Concept
The 9th Cavalry Regiment is a parent cavalry regiment of the United States Army. It is not related to the 9th Kansas Cavalry Regiment of the Union Army. Historically, it was one of the Army's four segregated African-American regiments and was part of what was known as the Buffalo Soldiers. The regiment saw combat during the Indian and Spanish–American Wars. During Westward Expansion, the regiment provided escort for the early western settlers and maintained peace on the American frontier. the 1st Battalion and 4th Squadron serve with the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division as a combined arms battalion and an armored reconnaissance squadron, while the 6th Squadron is the armored reconnaissance squadron of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team of the division. All three units are stationed at Fort Cavazos. The regiment was authorized on 28 July 1866 to become the 9th United States Cavalry Regiment. On 3 August 1866, Major General Philip H. Sheridan, commanding the Military Division of the Gulf, was "authorized to raise, among others, one regiment of colored (African-American) cavalry to be designated the 9th Regiment of U.S. Cavalry". The regiment was formally organized on 21 September 1866 in New Orleans, Louisiana, and mustered between September 1866 and 31 March 1867. Its first commanding officer was Colonel Edward Hatch. The men enlisted for the usual term of five years and privates received $13 per month, plus room, meals, and clothing. They gained the nickname of "Buffalo Soldiers". The regiment's motto is "We Can, We Will". The mustering, organized by Maj. Francis Moore, 65th U. S. Colored Infantry, formed the nucleus of the enlisted strength, and was obtained from New Orleans and its vicinity. In the autumn of 1866 recruiting began in Kentucky, and all the men of the 9th were obtained from that state and Louisiana. The horses were obtained at St. Louis, Missouri. About the middle of September all recruits were assembled in New Orleans, where empty cotton presses were used as barracks.
