Michael N. Searles, Author at

Academic Historian

Michael N. Searles is an assistant professor of history at Augusta State University, Augusta, Georgia. Professor Searles who is a contributor to the award winning Black Cowboy of Texas specializes in Black Cowboys, Buffalo Soldiers, and the American West. Searles is currently co-editing an anthology on the Buffalo Soldiers in the West scheduled for publication in 2006. A nationally recognized consultant and presenter, “Cowboy Mike” as Professor Searles’s is known to many, speaks to public school audiences, libraries, universities, and community groups.

Benjamin O. Davis Sr. (1877-1970)

Benjamin O. Davis Sr. was the first African American to be named a general in the American military. Davis claimed to have been born on July 1, 1877, but according to some sources, his birthdate may have been in May 1880, and he lied about … Read MoreBenjamin O. Davis Sr. (1877-1970)

Benjamin O. Davis Jr. (1912-2002)

Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. followed in the footsteps of his trail blazing father as the first black general in the U.S. Air Force. He was born in Washington, D.C. on December 18, 1912, fully committed to a military career. He entered West Point Military Academy … Read MoreBenjamin O. Davis Jr. (1912-2002)

Daniel Webster Wallace (1860-1939)

Daniel Webster (80 John) Wallace, born a slave in Victoria County, Texas, on September 15, 1860, did not like farm work, and ran away to become a cowboy. Daniel worked for a number of ranchers in east-central Texas, but it was through his work as … Read MoreDaniel Webster Wallace (1860-1939)

Texas Seminole Scouts

The Texas Seminole Scouts were descendants of runaway slaves who fled into Florida before the Civil War. The offer of freedom by the Spanish greatly encouraged South Carolina and Georgia slaves to vote for freedom with their feet. The blacks cooperated and joined the Seminoles … Read MoreTexas Seminole Scouts

Leroy Robert “Satchel” Paige (1906-1982)

Leroy Robert Paige, one of the few African American baseball athletes to play in both the Negro Baseball Leagues and in Major League Baseball. He was also the first player to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame because of his career in the … Read MoreLeroy Robert “Satchel” Paige (1906-1982)

Joshua [“Josh”] Gibson (1911-1947)

Josh Gibson was born in Buena Vista, Georgia, on December 21, 1911. He moved to Pittsburgh in 1924 when his father found work in a steel mill. He played baseball for company teams in the area but began his career with the Negro League when … Read MoreJoshua [“Josh”] Gibson (1911-1947)

Benjamin Davis, Jr. (1903-1964)

A major figure in Harlem community politics and the Communist Party during the 1930s and 1940s, Benjamin Davis, Jr. was born into a prominent African American family in Atlanta, Georgia in 1903. He migrated north to Massachusetts to attend college at Amherst, where he was … Read MoreBenjamin Davis, Jr. (1903-1964)

Andrew “Rube” Foster (1879-1930)

Andrew Rube Foster was born in Calvert, Texas, on September 17, 1879. The son of Andrew and Sarah Foster, Rube started a baseball tradition that would be followed by his brother Willie Bill Foster. Rube quit school after the eighth grade, barnstorming with the Waco … Read MoreAndrew “Rube” Foster (1879-1930)