Chapter 1: Born Free, Raised Alone (1841–1863)

Lafayette Mundy was born on May 27, 1841, in Auburn, Cayuga, New York, during a time when the city stood as both a beacon of hope and a reminder of America’s contradictions. [1,2] Auburn, nestled in the Finger Lakes region, had emerged by the mid-19th century as a critical node in the abolitionist movement. It was the adopted home of Harriet Tubman, who moved there in the late 1850s and helped build Auburn into a haven for freedom-seekers and free Black families.

Lafayette’s early life bore the scars of hardship despite his free birth. There are no records confirming the identity of his parents. By June 1855, Lafayette had been surrendered to the Asylum of Destitute Children. [3] The institution, founded in the spring of 1852, was a mix of boys and girls, black and white. Their motto was to “provide a home for orphans, half orphans, and destitute children, supply their necessities, promote their moral, intellectual and religious improvement, and fit them for situations of usefulness.” [4] If so, young Lafayette would have grown up under strict discipline—rising before dawn, performing chores for his keep, and attending church under the supervision of white guardians. These places were often austere, cold in winter, and culturally alienating, even in a free state.^[a][b][c]

Lafayette’s teen years are relatively unknown, however a 15 year old Lafayette Mundy was found in a possible foster home or placed in an apprenticeship of Lewis Matthews, a black seaman by 1860. [5] No occupation was noted for Lafayetter, yet in his enlistment records for the Civil War, he is noted to have previously been a porter. His tasks included moving cargo rather than being at sea.

The United States had been a boiling pot of tension when it came to the idea of owning slaves. Long-standing economic tensions between the industrial North and the agrarian South. The election of Republican Abraham Lincoln who oppressed the expansion of slavery, ultimately led to the South seceding. On April 12, 1861 shots rang out in South Carolina and Union forces at Fort Sumter surrendered. The Civil War had begun.

President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation of 1862 provided a way for African Americans to enlist in the Union Army. Previously a federal law dating back to 1792 prohibited African Americans from enlisting. [6]

In 1863, Lafayette made the decision that would alter the course of his life. He would enlist. Yet not in New York, but in New Orleans—a mysterious choice for a free man of color. Whether he traveled south on his own, or accompanied someone else is unknown. But what is clear is this: on August 30, 1863, at the age of twenty-two*, Lafayette Mundy had gone from Auburn’s orphan shadows to the front lines of America’s defining war. On September 12, 1863, the troop was officially mustered in. [7]

*Muster roll notes his age as 20.

Chapter 2: War and Wounds (1863–1866)

Lafayette Mundy’s enlistment of 3 years marked the beginning of a brutal, formative chapter in his life. He joined Company A of the 4th U.S. Colored Cavalry, a regiment primarily composed of freemen from other states and escaped slaves from areas not under Union control. [7,8] This was part of the Corps d’Afrique, African American corps that served in the Union Army during the American Civil war created by Nathaniel P Banks on May 01, 1863. [8] While he was technically a free man from New York, he entered a military system still rife with racial discrimination. They were often assigned non-combat duties such as cooks, laborers and teamsters. [6]

The regiments underwent cavalry training at the Cavalry Camp of Instruction at Greenville, Louisiana before moving to Camp Parapet in Jefferson, north of New Orleans. The regiment was initially assigned as the Defence of New Olreans and stationed in various bases around the area. The city of New Orleans had fallen to Union forces in Apr 1862 and remained under Union control through 1864. Lafayette’s service was primarily menial labor and garrison duty. The regiment lost 180 soldiers, 114 of these being from disease. [8] Dysentery, malaria, and exhaustion were rampant, the cause of most deaths.

His early days in Louisiana were spent at encampments outside New Orleans and Port Hudson. These were not stately Union forts; they were muddy, makeshift camps alive with insects and dysentery. Black soldiers were issued poor-quality uniforms and often outdated weapons. Lafayette slept on straw or wooden boards in crowded tents. Breakfast might consist of salt pork and stale bread, with coffee that was more chicory than bean.

Despite the hardships, his company trained rigorously. They performed saber drills, mounted formation riding, and dismounted skirmishing—all under the Louisiana sun, where heatstroke was as common as fever. Lafayette and his fellow cavalrymen were required to perform not only military duties but also manual labor, such as hauling timber, cooking for white officers, and digging latrines^[d][e][f].

