"Come up ye horses; and rage ye
chariots; and let the mighty men
come forth; the Ethiopians and the
Lybians that handle the shield; and
the Lydians, that handle and bend
the bow."—From Jeremiah 46:9.
"Et niger arma Menonis"
[And the arms of black Mennon]
—From Virgil's Aenead
A Tribute for the Negro Soldier
By JOHN E . BR U C E
American Representative of
"The African Times and Oriental Review"
London, England.
"Blood Red Record."
"Tracts For the People."
"A Defense of the Negro Soldier."
"No Heaven For Negro" (Humorous).
"Biographies of Eminent Black Men and
Women of Europe and America."
Author of
Price 25 Cents
PUBLISHED BY
BRUCE- AND FRANKLIN
NEW YORK CITY AND KANSAS CITY
Copyright 1918 by
J. E. Bruce and C. A. Franklin
FOREWORD.
M,r. Bruce has rendered a distinct service in pay¬
ing tribute to the Negro soldier by presenting, in
this admirable form, a survey of the whole mili¬
tary field, particularly that portion which relates
to and includes the Negro soldiers who are now
serving with the allied armies in Europe.
With the allied armies in Europe there are al¬
ready associated Negro soldiers from the United
States, and an increasingly large number of them
will soon be on the firing line under the Stars and
Stripes. The history of the American Negro sol¬
dier is a history of courage and valor. The Negro's
blood has crimsoned battle fields in every war
fought by the United States since the American
Revolution.
The patriotism of Negro people has never been
doubted and the courage of the Negro soldier has
been for years a fitting theme of song and story.
Every Negro soldier going to the front will be
heartened not only to "do his bit" but more than
his bit when he reads the wonderful story of the
dauntless heroism displayed by men of his own
race under fire.
I am hoping that this booklet may find a place
in the comfort kit of every one of them and in the
libraries of those who would be informed as to
the real worth and history of the Negro soldier.
EMMETT J. SCOTT.
4 A TRIBUTE FOR THE NEGRO SOLDIER
DEDICATION.
The Negro soldier fighting under the flag of the
United States is blood brother to some of the
bravest men who have ever lived. From the jungles
and swamps of his mother land, Africa, the incense
of brave deeds rises as a tribute to a race that has
ever carried a light heart and has not been afraid
to die. Through Europe, over to America, on the
sea, in the South Sea islands, even to the very
North Pole itself, our brave feet have wandered,
and despite handicaps we have acquitted ourselves
as men. Believing that a knowledge of the pure
fighting strain of our ancestry would nerve us to
meet the test now imposed by the participation of
the United States in the war to make democracy
triumph over autocracy, the publishers of this book
send it forth to serve our country's need and to
establish our race's honor so far as it rests upon
bravery in warfare. It is not a connected narra¬
tive; it is not argumentative; it is facts.
Menelik, who said he was a direct descendant of
the Queen of Sheba, defending his Kingdom of
Abyssinia in North Africa from invasion, is a glory
to us in his victory. Our brothers in the Soudan
who followed the Mahdi and died in the British
trenches, measuring their spears against the mod¬
ern rifle, and our brothers in the south of Africa,
the Zulus, who died under the machine guns, are
no less a glory to us in their defeat.
A TRIBUTE FOR THE NEGRO SOLDIER 5
History, as it is usually written, conceals from
us our brotherhood with many men, because they
are called by the name of the land where they live,
not by their race. To give this knowledge to the
Negro soldier fighting for the cause of the United
States, and to inspire him to preater deeds of mili¬
tary prowess, because he will know that he comes
of a stock that has done glorious deeds in warfare,
is our aim, and with this hope we dedicate this
volume to the modern Numidians—the Negro sol¬
diers of the U. S. A.
6 A TRIBUTE FOR THE NEGRO SOLDIER
WITH THE ALLIED ARMIES IN EUROPE.
"OVER THERE."
