Buffalo Soldier tragedy of 1877 Buffalo Soldier tragedy of 1877 also known as the " Staked Plains Horror " occurred when a combined force of Buffalo Soldier troops of the 10th Cavalry and local buffalo hunter s wandered for days in the dry Llano Estacado region of north - west Texas and eastern New Mexico during July of a drought year . The groups had united forces for a retaliatory attack on regional Native American groups who had been staging raids on white forces in the area , during what came to be called the Buffalo Hunters ' War . Over the course of five days in the near - waterless Llano Estacado , four soldiers and one buffalo hunter died . Due to the telegraph , news of the ongoing event and speculation reached Eastern newspapers where it was erroneously reported that the expedition had been massacred . Later , after the remainder of the group returned from the llano , the same papers declared them " back from the dead . " Buffalo Hunters ' War . A large band of Comanche warriors and their families , about 170 , left their reservation in Indian Territory in December 1876 , for the Llano Estacado of Texas . In February 1877 they attacked a group of buffalo hunters and stole their stock while wounding several hunters , one fatally . On March 18 , the buffalo hunters struck back and then retreated while the Comanche did the same . The Comanche would continue sporadic raiding over the next several months . This basic event would be called the Buffalo Hunters ' War or Staked Plains War and was the setting for the July 1877 " Staked Plains Horror " . Background . In May 1877 , a group of buffalo hunters led by James Harvey , a Civil War veteran and long - time bufallo hunter , was looking for a buffalo herd . Then after a series of Comanche raids led by Red Young Man , where much stock was taken and a few hunters killed , the game changed . The hunters started after a more deadly game on the Llano Estacado region of north - west Texas and eastern New Mexico looking for revenge against the Comanche . The men were a mix of former Union and Confederate soldiers , former trappers and mixed breeds and knew how to fight . Captain Nicolas Merritt Nolan , an Irish native with a quick wit was one of the 10th Cavalry ' s favorite officers . He was described as a " very fine and soldier - like " with a large black " overhanging moustache . " Nolan had joined the American Army in 1852 as a young 17 year old rising through the enlisted ranks when he found a niche riding horses . During the Civil War he fought well , received honors and became an officer . After the war he would volunteer for duty with " Buffalo Soldiers " of the 10th Cavalry and command " A " company ( later Troop ) for almost a decade and a half . Nolan had left Fort Concho on July 10 , 1877 with a force of 63 officers and men for a scout on the Staked Plains . They were looking for Mescalero Apache and Comanche who were out raiding . Nolan ' s route took him past the Llano ' s eastern rugged cap rock northwest toward Bull Creek . Nolan was following a route he had followed northwest in 1875 . During that scout he had followed an Indian trail into the Llano Estacado region until the trail grew cold and he turned back . He had been threatened with court - martial because he was not aggressive enough on that scout . Cooler heads prevailed , but Nolan had been deeply shamed but the event . His future patrolling was considered aggressive and the 1877 scout into the area was going to be no exception . Another event that may have been a factor in the upcoming events was the death of Nolan ' s first wife on February 13 , 1877 on the eve of Saint Valentine ' s Day . This event staggered him and he was described as " bewildered and forlorn . " His daughter Kate attended the Ursuline Academy in San Antonio ( now in Dallas ) and his seven year old son Ned was being cared for by a servant . Nolan " bore his cross . . . awkwardly " and tried to cope under the loss . The last event that may have been a factor was that Nolan took command on July 6 of Fort Concho . Grierson had to go east to attend urgent family duties . Almost immediately came orders for the command to go after the Indian raiders . Nolan had already sent C Troop out , so he then went out with A Troop , leaving only one officer and sixteen men at Fort Concho . Now en route north - eastward along the cap rock , Nolan encountered a former scout who reported over 100 Comanche on the Llano Estacado near the head of the North Concho River with a large herd of horses and other stock . That was to be to be Nolan ' s goal . About noon on July 17 , Nolan met the buffalo hunters led by James Harvey . One of the key players was the main buffalo