The 24th Infantry Regiment was a unique US Army regiment founded in 1869, from the consolidation of the 38th and 41st Regiments. The 24th was founded exclusively for African-American men, a bold statement against racial prejudices at the time. The soldiers of this regiment were given the nickname "Buffalo Soldiers." Initially, the regiment was deployed to Texas until 1880, when it was reassigned to the new Indian Territories, New Mexico, and Utah, where it participated in military campaigns against Native Americans. Eventually, during the Spanish-American War, the regiment was deployed to Cuba and the Philippines. The 24th Infantry Regiment also participated in the American campaigns against the Mexican government in the early 1900s. The 24th Infantry was also involved in civil disputes, like the Coeur d'Alene mining disputes of 1892 and the New Mexico coal mine disputes of the 1920s. Later on, in WWII, the 24th Infantry Regiment primarily fought in the Pacific theater.