Black Outpost The 500,000 black and colored men
BuriedTime8 now fighting on the side of the
Allies in Europe are showing
themselves to be as brave and courageous in bat¬
tle as black and colored men on this side of the
Atlantic have shown themselves to be. Many not¬
able instances could be cited of the personal brav¬
ery of these black fighters, but we will content
ourselves by citing only a few of them. Here is
the official record of Fako Doumbia of the Fifty-
first Sengalese battalion serving at the observa¬
tion post of the trench. He was three times buried
by projectiles, three times released himself and re¬
sumed his post with the greatest calmness, con¬
tinued on duty until relieved by the commandant
of his company.
Negroes Charge at Fort Douamont, which had
Verdun gained renown for its obstinate
and prolonged defense by the
French during the German rush at Verdun in 1916,
was defended by the Huns with equal obstinacy
when the French began their counter attack last
year, but was recaptured at last. In the course
of the attack a battalion of the "Tirailleurs" to¬
gether with one of the "poilus," was held up by
an artillery barrage in front and machine gun
fire on the flanks. A veteran lieutenant of the
Tirailleurs cautiously raising his head shouted
to his men: "How now, Tirailleurs, are we going
to stick here? Forward!" The Tirailleurs im¬
mediately bounded forward, carrying the "poilus"
with them in their rush. They passed the barrage
and capturing the fort raised the tri-color once
more upon its walls.
A TRIBUTE FOR THE NEGRO SOLDIER 7
Singly or by On March 1, 1916, a battalion
JMteeiT'the^Test was organized at Saint Raphael
from the veterans of the previous
campaign and recruits recently arrived from Afri¬
ca. After three months' training, to give the. nec¬
essary cohesion, the battalion was sent to the
front on June 1, and went into the trenches on
the Oise, and then on the Somme, taking its part
in all the battles.
At the end of October the battalion went into-
winter quarters near Arcachon, where it was put
under "intense" training, and on March 19, 1917,
joined the armies of the North and Northeast
on the line of the Aisne, where it was attached
to a regiment of Colonial infantry with which
it took part in the spring offensive.
On April 16 and 17 it distinguished itself greatly
at the farm of Noisy, the men dying at their posts
rather than abandon the position which they had
taken.
In May it served at the Mill of Laffaux, and
in June and July was in the trenches in the re¬
conquered part of Alsace.
No Roman i>g1on During July-August it took part
Deserved Higher . . , , ,
Praise in the defense of the plateaux
of Craonne and California and
fought on the Chemin des Dames.
These names suffice to show that the battalion
was always at the seat of the hottest fighting, and
wherever it was called upon to serve, whether in
attack or in defense, it attracted attention by its
courage, devotion and self-sacrifice.
The quality of these gallant soldiers will be
shown by by a few quotations from the "citations
a 1' order" for a single day.
8 A TRIBUTE FOR THE NEGRO SOLDIER
Nesrro Courage "Kofi Alia, private: Cool and
Najme'rench collected; courageously led his
comrades on April 16, 1917, to an
assault of the enemy positions. Although wound-
ed, continued to throw his bombs on a hostile
machine gun and only left his post when his
strength gave out."
"Moderi Comba, private: Very devoted and cour¬
ageous ; on April 16, 1917, dressed, under fire, the
wounds of his lieutenant and returned to his post
in the line."
"Demba N'Daigne, private: Very courageous.
On April 16, 1917, taking the quick firing gun of
one of his wounded comrades, stopped by his fire
an attempted bombing attack by the enemy."
"Mamadon N'Daigne, sergeant: On April 1, 1917,
distinguished himself among the bravest of those
who advanced against a German counter attack
and formed a first line of defense behind the
barbed wire."
"Donga Thiam, private: On April 16, 1917, be¬
ing with a group of bombers and all his com¬
rades having become casualties continued alone
to cast his bombs into the enemy's trench."
"Eli Diot, corporal: Showed remarkable cour¬
age in the attack on the enemy's lines on April
16, remained at his post although seriously wound¬
ed and never ceased to encourage his comrades."
