought of as the frontier, in the West and the Southwest. 64 00:04:18,760 --> 00:04:21,880 Speaker 1: In the late nineteenth century, black soldiers made up about 65 00:04:21,960 --> 00:04:25,400 Speaker 1: ten percent of the US Army, but about twenty percent 66 00:04:25,480 --> 00:04:28,640 Speaker 1: of the soldiers in the western part of US territory. 67 00:04:29,360 --> 00:04:33,479 Speaker 1: This didn't entirely protect these soldiers from racism and violence, 68 00:04:33,520 --> 00:04:37,760 Speaker 1: though they still faced discrimination and abuse from white commanding 69 00:04:37,800 --> 00:04:41,360 Speaker 1: officers and from white enlisted men when their duties brought 70 00:04:41,400 --> 00:04:45,920 Speaker 1: them into contact with one another. Nearby White communities sometimes 71 00:04:46,000 --> 00:04:48,839 Speaker 1: saw these army units as an asset, both for protection 72 00:04:49,040 --> 00:04:52,200 Speaker 1: and for spending their money in town, but there were 73 00:04:52,240 --> 00:04:57,360 Speaker 1: incidents of racism and racist violence from civilians too. Several 74 00:04:57,400 --> 00:05:00,640 Speaker 1: Buffalo soldiers were lynched while serving in the army, at 75 00:05:00,720 --> 00:05:04,400 Speaker 1: least one of them after his white commanding officer handed 76 00:05:04,480 --> 00:05:09,280 Speaker 1: him over to a mob. When these regiments were first established, 77 00:05:09,400 --> 00:05:13,160 Speaker 1: many of the men who enlisted had previously been enslaved, 78 00:05:13,279 --> 00:05:17,520 Speaker 1: often from birth, so this could be their first opportunity 79 00:05:17,560 --> 00:05:20,640 Speaker 1: to be paid wages for their work in a job 80 00:05:20,720 --> 00:05:25,560 Speaker 1: that they actually chose for themselves. Also, after the Civil War, 81 00:05:25,800 --> 00:05:29,240 Speaker 1: in a culture that was really dominated by racist attitudes, 82 00:05:29,360 --> 00:05:32,120 Speaker 1: a lot of black workers were also forced into things 83 00:05:32,200 --> 00:05:37,240 Speaker 1: like sharecropping, agricultural labor, or manual labor, and being in 84 00:05:37,320 --> 00:05:41,440 Speaker 1: the army was seen as a more respected and prestigious job. 85 00:05:42,320 --> 00:05:46,520 Speaker 1: People understood that demonstrating that black men could be good 86 00:05:46,560 --> 00:05:50,360 Speaker 1: soldiers would also reflect well on black people as a whole, 87 00:05:51,080 --> 00:05:53,000 Speaker 1: so a lot of people saw this as a way 88 00:05:53,040 --> 00:05:55,800 Speaker 1: to prove their worth to a nation that just did 89 00:05:55,800 --> 00:05:59,320 Speaker 1: not see them as equal. The creation of the Buffalo 90 00:05:59,400 --> 00:06:03,880 Speaker 1: Soldiers and people's decisions to join and serve these were 91 00:06:03,920 --> 00:06:09,040 Speaker 1: threaded through with just a lot of meaning and importance. However, 92 00:06:09,520 --> 00:06:12,599 Speaker 1: this was also a case of the United States using 93 00:06:12,680 --> 00:06:17,200 Speaker 1: one oppressed group to oppress another. The Buffalo Soldiers often 94 00:06:17,240 --> 00:06:20,039 Speaker 1: served at forts that had been built to protect white 95 00:06:20,080 --> 00:06:24,279 Speaker 1: settlers from the indigenous peoples already living there. A long 96 00:06:24,360 --> 00:06:27,920 Speaker 1: series of wars between the United States and indigenous nations 97 00:06:28,200 --> 00:06:31,280 Speaker 1: has become known as the Indian Wars, and the Buffalo 98 00:06:31,320 --> 00:06:34,480 Speaker 1: Soldiers fought in more than one hundred and fifty engagements 99 00:06:34,720 --> 00:06:36,719 Speaker 1: across a number of these wars. By the end of 100 00:06:36,720 --> 00:06:41,520 Speaker 1: the nineteenth century. Buffalo soldiers were also instrumental in efforts 101 00:06:41,560 --> 00:06:46,080 Speaker 1: to drive indigenous peoples off their land. These army regiments 102 00:06:46,120 --> 00:06:49,880 Speaker 1: fought against or helped remove people from numerous nations across 103 00:06:49,880 --> 00:06:54,080 Speaker 1: the West and Southwest, including the Apache, the Navajo, the Ute, 104 00:06:54,080 --> 00:06:58,240 Speaker 1: and the Cree. Buffalo soldiers also served as reserve units 105 00:06:58,240 --> 00:07:01,719 Speaker 1: and guards during the eighteen nine massacre at Wounded Knee, 106 00:07:02,000 --> 00:07:05,800 Speaker 1: in which the US Army killed hundreds of Lakota. This 107 00:07:05,960 --> 00:07:11,680 Speaker 1: makes the moniker of Buffalo soldiers complicated. Multiple explanations have 108 00:07:11,760 --> 00:07:15,239 Speaker 1: been put forth about exactly where this name came from, 109 00:07:15,680 --> 00:07:19,480 Speaker 1: and most of them involve indigenous peoples comparing the soldiers 110 00:07:19,520 --> 00:07:23,480 Speaker 1: to the American bison, also known as the buffalo. In 111 00:07:23,560 --> 00:07:26,720 Speaker 1: some accounts, it's about the soldier's skin color and their 112 00:07:26,760 --> 00:07:30,560 Speaker 1: hair texture. In others, it's a reference to their ferocity, 113 00:07:30,760 --> 00:07:34,560 Speaker 1: with some sources citing a specific battle or a specific 114 00:07:34,680 --> 00:07:38,920 Speaker 1: defense as prompting this nickname. Some conclude that it was 115 00:07:38,960 --> 00:07:42,400 Speaker 1: actually about the soldiers wearing winter coats that were made 116 00:07:42,400 --> 00:07:45,440 Speaker 1: from buffalo hide, with the hair still on, although the 117 00:07:45,560 --> 00:07:48,720 Speaker 1: army didn't formally adopt these coats as part of the 118 00:07:48,720 --> 00:07:52,000 Speaker 1: soldier's winter gear, and a lot of the soldiers who 119 00:07:52,120 --> 00:07:55,320 Speaker 1: had them had just bought them on their own. A 120 00:07:55,480 --> 00:07:58,840 Speaker 1: lot of writing about the Buffalo Soldiers assumes that this 121 00:07:59,000 --> 00:08:03,080 Speaker 1: nickname was a sign of respect or admiration, sometimes including 122 00:08:03,160 --> 00:08:07,360 Speaker 1: references to indigenous nations and peoples who consider the buffalo 123 00:08:07,440 --> 00:08:11,080 Speaker 1: to be sacred. Although it doesn't seem like the Buffalo 124 00:08:11,120 --> 00:08:14,520 Speaker 1: Soldiers used it themselves in the early decades of their existence, 125 00:08:15,080 --> 00:08:16,800 Speaker 1: it's a name that they had claimed as a mark 126 00:08:16,840 --> 00:08:20,960 Speaker 1: of pride by their early twentieth century. It's at least 127 00:08:21,120 --> 00:08:25,760 Speaker 1: theoretically possible to admire the military prowess of an enemy 128 00:08:25,960 --> 00:08:29,920 Speaker 1: in warfare, and there were sometimes that the Buffalo Soldiers 129 00:08:29,960 --> 00:08:35,080 Speaker 1: acted to protect indigenous people, specifically indigenous nations that had 130 00:08:35,160 --> 00:08:38,680 Speaker 1: signed treaties with the United States and were at war 131 00:08:38,840 --> 00:08:43,000 Speaker 1: with nations that hadn't before the United States passed the 132 00:08:43,120 --> 00:08:46,800 Speaker 1: DAWs Act and other laws that broke up reservation land 133 00:08:46,880 --> 00:08:50,800 Speaker 1: and sold it off, including to non indigenous buyers. The 134 00:08:50,840 --> 00:08:55,880 Speaker 1: Buffalo Soldiers also helped defend Indian Territory or what's now Oklahoma, 135 00:08:55,920 --> 00:08:59,920 Speaker 1: from white squatters, but this idea that the name was 136 00:09:00,080 --> 00:09:02,839 Speaker 1: meant to honor the soldiers seems to trace back not 137 00:09:03,080 --> 00:09:06,960 Speaker 1: to Indigenous people but to the assumptions of white historians. 138 00:09:07,679 --> 00:09:10,839 Speaker 1: Indigenous people have spoken out against it, especially as the 139 00:09:10,880 --> 00:09:14,360 Speaker 1: Buffalo Soldiers started to get more widespread attention in the 140 00:09:14,440 --> 00:09:18,080 Speaker 1: late twentieth century. For example, in nineteen ninety four, the 141 00:09:18,240 --> 00:09:21,439 Speaker 1: US Postal Service announced that the Buffalo Soldiers were going 142 00:09:21,480 --> 00:09:25,280 Speaker 1: to be honored with the postage stamp, including messaging describing 143 00:09:25,320 --> 00:09:29,040 Speaker 1: the soldiers bravery and toughness as winning them the respect 144 00:09:29,080 --> 00:09:33,640 Speaker 1: of Native Americans. This led to intense criticism from a 145 00:09:33,760 --> 00:09:39,079 Speaker 1: number of Indigenous writers and activists. For example, Ojibwa activist 146 00:09:39,200 --> 00:09:42,960 Speaker 1: Vernon Bellcourt wrote an article in Indian Country Today in 147 00:09:43,000 --> 00:09:46,720 Speaker 1: which he said, quote the formation of military combat units 148 00:09:46,760 --> 00:09:51,319 Speaker 1: made up exclusively of free black African men, the Buffalo Soldiers, 149 00:09:51,600 --> 00:09:55,439 Speaker 1: for the purpose of destroying Indian lives is a euphemism 150 00:09:55,480 --> 00:10:00,000 Speaker 1: intended to maintain the status quo of racism and denied history. 