hunters guide Jose Piedad Tafoya , a half breed Comanchero . He knew the Plano like the back of his hand , but was weak in English . With other hunters helping , Tafoya talked to Nolan under the shade of a huge old pecan tree on Bull Creek which was east of Muchaque Peak in Borden County , Texas . Nolan showed his orders to the hunters and despite an initial level of mistrust ; they were willing to combine against a common enemy . The bison hunters had had an armed conflict with the Comanche earlier and were looking to recover stock and self - pride . The hunters would guide and supply heavy hitting power while Nolan ' s soldier would do the fighting and provide medicine and supplies . The hunters wanted their livestock and revenge . Nolan wanted to re - prove himself and prove worthy of command which would restore his good reputation . The goal was to find water every 24 hours . Nolan set up a supply base at Bull Creek in compliance of his orders . It was across the creek from the buffalo hunter supply base . The events to follow over the next two weeks would result in a series of mistakes in command and control combined with civilian distrust . Combine this with new recruits , the sapping heat , wool uniforms and alcohol provided by the buffalo hunters to the soldiers , it would provide a deadly combination and a test of Nolan and his men . Not all would be seen as heroes . Nolan had prepared for a 20 day scout from his Bull Creek supply base . He would use the mules from the wagons as pack animals . He sent the empty wagons back to Fort Concho for more supplies to await his return at the supply base . On July 18 , in the evening some of the buffalo hunter ' s supplies consisting of alcohol were shared with some of the soldiers for a small price . Some of the sergeants not staying in the supply camp apparently partook . Later next day 40 of the 60 men of A Company set out for Cedar Lake , the sergeants failed to check that every soldier had filled their canteens . In the heat of the day , those that had been drinking the evening before were terribly parched and did not ration their water . Their example led many recruits to drain their canteens . The buffalo hunters carried more water that the soldiers knowing that the heat and weather would impact finding water . They also were conditioned to the heat and maintained a high level of water discipline . Nolan and Harvey combined commands made a dry camp on the evening of July 19 . This was where Nolan discovered the lack of water rationing of his men . The hunters were amused , maybe they thought it was a good lesson for the soldiers . The next day led them up Sulpher Draw ( Tobacco Creek , Nolan called it ) and made the difficult climb up the cap rock up onto the " Yarner " of the Llano Estacado . They headed for a large playa the hunters reported was nearby which they reached on July 21 . A playa , or shallow depression is a basin that fills only when it rains . Cooper estimated this one at about in size with a maximum depth of . There all relished in the water and played . Cooper described the rare event of men of different cultures and races , horses , mules , birds and other animals enjoying the water as one of the greatest " aggregations of the animal kingdom ever witnessed " " outside a circus tent " in one small place . Divergent goals or set up for betrayal . July 18 , at about 4 o ' clock in the afternoon in the 100 plus degree heat , Quanah Parker , a Kwahada leader , rode into camp from the north with two older Comanche couples . They were equipped with Army horses , rifles , supplies and a large official envelope that contained a pass to leave the Reservation for 40 days . It was dated July 12 and signed by the Indian Agent J . M . Haworth at Fort Sill and more importantly by Colonel Ranald S . Mackenzie of the 4th Cavalry . This pass authorized them to seek out , find and bring back the large band of Comanche under Red Young Man . The pass also warned anyone against molesting them on their mission . Nolan accepted the pass as real but his writings show his frustration that Parker was competing for his own mission . Cooper wrote that Nolan swore and let loose a long series of invective frustration at everyone who seemed to be against ' his ' mission . It took him a while to calm down . He then asked Parker questions where the Comanche raiders were and where they were headed . Parker glanced toward one direction and pointed off in a different direction while Tafoya translated . Parker never used English with Nolan even though he spoke it well . In a three - way conversation , Tafoya talked and translated between Parker and Nolan . The goals of all parties were different . Tafoya ' s and