The Buffalo Soldier Tragedy of 1877 (2003) by Paul H. Carlson

Fascinating account of an obscure chapter in American history.

Soldiers died of thirst while water was available nearby if they only could have found it.

Soldiers drank their own urine and the urine of their horses in a desperate attempt to stay alive. (Personal Note: I would like t0 think that I would not drink urine, not because it is disgusting, but because, like drinking seawater, it only makes the problem worse. Easy to say that sitting in the comforts of civilization with plenty to drink. Not so easy when you are literally dying of thirst.)

Gross miscarriage of justice where black enlisted men were court martialed as scapegoats for inept leadership by white officers.

Another refutation of the myth that the American military is a strict meritocracy. The author thinks that in the modern army, the white officers would have been court martialed instead of the black soldiers. I have my doubts.