Buffalo Soldier Pack Mule, Myrtle
Entitled: Mule name Myrtle who was among the mounts taken with General John Pershing and the 10th Cavalry on the Punitive Expedition to Mexico in 1916-17. Myrtle was retired in 1930 and later made appearances in parades and reviews at Fort Huachuca. Buffalo Soldiers originally were members of the US 10th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army. This nickname was given to the Negro Cavalry by the Native American tribes they fought in the Indian Wars. The term eventually became synonymous with all of the African American regiments formed in 1866: 9th Cavalry Regiment, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 24th Infantry Regiment, and 25th Infantry Regiment. Although several African-American regiments were raised during the Civil War as part of the Union Army (including the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry and the many United States Colored Troops Regiments), the Buffalo Soldiers were established by Congress as the first peacetime all-black regiments in the regular US Army. On September 6, 2005, Mark Matthews, who was the last living Buffalo Soldier, died at the age of 111. He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery. No photographer credited, 1930
