Black Cavalry in the Spanish-American War, Harper’s Weekly, October 15, 1898.
Fletcher C. Ransom’s double-page centerfold of the U.S. Ninth Cavalry (Colored) “Buffalo Soldiers” clearing San Juan Hill’s formidable defenses right before Colonel Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt’s Rough Riders made their own well-publicized and celebrated charge.
At first, Roosevelt declared never having seen bravery such as that shown by the black troops. But later, wide-angle news photos of the “victors” were released only after cropping out the numerous black participants posing in the wings.
Titled FORGOTTEN HEROES, the sketch graphically depicts the heroism of black troops in the Spanish-American War’s most significant battle on the island of Cuba. The black Tenth Cavalry and 24th Infantry also took part.