Here are Lafayette’s movements as found in his service records: [7]

Company A 4th US Colored Cavalry Muster Roll: Private to Corporal

Joined and enrolled Aug 30 1863 for 3 years – first muster taken Sep 12, 1863

Sep to Dec 1863 – Present – Training at Cavalry Camp of Instruction at Greenville, Louisiana then moved to Camp Parapet, just north of New Orleans. The first commander assigned to the 4th regiment was Colonel James Grant Wilson with Capt Charles Tibbitts commander of Company A. Their service was primarily menial labor and garrison duty at Camp Parapet. However, in October 1863, a detachment of companies A and C were detailed to company Canal to protect the New Orleans & Copelousas Railroad. Lafayette does not appear to be part of this group. [8]

Jan to Feb 1864 – Present

Mar to Apr 1864 – Present

April 04, 1864 Attached to Defences of New Orleans, La., at New Orleans, Camp Colfax in Carrollton, Camp Parapet in Jefferson and Fort Butler in Donaldsonville, Distinct of LaFourche until Aug 1864 [9]

May to Jun 1864 – Absent – Absent without leave in debt to Gov't for one Revolver (Remington)

Jul to Aug 1864 – Absent – Absent without leave, June 26 1864, In debt to Gov't for two (2) Remington Revolvers

From August 23-29, 1864, the 4th USC Cavalry participated in the Clinton Expedition, seeing action at Olive Branch on the Comite River. Lafayette was absent without leave during this time and didn’t return until Sep 08, 1864 whether voluntarily or because of apprehension as a deserter. [9] Lafayette was absent without leave during this time and so would not have been apart or seen battle action at this time.

Sep to Oct 1864 – Present – Absent without leave from June 26 to Sep 08, 1864 – Stop for apprehension as a deserter $30, for 2 Remington Revolvers

Nov to Dec 1864 – Present – Absent without leave from June 26 to Sep 08, 1864. Stop for apprehension as a deserter $30. Stop for 2 Rem Revolvers. Now acting as Regtt Comp. Sergt. Free, New York, Auburn.

Jan to Feb 1865 – Present – Absent without leave from June 26 to Sep 08, 1864 Sept for apprehension as a deserter $30. Stop for 2 Rem Revolvers. Ret[urn] to duty without trial per S.O. NS? 40 dates Hd 2nd US Forces Port Hudson La, Feb 17, 1865, Born Free, Auburn NY

Mar to Apr 1865 – Present

Port Hudson Expedition – 4th USC Cav was involved in an expedition from Port Hudson to Jackson April 11-13, 1865 [9]

May to Jun 1865 – Present

Jul to Aug 1865 – Present

Sep to Oct 1865 – Present

Jan to Feb 1866 – Absent – In confinement at New Orleans, La. since Feb 24, 1866. Appointed Corpl Dec 17, 1865.

{Note from Pension File – Ruptured testical in service by fall of his horse, throwing him on the pummel of the saddle in 1865 near Port Hudson, La. It swelled to the size of a child’s head. It is unclear if this accident occurred during the Port Hudson Expedition or during training. Although painful and would remain with him the rest of his life, it would not impact his ability to have children} [2]

Final Notes from File:

June to Aug 1864 – Absent without leave since June 26, 1864.

Nov 1864 to Feb 1865 – on duty detailed as acting Reg't company Sgt.

Mar to June 1865 – on duty detailed in Regt DM Dept.

Soldier's pay Mar 20,1866 – $27.*5

Muster out date: Mar 20, 1866

Last paid: June 30 1865

Remarks: joined at orig[inal] reg Prior to Dec 17, 1865

Additional information:

Greenville, La., March 19, 1866

Michell A {*}

[*] Colo. 4th USC Cav

Request the release from Police Jail of Corporal Layfayette [sic] Mundy Co. A 4th USC Cav

Head Quarter – Eastern District of Louisiana New Orleans ?? 79 ??

LA 758-66

Respectfully forwarded to Dept Head Quarters . No [??] named man is confined by order of the Puallar P Yuel of the Dept [signature]

Headquarters 4 US Col Cav

Greenville, La., March 19th 1866

Major Wickham Hoffman

Asst Adg't General Dh**f Louisiana

Sir, I have the honor to request that Corporal Lafayette Mundy Co "A" 4 US Col Cav, confirmed in Police Jail as a [?] for the US in the case of Captain M Billstine Co "A" 4th US Col Cav be released and returned to his company for muster out. Captain Billstine has been tried and no charges have been pursued against Corporal Mundy.