151 00:10:01,120 --> 00:10:05,960 Speaker 1: Bellicourt described the Buffalo Soldiers as quote marauding, murderous cavalry 152 00:10:06,120 --> 00:10:10,400 Speaker 1: units and stated that the quote Buffalo nickname was only 153 00:10:10,440 --> 00:10:12,840 Speaker 1: about their hair and skin and was not a term 154 00:10:12,960 --> 00:10:17,120 Speaker 1: of endearment or respect. There were also some layers to 155 00:10:17,400 --> 00:10:21,040 Speaker 1: some of the Buffalo Soldiers service beyond the Indian Wars. 156 00:10:21,640 --> 00:10:24,440 Speaker 1: These soldiers were some of the first caretakers of the 157 00:10:24,480 --> 00:10:28,520 Speaker 1: first national parks in the United States, including fighting fires, 158 00:10:28,640 --> 00:10:32,720 Speaker 1: building roads, and trying to stop illegal grazing and poaching. 159 00:10:33,400 --> 00:10:37,079 Speaker 1: But the creation of those national parks involved forcing indigenous 160 00:10:37,080 --> 00:10:40,760 Speaker 1: people off of this land, often in defiance of treaties 161 00:10:40,800 --> 00:10:43,640 Speaker 1: that the US had with those peoples, and then kind 162 00:10:43,679 --> 00:10:48,520 Speaker 1: of rebranding it as a pristine and untouched wilderness. The 163 00:10:48,559 --> 00:10:52,439 Speaker 1: Buffalo Soldiers were also called on to maintain order during 164 00:10:52,600 --> 00:10:56,880 Speaker 1: labor disputes, meaning that they were protecting communities, businesses, and 165 00:10:57,000 --> 00:11:00,240 Speaker 1: strike breakers from the miners and railroad workers who were 166 00:11:00,240 --> 00:11:03,080 Speaker 1: fighting to try to improve their pay and working conditions. 167 00:11:04,160 --> 00:11:07,720 Speaker 1: So the Buffalo Soldiers represent an important part of black 168 00:11:07,880 --> 00:11:10,920 Speaker 1: history and the history of black service members within the 169 00:11:11,040 --> 00:11:15,280 Speaker 1: US military, But that history is way more complicated than 170 00:11:15,320 --> 00:11:19,640 Speaker 1: the really romanticized and almost mythologized treatment that they've gotten 171 00:11:19,640 --> 00:11:23,240 Speaker 1: in a lot of accounts. The Buffalo Soldiers were part 172 00:11:23,280 --> 00:11:26,439 Speaker 1: of the US military all the way until the Korean War. 173 00:11:27,240 --> 00:11:30,760 Speaker 1: The army began the process of dismantling these units after 174 00:11:30,880 --> 00:11:34,880 Speaker 1: President Harry Truman issued Executive Order ninety nine eighty one 175 00:11:35,520 --> 00:11:38,960 Speaker 1: ordering the desegregation of the military on July twenty sixth, 176 00:11:39,120 --> 00:11:43,480 Speaker 1: nineteen forty eight. The process of actually doing this took 177 00:11:43,600 --> 00:11:48,439 Speaker 1: a while, in part because of the army's reluctance to integrate, 178 00:11:49,040 --> 00:11:52,720 Speaker 1: so the last of the Buffalo Soldiers' Regiments wasn't deactivated 179 00:11:52,800 --> 00:11:57,720 Speaker 1: until October first, nineteen fifty one, with those remaining soldiers 180 00:11:57,800 --> 00:12:02,880 Speaker 1: being transferred into other units. While these units were in existence, 181 00:12:03,040 --> 00:12:06,400 Speaker 1: twenty seven members were awarded the Medal of Honor, which 182 00:12:06,440 --> 00:12:11,040 Speaker 1: is the US military's highest award for valor. Fourteen of 183 00:12:11,080 --> 00:12:14,199 Speaker 1: those medals were awarded for the soldier's conduct during the 184 00:12:14,200 --> 00:12:17,880 Speaker 1: Indian Wars. We are going to get into the bicycle 185 00:12:17,920 --> 00:12:30,360 Speaker 1: Corps after we pause for a sponsor break. We talked 186 00:12:30,360 --> 00:12:33,920 Speaker 1: about the development of the bicycle not too long ago 187 00:12:34,080 --> 00:12:36,960 Speaker 1: on the show in our episode on Kitti Knox in 188 00:12:37,000 --> 00:12:40,240 Speaker 1: the Bike Boom from January of twenty twenty three, so 189 00:12:40,280 --> 00:12:42,679 Speaker 1: we are not going to rehash all of that today. 190 00:12:43,440 --> 00:12:47,920 Speaker 1: The most important part is that the first practical, relatively 191 00:12:47,960 --> 00:12:52,080 Speaker 1: affordable bicycles, known as safety bicycles, were introduced in the 192 00:12:52,120 --> 00:12:57,559 Speaker 1: eighteen eighties. Some militaries had already been exploring whether they 193 00:12:57,559 --> 00:13:01,240 Speaker 1: could make use of bicycles before this point, like there 194 00:13:01,280 --> 00:13:05,080 Speaker 1: are reports of messengers using Penny Farthing bicycles with those 195 00:13:05,240 --> 00:13:08,480 Speaker 1: enormous front wheels to get around during the Franco Prussian 196 00:13:08,520 --> 00:13:13,199 Speaker 1: War of eighteen seventy, but the safety cycle sparked an 197 00:13:13,320 --> 00:13:17,560 Speaker 1: enormous interest in cycling for civilians and the military alike. 198 00:13:18,360 --> 00:13:22,040 Speaker 1: The first practical cars and motorcycles were also introduced in 199 00:13:22,080 --> 00:13:25,719 Speaker 1: the eighteen eighties, but the first gasoline powered trucks were 200 00:13:25,720 --> 00:13:29,160 Speaker 1: still about a decade away, so from a military perspective, 201 00:13:29,200 --> 00:13:32,160 Speaker 1: the big question was whether bicycles could be a suitable 202 00:13:32,160 --> 00:13:37,640 Speaker 1: replacement for horses, which were already in widespread use. Unlike bicycles, 203 00:13:37,760 --> 00:13:41,040 Speaker 1: horses need to eat, they can get sick or hurt 204 00:13:41,160 --> 00:13:44,320 Speaker 1: or killed. Horses also need to be trained, and after 205 00:13:44,320 --> 00:13:46,959 Speaker 1: they're trained, they still don't always get along with their 206 00:13:46,960 --> 00:13:51,240 Speaker 1: handlers or other horses, and even well trained horses can 207 00:13:51,320 --> 00:13:55,800 Speaker 1: panic or behave in unexpected ways, especially once you factor 208 00:13:55,800 --> 00:13:59,720 Speaker 1: in food and training and upkeep. Bicycles are typically a 209 00:13:59,800 --> 00:14:03,080 Speaker 1: lot less expensive than horses. Feel like anybody that owns 210 00:14:03,080 --> 00:14:06,120 Speaker 1: a horse is nodding their head right now going duh. 211 00:14:06,160 --> 00:14:09,720 Speaker 1: Depending on the terrain, they can also be a lot quieter. So, 212 00:14:09,880 --> 00:14:13,000 Speaker 1: for example, a unit on bicycles might be able to 213 00:14:13,040 --> 00:14:16,080 Speaker 1: sneak deeper into enemy territory than they could on foot, 214 00:14:16,440 --> 00:14:19,840 Speaker 1: with a better chance of getting back out without attracting 215 00:14:19,840 --> 00:14:24,280 Speaker 1: attention than they would be on horseback. Answering this question 216 00:14:24,440 --> 00:14:27,200 Speaker 1: also involved figuring out the answers to a lot of 217 00:14:27,240 --> 00:14:31,600 Speaker 1: other related questions. Being on a bike instead of a 218 00:14:31,640 --> 00:14:35,480 Speaker 1: horse meant the soldier was using his own power rather 219 00:14:35,520 --> 00:14:37,400 Speaker 1: than a horse doing a lot of the work. So 220 00:14:37,920 --> 00:14:40,760 Speaker 1: we're all of those trade offs that Holly just alluded to. 221 00:14:40,800 --> 00:14:45,600 Speaker 1: Were they worth it? Which soldiers would be best suited 222 00:14:45,680 --> 00:14:48,760 Speaker 1: to be in some kind of bicycle corps? What kind 223 00:14:48,800 --> 00:14:51,600 Speaker 1: of physique did they need to have and how would 224 00:14:51,640 --> 00:14:54,320 Speaker 1: they need to be trained? How much could a bicycle 225 00:14:54,400 --> 00:14:57,920 Speaker 1: reasonably carry and how far? What kind of equipment needed 226 00:14:57,960 --> 00:15:00,960 Speaker 1: to be carried to keep a bike working in good repair? 227 00:15:01,800 --> 00:15:05,800 Speaker 1: Could bicycles be used in combat? Like could soldiers fight 228 00:15:06,000 --> 00:15:09,680 Speaker 1: or accurately fire a gun while on a bike? Could 229 00:15:09,720 --> 00:15:13,720 Speaker 1: bicycles be used to transport entire units over long distances? 