DOCUMENTARY REVIEW:THE BICYCLE CORPS:AMERICA'S BLACK ARMY ON WHEELS

The Bicycle Corps:America's Black Army On Wheels is a documentary film that was produced by PBS in 2000. I was looking through the digital library offerings and decided this was a film that I wanted to view.

I just completed watching the film. The efforts of the Black soldiers involved in this detail made me feel a sense of pride and respect for their efforts.

According to background information provided on Stuhr Of The Prairie Pioneer:

The Bicycle Corps:America's Black Army On Wheels

In 1897, the U.S. Army theorized that the newly developed "safety" bicycle could replace the horse as a means of troop transport. As a result, the 25th Infantry established a Bicycle Corps to test the overall practicality of military cycling.
Twenty African-American soldiers put their bicycles, their bodies, and the Army's theory to the test with a 2000-mile ride from Montana to St. Louis, Missouri. The Bicycle Corps: America's Black Army on Wheels chronicles their journey through the eyes of two of the soldiers: the white Lieutenant in command and the Black sergeant who guided and motivated the men. (source)

The members of the 25th Infantry are also known as Buffalo Soldiers. The twenty soldiers who made the ride were put to the ultimate test of endurance.

I did some additional research on this detail and here are some facts about the twenty soldiers who rode those bicycles.

The men of 25th Infantry Bicycle Corps were unusual not only because of their mode of transportation, but also because they all were black. Between 180,000 and 200,000 black men served in the Union armed forces during the Civil War, making up about 12 percent of the men under arms (most of whom were volunteers, rather than regular Army soldiers) at the end of the war. After the war, however, the Army resized rapidly, resulting in the inclusion of more black regiments. On July 28, 1866, Congress authorized the first black units in the regular Army. Black soldiers, often called buffalo soldiers by the American Indians they fought, made up 10 percent of military troops between 1870 and 1898. The cavalry had some black officers, but there weren’t any in the infantry until 1901. (source)

These soldiers made a journey over rugged terrain. They moved from state to state across unpaved roads, through difficult weather conditions. Many times during the trip they had to walk with their bikes instead of riding on them. They reached their final destination with nineteen of the original twenty soldiers. One was sent back to Fort Missoula after he declared that he was too ill to make the rest of the ride.

The members of the 25th Infantry went on after the ride to fight a war in Cuba. Many of the members were cited for their acts of bravery during combat.

The 25th Infantry did not fare well once they returned to the United States. While they were stationed in Brownsville, Texas a shooting incident took place. The troops were accused of being the shooters. After a major riff between President Teddy Roosevelt and their representatives in Congress, all of the soldiers were dishonorably discharged. The last two survivors were exonerated in the 1970's. They received $25,000 each.

This is a really good historical film. I obtained my copy from my library's digital resources. I am always up for a freebie. If you have the opportunity to see this film-check it out. You'll learn a lot about the men of the 25th Infantry.