Buffalo Soldiers originally were members of the 10th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army, formed on September 21, 1866, at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. This nickname was given to the Colored Cavalry by Native American tribes who fought in the Indian Wars.

The term eventually became synonymous with all of the African-American regiments formed in 1866: The 9th Cavalry Regiment, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 24th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Regiment, and the Second 38th Infantry Regiment.