Very respectfully,

Your ob[?]

Nathaniel Mitchell

Lt Colonel

Transcription from Captain Marcus Billstine service file:

New Orleans February 28, 1866

A.M. Jackson

Major and [?]

Major

In pursuant to your honors I proceeded in company with Captain Avery? to Greenville when there is two companies of the 4th USCC company “A & S” in camp. I called on Captain Linus Commanding Port and informed him what I wanted. I asked the Captain to have Corp’l Mundy and Private Lewis* arrested. He immediately sent for those men there was only Corp’l Munday in camp at the time Munday was placed under arrest at my request.

I then took Corp’l Munday into Captain Linus Tent and received the following information he stated to me in the presence of Capt Lumis [Linus?] that on Friday last he took from the Company Camp 7 Bales of Hay in a single cart 1 Bale at a time and hand it to a citizen by the name of Juluis Fifer? And put the same 7 bales of hay into Fifer barn after them 2 men Munday and Lemis delivered tha[?} 7 bales they took one bale and hand that bale to Ch. Fifer brother to this Julius and the said Ch. Fifer did pay to Corp’l Munday $2.50 for the said bale on the 21st or then [*] Julus Fifer did [*] from Captain Bilstein commanding comp A 4th USCC. 6 Blades of hay belonging to the company and did [*] from Julus Fifer $2* [**] account for the said 6 bales of hay Fifter owes to Captain Billstine $1.00 on the 6 blaes he received on the 21st. Captain Billstine sold the hay at the rate of $4.00 per Bale but previous to those 13 bales being sold to Julus Fifer this man Fifer received? From Capt Billstien 2 Bales of Hay and 2 sacks of oats and [*] from Fifer $11.85 for the same, making [a] total 15 bales of hay and 2 sacks of oats. I went to Julus Fifer home but I could not get in. I went to stables and I found 2 bales of hay, the same that Captain Billstine sold to him. I duly seized the hay and informed the man pretends to own the stables the he went no make away with the hay or he will be responsible if it is gone the [*] sergeant of Capt Billstine Company no that the collected $11.85 of Julus Fifer andly order of his Captain which this Serg’t Pan’l being duly gave it to Captain Billstine. I find that this Sergeant being has took his horse and *esented he was determined not to be a witness against Captain Billstine, Captain Lumis has rejected him as such there is [*] enough to testify that they have sum several loads of grain go into Ch. Fifer Barn. [10]

*This Private Lewis was likely George Lewis. His file notes he was also in confinement during the Jan to Feb 1866 muster rolls which matches the same time as Lafayette. No additional mentions of this incident in his file. [20]

He also suffered from deafness in both ears. Despite this, he completed his tour and was discharged at the rank of Corporal on March 20, 1866.

* In short, it appears there was some selling of the cavalry hay and oats to citizens in the area. Lafayette had been instructed to deliver the contraband. It is not clear if he was a willing participant or simply following orders of a superior.

Chapter 3: Buffalo Soldier on the Frontier (1866–1881)

When the Civil War ended, Lafayette Mundy didn’t return to New York for a quiet civilian life. Instead, he reenlisted with the 40th U.S. Colored Infantry, Company D, on December 20, 1866. [11] His reason for returning to the army is unknown, but it could be because he realized what many other Black veterans had: the army was one of the few places a Black man could earn steady pay and a modicum of respect. The Army Reorganization Act of 1866 authorized for the first time the creation of permanent Black regiments during peacetime. Black cavalrymen gained the nickname “Buffalo Soldiers” from the Indigenous people for their physical appearance and fighting prowess. This nickname was applied to all African Americans in the army between 1870-1950s. [12]

The U.S. government had begun its Indian Wars in earnest, deploying Black soldiers westward to secure forts, escort settlers, and clear Native populations from lands marked for white expansion. Mundy became a tool of the very system that had once denied others like him humanity, yet he wore the uniform with discipline. As a career soldier, he navigated both the frontier’s harshness and the double-bind of being a Black soldier enforcing a white nation’s claims.^[g]

The 40th USC Infantry later reconsolidated into the 24/25th Infantry. Lafayette was transferred to the 25th Infantry, Company “I” in April 1869. [2] The regiment established its first headquarters at Jackson Barracks in Louisiana under command of Colonel Joseph A Mower. [13] Lafayette was discharged December 20, 1869 at Ship Island, Mississippi. [2]