Win Right to Where all are brave it is no
Responsible Post. small matter t0 stand out suffi¬
ciently to attract notice; each
"citation a l'ordre" is equal to a decoration, and
is inscribed on the regiment's Roll of Honor as
a leaf of laurel in its crown, as a memento of
deeds which have made it illustrious, and an in¬
citement to their successors to emulate the deeds
of the heroes.
A TRIBUTE FOR THE NEGRO SOLDIER 9
Owing to the activity of the German intelli¬
gence department with its vast network of spies,
and the necessity to avoid affording the enemy
any clew to the position and nature of the troops
opposed to him at any specific point, the War
Offices of the Allies have covered the doings of
the various units of the army with a veil of se¬
crecy which is seldom lifted. I am, however, per¬
mitted to definitely name the following battalions,
and to quote the following "citations" as speci¬
mens of the appreciation by the High Command
of the deeds of "Les Tirailleurs."
"The Sixty-first Senegalese Battalion specially
distinguished itself on July 9 and 10, 1916, by the
tenacity and vigor of its attacks. By severe fight¬
ing carried five successive lines of enemy trenches
and a very strong position which it held in spite
of furious counter attacks by the enemy. Took
1,000 prisoners."
"The Thirty-sixth Senegalese Battalion on Octo¬
ber 24, 1916, advanced to the attack on the Ger¬
man lines in perfect order, brilliantly carried the
first enemy line, then reforming carried the ob¬
jective assigned to it, after an energetic progress
of more than two kilometers."
"The Twenty-ninth Battalion of Senegalese
Sharpshooters: Under the orders of Command¬
ant Champel bore stoically and without shelter
very violent bombardment during one day and two
nights, then on April 17, 1917, in spite of serious
losses, sprang forward to the assault of an al¬
most inaccessible enemy position three times, call¬
ing forth cries of admiration from the next regi¬
ment, entered it and maintained itself there."
10 A TRIBUTE FOR THE NEGRO SOLDIER
The stuff of Which There are numerous instances of
eroes are m e record Gf the heroism of black and
colored men in the British army.
Among some of the more notable and conspicuous
may be cited the case of Private Gordon, of the
First West Indian Regiment, who while fighting
against natives in the hinterland of Sierra Leone
won the Victoria Cross by conspicuous bravery
which saved the life of a European officer.
Sergeant Daniels, of the Gold Coast Regiment,
gained special distinction fighting against Ashantis,
taking charge of the battalion when its white offi¬
cers were killed, leading them successfully against
the enemy. For this act he was promoted a lieu¬
tenant and subsequently transferred to the South¬
ern Nigeria police force as instructor.
A private of the Northern Nigeria Regiment, com¬
posed of the fighting Hausa tribe, while fighting
in the Kamerun (German East Africa colony), 1915-
1916, won the West African Medal by a daring act
of courage, swimming the river with a machine gun
on his back, in the face of a hot fire from the
enemy.
The white British army in the Zulu War, armed
with modern instruments of destruction, were se¬
verely defeated by the Zulus at Ulindi and Isandula
by Zulus armed only with assegais, under King
Cetewayo.
The Italian army, advancing from Italian Soma-
liland into Abyssinian territory, were defeated by
Abyssinian troops with great slaughter. This en¬
ergetic action on the part of the Abyssinian army
put a check to Italian land-grabbing schemes in
that direction. 1899.
The Herreros of German Southwest Africa fought
a guerilla campaign against the German Colonial
army with varying successes until the native tribe
were wiped out.
A TRIBUTE FOR THE NEGRO SOLDIER 11
NEGROES ARE EASILY TRAINED.
sir Garnet Wol»eiy's j <j0 not think Europeans learn
Soldiers 6Br# drill as quickly as the Bantu or
the Zulu. It is astonishing to see
the zeal, the undisguised interest and application
these savages bring to bear upon all military les¬
sons given to them. They take the utmost pride in
being soldiers and in acquiring any art or drill or
exercise connected with the management and han¬
dling of arms or the movements of armed bodies.