230 00:15:14,640 --> 00:15:18,600 Speaker 1: It was pretty clear, really quickly that bicycles peak could 231 00:15:18,640 --> 00:15:22,920 Speaker 1: be used for things like scouting and carrying messages, especially 232 00:15:22,920 --> 00:15:25,440 Speaker 1: in places that had good roads or pretty even terrain. 233 00:15:26,280 --> 00:15:28,720 Speaker 1: But figuring out the answers to some of these other 234 00:15:28,800 --> 00:15:32,160 Speaker 1: questions took a lot more experimenting and some trial and error. 235 00:15:32,720 --> 00:15:35,280 Speaker 1: Not everyone's proficiency on a bike is going to be 236 00:15:35,320 --> 00:15:39,600 Speaker 1: the same, right, so answering each one of those questions 237 00:15:39,680 --> 00:15:43,040 Speaker 1: also as to be calibrated to individual people and their 238 00:15:43,080 --> 00:15:46,760 Speaker 1: own performance. In the US, one of the people who 239 00:15:46,840 --> 00:15:51,600 Speaker 1: was interested in answering these questions was Lieutenant General Nelson A. Miles. 240 00:15:52,320 --> 00:15:55,160 Speaker 1: He had become interested in the possibilities of the bicycle 241 00:15:55,200 --> 00:15:59,520 Speaker 1: as a military tool after attending a bicycle race. Some 242 00:15:59,560 --> 00:16:02,760 Speaker 1: sources say this happened in Chicago, others that it was 243 00:16:02,800 --> 00:16:05,240 Speaker 1: a six day race at Madison Square Garden in New 244 00:16:05,320 --> 00:16:09,240 Speaker 1: York that happened in eighteen ninety one. His efforts, though 245 00:16:09,280 --> 00:16:12,400 Speaker 1: to experiment with this went through some stops and starts. 246 00:16:12,600 --> 00:16:15,720 Speaker 1: It seems like his superiors didn't think it was the 247 00:16:15,760 --> 00:16:19,640 Speaker 1: best use of time and resources. But in eighteen ninety 248 00:16:19,680 --> 00:16:22,960 Speaker 1: five he was promoted to commanding General of the US Army, 249 00:16:23,120 --> 00:16:27,360 Speaker 1: meaning that he got to decide when Miles was promoted 250 00:16:27,400 --> 00:16:31,000 Speaker 1: to this role. The twenty fifth Infantry Regiment was garrisoned 251 00:16:31,000 --> 00:16:35,360 Speaker 1: at Fort Missoula, Montana. There were officers in Montana who 252 00:16:35,440 --> 00:16:39,040 Speaker 1: were interested in the idea of military cycling as well. 253 00:16:39,600 --> 00:16:44,440 Speaker 1: This included Colonel Andrews Sheridan Burt and Second Lieutenant James Moss. 254 00:16:45,200 --> 00:16:50,640 Speaker 1: There's some fuzziness in the details about bicycles at Fort Missoula, 255 00:16:50,920 --> 00:16:55,320 Speaker 1: like who proposed a particular idea or which of these 256 00:16:55,360 --> 00:16:59,160 Speaker 1: two men, if either was involved in specific elements of it. 257 00:17:00,000 --> 00:17:03,320 Speaker 1: Do you know, though, that Bert was generally really supportive 258 00:17:03,400 --> 00:17:07,080 Speaker 1: of sports and athletics among the troops, and that Moss 259 00:17:07,160 --> 00:17:10,080 Speaker 1: was an avid wheelman. That was the term people used 260 00:17:10,080 --> 00:17:14,639 Speaker 1: at the time for cyclists and cycling enthusiasts. Moss was 261 00:17:14,800 --> 00:17:18,240 Speaker 1: definitely instrumental in the creation of the bicycle Corps and 262 00:17:18,240 --> 00:17:21,439 Speaker 1: their long distance rides. Though he had been stationed at 263 00:17:21,480 --> 00:17:24,240 Speaker 1: Fort Missoula as a commissioned officer in the twenty fifth 264 00:17:24,280 --> 00:17:28,199 Speaker 1: Infantry Regiment after graduating last in his class from the 265 00:17:28,280 --> 00:17:31,560 Speaker 1: US Military Academy at West Point in eighteen ninety four. 266 00:17:32,240 --> 00:17:35,879 Speaker 1: So that gives you a sense of how undesirable this 267 00:17:35,960 --> 00:17:40,359 Speaker 1: assignment was. From the Army's perspective. Moss had been born 268 00:17:40,520 --> 00:17:44,840 Speaker 1: in La Faye at Louisiana, on May twelfth, eighteen seventy two, 269 00:17:45,240 --> 00:17:48,199 Speaker 1: and an address that he gave in his hometown a 270 00:17:48,200 --> 00:17:52,600 Speaker 1: few months after this corp's pretty dramatic long distance ride 271 00:17:52,600 --> 00:17:57,040 Speaker 1: which we'll be talking about, gives a glimpse into his mindset. Quote, 272 00:17:57,240 --> 00:18:00,480 Speaker 1: being a Southern boy, I did not at first, I admit, 273 00:18:00,680 --> 00:18:03,639 Speaker 1: like the idea of serving with colored troops. But I 274 00:18:03,680 --> 00:18:06,600 Speaker 1: was a soldier and had received an order from a superior, 275 00:18:06,880 --> 00:18:09,440 Speaker 1: and there was but one thing for me to do obey. 276 00:18:10,160 --> 00:18:12,359 Speaker 1: After having been with the regiment for a while, I 277 00:18:12,440 --> 00:18:15,639 Speaker 1: found the men to be respectful, obedient, and good soldiers, 278 00:18:15,720 --> 00:18:18,240 Speaker 1: and I liked to have such men under my command. 279 00:18:19,359 --> 00:18:22,280 Speaker 1: So this quote really should not be interpreted to mean 280 00:18:22,320 --> 00:18:26,320 Speaker 1: that he eventually came to see these soldiers as his equal. 281 00:18:26,880 --> 00:18:30,600 Speaker 1: His ridings and reports about his time with the bicycle 282 00:18:30,640 --> 00:18:33,800 Speaker 1: Corps are just threaded through with a lot of stereotypes 283 00:18:33,840 --> 00:18:37,800 Speaker 1: and bias. By the time Miles was promoted to commanding 284 00:18:37,880 --> 00:18:41,200 Speaker 1: General of the US Army, bicycles were already in use 285 00:18:41,320 --> 00:18:45,120 Speaker 1: at Fort Missoula, mainly for recreation and just forgetting around 286 00:18:45,720 --> 00:18:49,000 Speaker 1: in eighteen ninety five, Bert reported that three officers and 287 00:18:49,119 --> 00:18:52,960 Speaker 1: seventy eight enlisted men could ride bicycles, and that year 288 00:18:53,080 --> 00:18:57,280 Speaker 1: Fourth of July festivities included a bicycle drill that Moss 289 00:18:57,440 --> 00:19:01,479 Speaker 1: may have arranged. By eighteen ninety the fort had an 290 00:19:01,640 --> 00:19:08,800 Speaker 1: established bicycle drill team, which delights me. This team's drills 291 00:19:08,880 --> 00:19:13,800 Speaker 1: included things like preparing to mount, mounting, dismounting, and crossing 292 00:19:13,840 --> 00:19:17,959 Speaker 1: over obstacles. They experimented to figure out the best ways 293 00:19:17,960 --> 00:19:21,520 Speaker 1: to cross water, eventually deciding it was easiest for two 294 00:19:21,640 --> 00:19:25,080 Speaker 1: men to carry the bicycles suspended from a pole between them. 295 00:19:25,640 --> 00:19:28,119 Speaker 1: They worked on different ways to load gear onto the 296 00:19:28,119 --> 00:19:32,359 Speaker 1: bike and distribute the weight, and to develop appropriate equipment 297 00:19:32,480 --> 00:19:36,440 Speaker 1: for going on bicycle missions, including things like metal storage 298 00:19:36,480 --> 00:19:40,320 Speaker 1: containers for their stuff that could also be used as cookpots. 299 00:19:41,200 --> 00:19:44,840 Speaker 1: Over time, they determined that carrying a rifle across their 300 00:19:44,880 --> 00:19:49,320 Speaker 1: backs while cycling was uncomfortable, but they needed their rifles, 301 00:19:49,440 --> 00:19:51,199 Speaker 1: so they worked out a way to clamp them to 302 00:19:51,240 --> 00:19:55,480 Speaker 1: the bicycle frame instead. By eighteen ninety seven, the drill 303 00:19:55,560 --> 00:19:58,840 Speaker 1: team had expanded into a bicycle core that included Sergeant 304 00:19:58,960 --> 00:20:03,560 Speaker 1: Dalbert P. Green, Corporal John G. Williams, musician, William W. Brown, 305 00:20:03,640 --> 00:20:07,720 Speaker 1: who was a bugler, and privates Frank L. Johnson, William Proctor, 306 00:20:07,920 --> 00:20:13,040 Speaker 1: William Haynes, Elwood Foreman, and John Findley. Findley had worked 307 00:20:13,040 --> 00:20:16,480 Speaker 1: for Imperial Bicycle Works in Chicago before joining the army, 308 00:20:16,560 --> 00:20:20,520 Speaker 1: so he already knew about how to repair and maintain bicycles, 309 00:20:20,800 --> 00:20:23,119 Speaker 1: and since he already knew how to ride, he helped 310 00:20:23,119 --> 00:20:27,560 Speaker 1: teach riding drills to the other soldiers. In August, Moss 311 00:20:27,640 --> 00:20:31,000 Speaker 1: led this core on its first long distance ride from 312 00:20:31,160 --> 00:20:34,040 Speaker 1: Fort Missoula to Lake McDonald, one hundred and twenty six 313 00:20:34,119 --> 00:20:38,800 Speaker 1: miles away. This was a learning experience. To put it mildly, 314 00:20:39,400 --> 00:20:44,160 Speaker 1: Moss later wrote, quote, had the Devil himself conspired against us, 315 00:20:44,280 --> 00:20:48,359 Speaker 1: we would have had little more to contend with. Packed 316 00:20:48,400 --> 00:20:52,080 Speaker 1: with all of their rations, clothing, tents, and other supplies, 317 00:20:52,200 --> 00:20:55,280 Speaker 1: the bicycles they were using weighed an average of seventy 318 00:20:55,320 --> 00:20:58,600 Speaker 1: six point two pounds or thirty four point five kilograms. 