A month later, on January 18, 1870, Lafayette reenlisted – discharged 1875 from 10th USC Cavalry, Company “D and L” at Fort Sill, IT – Indian Territory, which is now known as Lawton, Comanche, Oklahoma. He was noted as being 5 foot 7 ½ inches tall. [14]

On the 10th USC Cavalry “Very few of the recruits assigned to the regiment could read or write, many of them being plantation hands from the South. Seldom could one be found capable of clerical duty, so that the officers were obliged to do most of their paper work. Quite a number of the recruits had served in the colored regiments during the Civil War, and these furnished the non-commissioned officers. On the whole the men were obedient, amenable to discipline and anxious to learn, besides being proud of their uniform.” [16]

WIP records from 40th USCI to 10th USCC needed

June 1870 – Gain Recruits Joined from Depot Line 15: Monday Lafayette, private D, June 05, ‘70 Fort Sill IT – No events worthy of record [15 image 136]

July 1870 Company D – No events worthy of record [15 image 137]

August 1870 – no troop activity noted [15 image 140]

September 1870 no troop activity noted [15 image 142]

October 1870 – no troop activity noted [15 image 144]

November 1870 Company D – Fort Sill IT, garrison duty and building gart[*] and stables [15 image 145]

December 1870 Company D – Fort Sill IT, garrison duty and building gart[*] and stables [15 image 147]

January 1871 Company D – at Fort Sill IT,** garrison duty, building gart[*] and stables [15 image 149]

February 1871 Company D – Fort Sill IT, No event worth of record [15 image 151]

March 1871 Company D – Fort Sill IT, No event worth of record [15 image 153]

April 1871 Company D – Fort Sill, IT. aft 26th Capt? Holek? With 15 ** ** in two of ** to Robinson? and ** – distance marched 13* miles [15 image 155]

May 1871 Company D – No events worthy of record [15 image 158]

June 1871 Company D – In the Field, Corpl? Wells? June 26 under command of ** marched forty miles to the mouth of C[**]IT refreshing he Capt ** Robinson?, 10 Cav I[**] troop has seen fata[**] Red River to seven Indians laid into Texas [15 image 160]

July 1871 Company D – Fort Sill, IT no events worthy of record [15 image 162]

August 1871 – Company D Loss by Transfer: Line 1, Lafayette Mundy, Sargent, Aug 06, 1871 Fort Sill – Company L Gains by Transfer: Line 4, Lafayette Mundy, Sargent, Aug 06 1871 at Fort Sill, now Lawton, Comanche, Oklahoma [15 image 164]

September 1871 Company L – In the Fields ** distance marched unknown [15 image 166]

October 1871 Company L – In the Fields ** line of Red River, distance marched 213 ¼ miles [15 image 168]

November 1871 Company L – Fort Still, IT no events worthy of record [15 image 170]

December 1871 Company L – Fort Still, IT no events worthy of record [15 image 172]

January 1872 Company L – Fort Still, IT no events worthy of record [15 image 174]

February 1872 Company L – Fort Still, IT no events worthy of record [15 image 176]

March 1872 Company L – Fort Still, IT no events worthy of record [15 image 178]

April 1872 Company L – Fort Still, IT no events worthy of record [15 image 180]

May 1872 Company L – Fort Still, IT no events worthy of record [15 image 181]

June 1872 Company L – Fort Still, IT no events worthy of record [15 image 183]

July 1872 Company L – Same [**] as A Troop – A troop was absent (difficult to read entirely) the camp was costa[**] by indians, on the 15th surprised and destroyed Indian Camp on Sahe[*]uet? Creek Tex?. [15 image 186]

August 1872 Company L – This troop performed garrison duty at Fort Sill during the month [15 image 188]

September 1872 Company L – This troop performed garrison duty at Fort Sill, IT [15 image 191]

October 1872 Company L – Performed garrison duty at Fort Sill, IT [15 image 195]

November 1872 Company L – Remained at Fort Sill, IT [15 image 198]

December 1872 Company L – Remained at Fort Sill, IT [15 image 200]

January 1873 Troop L – Performed garrison duty at Fort Sill, IT [17 image 1]

February 1873 Troop L – Left Fort Sill Feb 14, changing station to Fort Richardson Texas where it arrived on the 23rd, distance 123 miles [17 image 3]

