The Bicycle Corps: America's Black Army on Wheels

At the end of the 19th century, many military experts believed that the bicycle could replace the horse as a means of transporting troops. The colored 25th Infantry was chosen to test that theory. On June 14 1897 a small group of African-American soldiers departed Fort Missoula, Montana. Forty-one days and over 1,900 miles later, they reached their destination--St. Louis, Missouri--after traveling over every possible type of rugged terrain and enduring every kind of bad weather.