Following the Civil War, the United States Congress authorized six regiments of black U.S. Army troops, and the Tenth Cavalry was organized in 1867 under the leadership of Col. Benjamin Grierson. The order creating black troops also specified that they would be commanded by white officers. After facing racial discrimination at the regiment's headquarters in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, Grierson sought reassignment to the West, and the Tenth Cavalry arrived at Fort Concho in the spring of 1875. The men of the Tenth Cavalry made major contributions to the settlement of the American West through grueling scouting and mapping expeditions and campaigns against hostile Indians, often enduring days without proper supplies or water on the high plains. They were instrumental in the defeat of the Mescalero Apache Indians led by Chief Victorio in 1880. The regiment remained at Fort Concho until 1882, moved to Fort Davis, and after frequent transfers beginning in 1885, members of the unit eventually served throughout the world, including Cuba, North Africa, Germany, Korea, and Vietnam.