March 1873 Company L – Fort Richards Texas no event worthy of record, two horses from ** Capt Rith? was responsible died at Fort Richardson, one of ** March 9, ‘73 and one of disease unknown March 17, 1873 [17 image 5]

April 1873 Company L – Fort Richardson, Texas (difficult to read, notes Capt [Thomas] Little) [17 image 7]

May 1873 Company L – Fort Richardson, Texas no event worthy of record [16 page 20, 18 image 9]

June 27, 1873 Marriage to Susan Tinsley Jack County Texas [18]

June 1873 Company L – Fort Richardson, Texas no event worthy of record [17 image 11]

July 1873 Company L – In the field camp on big Wichita ** this the company left Fort Richardson July 17 ‘73 in pursuit of Indians wanted next to Fort Relkarp ** up the B[**] to Kiowa R[**] north to the big wichita, down that stream to the present camp distance marched 257 ½ miles [17 image 13]

August 1873 Company L – Fort Richardson, Texas left camp on big Wichita – ** Aug 1873 ** marched 695 Richard ** arriving Aug 6th ‘73 a distance 122 ½ miles. The company left Fort Richardson Texas aug 11th as escort to the Board of Officers, detailed to select silt from new Post** Aug 27, distance 253 miles [17 image 15]

Sep 1873 Company L – Fort Richardson, Texas during the month the company has made two scouts against hostile Indians, total distance marched 165 miles [17 image 17]

October 1873 Company L – Fort Richardson, Texas, the company left Fort Richardson Oct 14th? 1873 in ** of hostile Indians ** Oct 1873 distance of march 84 miles [17 image 19]

November 1873 Company L – Fort Richardson, Texas no event worthy of record [17 image 22]

December 1873 Company L – Fort Richardson, Texas no event worthy of record [17 image 25]

January 1874 Company L – Fort Richardson, Texas no event worthy of record [17 image 27]

February 1874 Company L – Fort Richardson, Texas no event worthy of record [17 image 31]

March 1874 Company L – Fort Richardson, Texas no event worthy of record [17 image 34]

April 1874 Company L – Fort Richardson, Texas no event worthy of record [17 image 37]

May 1874 Company L – Fort Richardson, Texas no event worthy of record [17 image 40]

June 1874 Company L – Fort Richardson, Texas the Company left Fort Richardson on the 10th ** of Lantek? Indian returnings [17 image 42]

July 1874 Company L – Fort Richardson, Tex[as], nothing worthy of record [17 image 44]

August 1874 Company L – Wichita agency in Compliance with So no 135 * Inf Fort Richardson Texas the company left Fort Sill, IT (Indian Territory) arriving on the 1874 from port of the command of Lieut. Col Davidson – Wichita Agency [17 images 46]

September 1874 Company L – In the field – Capt Little was responsible, died from disease and exhaustion during the march, dates unknown [17 images 48]

October 1874 Company L – In the field ** Bank of Red River Coles Richard of ** distance marched (403) miles from pablo ** for which Capt Little was responsible was abandoned from exhaustion ** during the month. [17 image 50]

November 1874 Company L – Fort Sill, the company ** as front of the Fort Sill (rest is difficult to read). [17 image 52]

January 1875 Company L – Fort Conche, Texas. Left Fort Richardson Jan 14th for Fort Conche, Changing station, arrived Jan 28, Distance 25 miles *** for which Capt Pattle was responsible, died of disease during the month. [17 image 54]

18 Jan 1875 – Loss – Lafayette Company L, discharged Fort Richardson, Texas [17 image 55]

01 February 1875 – Pension record notes reenlisting at Fort Louis, Missouri but not found in their 7th Cavalry returns until March. [2]

25 March 1875 Saint Louis Barrack, Missouri, now known as Jefferson Barrack – Cavalry Depot, 7th US Cavalry – Awaiting transfer to Regiments Line 28: Company Letter is never specified [20 image 105]

Since Lafayette notes in his pension he was again part of Co. L, I will follow this troop

April 1875 – no event listed [20 image 106]

May 1875 – very faded, #7 Lafayette Mundy Private? 10th Cav, Comp. I or L – listed among Casualty at Post, but note says Awaiting transfer to regiment [20 image 108,109]

June 1875

July 1875 10th Cavalry Return – Enlisted Men – #120 Corporal Co. L From July 13, 1875 To Aug 01, 1875 Fort Conche, Texas, In charge of Comp. property [17 image 66,67]

