BLACK COWBOYS!

Oh, you thought there weren't black cowboys and black members of the US army way back then?  Black actors like Woody Strode were acting real parts, there were black Americans (sic) on both sides of the American Civil War (just as there were Swapps on both sides too! - personal note!)

“Hell, people think John Wayne is my favorite actor but in fact, it’s Woody Strode. Woody’s the real deal. A decathlete, a professional football player and a wrestler. He’s part Cherokee, part Blackfoot, a real American.” 

– John Ford