Buffalo Soldier Tragedy of 1877
Morton, Cochran County, Texas
Marker Inscription
African American troops, known as Buffalo Soldiers, were vital in defending the Texas frontier. On July 26, 1877 Buffalo Soldiers from Co. A of the 10th Cavalry began to pursue a Comanche party. During the pursuit, the Comanches led the troops away from water holes as the expedition traveled through Cochran and other counties. After Several days without water, Capt. Nicholas Nolan led his dehydrated soldiers and remaining animals back to Double Lakes in Lynn County; they arrived on July 30, having gone 86 hours without water. Several soldiers left camp in search of water and four died during the expedition: Pvt. John H. Bonds; Pvt. Isaac Derwin; Pvt. John Isaacs; and Pvt. John T. Gordon. (2008)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In the summer of 1877, troopers of Company A, 10th Cavalry—the African American Buffalo Soldiers who helped guard the Texas frontier—set out from their posts to pursue a Comanche party across the arid Llano Estacado. The Comanches drew the column away from every water hole, and after days in the heat Capt. Nicholas Nolan led his parched men and animals back toward Double Lakes, having gone 86 hours without water. Four soldiers who wandered off in a desperate search for water never came back.
Why it matters
The ordeal records both the punishing service of Black regular soldiers on the western frontier and the human cost of the Indian Wars that decided who would hold the southern plains.
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Related people
- · Capt. Nicholas Nolan
- · Pvt. John H. Bonds
- · Pvt. Isaac Derwin
Related events
- · Nolan Expedition of 1877
Themes & tags
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