August 1875 10th Cavalry Return – #133 Co.L From July 19, 1875 Fort Conche, Texas, waiting to join company [17 image 68] Co. L In the Field

September 1875 10th Cavalry Return – #142 Private Co. L From July 13, 1875 to Sept 28, 1875 Fort Conche, Texas – awaiting to join company [17 image 71] Co. L In the Field

October 1875 – 10th Cavalry Return – #183 Private Co. L From July 13, 1875 To Oct 30, 1875 notes: awaiting to join co. [17 image 74] Co. L In the Field, distance marched 500 miles

November 1875 – 10th Cavalry Return – #211 Private Co. L From July 13, 1875 Fort Conche, Texas – awaiting to join co. [17 image 77,78] Co. L In the Field – On scout on the staked* plains after hostile Indians, distance marched 448 miles – two public horses for which Capt Little was responsible, died Nov 5th

December 1875 – 10th Cavalry Return – #149 Private Co. L Dec 21, 1875 San Antonino, Texas remark: conducting circuit [17 image 80] Co. L notes: the company arrived at Dor Conche Texas from scout duty in the field adjacent hostile Indians Dec 09, 1875 Distance marched 140 miles

January 1876 – 10th Cavalry Return – Co. L no event event worthy of record [17 image 82]

February 1876 – 10th Cavalry Return – Co. L Fort Conche, Texas, no event worthy of record, 1 public house for which Capt Little was responsible ** Feb 03, 1876 [17 image 84]

March 1876 – 10th Cavalry Return – Co. L Fort Conche, Texas [17 image 86]

April 1876 – 10th Cavalry Return – Co. L

Stationed in Kansas, Texas, and New Mexico, Lafayette participated in a string of postwar campaigns that defined the Buffalo Soldier era:

• Winter Campaigns (1867–1868): Mundy likely took part in freezing, grueling expeditions across Indian Territory aimed at dislodging Native camps and forcing surrenders. These were some of the coldest, most miserable operations in army history.
  
• Victorio’s War (1879–1880): Fought against Apache leader Victorio, this campaign traversed the arid highlands of New Mexico and West Texas. Soldiers often marched 20 miles a day in 100-degree heat, tracking elusive enemies across brutal terrain^[h][i][j].
  

Lafayette’s day-to-day life on the frontier was as regimented as it was exhausting. He would wake before dawn, feed and saddle his mount, and drill until midday. The afternoons were often spent patrolling roads, maintaining outposts, or repairing telegraph lines. When battles erupted, the cavalry was first in—and often last out.

But Lafayette’s talents went beyond the saber and saddle. During the Salt War of 1877, a violent conflict in the borderlands of Texas and Mexico, he was assigned as an interpreter for the U.S. Bureau of Immigration. This role speaks volumes about his intelligence, his possible Spanish fluency, and the trust he had earned. The war itself pitted Mexican American locals against Anglo capitalists over access to salt beds—a battle not just over resources, but sovereignty. Buffalo Soldiers were dispatched to “maintain order,” and Lafayette crossed into Chihuahua, Mexico as part of that effort.

He wasn’t alone. His wife, Susan Elizabeth Tinsley Mundy, journeyed with him. It was an audacious move: a Black frontier couple, newly married, living under canvas or in adobe barracks, navigating an unfamiliar country where they were paradoxically safer from U.S. racial law. In March 1877, Susan gave birth to their son Thaddeus Sumner Mundy in Mexico—a boy born between nations, in the shadow of bayonets and bilingual orders.

The image is striking: Lafayette, a war-tested cavalryman, translating tense negotiations between angry salt miners and Army officers, while Susan stirred beans over a desert fire with a baby in her arms. It was hard, dusty, dangerous work—but it was also a life they built together.

For a time, Lafayette had something approaching stability: a family, a profession, a role in history. But the frontier was unforgiving. By the end of 1880, he left the service. He had been a soldier for nearly two decades. What came next would test him in entirely different ways.

Remarkably, Lafayette reenlisted shortly after discharge—this time into the 40th U.S. Infantry, which later merged into the 24th Infantry, one of the original Buffalo Soldier regiments.

He was stationed in the American West during a volatile time of settler expansion, Indigenous displacement, and racial violence. Lafayette likely served in:

• Indian Territory during the Winter Campaigns (1867–68) – not clear
• Victorio’s War 1879-1880 – possible
  

During the Salt War of 1877, Lafayette was posted near the Texas-Mexico border and served as an interpreter for the Bureau of Immigration—a rare and prestigious role for a Black enlisted man. Fluent in Spanish from his time near the border, Lafayette helped mediate disputes between Anglo settlers, Mexican salt miners, and U.S. Army officials.

