George W. Ford (Buffalo Soldier)

George William Ford was a U.S. military officer in the Spanish American War and a Buffalo Soldier. Born in Alexandria, Virginia, at George Washington's Mount Vernon Plantation, he joined the 10th Cavalry in 1867 at 19.

George William Ford
Born(1847-11-23)November 23, 1847
Alexandria, Virginia
DiedJune 20, 1939(1939-06-20) (aged 91)
Place of Burial
Camp Butler Cemetery
AllegianceUnited States United States
Union
Service/branchUnited States United States Army
Union Army
Rank Major
Battles/warsSpanish–American War

Ford was assigned to Company L, and during his enlistment, he and his fellow troops protected railroad working crews, escorted stages and supply wagons.[1][2][3]

Ford died in 1939 in Springfield, Illinois, at the age of 91, and was honored with a full military funeral and buried at Camp Butler National Cemetery. Ford was the last surviving member of the original 10th United States Cavalry.[4][5][6]

Early life

Ford was born on November 23, 1847. He was the son of William West and Henrietta Bruce Ford, who were both born free. Ford was the grandson of West Ford, who, in Ford’s oral history, is the African American son of George Washington.[7][8]

All the Ford offspring were educated along with the Washington children at the Mount Vernon Schoolhouse. Ford and his brothers became guardians of the first president's tomb, a position that was also handed down to their male offspring.[7]

Before the Civil War, William Ford moved his family to New York to stay with his wife's relatives. At the end of the Civil War, Ford and his family moved back to Virginia, where they owned a farm next to Mount Vernon.[7]

Military career

Military Career in the 10th Cavalry

In 1866, Congress passed legislation establishing two cavalry and four infantry regiments of Black men. Ford joined the call to enlist because it gave him purpose and a chance to obtain equal rights in a country that had just finished fighting a Civil War over slavery.[9] At the age of 19, he enlisted with the legendary 10th Cavalry, Company L. He was stationed at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas for his basic training, and his commanding officer was Colonel Benjamin Grierson, who was one of the foremost cavalry officers of the Civil War.[10][11][12][13]

The 10th Cavalry’s focus during Ford’s enlistment was to try and keep the peace between the settlers and the confederated tribes.[14][2] Ford also served as a mail courier for troops L and D between Ft. Arbuckle, Kansas, and Ft. Gibson, Indiana.[14]

During his second tour of duty, Ford was elevated to Sergeant, and his company was sent to Texas under the command of Colonel Wood.[15]

Ford served ten years with his regiment and was honorable discharged with the rank of Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant. He was commended in General Orders No. 53, Fort Sill, for acts of good judgment and gallantry.[14][15]

Military Career in the Spanish American War

Ford was 50 years old when he voluntarily enlisted for the Spanish-American War with the rank of Major with the Second Battalion of 23rd Kansas Volunteers.[15] Ford and the other Black soldiers going to Cuba were called the "Immune Troops."[16][17]

Later life

In 1879, Ford married Harriet Bythewood. The couple had eight children: George Jr., James Irwin, Noel Bertram, Elise, Vera, Harriet, Cecil Bruce, and Donald.[14] After Ford mustered out of the military, he worked at Arlington Cemetery for a few months before he was appointed as the superintendent at Chattanooga National Cemetery in Tennessee on November 9, 1878. He was the first African American to receive this honor.[16] He managed five national cemeteries during his lifetime. Ford finally retired on October 20, 1930, after spending 53 years of service to the establishment.

Continuing with his love of public service, Ford met W.E.B. Du Bois. He accepted an advisory position as Secretary of the Army-Navy Committee in the Niagara Movement, a precursor to the NAACP. In addition, Ford also served as the first African American president of the NAACP Branch in Springfield, Illinois, where he fought for equal rights for all.[15][18][19]

Ford died in 1939 at 91 of bronchial pneumonia at his home in Springfield, Illinois. He was honored with a full military funeral and is buried at Camp Butler National Cemetery.[18][19]

References
  1. Wiencek, Henry (2013) An Imperfect God: George Washington, His Slaves, and the Creation of America
  2. Elizabeth D. Leonard, Men of Color to Arms!: Black Soldiers, Indian Wars, and the Quest for Equality, 2012
  3. Frank Schubert, On the Trail of the Buffalo Soldier II: New and Revised Biographies of African Americans in the U.S. Army, 1866-1917, 2004
  4. Burton, Judith Saunders (1986). A history of Gum Springs, Virginia : a report of a case study of leadership in a black enclave. Nashville, Tennessee: Vanderbilt University. OCLC 14634560.
  5. Winners of the West, Feb. 1938, Vol XVI
  6. Crisis Magazine, 1939
  7. Henry S. Robinson, Achievements Against the Odds: The Bruce Family and Other Related Families 1799-1990, 1991
  8. George Ford Obituary - Crisis Magazine, Distinguished Soldier passes, 1939
  9. Michael K. Bohn, Gum Springs: A Slaves Legacy, Part I & II.
  10. John Terry Chase, Gum Springs: The Triumph of a Black Community, 1990
  11. Arnett Fields, The West 1865-1897, USACERL CRRC TR-98/87
  12. William H. Leckie, The Buffalo Soldiers, 1967
  13. Le’Trice Donelson, Duty Beyond the Battlefield: African American Soldiers Fight for Racial Uplift, Citizenship, and Manhood 1870-1920
  14. Judith Saunders Burton, “The History of Gum Springs, Virginia: A Report of a Case Study of Leadership in a Black Enclave., Ph.D. Dissertation, May 1986.
  15. William H. Leckie,The Buffalo Soldiers,1967
  16. General Orders No 53, Series 1974, Fort Sill, Discharge Papers George W. Ford
  17. LTC Roger D. Cunningham, USA Ret.https://armyhistory.org/the-black-immune-regiments-in-the-spanish-american-war
  18. Sangamon County Historical Society, African Americans, Military, Prominent Figures, 2018
  19. George Ford Obituary, “Major George Ford, Head of Camp Butler Cemetery for 25 years, Dies at 91 – Illinois Register
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