Jacob's Roughriders

About the Book

Most of the adventure written in this book, really occurred. After slavery was abolished, many Negroes joined up to fight with the Union army to help win the war over slavery. At first, they were not accepted, but later at the loss of many white soldiers, the Negroes were allowed to join the army, but only in a segregated regiment called the colored troops. After the Civil War was won, the colored calvary was born. They were called the 9th and 10th calvary of the United States Army. They fought Indians, chased outlaws, and escorted settlers across the plains. The colored calvary was given tough and dangerous assignments; but they fought magnificently and won every fight they were engaged in; with few or no casualties.

The colored troops were very skillful and courageous; the Indians respected them as brave fearless warriors. They were given the name “Buffalo Soldiers,” because the buffalo is sacred and highly respected in the Indian Nation. Also, the Indians thought the Negroes’ hair was similar to the kinky, curly hair of the buffalo. The Seminole Negro Indians were the best scouts and trackers in the country, and many were drafted into the Army. It is recorded that many Negro soldiers were decorated highly for bravery, and received the Congressional Medal of Honor.

In 1847, Jacob Washington was born a slave and was freed during the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. At the age of sixteen, Jacob left the plantation and traveled west to Texas, where he fulfilled his dream as a cowboy. Jacob got a job on the Circle (G) Ranch, working for Bill Goodman as a wrangler. Jacob changed his name to Jake, and received lots of experience. He helped push cattle northward up the Chisholm Trail into Oklahoma (Indian Territory) and on into Abilene and Dodge City, Kansas.

About the Author

I was born in Kansas City Kansas in December 1937. My father Horace senior 19 worked in a neighborhood grocery store delivering groceries to customer’s houses. He drove a little green 1936 Ford pick up. My mother Ruby is a light skin Negro girl with red hair and freckles; just 15 years old she quit school, and later worked in a laundry folding sheets. I was the only child they ever had. I spent the first 7 years of my life growing up with my father’s younger sisters and cousins. My mother and father separated. So we left Kansas City and came to Los Angeles by train. Her house was very small just one bed room one bath. The bed took most of the room. We all lived there together until I graduated from George Washington Carver Jr. High. After that we moved to the Westside and I attended Manual Arts High School. We started a singing group at Manual with some friends and class mates in the eleventh grade. Booker Jones Jr. Charles Jackson, Fondro Talbert, David Cobb and Talbert Walton we were called “The Chimes.” I wrote my first song in my math class. It was called “Chop Chop”. Later on I wrote “Tears on my pillow” and “Pretty little girl”. We recorded for Specialty Records in Hollywood, Ca, but none of my songs where big hits, but I love writing. Later on after my singing career had ended, and married with four children. I started writing a movie script called “Hot Bread” I worked on it for five years, and after that I wrote “Jacob’s Roughriders”. If you like reading westerns, you’ll love this book. It’s filled with action from beginning to end. It’s about the real roughriders; Negro cowboys and the Buffalo Soldiers riding together to tame the lawless frontier. This book should be made into a movie so Americans can be taught the untold stories of American History.