Chapter 4: A Marriage at the Crossroads (1873–1892)

In the midst of being a career soldier, Lafayette found time for a bit of romance. It is not clear how their paths crossed but on June 6, 1873, Lafayette married Susan Elizabeth Tinsley in Jack County, Texas, daughter of Warrick Tinsley and Amanda Freeman of Kentucky. [18,19] Born free, her family legally secured their freedom, not through escape, but through a grueling seven-year legal fight in state court.^[k] Susan made her way to General George Armstong Custer Custer’s camp where she became his cook during the war. [21] It is unknown how she made her way to Texas.

In 1877, amid the unrest of the Salt War, they crossed into Chihuahua, Mexico. Lafayette had been sent as part of a peacekeeping mission, and thanks to his role as interpreter for the Bureau of Immigration^{[l][m][n][o][p]}, he occupied a rare middle space—both insider and outsider. There, in a place far from the segregated battlefields of his past, Susan gave birth to their son: Thaddeus Sumner Mundy, on March 6, 1877. [22]

Their frontier life was rugged. There were no paved roads, no railways, and few comforts. Army rations alternated with beans, maize, and whatever they could grow or trade for. Susan likely cooked for troops, mended uniforms, or helped deliver other soldiers’ children. As the wife of a Black soldier, she was neither civilian nor enlisted, often treated as invisible yet essential.^[q]

On January 31, 1880, at Fort Stockton, Pecos, Texas, Lafayette was discharged from his duties via expiration of service period. [2] Nearly 40, Lafayette was faced with civilian life for the first time in nearly 20 years. His body, worn from marches and battle wounds—including the testicle injury he had never fully recovered from, had to adjust to a new lifestyle. The family made their way north to Leavenworth, Kansas, taking residence at 525 Kickapoo Street. This was a mixed neighborhood of black and white with residences from all types of trades from banker to carpenter. [23,24] For a short time, Lafayette worked as a coal miner before returning to his occupation of youth, portering, in 1884. [25]

Here, they adopted a second son, Henry Saunders. [23] There were whispers that Henry was Susan’s biological son from a previous relationship^[r][s][t], yet when the marriage broke down, Henry remained with Lafayette, taking his surname. [26,27]

During this time in Kansas, Lafayette joined the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR). This was a fraternal organization of Union Civil War veterans which advocated for veteran’s rights, helped widows and orphans and pushed for pensions and the establishment of veteran homes. The last time he appeared in the Grand Army of the Republic Post Reports was on March 01, 1885 in Leavensworth, Kansas. [28]

For a while, things might have seemed almost ordinary. The 1880 census captured a snapshot of stability, but under the surface, cracks widened. Lafayette had known war and the open frontier—a man of movement, purpose, and uniform. Susan, who once cooked for a general and followed troops across borders, now scrubbed the same pots in the same little kitchen. Their shared sense of purpose began to fray. Whether it was fatigue, illness, infidelity, or simply the diverging paths of two strong-willed people, no record says for sure. But by 1887, the pair separated^[u] and the marriage came to an end. [2]

Susan and Thaddeus moved to Helena, Montana, where Susan opened a boarding house and became a property-owner. [2,29] Lafayette settled across the border in Kansas City, Missouri with Henry where the pair can be found bouncing between residences: 1814 McGee to 2318 Walnut; 1921 Oaks to 1913 Holmes. [30,31,32,33,34]

Chapter 5: Final Years (1892–1910)

In 1892, Lafayette married widow Louisa Jones, a woman 13 years younger than him, and had two more children: Lafayette Jr. and Pennie per his pension record. [2,35] A possible third child, Nathan Mundy, was found. If his death certificate age is correct, he would have been born about 1888, several years before the couple's marriage or a son from Louisa’s first marriage. If the age was wrong, this might have been the middle name of Lafayette Jr. [36] Lafayette’s street was unfortunately missed in the 1900 census and no further information was available on these other children. Lafayette appears only once in the same household as potential son Nathan in the 1907 city directory. [37]

