George Ford is my great grandfather, born on the Mount Vernon Plantation in Virginia. Ford joined the original 10th Cavalry at the age of 20 in 1867. He was with Company L and there are many books and newspaper articles that detail his heroism and duties with his unit including: Winners of the West 1938, Illinois State Register 1937, On the Trail of the Buffalo Soldiers (Schubert), and Men of Color to Arms (Leonard). My ancestor has been honored and information placed about him in the Springfield and Central Illinois African American History Museum and the Gum Springs Museum in Gum Springs, Virginia. During his ten years with the 10th, he and his fellow troops protected railroad working crews, escorted stages, and supply trains. He was honorably discharged with the rank of Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant. George Ford was commended in General Orders No. 53, Fort Sill for "acts of good judgement and gallantry in action." His commanding officer wrote on his discharge papers, "character excellent, good and faithful soldier."

Ford would go on to become a Major during the Spanish American War where he became personal friends with Teddy Roosevelt. The two men have correspondence to each other that has been placed in the Manuscript Division from the Library of Congress, Reel 6, 324, 325 in the National Archives. Major Ford also served on the Army/Navy Committee of the Niagara Movement where he had a lifelong friendship with W.E.B. Du Bois. Ford became the first black person appointed to oversee a national cemetery and spent 52 years in service managing five national cemeteries. He was remembered and honored as the last original 10th Cavalry Buffalo Soldier upon his death in 1939 in the official Bulletin of National Indian Wars - Winners of the West, in an article titled: "Was Lone Survivor of Tenth Cavalry-Portrait Placed in Kansas Archives."

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Linda Hollis