Parker ' s goal were the most important to them . And despite a history of hostility between them , Tafoya apparently agreed to mislead the soldiers for the return of his stock plus interest . He deliberately translated parts of the conversation wrong to Nolan . Somehow through the three - way conversation and translations , Nolan quickly realized that some type of deal was made between Parker and the half - breed Tafoya . At that point Nolan began to lose critical trust in his primary trail guide . And later his trust in the hunters faltered . And maybe , the men who witnessed Nolan ' s tirade faltered in their own trust of their commander . After Parker left southward , he was true to his mission and got the Comanche raiders to return to the reservation . Tafoya was true to his word and would take the soldiers off the main trail following a false one placed by the Comanche raiders . Tafoya would eventually recover his lost stock and many others . Tafoya would later be called " the honest , loyal and gallant company guide " until the truth came out . After a night march , Nolan , his troopers and the buffalo hunters reached Cedar Lake about 8 : 00 AM on July 22 . The large by long lake in 1875 was now a dry lake . The men dug with cups and slowly obtained water in deep holes dug during the day . The next day Tafoya , Harvey and Johnny Cook set out on a scout south and west of Cedar Lake . While they were gone , Parker arrived to visit and stayed about six hours . When Tafoya , Harvey and Cook returned they reported fresh Indian sin heading toward Double Lakes . About noon on July 25 , they arrived at Double Lake and found it was dry . They dug for the scarce water . Nolan was becoming frustrated because he realized that something was wrong . Many of the buffalo hunters were getting impatient because they believed the Comanche raiders were in the sand hills . They sent out a scout in that direction without the soldiers . Several other hunters called it quits . They were concerned about the " droughty " conditions and perceived that was what was wrong . They pointed out to the soldiers that most of the Bison and Pronghorn had left the area . This was a sign of a serious drought and " if the rest had good sense they wouldn ' t ( go further ) either . " First Sergeant William L . Umbles was demoted on that day . The exact reasons are uncertain . Some said Nolan was displeased with him . It might have been that Umbles tried to convince Nolan to turn back . It may have been the last straw in Nolan ' s trust in the First Sergeant after the alcohol incident . The two men would be silent on the exact reason later . But many agreed Umbles was angry and his behavior would show during " The Thirsting Time " to come . The buffalo hunters came back to camp excited at finding a large trail of sign and Tafoya estimated 40 Comanche in the band near Rich Lake . Boots and saddles were called and the men made haste to get under way . Nolan had not immediately appointed another acting First Sergeant and in his excitement to be underway failed to make sure that all canteens were full . Normally , this is the First Sergeants duty , but it always is the responsibility of the commander to make sure things like this get done . " The Thirsting Time " had begun . " The Thirsting Time " Day One . July 26 , between 2 : 00 & 3 : 00 PM , Captain Nolan led his Buffalo soldiers with Jim Harvey ' s bison hunters westward away from Double Lakes . The goal was the trail of 40 Comanche Indians near Rich Lake seventeen hot dry miles away . When Nolan ' s command reached Rich Lake there was no water . The Indian sign reported by Tafoya was not confirmed by the other scouts . At best the trail was made by eight horses . Tafoya ' s goal had started well . Most of the soldiers were out of water and despite digging in the dry soil , nothing was found . The hunters shared their water sparingly . Tafoya declared that water was available fifteen or twenty miles ( 32 km ) to the northwest in the direction the Indian trail went . Nolan stated they would follow the trail in the morning . " The Thirsting Time " Day Two . July 27 , just after sunrise the men continued to follow the trail with Sulphur draw to the left and dry short grass stubs here and there . As the miles went on , the reddish soil became " more sandy " and much more effort was needed to move forward . By 9 : 00 AM the Indians they were following started west , deeper into the void and away from any source of water . Between 2 : 00 and 3 : 00 PM after some twenty - five miles of hard travel , the Indians scattered in eight directions with criss - crossing trails . The bison hunters ' horses were exhausted and the older army horses