This is an early photograph of the U.S. 9th Cavalry Colonel Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers unit. The image shows two rows of “Buffalo Soldiers” with one soldier holding a banner in the back row which reads, “Col. Chas. Young’s Lodge No. 133 Fort Sill, Okla.” Buffalo Soldiers were United States Army regiments form during the 19th Century Indian Wars on the frontier that primarily were made up of African Americans. On September 21, 1866, the 10th Cavalry Regiment was formed at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas and nicknamed “Buffalo Soldiers” by the Plains Native Americans who fought against them due to their Buffalo like curly hair and darker complexion. The Buffalo Soldier term soon became synonymous with all African American U.S. Army regiments established in 1866 such as the men shown in this image, the 9th Cavalry Regiment. Charles Young (1864-1922) was an American Solider and was the third African American graduate of the United States Military Academy, the first Black U.S. National park superintendent, first Black military attache, first Black man to achieve the rank of colonel in the U.S. Army and highest ranking black officer in the Regular Army until his death in 1922. He graduated in 1889 and originally assigned to the 10th Tenth U.S. Cavalry Regiment and through a reassignment, he served first with the Ninth 9th U.S. Cavalry Regiment in Nebraska. He served for 28 years chiefly being one of the highest ranked Buffalo Soldiers. The image is an older enlargement of the original as seen in the Kodak Eastman outer edge. The early, older photograph has been folded a few times, but overall displays beautifully. Provenance: From the Jim Aplan Piedmont, South Dakota collection. Measures 10” by 7 3/8”. U6.