Fort Concho Honors Buffalo Soldiers with Music and History Event Sunday

SAN ANGELO, TX - Fort Concho will host a buffalo soldiers celebration for Black History Month from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 22, at the fort’s Commissary Building at Henry O. Flipper and Burgess streets. The program is free and open to the public, with light refreshments provided.

Military historian and author John Langellier, Ph.D., will present “The Buffalo Soldier Regiments and Their Music,” highlighting Black troops’ musical legacy across the West from 1866 to 1900 and the role their regimental bands played in strengthening ties with nearby communities.

Following the program, guests may ride a shuttle cart to Barracks 1 to view a special exhibit on regimental bands featuring the musical instrument collection of Tom Railsback of Great Falls, Montana. Railsback collaborated with Langellier on the book “The Drums Would Roll” about late-1800s military bands and donated his collection and research materials to Fort Concho in 2025.

Barracks 1 will also feature exhibits on the history of the Standard-Times, buffalo soldiers and the Comanches of Texas. Guests may visit the West Texas Buffalo Soldier Memorial across the street from the fort, as well.

Fort Concho served as headquarters of the famed 10th Cavalry Regiment, whose regimental band entertained residents from 1875 to 1882. Commander Benjamin Grierson strongly supported the band, having been a musician before joining the army.

For more information, call Fort Concho at 325-481-2646.