319 00:20:59,440 --> 00:21:02,679 Speaker 1: The weather was rainy, so the roads turned into a 320 00:21:02,760 --> 00:21:06,199 Speaker 1: really sticky mud, and they were sometimes impassable because of 321 00:21:06,280 --> 00:21:09,800 Speaker 1: fallen trees. At one point, two of the men fell 322 00:21:09,840 --> 00:21:13,240 Speaker 1: into a stream they were trying to cross. They also 323 00:21:13,359 --> 00:21:16,399 Speaker 1: encountered hills so steep that they had to walk their 324 00:21:16,440 --> 00:21:19,320 Speaker 1: bikes up one side and down the other because trying 325 00:21:19,359 --> 00:21:22,600 Speaker 1: to ride down the downhill slope was just too dangerous. 326 00:21:23,359 --> 00:21:27,040 Speaker 1: The bicycles overall held up well, but they still lost 327 00:21:27,080 --> 00:21:30,120 Speaker 1: a lot of time stopping to deal with minor issues 328 00:21:30,200 --> 00:21:34,520 Speaker 1: like punctured tires, loosened bolts, or chains that needed adjusting. 329 00:21:35,320 --> 00:21:38,640 Speaker 1: In spite of all that, Moss considered this trip, which 330 00:21:38,720 --> 00:21:41,879 Speaker 1: went from August sixth to the ninth, to be a success, 331 00:21:42,080 --> 00:21:45,040 Speaker 1: and he started planning another longer trip to begin on 332 00:21:45,080 --> 00:21:50,280 Speaker 1: August fifteenth, this one to Yellowstone National Park. This trip 333 00:21:50,440 --> 00:21:52,840 Speaker 1: was more than twice as long. It was three hundred 334 00:21:52,880 --> 00:21:55,800 Speaker 1: miles or about four hundred and eighty four kilometers, and 335 00:21:55,880 --> 00:21:58,840 Speaker 1: they planned to ride between forty and fifty miles or 336 00:21:58,840 --> 00:22:02,480 Speaker 1: about sixty four to eight eighty kilometers per day. They 337 00:22:02,520 --> 00:22:04,840 Speaker 1: faced a lot of the same challenges that they had 338 00:22:04,840 --> 00:22:08,600 Speaker 1: on the earlier trip, including steep, uphill and downhill grades 339 00:22:08,880 --> 00:22:13,000 Speaker 1: while crossing the Continental Divide. Their bikes were heavier than 340 00:22:13,040 --> 00:22:15,959 Speaker 1: on the previous trip, weighing seventy nine point seven pounds 341 00:22:16,040 --> 00:22:19,399 Speaker 1: or thirty six kilograms on average, thanks to being loaded 342 00:22:19,520 --> 00:22:22,879 Speaker 1: up with four days worth of food, So not only 343 00:22:22,920 --> 00:22:24,800 Speaker 1: did they have to walk the bikes up and down 344 00:22:24,880 --> 00:22:27,600 Speaker 1: the hills, they also had to grip the handbrake for 345 00:22:27,680 --> 00:22:30,840 Speaker 1: long stretches of the downhill slope so that the bikes 346 00:22:30,840 --> 00:22:33,200 Speaker 1: didn't just run away from them with all that extra weight. 347 00:22:34,080 --> 00:22:36,040 Speaker 1: And when they were able to ride for a lot 348 00:22:36,080 --> 00:22:39,080 Speaker 1: of the journey, they were often riding into a stiff headwind, 349 00:22:39,160 --> 00:22:42,760 Speaker 1: and that made the going even harder. They talked about 350 00:22:42,800 --> 00:22:45,320 Speaker 1: having to hold the handbrakes for so long that their 351 00:22:45,400 --> 00:22:49,520 Speaker 1: hands would start cramping, but if they let go, they 352 00:22:49,600 --> 00:22:52,359 Speaker 1: might lose their whole bike just rolling down the hill 353 00:22:53,040 --> 00:22:57,680 Speaker 1: and then crashing probably. They reached Fort Yellowstone on August 354 00:22:57,680 --> 00:23:00,000 Speaker 1: twenty third, and after they rested for about a day 355 00:23:00,119 --> 00:23:02,199 Speaker 1: day and a half, they embarked on one hundred and 356 00:23:02,200 --> 00:23:06,160 Speaker 1: thirty two mile tour of the park by bike. Their 357 00:23:06,240 --> 00:23:09,879 Speaker 1: pace on this tour didn't seem as grueling as the 358 00:23:09,960 --> 00:23:12,320 Speaker 1: journey to get there had been. For the most part, 359 00:23:12,359 --> 00:23:15,600 Speaker 1: they rode a little faster, but they also had more 360 00:23:15,640 --> 00:23:19,040 Speaker 1: time to rest and sight see. They also got a 361 00:23:19,040 --> 00:23:22,440 Speaker 1: lot of attention from civilian tourists in the park, who 362 00:23:22,800 --> 00:23:27,439 Speaker 1: mostly seemed curious about them. The Corps started their return 363 00:23:27,480 --> 00:23:30,560 Speaker 1: trip on September first and arrived back at Fort Missoula 364 00:23:30,640 --> 00:23:34,880 Speaker 1: on September eighth. According to MOS's official report, their last 365 00:23:34,960 --> 00:23:37,399 Speaker 1: day of travel back to Missoula was the worst of 366 00:23:37,440 --> 00:23:41,280 Speaker 1: the entire trip, requiring ten hours of riding to travel 367 00:23:41,359 --> 00:23:45,880 Speaker 1: forty miles facing both rain and snow and wet muddy roads, 368 00:23:46,480 --> 00:23:49,560 Speaker 1: but he again considered the trip a success. They had 369 00:23:49,600 --> 00:23:52,879 Speaker 1: proven that the bicycles could be used to transport troops 370 00:23:52,920 --> 00:23:57,400 Speaker 1: across the difficult Montana to rain. After returning to Missoula, 371 00:23:57,600 --> 00:24:01,560 Speaker 1: the Bicycle Corps took part in some joint exercises involving 372 00:24:01,600 --> 00:24:05,560 Speaker 1: the twenty fifth Infantry and the tenth Cavalry. The Bicycle 373 00:24:05,600 --> 00:24:09,320 Speaker 1: Corps mainly acted as couriers during this exercise, and that 374 00:24:09,400 --> 00:24:12,640 Speaker 1: turned out to be critically important when a wagon train 375 00:24:12,800 --> 00:24:15,639 Speaker 1: got stuck in the mud and the cyclists were able 376 00:24:15,680 --> 00:24:19,560 Speaker 1: to summon reinforcements to help get them out. Moss was 377 00:24:19,600 --> 00:24:22,320 Speaker 1: not done though. He wanted to prove the bicycles could 378 00:24:22,320 --> 00:24:26,520 Speaker 1: be used to transport troops across any terrain, so he 379 00:24:26,560 --> 00:24:30,399 Speaker 1: started planning another ride, an almost two thousand mile journey 380 00:24:30,440 --> 00:24:34,400 Speaker 1: from Fort Missoula, Montana, to Saint Louis, Missouri, and we'll 381 00:24:34,400 --> 00:24:36,960 Speaker 1: get into that after we pause for a sponsor break. 382 00:24:46,680 --> 00:24:49,800 Speaker 1: Second Lieutenant James Moss was sent to Washington, d c. 383 00:24:50,119 --> 00:24:52,560 Speaker 1: Over part of the winter of eighteen ninety six to 384 00:24:52,640 --> 00:24:57,159 Speaker 1: eighteen ninety seven. Nelson A. Miles, commanding General of the 385 00:24:57,240 --> 00:25:00,600 Speaker 1: US Army, had tentatively approved his play to take a 386 00:25:00,640 --> 00:25:05,600 Speaker 1: bicycle corps from Missoula, Montana, to Saint Louis, Missouri, but 387 00:25:05,720 --> 00:25:07,600 Speaker 1: he wanted Moss to find a way to do this 388 00:25:07,800 --> 00:25:12,840 Speaker 1: without the Army having to spend money buying bicycles. Moss 389 00:25:12,880 --> 00:25:16,600 Speaker 1: spent some of his time researching bicycles and cycling, and 390 00:25:16,680 --> 00:25:21,720 Speaker 1: he toured the facilities of several bicycle manufacturers. This included A. G. 391 00:25:22,000 --> 00:25:26,840 Speaker 1: Spaldingen Brothers later known just as Spalding, who ultimately loaned 392 00:25:26,880 --> 00:25:31,000 Speaker 1: the bicycles to the Army for this test ride. Moss 393 00:25:31,040 --> 00:25:34,119 Speaker 1: also worked with Spaulding to make some modifications which he 394 00:25:34,240 --> 00:25:37,000 Speaker 1: hoped would reduce the amount of time spent dealing with 395 00:25:37,320 --> 00:25:41,399 Speaker 1: minor maintenance and repair issues during the ride. The bicycles 396 00:25:41,400 --> 00:25:44,040 Speaker 1: that they'd used on the earlier trips