were worse off . Men were becoming stuporous in the heat . One of the hunters , Johnny Cook wrote , that the Indians " were giving us a dry trail ; they would finish us off with thirst . " Nolan , aware of the need for water , had scouts checking for possible sources of water for his animals and men . Tafoya and some other scouts found where the Indian trails merged once again . Nolan set off after them . The men suffered in the unrelenting heat . A soldier fainted off his horse from sun - stroke and had to be dealt with . Nolan sent a Trooper forward to have the scouts wait for them . Tafoya stated that the Comanche they were following were headed for Lost Lake ( now near Dora , New Mexico ) to the north - west . And he loudly declared that the hunters and soldiers would catch them there and have the water too . The hunters were game as was Nolan but a curious change in description of the events were later declared . Johnny Cook ' s version stated that Nolan was crying and dramatic with the hunters . And the hunters felt sympathy for him and agreed to press on . Nolan ' s version was different and he wrote that he believed water was to be had some six or seven miles ( 11 km ) ahead as reported by Tafoya . And Nolan gave Tafoya the best horse to seek out the water . Nolan ' s claimed crying and weeping does not match his character . He had a goal to follow the Indians and to seek water and that is what he did . Nolan watched as Tafoya left north - westward then turn suddenly to the west for several miles then toward the north - east . Nolan followed at the pace of the slowest in his command . Lt . Charles Cooper wrote that he thought the expedition was now lost . He believed that Tafoya was lost not knowing Tafoya ' s mission . So under the " broiling sun " and through the " barren sandy plain " the men marched , suffered and some fell . Nolan then would assign the strongest man to help the weakest . The plan while noble , was not practical and the 64 men were soon stretched over two miles ( 3 km ) of the trail . Near dark and some nine miles ( 14 km ) of hell , Nolan stopped the march . Nolan now decided on plan B , one that was made earlier by Jim Harvey . Eight men soldiers were to move forward following Tafoya ' s trail to Silver Lake and return with water . Unknown to Nolan he would not see these men until August 9 and he would never see Tafoya or his horse again . After dark Nolan pressed the men another nine miles ( 14 km ) before stopping for the night near a mound unfortunately called " Nigger Hill . " Today it is located in Roosevelt County , New Mexico about a mile west of the Texas border . Nolan could hear men down the trail and thinking they were lost fired shots into the air for them to find camp . Some straggled into camp . Sergeant Umbles , the former First Sergeant , was still out in the dark with two sick men . Captain Nolan then had the bugler , also named Nolan to take a horse and to find and return the men to camp . Those four men never returned . Nolan would charge them with desertion upon his return . Umbles and the others would later declare that Captain Nolan had men looking for water and that they were what they were doing . They claimed they found a mule with mud on its legs . Later they joined with a bison hunter who had chased his runaway horses . They headed for Silver Lake and water . The main body of men after some fifty five miles of tortured trail could not eat because of the dryness of their mouths . The bison hunters settled separate from the soldiers . In the dark they bemoaned their fate with the soldiers . The night without clouds allowed the heat to dissipate and a breeze helped cool the men . Some of the mules smelling the breeze took off . The hunters shouted at the soldiers to get their mules , but no one stirred in their exhaustion and the hunters settled down . " The Thirsting Time " Day Three . Just after midnight on July 28 , shots being fired woke the men . They did a head count and found one of the hunters missing . Unknown to them he had joined the four soldiers headed for water . After the alert the men had a hard time settling down . At daybreak , Nolan came to the conclusion that Tafoya was lost as was the bison hunters . He may have discussed this with Cooper , but that is not documented . Because of the exhausted men , Nolan himself repacked the remaining mules , deciding what was needed and what could be left . They made some fifteen miles ( 24 km ) before Nolan called a halt . Nolan figured they had missed Silver Lake and they had no choice but the set a compass course back to Double Lakes . There was no sign of the men sent out for water . Nolan figured his position some north - west