Fireplace Chat with John P. Langellier, Ph.D.
January 28, 2024, 2-4pm at Camp Naco. Free to attend, registration is required.
Camp Naco – a cornerstone of Buffalo Soldier history in Arizona – is inviting the public to a book discussion and Q&A with Arizona author and military historian John P. Langellier, Ph.D. John will be discussing his most recent title, "More Work Than Glory: Buffalo Soldiers in the United States Army, 1866-1916". The work is illustrated with compelling images and detailed maps, along with an array of appendices, and represents the culmination of over a half century of fascination with this topic.
Following the discussion, John will guide a walking tour through historic Camp Nacoand the Naco Heritage Alliance will host a book signing event where his book will be available for purchase for $40 (20% discount). Registration for this free event is required and space is limited. Visit https://forms.gle/v5ZkJFnTvFRK4SMo8 to register for the event.
From his book, John writes "Prior to the 1960s, the term 'Buffalo Soldier' was a fairly obscure one. Then, a trickle of titles became a torrent of books, articles, novels, monuments, and expanding numbers of historic sites along with museums all of which have changed the picture. Even an occasional nod from television and movies helped transform these once relatively little-known Black U.S. Army troops into familiar figures, who have taken their place in a mythic past. Indeed, powerful image-makers from William F. 'Buffalo Bill' Cody and his Congress of Rough Riders to Frederic Remington, the dean of frontier artists, helped lionize the Black troops whose exploits brought them to the American West, Cuba, the Philippines, Mexico, Alaska, and Hawaii in the years between 1866 and 1916."
As a child in Tucson, Arizona, John developed a passion for the story of the U.S. Army and the Native American Indians in the West. In addition to completing his BA and MA in history and historical archaeology, and subsequently his doctorate with an emphasis on U.S. military history and secondary fields of historic preservation and archaeology, he also spent over four decades as a public historian. John's military career includes twelve years with the U.S. Army, and another four with the U.S. Navy in various assignments including at the Presidio of San Francisco and U.S. Army, Europe. John has written scores of articles and dozens of books, including recent titles, Scouting with the Buffalo Soldiers: Lieutenant Powhatan Clarke, Fredric Remington and the 10th Cavalry in the Southwest. Denton: University of North Texas Press, 2020.
Camp Naco is located 2118 W. Newell Street (at the corner with S. Willson Road) in Naco Arizona.
This event is being held in conjunction with the Nogales Buffalo Soldiers Legacy Association, and their 3rd annual salute to the Nogales Buffalo Soldiers. The companion event, being held the day before on January 27 at the Nogales City Cemetery and beginning at 10am, will feature speakers and the Fort Huachuca B Troop Cavalry and Color Guard, as well as a self-guided tour of over 50 Buffalo Soldier gravesites. Following the tour entertainment will be provided by Nogales area student musicians, singers and dancers, keynote speaker John P. Langellier and an exhibit will be available at Pimeria Alta Historical Museum. For more information and a schedule of events visit www.NogalesBuffaloSoldiers.org
Additionally, John P. Langellier will be appearing on Sunday, January 28, from 11am to 1pm at Bisbee Books and Music, located at 2 Main Street 1601, Bisbee, AZ, United States, 85603. For more information visit www.bisbeebam.com
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
R. Brooks Jeffery, Naco Heritage Alliance
bjeffery@bisbeeaz.gov, (520) 240-7619