had wooden rims, 397 00:25:44,119 --> 00:25:48,840 Speaker 1: which were prone to delaminating over time. These had steel rims, 398 00:25:48,880 --> 00:25:54,240 Speaker 1: instead guards protected the chain from dirt and debris. Spalding 399 00:25:54,280 --> 00:25:57,760 Speaker 1: reinforced portions of the bike's frames and added luggage carriers 400 00:25:58,119 --> 00:26:00,480 Speaker 1: and swapped the standard seats out for or what was 401 00:26:00,520 --> 00:26:04,200 Speaker 1: known as the Christie saddle. This was an aluminum seat 402 00:26:04,280 --> 00:26:07,639 Speaker 1: with recessed areas to hold cushioned pads that made riding 403 00:26:07,800 --> 00:26:11,119 Speaker 1: more comfortable, and unlike a lot of other bicycle seats 404 00:26:11,160 --> 00:26:13,920 Speaker 1: at the time, it didn't extend between the legs, which 405 00:26:13,920 --> 00:26:18,600 Speaker 1: could cause chafing. It was developed and patented by Henry A. Christi, 406 00:26:19,400 --> 00:26:23,040 Speaker 1: and these bicycles, which were nicknamed the Military Special, weighed 407 00:26:23,040 --> 00:26:26,760 Speaker 1: thirty two pounds or fourteen point five kilograms each. That 408 00:26:26,880 --> 00:26:30,159 Speaker 1: was before they were loaded with gear and equipment. I 409 00:26:30,200 --> 00:26:33,240 Speaker 1: tried to compare that to today's bicycles and gut numbers 410 00:26:33,520 --> 00:26:37,760 Speaker 1: all over the place about such bicycles way today, especially 411 00:26:38,480 --> 00:26:41,560 Speaker 1: ones that are meant for riding on roads as well 412 00:26:41,560 --> 00:26:46,359 Speaker 1: as like rougher terrain. Yeah. When he got back to Missoula, 413 00:26:46,520 --> 00:26:49,439 Speaker 1: Moss selected the men who would be part of this trip. 414 00:26:49,720 --> 00:26:53,800 Speaker 1: He chose twenty soldiers from the twenty fifth Infantry. Five 415 00:26:53,920 --> 00:26:56,359 Speaker 1: of them had been part of the earlier rides in 416 00:26:56,400 --> 00:27:00,760 Speaker 1: eighteen ninety six. The highest ranking of these was Ming Sanders, 417 00:27:00,800 --> 00:27:05,240 Speaker 1: who acted as non commissioned officer in charge. Sanders was 418 00:27:05,280 --> 00:27:07,679 Speaker 1: also the oldest of the soldiers at the age of 419 00:27:07,760 --> 00:27:11,280 Speaker 1: thirty nine. The youngest member of the Bicycle Corps for 420 00:27:11,320 --> 00:27:15,560 Speaker 1: this trip was twenty four. Also on the journey were Moss, 421 00:27:15,920 --> 00:27:20,320 Speaker 1: Army physician doctor James Kennedy, and newspaper reporter Edward Boose, 422 00:27:20,640 --> 00:27:24,760 Speaker 1: all of whom were white. Booze was an enthusiastic wheelman 423 00:27:24,920 --> 00:27:28,080 Speaker 1: and filed regular reports with the Daily Missoulian that were 424 00:27:28,119 --> 00:27:31,800 Speaker 1: picked up by papers all over the country. Almost everything 425 00:27:31,840 --> 00:27:34,680 Speaker 1: that we know about this journey comes from Moss's reports 426 00:27:34,800 --> 00:27:39,240 Speaker 1: and Booze's reporting. We have almost nothing by the enlisted men, 427 00:27:39,320 --> 00:27:42,679 Speaker 1: aside from a couple of articles paraphrasing statements made by 428 00:27:42,720 --> 00:27:47,080 Speaker 1: Private Richard Rout to a reporter. I think it's possible 429 00:27:47,920 --> 00:27:55,000 Speaker 1: that there does exist documentation somewhere from somebody's journals or 430 00:27:55,080 --> 00:27:58,159 Speaker 1: letter home or whatever, but like that's what we know 431 00:27:58,280 --> 00:28:03,600 Speaker 1: of right now. The Bicycle Cores route would span about 432 00:28:03,720 --> 00:28:08,000 Speaker 1: nineteen hundred miles or three thousand and fifty eight kilometers 433 00:28:08,119 --> 00:28:14,480 Speaker 1: southeast through Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Missouri. It 434 00:28:14,600 --> 00:28:18,920 Speaker 1: included a wide range of terrain and road conditions. That's 435 00:28:19,320 --> 00:28:21,640 Speaker 1: why he picked this route. He wanted to test these 436 00:28:21,640 --> 00:28:25,159 Speaker 1: bikes on as many surfaces as possible. At the same time, 437 00:28:25,480 --> 00:28:29,159 Speaker 1: they were running mostly parallel to railroad lines. To make 438 00:28:29,200 --> 00:28:33,439 Speaker 1: it easier for them to resupply, Moss worked with quartermasters 439 00:28:33,440 --> 00:28:37,040 Speaker 1: at other forts and military installations to arrange food drops 440 00:28:37,160 --> 00:28:40,800 Speaker 1: about every one hundred miles. Although the men had carried 441 00:28:40,920 --> 00:28:44,280 Speaker 1: four days worth of food for their round trip to Yellowstone, 442 00:28:44,480 --> 00:28:47,640 Speaker 1: this time they would only be carrying two days of 443 00:28:47,720 --> 00:28:51,040 Speaker 1: food at a time, meaning if they did not go 444 00:28:51,200 --> 00:28:53,719 Speaker 1: fifty miles a day so they could travel the one 445 00:28:53,800 --> 00:28:56,880 Speaker 1: hundred miles to the next resupply, they would run out 446 00:28:56,920 --> 00:29:01,440 Speaker 1: of food. Cooking gear was carried in ten cases attached 447 00:29:01,440 --> 00:29:06,600 Speaker 1: to the fronts of some of the bicycles. Rations included flour, salt, sugar, 448 00:29:06,640 --> 00:29:10,720 Speaker 1: and coffee, which were packed in rubber cloth bags. There 449 00:29:10,760 --> 00:29:13,560 Speaker 1: was also bacon that was wrapped in cloth, and canned 450 00:29:13,560 --> 00:29:17,920 Speaker 1: goods carried in the soldier's knapsacks. These knapsacks also carried 451 00:29:17,960 --> 00:29:21,040 Speaker 1: one each of winter and summer undershirts and winter and 452 00:29:21,120 --> 00:29:24,959 Speaker 1: summer underwear, two pairs of summer socks, a pair of 453 00:29:24,960 --> 00:29:30,440 Speaker 1: winter socks, a towel, two handkerchiefs, a toothbrush, toothpowder, a 454 00:29:30,480 --> 00:29:34,320 Speaker 1: cake of soap, a blanket, and toilet paper. Every other 455 00:29:34,440 --> 00:29:38,280 Speaker 1: soldier also carried a comb and a brush. In addition 456 00:29:38,360 --> 00:29:41,600 Speaker 1: to this, each soldier carried a rifle and fifty rounds 457 00:29:41,600 --> 00:29:44,440 Speaker 1: of ammunition, as well as half of a shelter tent 458 00:29:45,280 --> 00:29:48,400 Speaker 1: and poles for that tent, as well as mosquito netting 459 00:29:48,520 --> 00:29:51,680 Speaker 1: and a cloth to wipe down the bicycle and a knife, 460 00:29:51,760 --> 00:29:55,360 Speaker 1: a fork, and a spoon, and a meat can. I 461 00:29:55,480 --> 00:29:57,920 Speaker 1: was like, what's a meat can? The army went through 462 00:29:57,920 --> 00:30:01,120 Speaker 1: a series of meat can designs over the late nineteenth century, 463 00:30:01,120 --> 00:30:03,680 Speaker 1: but this started out as a metal container meant to 464 00:30:03,720 --> 00:30:07,720 Speaker 1: hold uncooked meat rations so that other stuff didn't get greasy. 465 00:30:08,360 --> 00:30:11,560 Speaker 1: It evolved into something like a frying pan with a 466 00:30:11,560 --> 00:30:14,760 Speaker 1: fold out handle that was sometimes issued with a plate 467 00:30:14,800 --> 00:30:18,200 Speaker 1: that nestled into it, with the handle holding it all 468 00:30:18,200 --> 00:30:21,200 Speaker 1: together like if you've ever seen a mess kit. The 469 00:30:21,240 --> 00:30:23,320 Speaker 1: parts of the mess kit that hold that all together. 470 00:30:24,120 --> 00:30:27,640 Speaker 1: Packed with all of their gear, these bicycles weighed about 471 00:30:27,680 --> 00:30:31,680 Speaker 1: sixty pounds or twenty seven kilograms. The bicycle corpse set 472 00:30:31,680 --> 00:30:34,720 Speaker 1: off on this ride on June fourteenth, eighteen ninety seven, 473 00:30:34,840 --> 00:30:37,760 Speaker 1: at five point thirty in the morning. The plan was 474 00:30:37,800 --> 00:30:40,200 Speaker 1: that they would get up before dawn each day, ride 475 00:30:40,280 --> 00:30:42,800 Speaker 1: until lunch, and then stop and spend the hottest part 476 00:30:42,800 --> 00:30:46,480 Speaker 1: of the day resting. Then they would continue riding until 477 00:30:46,560 --> 00:30:50,440 Speaker 1: dark and stop and make camp. Pretty much immediately they 478 00:30:50,520 --> 00:30:55,240 Speaker 1: ran into heavy thunderstorms that turned the roads, which these 479 00:30:55,280 --> 00:31:00,000 Speaker 1: were really more like wagon trails, turn them into mud. Specifically, 480 00:31:00,120 --> 00:31:03,680 Speaker 1: a very thick mud was very sticky, made primarily of 481 00:31:03,800 --> 00:31:08,000 Speaker 1: Bentonite clay, which was known as gumbo. Eventually, they had 482 00:31:08,040 --> 00:31:10,360 Speaker 1: seen so much rain and so much mud that was 483 00:31:10,400 --> 00:31:13,320 Speaker 1: causing them so many problems that they decided to ride 484 00:31:13,400 --> 00:31:17,200 Speaker 1: on the railroad tracks instead. This meant a lot of 485 00:31:17,320 --> 00:31:22,440 Speaker 1: jolting along the cross ties. The difficulties just continued from there. 