There seems to be something in the disposition and
genius of the common stock from which they come,
some hereditary bias in their brain, in their very
blood, which fits them for the easy acquisition of
a soldier's duties.—General Viscount Wolseley,
Fortnightly Review. 1899.
Refrain of Ashanti War Song.
If I go forward I die,
If I go backward I die;
Better go forward and die.
12 A TRIBUTE FOR THE NEGRO SOLDIER
GREAT MILITARY LEADERS.
Pure Fighting: strain in every war fought by civilized
nations the Negro has played a
conspicuous part, either as a pri¬
vate in the ranks or as an intrepid and courageous
leader, and he has proved his worth and value as a
fighter on every battle field of the world since the
dawn of civilization. Thp Numidians and Moors
under Gracchus fought as bravely for their liberty
as did the black men and white men under Wash¬
ington for American independence, and under Grant
and Sherman and Sheridan in the War of the Re¬
bellion for the preservation of the Union, and the
ultimate freedom of the black man. No race has a
monopoly of intellect or of courage; the germs of
these lie hidden in the hearts and brains of men of
every race and only need opportunity for their full
development. The science of war is no novelty to
the black man. Hanno, Hamilcar, Imilcon, Hannibal,
Scipio Africanus, Pompey, Cimon and Belisarius
were all of them great military leaders and com¬
manded and led black men into battle as well as
men of other nationalities. Scipio Africanus, who
was a citizen of Rome, was an Ethiopian and pre¬
vailed against Hannibal about 146 B. C. This was
the last Punic war, and it terminated in the over¬
throw of Carthage. The interview between Hanni¬
bal and Scipio Africanus preceding the battle of
Zama is most affecting. "Since fate," said Hanni¬
bal, "has so ordained it that I, who began the war
and who have been so often on the point of ending
it by a complete conquest, should now come of my
own motion to ask a peace, I am glad it is of you,
Scipio, I have the fortune to ask it. Nor will this
be among the least of your glories, that Hannibal,
victorious over so many Roman generals, submitted
at last to you." Scipio's reply to this showed that
magnanimity united to courage was a characteris¬
tic of the African generals of antiquity. The great
A TRIBUTE FOR THE NEGRO SOLDIER 13
and illustrious Hannibal could surrender only to his
peer in military prowess, and he, like himself, an
African.
THE BLACKS UNDER TIBERIUS GRACCHUS,
A ROMAN.
The legions which he had with him consisted
mostly of volunteer slaves who had chosen rather
to merit their liberty in silence, by the service of
a second year, than to request it openly. He had
observed, however, as he was leaving his winter
quarters, that the troops on their march began
to murmur, asking whether they were ever to
serve as free citizens? He had, however, writ¬
ten to the Senate insisting not so much on their
wishes as on their merits, declaring that he had
found them faithful and brave in the service; and
excepting a free condition they wanted no quali¬
fication of complete soldiers." Authority was given
him to act in that business, as he himself should
judge conducive to the good of the public. Be¬
fore he resolved upon coming to an engagement,
therefore, he gave public notice that the time was
now come when they might obtain the liberty
which they had so long wished for; that he in¬
tended next day to engage the enemy in regular
battle in a clear, open plain without any fear of
strategems, the business might be decided by the
mere dint of valor. Every man then who should
bring home the head of an enemy he would in¬
stantly by his own authority set free; and every¬
one who should retreat from his post he would
punish in the same manner as a slave. Every man's
lot now depended on his own exertion; and as
security for their obtaining their freedom, not he
14 A TRIBUTE FOR THE NEGRO SOLDIER
himself stood pledged, but the Consul Marcellus
and even the whole Senate, who having been con¬
sulted by him on the subject of their freedom, had
authorized him to determine in the case. He then
read the consul's letter and the decree of the Sen¬
ate, on which a universal shout of joy was raised.
They eagerly demanded the fight, and ardently
pressed him to give the signal instantly. Gracchus
gave notice that they should be gratified on the
following day, and then dismissed the assembly.
