army only began to adopt a policy of allowing and even encouraging the recruitment of Blacks. Then, it became clear that the war would be a long and drawn out conflict in which it was necessary to mobilize all the resources possible and to weaken the enemy as much as possible. Even then Black troops weren't really used. In July of 1862, Congress authorized the use of black soldiers in the Civil War, but there was no follow-up of that order until January 1, 1863 when Abraham Lincoln put the Emancipation Proclamation into effect. It was never known for sure why the black soldiers were thought as Buffalo Soldiers, but some say that the Indians saw a resemblance between the black mans hair and the mane of a buffalo. Others thought that when a buffalo was wounded or cornered, it fought ferociously displaying unusual stamina and courage. The Indians felt their fighting spirit in was equivalent to the buffalo, which to them is an animal held in high regard....