486 00:31:22,920 --> 00:31:26,440 Speaker 1: It was often hot, very hot, at one point in 487 00:31:26,520 --> 00:31:30,080 Speaker 1: excess of one hundred and ten degrees fahrenheit or forty 488 00:31:30,120 --> 00:31:33,360 Speaker 1: three degrees celsius. But even though it was summer, they 489 00:31:33,400 --> 00:31:37,800 Speaker 1: also encountered snow at higher elevations. In late June, they 490 00:31:37,840 --> 00:31:40,880 Speaker 1: ran low on rations and they were subsisting on water 491 00:31:41,000 --> 00:31:45,200 Speaker 1: and burned toast, and Booze wrote quote we were wet, cold, 492 00:31:45,240 --> 00:31:49,000 Speaker 1: and hungry, and a more jaded set of men never existed. 493 00:31:50,160 --> 00:31:52,719 Speaker 1: Although they had to deal with a lot of punctured 494 00:31:52,840 --> 00:31:56,640 Speaker 1: tires and a range of minor problems throughout the ride, 495 00:31:56,760 --> 00:32:01,920 Speaker 1: they only had one major mechanical failure. After leaving Gellette Wyoming. 496 00:32:02,120 --> 00:32:04,640 Speaker 1: The front axle broke on one of the bikes, and 497 00:32:04,720 --> 00:32:07,280 Speaker 1: it wasn't like they had a spare bike with them. 498 00:32:07,480 --> 00:32:10,600 Speaker 1: They didn't have an axle to replace it with, so 499 00:32:10,760 --> 00:32:14,719 Speaker 1: the rider private Foreman had to walk, and then the 500 00:32:14,760 --> 00:32:17,200 Speaker 1: rest of the corps had to slow down to match 501 00:32:17,240 --> 00:32:21,120 Speaker 1: his pace while Moss and two other men rode ahead 502 00:32:21,160 --> 00:32:26,040 Speaker 1: to their next plan stop at Moorcroft. The plan was 503 00:32:26,120 --> 00:32:29,280 Speaker 1: for these men who went ahead to have dinner prepared 504 00:32:29,360 --> 00:32:31,640 Speaker 1: for everybody else by the time the rest of the 505 00:32:31,680 --> 00:32:36,120 Speaker 1: men caught up, but night fell. The terrain turned out 506 00:32:36,160 --> 00:32:39,560 Speaker 1: to be really rough, and that meant that everyone wound 507 00:32:39,600 --> 00:32:42,560 Speaker 1: up having to walk their bikes, including the ones who 508 00:32:42,600 --> 00:32:46,840 Speaker 1: had tried to ride ahead. This was a particularly bad 509 00:32:46,960 --> 00:32:49,680 Speaker 1: time for them to run into this kind of issue 510 00:32:49,720 --> 00:32:53,960 Speaker 1: because they were also running low on water. With all 511 00:32:53,960 --> 00:32:56,760 Speaker 1: this happening, they didn't get to Moorcroft until the morning, 512 00:32:57,160 --> 00:32:59,400 Speaker 1: and then they had to rest until about two in 513 00:32:59,440 --> 00:33:02,000 Speaker 1: the afternoon before they were able to set off again. 514 00:33:02,960 --> 00:33:05,880 Speaker 1: The stretch from Gillette to Moorcroft was not the only 515 00:33:05,920 --> 00:33:09,280 Speaker 1: time the Core had trouble getting enough water. In much 516 00:33:09,320 --> 00:33:12,760 Speaker 1: of South Dakota and Nebraska, the temperatures were extreme and 517 00:33:12,840 --> 00:33:16,000 Speaker 1: the water was alkaline, something that can happen in desert 518 00:33:16,080 --> 00:33:18,680 Speaker 1: environments as the water absorbs a lot of salts and 519 00:33:18,760 --> 00:33:22,200 Speaker 1: minerals from the ground. To add yet another layer to 520 00:33:22,280 --> 00:33:25,480 Speaker 1: how difficult this was, Alkaline water was a real problem 521 00:33:25,560 --> 00:33:28,680 Speaker 1: in the Nebraska sand Hills, where the sandy soil was 522 00:33:28,720 --> 00:33:33,360 Speaker 1: so loose that riding was impossible and walking was extremely difficult. 523 00:33:33,640 --> 00:33:36,360 Speaker 1: They'd ridden on the railroad tracks to try to bypass 524 00:33:36,440 --> 00:33:38,760 Speaker 1: terrain that was just too bad to ride on before, 525 00:33:39,160 --> 00:33:41,600 Speaker 1: but in this area the way the cross ties were 526 00:33:41,680 --> 00:33:45,480 Speaker 1: laid jolted the bikes to a halt. Having the railroad 527 00:33:45,520 --> 00:33:48,760 Speaker 1: nearby was still an asset, though, because it turned out 528 00:33:49,040 --> 00:33:51,800 Speaker 1: the water tanks used for the engines held water that 529 00:33:51,920 --> 00:33:56,000 Speaker 1: was more drinkable. Some of the soldiers became ill during 530 00:33:56,000 --> 00:33:58,880 Speaker 1: this part of the ride, and Moss got so sick 531 00:33:58,920 --> 00:34:03,200 Speaker 1: that doctor Kennedy told him he could not continue. Moss 532 00:34:03,200 --> 00:34:06,120 Speaker 1: had to backtrack and then take the train ahead of 533 00:34:06,160 --> 00:34:08,239 Speaker 1: the rest of the Core so that they could catch 534 00:34:08,320 --> 00:34:12,120 Speaker 1: up with him while he recovered. A report Moss made 535 00:34:12,239 --> 00:34:14,799 Speaker 1: on the trip said of this region, quote, this part 536 00:34:14,800 --> 00:34:18,239 Speaker 1: of the trip was a real nightmare. It was impossible 537 00:34:18,280 --> 00:34:20,880 Speaker 1: to make any headway by following the wagon road in 538 00:34:21,040 --> 00:34:24,480 Speaker 1: loose sand ankle deep, and the Core thereafter followed the 539 00:34:24,560 --> 00:34:27,359 Speaker 1: railroad track for one hundred and seventy miles before they 540 00:34:27,360 --> 00:34:32,160 Speaker 1: got out of the sand, so they were walking alongside 541 00:34:32,200 --> 00:34:35,480 Speaker 1: the railroad track to be clear, to continue the quote, 542 00:34:35,840 --> 00:34:39,799 Speaker 1: by almost superhuman efforts. This distance was covered in four 543 00:34:39,840 --> 00:34:43,280 Speaker 1: and a half days, averaging thirty seven point seven miles 544 00:34:43,320 --> 00:34:48,440 Speaker 1: per day. The Alkali water was abominable and the heat terrific. 545 00:34:49,600 --> 00:34:52,160 Speaker 1: A lot of other people the cor encountered during this 546 00:34:52,360 --> 00:34:54,880 Speaker 1: ride seemed more interested in what they were doing than 547 00:34:54,920 --> 00:34:57,919 Speaker 1: anything else, and some of them either sold or gave 548 00:34:58,000 --> 00:35:01,759 Speaker 1: them things like eggs, pies, red or other food, which 549 00:35:01,800 --> 00:35:05,239 Speaker 1: helped them keep writing and keep their spirits up. But 550 00:35:05,280 --> 00:35:09,520 Speaker 1: the court did experience hostility and racism, which generally increase 551 00:35:09,600 --> 00:35:12,799 Speaker 1: the further south that they traveled. At one point, when 552 00:35:12,800 --> 00:35:15,080 Speaker 1: they asked a farmer if they could camp on his land. 553 00:35:15,440 --> 00:35:18,120 Speaker 1: He asked if they were Union soldiers, and when Moss 554 00:35:18,160 --> 00:35:22,400 Speaker 1: said he supposed they were, the farmer said no. This was, 555 00:35:22,480 --> 00:35:25,200 Speaker 1: of course, more than three decades after the end of 556 00:35:25,239 --> 00:35:28,840 Speaker 1: the Civil War. A report in the Kansas City, Missouri 557 00:35:29,000 --> 00:35:32,920 Speaker 1: Journal alluded to this kind of treatment as well, quote 558 00:35:32,960 --> 00:35:36,040 Speaker 1: the roads across Missouri were bad and hilly, and with 559 00:35:36,160 --> 00:35:39,200 Speaker 1: the exception of a few gravel roads were the worst 560 00:35:39,280 --> 00:35:42,400 Speaker 1: on the entire trip. Went away from the railroad, the 561 00:35:42,480 --> 00:35:47,560 Speaker 1: people were inhospitable. In one instance, water sufficient for cooking 562 00:35:47,680 --> 00:35:52,120 Speaker 1: being refused, and no reliable information regarding the roads could 563 00:35:52,120 --> 00:35:55,200 Speaker 1: be gained. The heat for the last three days of 564 00:35:55,200 --> 00:35:58,360 Speaker 1: the trip was severe and hard on the men. On 565 00:35:58,440 --> 00:36:01,840 Speaker 1: July twenty fourth, eighteen ninety, when the twenty fifth Infantry 566 00:36:01,920 --> 00:36:05,560 Speaker 1: Bicycle Corps finally arrived at their destination of Saint Louis, 567 00:36:05,960 --> 00:36:09,040 