DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker records about the Buffalo Soldier Tragedy of 1877 in Lynn County. Now settle in, because this story deserves to be told slow and right. The Texas frontier in the summer of 1877 was no place for the faint of heart — and the men of Company A, 10th Cavalry were not faint of heart.
They were Buffalo Soldiers, African-American troops who'd carved out a vital role on the western frontier in the years following the Civil War. Tough, disciplined, and tested. But on July 26, 1877, they rode out of Double Lake in Lynn County, and the land itself was about to become their enemy.
They were in pursuit of a Comanche party — and here's where the story turns, and turns hard. The Comanche led them away from the watering holes. Not by accident.
Away from the water. Out into the dryness and the heat of a Texas summer that showed no mercy to anyone. Eighty-six hours without water.
Let that number sit with you a moment. Eighty-six hours. Men became lost searching for water.
Horses and mules died. The sickness and dehydration came on like a slow tide that wouldn't stop rising. And then, on July 30, whatever remained of that company turned back toward Lynn County — not in triumph, but to recuperate.
Four soldiers died on that expedition. Among them, Private John T. Gordon, who is buried at Double Lakes — the very place they'd started from.
The frontier took a lot from a lot of men. But it's worth knowin' their names, and worth knowin' the ground they rode.
What the marker says
Known as Buffalo Soldiers, African-American troops played a vital role on the western frontier following the Civil War. On July 26, 1877, Buffalo Soldiers of Company A, 10th Cavalry left Double Lake in Lynn County in pursuit of a Comanche party. The Comanche led the soldiers away from watering holes and they suffered from extreme dehydration and sickness, enduring heat, dryness, and 86 hours without water. A number of soldiers became lost while searching for water and many of their horses and mules died. On July 30, the remaining troops returned to Lynn County for recuperation. Four died on the expedition, including Pvt. John T. Gordon, who is buried at Double Lakes. (2010)