A rare military-versus-police riot during the Red Summer of 1919, highlighting racial violence involving Black Buffalo Soldiers in the American Southwest.
Key Facts
- Date
- July 3, 1919
- Soldiers arrested
- At least 50
- Seriously injured
- 8 people
- Deaths
- 1 bystander killed
- Location of battle
- Brewery Gulch, Bisbee, Arizona
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Racial tensions during the Red Summer of 1919 set the broader context. A confrontation between a military policeman and Black Buffalo Soldiers of the 10th Cavalry in Bisbee, Arizona, sparked the incident. White supremacist hostility toward Black servicemen was widespread during this period, and local friction between military personnel and police provided the immediate trigger.
On July 3, 1919, the confrontation escalated into an open street battle in Bisbee's Brewery Gulch district between Black Buffalo Soldiers of the 10th Cavalry and local police forces. The clash was unusual among Red Summer events in that it pitted military personnel directly against law enforcement rather than involving white civilians attacking Black civilians.
At least fifty soldiers were arrested in the aftermath, eight people were seriously injured, and one bystander was killed. The riot added to the national record of racial violence during the Red Summer of 1919 and illustrated the precarious position of Black military personnel even while serving in uniform.
Political Outcome
Riot suppressed; at least 50 Buffalo Soldiers arrested, 8 seriously injured, 1 bystander killed