of Double Lakes . He knew for a fact that water was there . Now the Comanche were forgotten and the primary struggle was for survival . The hunters disagreed and the expedition began to break up . Nolan argued the best course was to stay together . The hunters strode off then went their different ways focusing on their own goals for survival . Amazingly the hunters still had two quart bottles of " high - proof brandy . " They divided it and went their ways . The smartest ones dipped a cloth to moisten the lips and to inhale its vapors and so refreshed they moved onward into the wilderness . Not all the soldiers were agreed to stay together . They began grumbling and thinking that it was going to be every man for himself as the bison hunters described it . Two men fell behind and were lost to Nolan . Through the pounding heat and endless march , men began to fall . Nolan continued to assign the strongest with the weakest . The desire for water stood above all else as Nolan headed south - east toward where he knew water was . Troopers now collected their own urine and that of their horses to drink . Nolan issued sugar for the combination . The men drank or tried to drink the vile fluid and remaining horses and mules partook also . While urine is generally sterile , it has a high content of salt and other electrolytes . Thus drinking it over time causes increased dehydration and thirst . Just before sunset Nolan called a halt . He wrote that his men were " completely exhausted . " Cooper later wrote that " their tongues and throats were swollen , and they were unable to even swallow their saliva - - in fact they had no saliva to swallow . " Even sugar poured into the mouth failed to dissolve . Unknown to Nolan the men he sent off to find water , found some . Several of the soldiers filled the canteens and searched for the command . They found the bison hunters first and gave them water . Then without finding Nolan they returned to the water hole . Unknown to them , Nolan was heading back to Double Lakes . That night clouds covered the sky and many looked for sign of rain . Some found it , but most did not . Umbles left a note at Silver Lake instructing any soldiers to head east . And those soldiers ( sent out for water ) returning from the search for the command later did so . Sergeant Umbles was with Jim Harvey at Casas Amarillas that evening . Harvey asked Umbles to let the hunters use the horses and Umbles refused . The hunters and interpreted that decision as a refusal " to go back to the relief of his officers and comrades . " Eventually , twelve soldiers would gather there and head for safety with two more being found on the way . " The Thirsting Time " Day Four . At 2 : 00 AM on July 29 to take advantage of the cool of night , Nolan resumed his heartless track south - east by compass . Nolan had wanted to start earlier but a horse went down and unable to move . The men cut its throat and drank its blood . Nolan again repacked what he thought was most important and abandoned the rest . The rode then walked the horses and repeated the process over and over . As the day progressed , the walks got longer because of the condition of the animals . The clouds helped , but no rain fell on Nolan ' s command on the " Staked Plains . " They lost another horse and watched rain appear to fall from whence they had come . After some they rested from their back - breaking labor through the heat . In their dehydrated exhaustion , when several animals walked away and no one noticed . They men were becoming a bit crazed due to the lack of water and the heat . The men were thirsty but could not drink , they were starving but could not eat what they had and now vertigo with dimness of vision began to set in . The men appeared deaf and stuporous as their bodies began to shut down . Men began to fight over the thick blood cut from the remaining horses . Nolan and Cooper struggled to keep their remaining men alive and were as harsh as they needed to be . Another soldier walked away from the command and he would finally find water about 3 : 00PM the next day or some ninety - six hours without water . Later that day Nolan and Cooper came to the conclusion that their only hope was to send the strongest men with the remaining horses ahead to Double Lakes . They would remain with the men for better or worse . Nolan ordered now First Sergeant Jim Thompson to ride ahead with six men and obtain water . Thompson would do this and in the process five of the seven horses would die when he got lost . In the evening the remaining supplies were abandoned and Cooper gave the men a pep talk . Whether understood him or not , they had to find water or die . " The Thirsting Time " Day