Speaker 1: they were welcomed by about one thousand cyclists who met 568 00:36:09,040 --> 00:36:11,880 Speaker 1: them and escorted them to Forest Park, where they were 569 00:36:11,920 --> 00:36:14,759 Speaker 1: able to rest and talk to their well wishers and 570 00:36:14,800 --> 00:36:18,800 Speaker 1: cycling enthusiasts, although for the first time their camp was 571 00:36:18,880 --> 00:36:23,120 Speaker 1: racially segregated, with Moss, Kennedy, and Boose separated from the 572 00:36:23,200 --> 00:36:28,320 Speaker 1: enlisted riders. Yeah the newspapers had really covered their ride heavily, 573 00:36:28,400 --> 00:36:31,440 Speaker 1: so people were waiting for them to arrive and eager 574 00:36:31,480 --> 00:36:34,759 Speaker 1: to kind of celebrate the success of the journey, and 575 00:36:35,560 --> 00:36:38,160 Speaker 1: Moss considered the ride to be a success. They had 576 00:36:38,280 --> 00:36:42,200 Speaker 1: averaged fifty two miles or about eighty four kilometers per 577 00:36:42,320 --> 00:36:44,960 Speaker 1: day at a pace of a little more than six 578 00:36:45,040 --> 00:36:48,239 Speaker 1: miles an hour or nine point six kilometers per hour. 579 00:36:48,640 --> 00:36:51,560 Speaker 1: They only had that one major breakdown, and there was 580 00:36:51,600 --> 00:36:54,200 Speaker 1: only one man who had not made it to the end. 581 00:36:55,000 --> 00:36:58,120 Speaker 1: This was private Eugene Jones, who became too ill to 582 00:36:58,239 --> 00:37:00,759 Speaker 1: continue and was sent all the way back to Missoula 583 00:37:00,800 --> 00:37:05,399 Speaker 1: by train. Although Moss thought that Jones was malingering and 584 00:37:05,760 --> 00:37:08,760 Speaker 1: had been hoping to be sent ahead to Saint Louis 585 00:37:08,800 --> 00:37:12,680 Speaker 1: to wait for everybody else there. It is not really 586 00:37:12,760 --> 00:37:16,920 Speaker 1: clear whether like what this person, whether this person was 587 00:37:16,960 --> 00:37:21,680 Speaker 1: really sick, whether Moss was just being judgmental about him, 588 00:37:22,840 --> 00:37:26,160 Speaker 1: don't really know. Moss later summed it up this way, 589 00:37:26,320 --> 00:37:29,840 Speaker 1: quote the bicycle has a number of advantages over the horses. 590 00:37:30,280 --> 00:37:33,480 Speaker 1: It does not require as much care, it needs no forage, 591 00:37:33,840 --> 00:37:36,719 Speaker 1: It moves much faster over fair roads. It is not 592 00:37:36,800 --> 00:37:39,600 Speaker 1: as conspicuous and can be hidden from view more easily. 593 00:37:40,080 --> 00:37:43,040 Speaker 1: It is noiseless and raises but little dust, and it 594 00:37:43,080 --> 00:37:47,560 Speaker 1: is impossible to determine direction from its track. Furthermore, the 595 00:37:47,560 --> 00:37:51,240 Speaker 1: fighting strength of a bicycle corps is not diminished by horseholders. 596 00:37:51,840 --> 00:37:55,520 Speaker 1: Under favorable conditions, the bicycle is invaluable for courier work, 597 00:37:55,840 --> 00:38:01,240 Speaker 1: scouting duty, road patrolling, rapid reconnaissances, et cetera. A bicycle 598 00:38:01,280 --> 00:38:04,320 Speaker 1: corps as an adjunct to infantry or cavalry could render 599 00:38:04,400 --> 00:38:08,560 Speaker 1: excellent service where speed rather than number is required, such 600 00:38:08,560 --> 00:38:12,040 Speaker 1: as taking possession of passes, bridges and strong places ahead 601 00:38:12,040 --> 00:38:15,080 Speaker 1: of the command and holding them until reinforcements could be 602 00:38:15,120 --> 00:38:19,400 Speaker 1: gotten from the main body. On the other hand, in rain, weather, 603 00:38:19,640 --> 00:38:23,879 Speaker 1: over bad roads, etc. The horse is superior. The very 604 00:38:23,960 --> 00:38:26,960 Speaker 1: thought of the bicycle doing away with the cavalry altogether 605 00:38:27,160 --> 00:38:31,680 Speaker 1: is ludicrous. Each has particular functions. The one isn't superior 606 00:38:31,719 --> 00:38:35,040 Speaker 1: to the other. The question therefore, which confronts us is 607 00:38:35,560 --> 00:38:38,400 Speaker 1: should not a modern, up to date army have both, 608 00:38:38,680 --> 00:38:41,080 Speaker 1: that it might avail itself to the advantages of the 609 00:38:41,120 --> 00:38:44,440 Speaker 1: one or the other as the proper conditions present themselves. 610 00:38:45,280 --> 00:38:49,440 Speaker 1: From here, Moss really wanted to keep riding onto Minneapolis 611 00:38:49,480 --> 00:38:52,120 Speaker 1: to demonstrate what the bikes and their riders could do 612 00:38:52,280 --> 00:38:55,200 Speaker 1: on better roads than what they had had most of 613 00:38:55,239 --> 00:38:59,239 Speaker 1: their time coming down from Missoula. The Army did not 614 00:38:59,360 --> 00:39:02,000 Speaker 1: grant permisis for him to do that, though, and the 615 00:39:02,040 --> 00:39:06,200 Speaker 1: corps went back to Missoula by train. The bicycles went 616 00:39:06,280 --> 00:39:09,120 Speaker 1: back to A. G. Spaldingen Brothers, and when the Corps 617 00:39:09,160 --> 00:39:12,239 Speaker 1: got back to Missoula, they learned that the discovery of 618 00:39:12,440 --> 00:39:17,600 Speaker 1: gold in Alaska had totally overshadowed their ride. In the newspapers. 619 00:39:18,360 --> 00:39:21,640 Speaker 1: In early February of eighteen ninety eight, Moss proposed the 620 00:39:21,640 --> 00:39:25,919 Speaker 1: Bicycle Corps take another journey, this time to San Francisco, California. 621 00:39:26,640 --> 00:39:29,880 Speaker 1: Colonel Bert theorized that this could also work toward improving 622 00:39:30,040 --> 00:39:33,160 Speaker 1: race relations, writing quote, it is well known there is 623 00:39:33,200 --> 00:39:36,440 Speaker 1: a prejudice against the colored man. It is a wise 624 00:39:36,480 --> 00:39:39,600 Speaker 1: policy to educate the people to become familiar with the 625 00:39:39,600 --> 00:39:43,640 Speaker 1: colored man as a soldier. The expedition proposed by Lieutenant 626 00:39:43,640 --> 00:39:46,560 Speaker 1: Moss would be a fine educator. The one he made 627 00:39:46,640 --> 00:39:49,200 Speaker 1: last year to Saint Louis had a very happy effect. 628 00:39:49,800 --> 00:39:53,200 Speaker 1: The men, by their behavior, won the respect of everybody. 629 00:39:54,080 --> 00:39:58,359 Speaker 1: But on February fifteenth eighteen ninety eight, the USS Maine 630 00:39:58,480 --> 00:40:02,640 Speaker 1: exploded in Havana, Harper and the Spanish American War began 631 00:40:02,800 --> 00:40:06,319 Speaker 1: not long after, and that meant testing out the feasibility 632 00:40:06,320 --> 00:40:10,480 Speaker 1: of bicycles for army use was no longer a big priority. 633 00:40:11,200 --> 00:40:13,920 Speaker 1: The twenty fifth Infantry was sent to training camps in 634 00:40:14,000 --> 00:40:17,640 Speaker 1: Georgia and Florida, and then on to Cuba, where, among 635 00:40:17,680 --> 00:40:20,880 Speaker 1: other things, they worked to maintain order during a yellow 636 00:40:20,920 --> 00:40:25,200 Speaker 1: fever epidemic. The twenty fifth Infantry Regiment Bicycle Corps was 637 00:40:25,239 --> 00:40:28,480 Speaker 1: disbanded after they returned to Fort Missoula after the Spanish 638 00:40:28,520 --> 00:40:32,560 Speaker 1: American War. Before long, the US Army largely moved on 639 00:40:32,760 --> 00:40:36,560 Speaker 1: to gas powered vehicles like motorcycles and cars, rather than 640 00:40:36,600 --> 00:40:40,040 Speaker 1: bicycles or horses, although with bicycles still being used in 641 00:40:40,080 --> 00:40:44,760 Speaker 1: some cases by messengers, couriers, and the like. Other nations 642 00:40:44,800 --> 00:40:48,480 Speaker 1: continued to use bicycle infantries for decades after this, though 643 00:40:48,600 --> 00:40:52,080 Speaker 1: especially in the face of shortages in horses or fuel. 644 00:40:52,880 --> 00:40:57,000 Speaker 1: As just a few examples, Canadian cycling units performed reconnaissance 645 00:40:57,440 --> 00:41:00,239 Speaker 1: and stealth missions during the One Hundred Day Offensive in 646 00:41:00,320 --> 00:41:03,759 Speaker 1: World War One, Both the British and the Boers used 647 00:41:03,800 --> 00:41:07,920 Speaker 1: bicycle infantry troops during the Anglo Boer Wars in South Africa, 648 00:41:07,960 --> 00:41:11,200 Speaker 1: and the French developed a folding bicycle that soldiers could 649 00:41:11,200 --> 00:41:15,399 Speaker 1: carry on their backs during World War II. Also, as 650 00:41:15,400 --> 00:41:17,240 Speaker 1: we noted at the top of the show, the last 651 00:41:17,239 --> 00:41:21,160 Speaker 1: of the Buffalo Soldiers' regiments wasn't dismantled until nineteen fifty one. 652 00:41:21,239 --> 00:41:24,000 Speaker 1: So there is a lot of history of these regiments 653 00:41:24,080 --> 00:41:27,480 Speaker 1: beyond this one story. But we did want to mention 654 00:41:27,680 --> 00:41:30,880 Speaker 1: one incident that was directly connected to some of the 655 00:41:30,880 --> 00:41:33,279 Speaker 1: men who were part of this ride, and that was 656 00:41:33,320 --> 00:41:37,480 Speaker 1: the Brownsville affair. In nineteen oh six, one person was 657 00:41:37,560 --> 00:41:41,880 Speaker 1: killed and another was wounded during gunfire in Brownsville, Texas. 