Black History
the Long Journey of the 25th Infantry Bicycle Brigade
By Lisa Loving
of The Skanner News
O
f all the remarkable stories told
about the U.S. Army’s all-Black
cavalries known as the Buffalo
Soldiers, the most remarkable is surely that
of the 25th Infantry Brigade Bicycle Corps.
Formed in the late 19th century to test a
new military theory that bikes could be an
invaluable tool in war, 19 soldiers rode
cross-country from Fort Missoula in
Montana to St. Louis, Mo., at the end of the
19th century.
“They were a specialized unit who were
able to test the bicycle to see if they could
be used in lieu of horses,” says Pferron
Doss, a former Black Studies professor at
the University of Missoula.
“The bike never really took off as a mili-
tary tool, but the energy that took off from
the bike corps caught attention worldwide.”
Improvements in bicycle construction in
the 1890s prompted European and
Australian armies to start putting their
troops on bikes.
By 1896, the U.S. Army jumped on the
bandwagon and tapped the Buffalo Soldiers
to set up its bicycle corps in Missoula. Like
all Black regiments, it was commanded by a
White officer, Lt. James Moss.
The 25th infantry, known as the “Iron
Riders,” first tested its one-speed Spalding
bikes, which were manufactured in
Chicago, by going through Glacier and
Yellowstone National Parks.
c
o
m
tinguished itself as one
of the most valuable
units, capturing the
Spanish flag in the fight
for El Caney in 1898
and winning the praise
of
Col.
Teddy
Roosevelt.
Eight years later, their
glowing reputation was
brutally destroyed.
“Unfortunately, 1906
in Brownsville, Texas,
there was a White citi-
zen that was shot, they
blamed it on the 25th
Infantry, and then
President Roosevelt dis-
honorably discharged
the whole lot of them,”
Doss said.
Roosevelt’s move to
fire the 167 soldiers
effectively barred them
from any future military
or civil service jobs. An effort by Booker T.
Washington to intervene ended in failure.
Years later historian John D. Weaver pub-
lished a book-length investigation of the
Brownsville Affair, as it had come to be
known.
The book prompted a new review by the
U.S. Army which found the soldiers inno-
cent. President Richard M. Nixon pardoned
them in 1972.
Each soldier carried a 10-pound blanket
roll with a tent and supplies stuffed into a
carrier on the handlebars; a 10-pound rifle
with ammunition, and food in hard cases
attached to the frame – all in all the bikes
weighed some 60 pounds.
“Their roads were wagon trails, game
trails and a whole lot of walking along the
railroad tracks,” Doss says. “And the weath-
er was terrible.”
The following year they beefed up the
corps with more soldiers and set off on an
epic 40-day, 1902 mile bike trip.
Eight years later, their
glowing reputation
was brutally destroyed
Heroes Wrongly Accused
Nine months after completing the trip, the
25th Infantry was shipped out to the
Spanish American War.
“But the bicycle itself, the trip, really uni-
fied the 25th Infantry as well as the Pacific
Northwest because they were really appre-
ciated as colored soldiers,” Doss says.
On the battlefield in Cuba, the squad dis-
m
u
n
I
t
recreating the ride
Now a U.S. Forest Service employee in
the Portland office, Doss has a unique
understanding of the soldiers’ story because
he and nine others recreated their ride in
1974.
“The route that we took was as close as
we could get based on the primary roads
became secondary and tertiary roads and
see BIKes on page 6
y
c
a
l
e
n
d
a
r
F ebruary 2011
B ulletIn B oard
episode from the PBS documentary series “Race:
the Power of an Illusion.” Phinney Neighborhood
assoc. Room 1. 6532 Phinney ave. N. Please RSVP
to katie@phinneycenter.org or call 206-783-2244
3 p.m. – 5 p.m.
tuesday March 1
If you have an event you want to share
with the community, email it two weeks
in advance to The Skanner at
info@theskanner.com
FREE BUttERmILk PaNCakES: NatIONaL PaNCakE
Day CELEBRatION tO BENEFIt CHILDREN’S mIRaCLE
NEtwORk HOSPItaL! IHOP restaurants will offer
friday february 25
HUNtING DINOSaURS ON FOUR CONtINENtS! Dr.
Phillip Currie will discuss his travels uncovering
dinosaur fossils from four corners of the globe.
the lecture is free but registration is required. 7
p.m. Uw kane Hall 130. Please call 206-543-5590
to register.
the Links hosted a
Black History month
celebration last week
at Portland City Hall,
featuring
informational displays,
a reception and
welcome by mayor
Sam adams.
sunday february 27
CULtURaL ENGaGEmENt FILm SERIES: In Honor of
Black History month, “the House we Live In,” an
page 2 The Seattle Skanner february 23, 2011
pHoto By jerry foster
saturday february 26
BLaCk HIStORy mONtH COmmUNIty FORUm 2011:
the FBI’s war on the Black Panther Party: the fight
is not over. 7:30 – 10:30 p.m. New Freeway Hall
5018 Rainier ave. S.
FREE ICE SkatING at kEy aRENa! the free ice
skate offers an ideal afternoon excursion. People
of all ages and abilities are welcome to the ice.
For skating schedule call 206-733-9576. key
arena.
the Links
thursday february 24
HIP HOP mOGUL RUSSELL SImmONS REaDS Russell
will talk about his book, “Super Rich: a Guide to
Having It all.” 7 p.m. -8:30 p.m. Central Library,
1000 Fourth ave. Free and open to the public.
each quest a free short stack of buttermilk
pancakes in an effort to raise awareness and
funds for Children’s miracle Network Hospitals. 7
a.m. – 10 p.m. all nationwide locations.