Buffalo Soldier, Private, Levi Morris

1850 – June 28, 1877

Levi Morris (ca. 1850-1877) was a Buffalo Soldier. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1872 from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he worked as a plasterer. During his five-year tour of duty he was assigned to one of the segregated regiments established for black soldiers in 1866. Private Morris joined Company B, 9th Cavalry, and accompanied his regiment to the western frontier, primarily forts in Texas. He was murdered in New Mexico while traveling between Forts Craig and Bayard on June 28, 1877, and was buried in the post cemetery at Fort Craig. However, his was among 60 gravesites looted more than a century later. In 2009, Morris’ remains were reinterred at Santa Fe National Cemetery with full military honors in Section 15A, Site 26.

Notes:
M. Dabovich, “Military welcomes home long-lost Buffalo Soldiers,” The Santa Fe New Mexican (Santa Fe, New Mexico 7/19/2009, p. A2.

Dabovich, Melanie. “Finally, full honors.” The Santa Fe New Mexican (Santa Fe, New Mexico), Jul 29, 2009