Buffalo Soldiers »

Tom Willard, born into a military family, quit high school to join the army and served as a paratrooper and combat medic in Vietnam. He was wounded in action and decorated with the Bronze Star with "V" device for valor, and the Purple Heart, among other medals. He is a University of North Dakota graduate who has lived in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

"A cracking good story that rivets the attention, swells one's pride, and opens a historical window into the daily lives of these black heroes and heroines."-Larry R. Jordan, Major General, U.S. Army

"I have enjoyed Tom Willard's Buffalo Soldiers. He is a gifted writer and has an important story."-General William C. Westmoreland, U.S. Army (Retired)

"I became so engrossed that I couldn't put it down. This story of the beginning of an African-American military family, beginning with Sergeant Major Augustus Sharps and his wife, Selona, is the best I have ever read. The book tells how hard life was for the members of the 10th Cavalry and their families. No one could have written it better than Tom Willard."-CSM Leo B. Smith, U.S. Army (Retired), Executive Director & Curator, National Medal of Honor Museum

From the Civil War to Desert Storm, there stretches an unbroken line of dedicated, distinguished service by African-Americans in the United States military. Buffalo Soldiers is a tribute to the bravery, honor, and sacrifice of these black American fighting men.

Sergeant Major Augustus Sharps of the 10th Cavalry and other former slaves had proven that they could fight valiantly for their freedom, but in the West they were to fight for the freedom and security of white settlers who often despised them. The Cheyenne thought the hair of this new kind of soldier resembled buffalo hides, and the men on the 9th and 10th Cavalry became known as "buffalo soldiers."

"I [am] a direct descendant of those Buffalo Soldiers and the Tuskegee Airmen and all the black men and women who have served the nation in uniform. I will never forget my debt to them."-General Colin L. Powell, former Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Howard University Commencement, 1994

Publishers Weekly

To kick off his Black Sabre Chronicles, a series about African American military men, Willard tells the tale of Augustus Sharps, who in 1866 is saved from certain death in a buffalo stampede and from further slavery (even though it's after emancipation) by two black cavalrymen. The Buffalo Soldiers were black freemen and former slaves who joined the U.S. Army's 9th and 10th Cavalry in 1866, fighting hostile Indians, Mexican bandits, bitter racism and extreme weather along the western frontier. Among the Buffalo Soldiers (so named by Plains Indians as a sign of respect), Augustus finds comradeship and purpose. For 30 years, he serves his regiment with distinction, winning the admiration and respect of his fellow soldiers and their white officers. Augustus and his devoted wife, Selona, share a life of hardship and sacrifice, raising two sons amid the perils of the frontier. From the freezing plains of Kansas to the harsh Texas deserts and the arid mountains of New Mexico and Arizona, the Buffalo Soldiers battle Indians as well as the taunts and prejudice of the white settlers they protect. Success on the battlefield, however, does not protect Augustus from the racist hatred of a murderous Texas Ranger or the ruthless threats of the Ku Klux Klan. Willard delivers a compelling and action-packed story filled with historical personages and a proud sense of national redemption. (June)