Two documents accounting for pay, travel costs, and other expenses due to Pvt. George Payne, who served three one-year tours with Company I, 24th Infantry, United States Army—a 'Buffalo Soldier' regiment originally formed in 1869. First is a "Final Statement" panel dated April 20, 1875, endorsed by Payne at Fort Brown, Texas, and countersigned by H. F. Leggett. The second is a "Form No. 5" document, accounting for Payne's pay and expenses, amounting to $132.35, May 5, 1875. Impressively cloth-matted and framed with an image and typed caption to an overall size of 39 x 27.5. In fine condition.
After the Civil War, the US Army recruited four regiments of black soldiers to serve in the West. The men of the 24th and 25th Infantry and the 9th and 10th Cavalry fought Native American Indians, built forts, pursued desperadoes, and protected railroad workers. Because their curly hair resembled that animal's shaggy coat, the Indians called them 'Buffalo Soldiers.'
