Schooltime Theater: Buffalo Soldier February 9, 2010

At the beginning of the Civil War, the North expected the conflict to end quickly and was not prepared for the high death toll that the long war brought about. The government soon turned to the African-Americans and asked them to join the fight. More than 150,000 men enlisted in all-black regiments in the Union Army. While a few of these men achieved officers' rank during the Civil War, they were never allowed to command troops as the nation's leaders believed they lacked the needed skills and experience. By war's end, these skillful soldiers had taken part in over 400 battles and had helped the North preserve the Union.