In 1893, Lafayette filed for an invalid pension citing: “Rupture of Testicals, swollen as large as [a] child's head. Contracted in service by fall of his horse heaving him on pommel of the saddle in 1865 near Port Hudson, LA and partial deafness of both ears.” [2] “Hydrocele of the left side” is also noted which describes the fluid buildup in the scrotum from the trauma, causing swelling and discomfort in the testicle. [38] While he did receive some compensation, the city directories continue to list him as a general laborer. Between 1903 and 1908, he worked as a waiter in the mess hall at the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers in Leavenworth, Kansas where he also received treatment for illness. [39]

On June 15, 1898, wife Louisa, 38, quietly passed away and was buried at Union Cemetery, Kansas City, Jackson, Missouri. [40,41]

Lafayette spent his final year being cared for by Henry and his wife Pearl and daughter Neva. His name quietly fades from headlines with his passing on May 16 1910. As quietly as he came into this world so too he left it. No obituary was written commemorating his life and passing, just a quiet burial at Oak Grove Cemetery in Kansas City, Wyandotte, Kansas. [42]

Lafayette Mundy settled into the quieter, slower rhythm of Kansas City, Kansas. It was here, that he spent the final decades of his life. He was a free black man who had traveled from New York to New Orleans to the border towns in Mexico—yet in the end, he came to rest in a modest house among other veterans, freedmen, and working-class families trying to shape a future out of the fragments of a fractured country.

By this point, Lafayette had remarried. His new wife, Louisa Jones, was more than 20 years his junior. Together they had two children: Lafayette Mundy Jr. and Pennie Mundy. Little is known about Louisa beyond census records, but the household they built was one of survival and simplicity. The city itself had changed—once a bustling hub of westward migration, Kansas City had become more industrial and stratified, its racial lines growing sharper. But Darby Avenue was still home to many Black veterans, and Lafayette found community among those who, like him, had served and suffered and endured.

Despite lingering effects from his war injury, Lafayette continued to work. He likely relied on the help of his son Henry Saunders Mundy, who remained close and later served as a caretaker after wife

The family was not wealthy, but they were proud. Lafayette’s children—both from his first and second marriages—would go on to start families, pursue education, and build their own legacies. He likely never traveled to Montana, never saw the life Susan built for herself or the successes of Thaddeus. But he would have heard stories. Letters passed between families, and perhaps he kept one tucked in his coat.

By 1910, the last census shows Lafayette living in Kansas City. His name would soon disappear from records, though death certificates have not yet been found. He likely passed sometime between 1910 and 1920, a quiet end for a man who had once charged enemy lines, crossed foreign deserts, and helped stitch together a torn republic. He was buried—though we still do not know where.

Chapter 6: A Legacy in Montana and Beyond

Lafayette Mundy’s life stretched across geographies and eras—from the orphanages of Auburn to a defender of New Orleans; from a cavalry saddle in Texas to mess hall tables in Kansas. Although he died without ceremony, his name lived on through his children.

His adopted son Henry Saunders Mundy, married, raised his own children, and cared for Lafayette in his later years.

Thaddeus Sumner Mundy, married Francis Leona Smith in 1904 in Helena, Montana in what would be one of the last legal interracial marriages before such unions were banned. Thaddeus worked as part of Helena’s street department for many years. He owned land, raised children, and helped produce a legacy of artists, teachers, union men, small business owners, and scholars.

From these two lines sprang generations of Mundys— Their roots reach across the Rockies and through the plains.

Lafayette Mundy’s legacy is more than a name etched in a forgotten ledger or a pension file stored in a federal vault. It lives in the streets his descendants walked, the books they read, the stories they tell. And it lives in this biography—in the retelling of a life that never stopped moving, never stopped building, never stopped believing in something just beyond the horizon.

Lafayette spent his final years in Kansas City, Kansas, working as a laborer and living on Darby Avenue. Still impacted by his war injury, and with limited access to healthcare, his physical condition declined. He passed away sometime after the 1910 census, likely in Wyandotte County. His burial site remains unknown.

Though he died without public recognition, his lineage would prove powerful.

Chapter 7: A Legacy in Montana and Beyond

His first son, Thaddeus Mundy, would become a celebrated Black civic worker in Helena, Montana. Fluent in Spanish, skilled in masonry, and active in church and civic affairs, Thaddeus helped build one of the most visible multiracial family lines in the state.

His adopted son, Henry Mundy, also played a key role in family preservation, carrying the family name and values into the 20th century. Meanwhile, Lafayette’s children with Louisa—Lafayette Jr. and Pennie—continued his story in Kansas and Missouri.

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43 –