Private Tate--Buffalo Soldier

Walter Tate was born nearby in 1854. He enlisted as a private on 6 May 1879 at Fort Concho (present-day San Angelo), Texas, in Company M, 10th Regiment, U.S. Cavalry. Tate and those who served with him on the western frontier defended settlements, livestock, the U.S. mail, and stage routes from bandits, cattle thieves, and Mexican revolutionaries. The Indians called Tate and other soldiers of color "Buffalo Soldiers" because of their dark curly hair, endurance, and strength, claiming that these attributes reminded them of their much-prized buffaloes. Tate was discharged on 5 May 1884. This buffalo soldier died in Westmoreland County in 1933.