Five . July 30 , just after 3 : 00 AM the men stumbled over an old wagon trail . After stumbling a way along the easier trail , Cooper stopped . Cooper then turned to Nolan and declared that this was the William R . Shater ' s 1875 wagon trail . It was a route that was between Double Lakes and Puna del Agua . The men rejoiced with harsh shouts and they fired their weapons like it was the Fourth of July . Between 5 : 00 and 6 : 00 AM the half dead soldiers staggered into Double Lakes to the water holes they had dug a week before . The men sent out for water came in last , they had gone over the trail without notice , and turned around when they heard the firing of the other men on the trail . The " Thirsting Time " was over for them . These fourteen men had gone for over eighty - six hours without any water in the desert heat . It was amazing they had survived . Nolan was not finished . He was missing men . After a rest , he sent out men with water to look for stragglers . They found some wandering horses that had been with the bison hunters . They made a diligent hunt for survivors and recovered what supplies they could . Nolan was still missing men and he feared many were dead . The men began to recover from their ordeal . On July 31 at about 11 : 00AM Captain Phillip Lee , from Fort Griffen , with Troop G arrived at Double Lakes . He had heard on the 29th that Nolan had been at Double Lakes and he proceeded there . For many of the men it was a reunion and Nolan ' s men told of their ordeal . With Lee ' s assistance patrols were sent out looking for the missing men . Other than recovering one man and several horses nothing else was found . Most of the buffalo hunters would proceed to the site of present day Lubbock , Texas . This is where they found much of their stolen stock . They learned that the Comanche Indians were returning to the reservation with Parker . Tafayo had already claimed his stock and a few others . The hunters later declared this was the last Comanche raid in Texas . The first of them would send out word about Nolan ' s lost command with the speculation that the Comanche had wiped out Nolan ' s command . The story was sent east by telegraph where it made headline news . Quanah Parker had been true to his word and had convinced the tired Comanche to go back to the reservation . In the early part of August they returned to Fort Sill after dropping off their stolen stock . Later news would come out that Parker and Tafayo had misled the Buffalo soldiers and bison hunters away from the Comanche raiders . Nolan would later be shocked to learn that Parker spoke English fairly well . Sergeant William L . Umbles first headed toward Double Lakes but changed his course and reached the supply camp at Bull Creek on August 1 with fourteen men . Many of the men with him wanted to go to Double Lakes and search for their officers and companions . Umbles ordered them not to . Despite strong objections , the men followed his commands reluctantly . The Bull Creek supply camp was headed by First Sergeant Thomas H . Allsup . Umbles argued that he was now in command , despite knowing he had been demoted by Nolan . He suggested that Nolan and the other men were dead . Allsup refused to believe it and wanted to head to Double Lakes with supplies . The men argued and the two sergeants went their separate ways . Allsup loaded a wagon with supplies and barrels of water . With fifteen men he proceeded and climbed the cap rock and went straight to Doubles Lakes and on August 4 he had a happy reunion with Nolan and his men . Allsup reported that Umbles had arrived at Bull Creek , and related what he had said . Several other soldiers who had been with Umbles told what had happened over the last few days . Nolan and Cooper began to realize that their problems were not over . Men had deserted and would have to be dealt with . Nolan wrote a message and sent it toward Fort Concho with two riders . The message was a general condition of his command and a warning to distrust anything Umbles and the men with him had to say . Back from the dead . In the evening of August 3 , Sergeant Umbles and a few others made it back to Fort Concho . They reported to the sole officer , Lieutenant Robert G . Smithers that Nolan ' s command was lost and dead or dying on the Staked Plains . Umbles implied they may have been wiped out . This report caused gloom and doom to spread around the camp . Some people thought the Fort would be attacked next . The Chaplain went to Mrs . Cooper to break the news that her husband was missing . Then he went to Nolan ' s children who were at Mrs . Constable ' s home and comforted them . Smithers then began to send telegrams up the chain of command