The soldiers exulting with joy, especially those
who were to receive their liberty as the price of
their active efforts for one day, spent the rest
of their time until night in getting their arms in
readiness."
* * * * ♦
The next day as soon as the trumpets began
to sound to battle, the above mentioned men, the
first of all, assembled around the generals quar¬
ters, ready and marshaled for the fight. At sun¬
rise Gracchus led out his troops to the field, nor
did the enemy hesitate to meet him. Their force
consisted of 17,000 foot, mostly Brittians and Lu-
canians, and 12,000 horse, among whom were very
few Italians. Almost all the rest were Numidians
and Moors."—Bakers Livy's Rome. Vol. 3
(If there is any distinction here on account of
color we have the case of Numidians and Moors
fighting for their liberty. The distinction between
them and Negroes we leave to others whose sight
is very refined).
The Romans gainedi a complete victory, and
Tiberius Gracchus in an imposing spectacle, gave
these blacks their freedom and secured it to them
and their posterity forever. The Roman Senate
afterward, by a decree, made it permanent. The
Romans held different degrees of slaves and of
various nations. Some of the Germans, many of
the Asiatic nations and many of the African tribes
A TRIBUTE FOR THE NEGRO SOLDIER 15
were held as slaves. There was no distinction
ever made between them on account of their color.
Their condition, not their color, fixed their slavery.
A BRAVER DEED NEVER DONE.
Brazilian Medal During the reign of John the
Commemorates r- ,1 r r> -t j ia
Brave Deed. tourth of Brazil, an unadulter¬
ated Negro, Henry Diaz, organ¬
ized a regiment of blacks, of which he was made
colonel, to fight against the Dutch. He met with
some opposition in his efforts, but finally succeed¬
ed in obtaining not only permission to organize this
regimtat, but the commission as colonel of it. This
regiment accomplished in a short time what the
white regiments, after eight years of almost con¬
stant warfare against the Dutch, failed to do. It
took from the Dutch the fortress of Cinco Pontos
and placed the Portuguese flag on its tower. When
Diaz informed the commander-in-chief of his plan
to take this fortress which had been held so long
by the Dutch, he overhead him say to one of his
staff as he was leaving: "It is a Nigger plan." He
took no notice of the slur, but proceeded with his
plans. He ordered his men to lay aside their mus¬
kets, to retain their side arms, to take a pair of
pistols in their belts and to carry upon their shoul¬
ders a heap of wood tightly bound together with
osier bands. Thus prepared, at 2 o'clock in the
morning he gave the command to march toward
the fort. The night was dark and the column ar¬
rived at their destination in perfect safety. Si¬
lently and rapidly they deposited their bundles in
the deep trench, beginning at the outer margin and
building successive layers toward the wall; as fast
as the operation was performed they filed off and
formed companies in readiness to scale the wall as
16 A TRIBUTE FOR THE NEGRO SOLDIER
soon as this combined bridge and ladder should be
completed. They were obliged to wait but a brief
period. The Roman warriors could not have buried
the parricide woman under their shields with more
celerity than the soldiers of Diaz filled up the
fosse and formed an ascent to the wall. Diaz was
the first to leap upon the ramparts, the first sen¬
tinel he met was laid dead at his feet. The garri¬
son was sleeping and before they were completely
aroused the blacks had gained the greater part of
the fortress. As soon as the Dutch recovered a lit¬
tle from their first surprise and confusion they
formed a compact phalanx and offered desperate
resistance. Diaz received a sabre wound which shat¬
tered the bones of his left arm above the wrist.
Finding that it would take the surgeon some time
to adjust the bones and arrange the dressing, he
bade him cut off the hand, saying, "It is of less con¬
sequence to me than a few moments time just now.".
