Unburied Lives: The Historical Archaeology of Buffalo Soldiers at Fort Davis, Texas, 1869–1875 by Laurie A. Wilkie (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Unburied Lives: The Historical Archaeology of Buffalo Soldiers at Fort Davis, Texas, 1869–1875 by Laurie A. Wilkie Ayme J. Swartz Unburied Lives: The Historical Archaeology of Buffalo Soldiers at Fort Davis, Texas, 1869–1875. By Laurie A. Wilkie. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 2021. ix + 267 pp. Illustrations, tables, notes, bibliography, index. $65.00 cloth. Laurie Wilkie wrote Unburied Lives: The Historical Archaeology of Buffalo Soldiers at Fort Davis, Texas, 1869–1875 intending to showcase the daily life of the African American soldier on the western frontier, post emancipation, filling the gap between legal slavery and the Jim Crow South during the westward expansion era. Her research in archival documents, archaeological excavation, and a fresh look at old architecture help bring to light the footprint of the African American community at a western military base. Wilkie's archival "excavation" of both what is still there and the ever-important "what has gone missing" and why, along with recovery of the tangible artifacts from the archaeological record, provide a detailed narrative of the troubles African Americans still experienced in the post-emancipation American West. The written and archaeological records illustrate how individual Black men could still express themselves and their beliefs regardless of military conformity. Wilkie shows how history continues to create a world where structural racism toward Black soldiers was ignored, accepted, and/or dismissed. This is evident when she explains how the National Archives did not curate failed pension applications and associated documents. The disposal of those records further emphasizes the burial of African American history. The book is very well organized, each chapter going into great detail about the topic presented while building on the previous chapter. Wilkie's specificity of individuals' accounts, referenced by newspapers and oftentimes limited archival documents, continued to illustrate the hardships and racist tensions African Americans faced on a daily basis. There are a few explicit discussions of sexual activities and behaviors that did not contribute to the overall book. A sufficient amount of evidence seemed to be lacking to make such bold assumptions. Likewise, the "best guess" about certain artifacts seemed to be persuaded by a particular theory rather than objectivity. At times the projection of modern ideology and meaning of imagery onto a past context seemed to derail the hardships Black military men already undoubtedly faced. Unburied Lives is a long-overdue narrative. It is needed to help complete the history of the American West and westward expansion. Wilkie attempted and succeeded in capturing the daily life, with struggles included, of [End Page 109] the African American soldier stationed in an undesirable location. Ayme J. Swartz Heritage Department Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest US Forest Service Copyright © 2023 Center for Great Plains Studies, University of Nebraska–Lincoln