658 00:41:42,480 --> 00:41:46,560 Speaker 1: White residents of Brownsville blamed the twenty fifth Infantry Regiment, 659 00:41:46,600 --> 00:41:50,359 Speaker 1: who were stationed at nearby Fort brown even though their 660 00:41:50,400 --> 00:41:53,640 Speaker 1: commanding officers said that all of the soldiers had been 661 00:41:53,760 --> 00:41:57,560 Speaker 1: in their barracks at the time. By order of President 662 00:41:57,600 --> 00:42:00,840 Speaker 1: Theodore Roosevelt, one hundred and sixty seven members of the 663 00:42:00,880 --> 00:42:04,439 Speaker 1: twenty fifth Infantry were discharged without honor in the wake 664 00:42:04,480 --> 00:42:09,560 Speaker 1: of this. Roosevelt described them as maintaining a conspiracy of silence. 665 00:42:10,400 --> 00:42:13,440 Speaker 1: Two of the men discharged were Sergeant MINGO. Sanders and 666 00:42:13,520 --> 00:42:16,520 Speaker 1: Private John H. Cook, both of whom had been part 667 00:42:16,600 --> 00:42:19,680 Speaker 1: of the Bicycle Corps. Sanders was just a little more 668 00:42:19,680 --> 00:42:23,560 Speaker 1: than a year away from retirement and being dishonorably discharged 669 00:42:23,600 --> 00:42:27,279 Speaker 1: meant that he lost all of his benefits. But this 670 00:42:27,480 --> 00:42:31,600 Speaker 1: was an enormous miscarriage of justice. In nineteen seventy, John D. 671 00:42:31,719 --> 00:42:35,480 Speaker 1: Weaver published The Brownsville Raid, and the publication of this 672 00:42:35,600 --> 00:42:39,279 Speaker 1: book led the Army to conduct a new investigation into 673 00:42:39,280 --> 00:42:45,799 Speaker 1: the incident, and that investigation cleared the soldiers of any involvement. Afterward, 674 00:42:46,000 --> 00:42:50,640 Speaker 1: they were awarded honorable discharges, although by that point only 675 00:42:50,719 --> 00:42:53,239 Speaker 1: one of them was still alive, so most of these 676 00:42:53,280 --> 00:42:58,760 Speaker 1: discharges almost all of them were made posthumously. Some did 677 00:42:58,800 --> 00:43:03,040 Speaker 1: have surviving widow or descendants who received some compensation from 678 00:43:03,040 --> 00:43:08,480 Speaker 1: the government after this, so that felt like a little 679 00:43:08,560 --> 00:43:10,400 Speaker 1: of a downer place to in the episode, but it 680 00:43:10,480 --> 00:43:14,520 Speaker 1: also felt incomplete not to reference it in any way. 681 00:43:15,400 --> 00:43:18,520 Speaker 1: Do you have less downer listener mail? Yes, this is 682 00:43:18,600 --> 00:43:22,960 Speaker 1: from Caitlin. Caitlyn wrote, Hi, Tracy and Holly. On a 683 00:43:23,000 --> 00:43:25,400 Speaker 1: short trip last week. I was catching up on episodes 684 00:43:25,440 --> 00:43:29,080 Speaker 1: and the timing of the week of Popcorn and then 685 00:43:29,360 --> 00:43:33,640 Speaker 1: salt made me laugh. Popcorn is one of my peak snacks, 686 00:43:33,760 --> 00:43:36,880 Speaker 1: especially when traveling. I can graze through a bag of 687 00:43:36,960 --> 00:43:40,400 Speaker 1: pre popped kettle corn like nobody's business. And because of 688 00:43:40,400 --> 00:43:43,080 Speaker 1: one of my several syndromes, I have what I casually 689 00:43:43,080 --> 00:43:47,800 Speaker 1: refer to as not enough blood disease or hypovealmia minus mild. 690 00:43:47,840 --> 00:43:50,360 Speaker 1: But if I get it all dehydrated, I get blood 691 00:43:50,360 --> 00:43:53,520 Speaker 1: pressure drops and dizzy spells. So I'm constantly drinking water, 692 00:43:53,600 --> 00:43:57,080 Speaker 1: which means I'm also constantly craving salt. One of my 693 00:43:57,160 --> 00:44:00,920 Speaker 1: doctors told me about salt supplement pills, and the iodization 694 00:44:01,000 --> 00:44:03,480 Speaker 1: episode made me go, look, the supplements are free of 695 00:44:03,560 --> 00:44:06,440 Speaker 1: extra iodine. I get plenty through my diet. But it 696 00:44:06,480 --> 00:44:10,360 Speaker 1: was an interesting moment of wait, huh uh now the cats. 697 00:44:10,360 --> 00:44:12,920 Speaker 1: I've written in with pictures and stories of my torty 698 00:44:12,960 --> 00:44:16,399 Speaker 1: baby Sharktipis several times, but at the end of March 699 00:44:16,440 --> 00:44:18,680 Speaker 1: he became a big sister. I went to a cat 700 00:44:18,719 --> 00:44:21,480 Speaker 1: cafe with a friend just to say hi and left 701 00:44:21,520 --> 00:44:24,359 Speaker 1: with the contact of the rescue sponsoring one of the 702 00:44:24,360 --> 00:44:27,760 Speaker 1: Orange Boys. He is named after an episode from previous 703 00:44:27,800 --> 00:44:31,680 Speaker 1: hosts Sarah and Doblina on sixteenth century Russian history. His 704 00:44:31,719 --> 00:44:36,120 Speaker 1: full government name is false Dmitri the Fourth the Final Threats, 705 00:44:36,160 --> 00:44:40,280 Speaker 1: although he's more often Dmitri or Demi. He's the sweetest 706 00:44:40,320 --> 00:44:43,279 Speaker 1: and most affectionate guy and the total personality inverse of 707 00:44:43,320 --> 00:44:46,919 Speaker 1: my full of attitude sharktpis. He loves being held, having 708 00:44:46,920 --> 00:44:49,760 Speaker 1: his belly rub and playing fetch with his toy mice. 709 00:44:50,160 --> 00:44:52,520 Speaker 1: He's very small cat too. We think he's about two 710 00:44:52,520 --> 00:44:54,080 Speaker 1: and a half because of his size when he was 711 00:44:54,160 --> 00:44:56,560 Speaker 1: rescued two years ago. But he's skinny and lanky with 712 00:44:56,600 --> 00:44:59,920 Speaker 1: the longest gangly legs. I hope you enjoy the attached pictures. 713 00:45:00,600 --> 00:45:03,960 Speaker 1: Very excited to see y'all in Indie and hear another 714 00:45:04,000 --> 00:45:08,239 Speaker 1: great live show at the History Center Caate Lynn. And 715 00:45:08,320 --> 00:45:11,880 Speaker 1: so then we've got pictures of old goodness. The cutest 716 00:45:11,920 --> 00:45:15,480 Speaker 1: orange kitty cat. I like a long, spindly cat. One 717 00:45:15,520 --> 00:45:17,400 Speaker 1: of ours is like that, and I call him a 718 00:45:17,440 --> 00:45:20,440 Speaker 1: snake with legs. I love it. So many good pictures. 719 00:45:22,480 --> 00:45:26,000 Speaker 1: I know, not personally, but I know of some people 720 00:45:26,000 --> 00:45:29,160 Speaker 1: who have talked about using salt supplements because they have 721 00:45:29,360 --> 00:45:34,120 Speaker 1: pots and that has in their particular case sort of 722 00:45:34,160 --> 00:45:37,080 Speaker 1: helped with some of the symptoms of that would not 723 00:45:37,200 --> 00:45:40,719 Speaker 1: have occurred to me either to look at whether there 724 00:45:40,760 --> 00:45:44,239 Speaker 1: was iodine in them. But it makes sense that you 725 00:45:44,280 --> 00:45:47,440 Speaker 1: would not necessarily want a bunch of additional iodine in 726 00:45:48,880 --> 00:45:54,279 Speaker 1: supplement to get an additional salt into your body. So 727 00:45:54,400 --> 00:45:57,800 Speaker 1: thank you so much for this email and these pictures. 728 00:45:58,560 --> 00:46:00,520 Speaker 1: If you'd like to send us a note, we're at 729 00:46:00,600 --> 00:46:04,640 Speaker 1: History Podcast at iHeartRadio dot com, and we're on social 730 00:46:04,680 --> 00:46:06,600 Speaker 1: media at miss in History. That's where you'll find our 731 00:46:06,680 --> 00:46:09,840 Speaker 1: Facebook and whatnot, and you can subscribe to our show 732 00:46:10,000 --> 00:46:12,960 Speaker 1: on the iHeartRadio app and wherever else you'd like to 733 00:46:12,960 --> 00:46:20,960 Speaker 1: get your podcasts. Stuff you Missed in History Class is 734 00:46:21,000 --> 00:46:25,359 Speaker 1: a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit 735 00:46:25,400 --> 00:46:28,840 Speaker 1: the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to 736 00:46:28,880 --> 00:46:31,800 Speaker 1: your favorite shows.