other Forts . He requested assistance to guard Fort Concho while he sent a relief column out . Smithers gathered men from the band and hospital and with sixteen effectives and a wagon of supplies sent off for relief of the lost command . It was to Bull Creek and he made it in 41 hours . He would return on between 8 : 00 and 9 : 00 AM on August 14 with Nolan and his command . On August 7 , couriers reached Fort Concho with the good news . The telegraph sent out word that Nolan was returning with his command . The word went east that Nolan and his lost command were " back from the dead . " The officer in charge of the relief force now guarding the Fort had Umbles and his three companions placed under guard . For all the men involved it had been a test of character , which some failed . It was an adventure of endurance , determination , fortitude and sheer will . The cost was high with four soldiers and one civilian dead , About thirty horses and six mules had died during the expedition and the rest were rendered virtually useless . Nolan ' s fear of his lost men would eventually turn to anger when men would come slowly back to Fort Concho and the stories were told . Nolan as commander of the Fort became very busy ordering new horses , supplies and preparing for a court - martial for four deserters led by former First Sergeant Umbles . These men would later be found guilty and be dishonorably discharged and spend time at Fort Leavenworth Military Prison in Kansas . Nolan would write his formal report regarding the loss of military equipment , the death and suffering of his men . Many of the events described by Nolan would later be found in the letters written home by Lieutenant Cooper . However , the documentation left to historians by the buffalo hunters , the soldiers court - martialed , Nolan and Cooper ' s material would lead to divergence and more questions . While Nolan ' s mission was a failure , the press was positive and he was commended by his superiors in the press , but not officially for the record . Nolan remained in command of A Troop for another 5 years . Nolan and his second in command , Lieutenant Cooper lost their ability to work together over a long series of minor incidents . In late 1879 , Nolan placed Cooper on report " for failure to forward personal reports . " Cooper would go on serving in the military and retire just after the turn of century as a lieutenant colonel . On December 19 , 1882 Nolan was promoted to a major in the Regular Army and transferred to the 3rd U . S . Cavalry Regiment . On October 24 , 1883 he died unexpectedly in Holbrook , Navajo County , Arizona due to a stroke . His body was shipped to the San Antonio National Cemetery in San Antonio , Texas where he lays at rest in section A site 53 near the flag pole that flies the flag of his adopted country . 1978 reenactment . In 1978 , eight African - Americans dressed in cavalry uniforms mounted a horse patrol to retrace the route of Nolan and the Buffalo Soldiers of A Troop . They were led by Eric Strong of the Lubbock - based Roots Historical Committee . They made every effort to camp where they soldiers had stopped 101 years prior . This was done to honor those soldiers who had sacrificed so much for their Country . Author Elmer Kelton traveled with this group for a short time . He was gathering material for a western fiction book he writing . This 1986 work would have a portion that represented what the Buffalo Soldiers face during their ordeal . Related fiction . The 426 page western fiction book The Wolf and the Buffalo by Elmer Kelton has two chapters that fairly accurately portrays the real life " Buffalo Tragedy of 1877 . " Historical Marker . Remembering the dead soldiers of Troop A , 10th U . S . Cavalry , Captain Nicholas M . Nolan commanding . The Nolan Expedition route received a historic marker in 1972 . On July 1 , 2008 , Texas placed a new historical marker to honor the men of the " Buffalo Soldier tragedy of 1877 . " Markers were placed for the four fallen soldiers of Company A , 10th Cavalry next to their burial site at Morton Memorial Cemetery . The Cochran County Historical Commission had applied for the marker and headstones of the fallen and money was collected from the community . No mention was made of the death of the white bison hunter . See also . The “ Army and Navy Journal ” dated September 15 , 1877 has an article called , “ A Fearful march on the Staked Plains ” taken from a report of Nicholas M . Nolan . This is cited in Peter Cozzens ' volume 3 of his " Eyewitnesses to the Indian Wars , 1865 - 1890 " series with another related report on the subject following . Both reports are stark and clear of the suffering endured .