In 1866 Congress established two cavalry and four infantry regiments of African American soldiers. Nicknamed the “Buffalo Soldiers,” they represented 20 percent of all cavalry forces on the American frontier until the early 1890s.

William Joseph Fortier of the New Hampshire Battalion of the 1st New England Volunteer Cavalry carved this pipe while a prisoner at Libby Prison.

Originally designated the 1st Brigade, the unit became the Stonewall Brigade after its commander, General Thomas J. Jackson, distinguished himself at First Manassas.