This chapter sheds light on the wrongful discharge of members from the 25th Infantry Regiment by President Theodore Roosevelt, who believed in a conspiracy of silence. Two innocent members, Sergeant Mingo Sanders and Private John H. Cook, were dishonorably discharged, but a later investigation cleared their names, leading to posthumous honorable discharges and compensation for survivors.
The 25th Infantry Regiment Bicycle Corps, also known as the Iron Riders, was part of the segregated U.S. Army units that came to be known as the Buffalo Soldiers.
Research:
- Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Brownsville Affair". Encyclopedia Britannica, 20 Aug. 2020, https://www.britannica.com/event/Brownsville-Affair.
- Missouri State Parks. “Iron Riders: the Story of the 25th Infantry Regiment Bicycle Corps.” https://mostateparks.com/ironriders
- Kindy, David. “The Black Buffalo Soldiers Who Biked Across the American West.” Smithsonian. 6/14/2022. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-black-buffalo-soldiers-who-biked-across-the-american-west-180980246/
- Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. “Many Lenses: Buffalo Soldiers Legend and Legacy.” https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/buffalo-soldiers
- Missoula Community Access Television. “Buffalo Soldiers: The 25th Infantry Regiment Bicycle Corps.” 2/15/2023. https://archive.org/details/Buffalo_Soldiers_-_The_25th_Infantry_Regiment_Bicycle_Corps
- Tate, Stephen T. “Human Powered Vehicles in Support of Light Infantry Operations.” Master of Military Art and Science Thesis. 1975. https://archive.org/details/DTIC_ADA211795/mode/1up
- Bradsher, Greg. “Iron Riders – The 25th Infantry Regiment Bicycle Corps, Part I.” National Archives: Rediscovering Black History. 2/7/2022. https://rediscovering-black-history.blogs.archives.gov/2022/02/07/iron-riders-25th-infantry-regiment-part-i/
- Bradsher, Greg. “Iron Riders – The 25th Infantry Regiment Bicycle Corps, Part 2.” National Archives: Rediscovering Black History. 2/17/2022. https://rediscovering-black-history.blogs.archives.gov/2022/02/17/iron-riders-25th-infantry-regiment-part-ii/
- Bradsher, Greg. “Iron Riders – The 25th Infantry Regiment Bicycle Corps, Part 3.” National Archives: Rediscovering Black History. 2/22/2022. https://rediscovering-black-history.blogs.archives.gov/2022/02/22/iron-riders-25th-infantry-part-iii/
- Bradsher, Greg. “Iron Riders – The 25th Infantry Regiment Bicycle Corps, Part 4.” National Archives: Rediscovering Black History. 3/1/2022. https://rediscovering-black-history.blogs.archives.gov/2022/03/01/iron-riders-25th-infantry-part-iv/
- Fort Missoula Museum. “25th Infantry Bicycle Corps.” https://fortmissoulamuseum.org/exhibit/25th-infantry-bicycle-corps/
- Montana History Portal. “Bicycles for the Army: The 25th Infantry in Montana.” https://www.mtmemory.org/nodes/view/90296
- Langellier, John P. “Buffalo Soldiers in Big Sky Country, 1888–1898.” Montana The Magazine of Western History, Autumn 2017, Vol. 67, No. 3 (Autumn 2017). https://www.jstor.org/stable/26322890
- Koelle, Alexandra V. “Pedaling on the Periphery: The African American Twenty-fifth Infantry Bicycle Corps and the Roads of American Expansion.” Western Historical Quarterly , Vol. 41, No. 3 (Autumn 2010). https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/westhistquar.41.3.0305
- Hosler, Roderick A. “Hell on Two Wheels: The 25th Infantry Bicycle Corps.” On Point , Fall 2010, Vol. 16, No. 2 (Fall 2010). Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26361477
- Weigle, John. “Native American decries ‘Buffalo Soldier’ Stamp.” Ventura County Star. 6/11/1994.
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