This being done, he again rushed into the hottest
of the fight, and although the Dutch had greatly
the advantage in the use of their artillery and mus¬
kets, they could not long withstand the determined
bravery of their assailants; fighting hand to hand,
they soon killed or captured the whole garrison
and took possession of their immense stores of pro¬
visions and ammunition. When the darkness and
smoke cleared away, the Portuguese flag was seen
waving from the tower of Cinco Pontos. "The Nig¬
ger plan" had proved successful, and the com¬
mander-in-chief could scarcely believe the evidence
of his own senses. At the request of John the
Fourth, Diaz visited Portugal, where he was re¬
ceived with great distinction. The king desired him
to choose any reward within his power to bestow.
Diaz merely requested that his regiment might be
perpetuated and none admitted to its ranks but
those of his own color. This was granted, and a
considerable town and territory were appropriated
to secure pensions to these brave blacks. The town
is called Estancia and is situated a short distance
A TRIBUTE FOR THE NEGRO SOLDIER 17
from Pernambuco. The king conferred knighthood
on Diaz and caused a medal to be struck in com¬
memoration of the capture of Cinco Pontos. It was
likewise ordained that the regiment should ever
bear the name of its first commander. Its uniform
is white, faced with red and embroidered with gold.
OUR RACE HAS SUPERIOR MILITARY SKILL.
An Octette Hannibal, Toussaint L'Ouverture,
Negro^Generals Dessalines, Maceo, Henry Diaz,
Estonois, Cetewayo, Menelik and
hundreds of other intrepid Negro military leaders
who have signalized themselves on the battle fields
of the world, attest the fighting qualities of the
Negro race and have proved that by their deeds
its right to be. Dessalines vanquished the French
army commanded by Rochambeau, who was sent
to Santo Domingo to conquer and subjugate the
blacks. He drove him out of the country and
he came to America and joined the Ameri¬
can army, where he distinguished himself and won
a monument or two. The wily black general was
more than a match for the Frenchman.
Maceo, one of the greater generals of Cuba, was
representative of the black race, like Dodds in
France and Dumas pere. Estinoz of Cuba, a black
man, was a dashing leader, beloved by his race,
as was Maceo, and both were victims of treachery
because of their growing popularity and the fear
that they would some day carve with their swords
the way to freedom and independence for black
and colored men in the Antilles. The lives of these
great men should inspire and hearten the youth
of the Negro race, for' they have set an example
which they may worthily follow.
18 A TRIBUTE FOR THE NEGRO SOLDIER
THE HIGHEST FORM OF COURAGE.
On Feb. 17, 1917, the steamer Athos, having on
board a battalion of Sengalese, was torpedoed by
a submarine when about two miles from Malta.
The troops 'were at once drawn up and obeying
commands calmly as if on parade, they lowered
the boats and rafts and transferred the women
and children thereto. Some of them jumped into
the sea four or five times to rescue passengers
who had been seized with panic and jumped over¬
board, until the last civilian had been placed in
safety not a single Sengalese boarded the two
torpedo boats which were escorting the ship.
There remained on board only the guard on duty,
consisting of a section and a half, when the Athos
suddenly plunged at the hour of 12:40 p. m. As
the ship sank the guard was seen to draw up in
line and present arms to the flag, impassive and
unmoved they stood until the waters swallowed
them up. Honor to the heroes. The high com¬
mand has preserved their memory by a general
order to the army. The battalion gave the most
splendid example of coolness and discipline. The
sentries died at their posts in the discharge of
their duties, although they had not yet received
their "baptism of fire." They had proved them¬
selves soldiers of the highest order, maintaining
their discipline and calmly performing their duty
in the face of imminent death.—H\ F. Hutchinson,
Negro War Correspondent at the European Front.
A TRIBUTE FOR THE NEGRO SOLDIER 19
NEGROES IN THE NAVY.
Following testimony as to the efficiency and
courage of Negroes as sea fighters is submitted:
Providence, October 18, 1862.
My Dear Sir:
In reply to your inquiries about the employing
of blacks in our navy in the year 1812, and particu¬
larly in the battle of Lake Erie, I refer you to docu¬
ments in Mackenzie's Life of Commodore Perry,
Vol. I, pp. 166-187.
