BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- History galloped through downtown Birmingham this morning.
Members of the Buffalo Soldiers held a parade as part of the national organization's 145th Reunion, a week-long convention that started Monday and will culminate in a black-tie banquet tonight.
But the uniform of the day was the one that dates back to the origins of the "buffalo soldier," the name American Indians gave the all-black Army units during the U.S. Indian Wars of 1866-1891.
Wearing late-1800s replica uniforms, members of the Buffalo Soldiers rode horseback or in horse-drawn wagons from the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex to the Civil Rights Institute. Dozens of Birmingham-area residents and conventioneers gathered in Kelly Ingram Park to watch.
Among them was Edwina Cole of Atlanta. Proudly wearing a Buffalo Soldiers T-shirt and baseball cap, Cole cheered and shouted greetings to her husband, 87-year-old Harold Cole, who was riding in an honored position in one of the carriages.
"He's one of the buffalo soldiers," she said. "He joined the Army in 1942 and was in the military for 22 years."
The Cheyenne fighters coined the term "buffalo soldiers" out of respect for the fierce fighting of the black units during the Indian Wars because their black skin and hair reminded them of the head and mane of the buffalo.
"Buffalo soldier" stuck as the name for all segregated, all-black units in all branches of the military, a practice not formally ended until the Korean War in 1950. Since then, the term "buffalo soldier" has been adopted by all blacks who have served in the military, dating back to the American Revolutionary War.
The first six all-black units were created in 1866 through an act of Congress that designated the 9th and 10th cavalry and the 38th, 39th, 40th, and 41st infantry regiments. The four infantry regiments were later reorganized to form the 24th and 25th infantry regiments.
Those who served in one of those units consider themselves "originals" or "troopers."
Henri LaGendre of Charlotte, N.C., is one of them, having served in the 9th Cavalry during World War II.
"The story of the buffalo soldiers is untold American history," LaGendre said. "It's not just black history."
LaGendre is the historian for the Greater North Carolina Chapter of the Buffalo Soldiers.
"I speak to groups all the time," he said. "I tell them the story of the buffalo soldiers so we can keep that history alive."
Dr. Warren Burke, president of the Alabama Chapter of the Buffalo Soldiers, said around 500 members and their families are taking part in the events at the convention.
Following the parade was a picnic at Kelly Ingram Park and a "fashion show" of historic uniforms and other clothing. Tonight's banquet will feature an address from retired Army Lt. Gen. Rusel Honore.