In 1814 our fleet sailed to the upper lakes to co¬
operate with Col. Croghan at Mackinac. About one
in ten or twelve of the crew were blacks. In 1816,
I was surgeon of the Java, under Commodore Perry,
the white and colored seamen messed together.
About one in six or eight were Colored. In 1819,
I was surgeon of the Guerrere under Commodore
MacDonough, and the proportion of blacks was
about the same in her crew. There seemed to be
an entire absence of prejudice against the blacks
as messmates among the crew. What I have said
applies to the crews of other ships that sailed in
squadrons.
Yours respectfully,
USHER PARSONS.
To George Livermore, Esq.
The documents referred to are two letters, the
first written to Commodore Chauncey in the sum¬
mer of 1813, by Captain, afterwards Commodore,
Perry, expressing dissatisfaction with the appear¬
ance of the men who had been sent to him for his
squadron on Lake Erie before that famous battle.
"Sir: I have this moment received by express the
enclosed letter from General Harrison. If I had
20 A TRIBUTE FOR THE NEGRO SOLDIER
officers and men, and I have no doubt you will
send them, I could fight the enemy and proceed up
the lake, but having no one to command the Niag¬
ara, and only one commissioned lieutenant and two
acting lieutenants, whatever my wishes may be, go¬
ing is out of the question. The men that came
by Mr. Champlin are a motley set, blacks, soldiers
and boys. I cannot think you saw them after they
were selected. I am, however, pleased to see any¬
thing in the shape of man."
This letter called forth from Commodore Chaun-
cey the following sharp reply:
"Sir: I have been duly honored with your letters
of the 23rd and 26th ultim, and notice your anxiety
for men and officers. I am equally anxious to fur¬
nish you, and no time shall be lost in sending offi¬
cers to you as soon as the public service will allow
me to send them from this lake. I regret that you
are not pleased with the men sent you by Messrs.
Champlin and Forrest, for, to my knowledge, a part
of them are not surpassed by any seamen we have
in the fleet, and I have yet to learn that the color
of the skin, or the cut and trimmings of the coat
can affect a man's qualifications or usefulness. I
have nearly fifty blacks on board of this ship and
many of them are among my best men; and those
people you call soldiers have been to sea from two
to seventeen years, and I presume that you will
find them as good and useful as any men on board
of your vessel; at least, if I can judge by compari¬
son; for those which we have on board of this
ship are attentive and obedient, and as far as I
can judge, many of them excellent seamen. At any
rate, the men sent to Lake Erie have been selected
with a view of sending a fair proportion of petty
officers and seamen; and I presume upon examina-
A TRIBUTE FOR THE NEGRO SOLDIER 21
tion it will be found they are equal to those upon
this lake.—Mackenzie's Life of Perry. Vol. I, pp.
186-187.
BRITISH CAPTAIN CHAGRINED BY HIS
CONQUERORS.
Perry found these Negroes fully up to the stand¬
ard as seamen and fighters and he did not hesi¬
tate afterwards to bestow a full measure of praise
upon them.
The Analectic Magazine, Vol III, page 225, says:
"Perry speaks highly of the bravery and good
conduct of the Negroes who formed a considerable
part of his crew. They seemed to be insensible to
danger. When Captain Barclay came on board the
Niagara and beheld the sickly and parti-colored
beings around him, an expression of chagrin escaped
him at having been conquered by such men.
The fresh water service had much impaired the
health of the sailors, and crowded the sick list with
patients."
NEVER QUAILED IN THE FACE OF DEATH.
Among the Negroes who distinguished themselves
at the battle of Lake Erie were John Johnson and
John Davis. A twenty-four pounder struck the for¬
mer in the hip, and took away all the lower part
of his body, fn tfris state, he lay on deck and ex-
22 A TRIBUTE FOR THE NEGRO SOLDIER
claimed to his mates: "Fire away, boys; nor haul
a color down." John Davis was similarly injured
and several times requested to be thrown over¬
board, saying he was only in the way of others."
Commander Nathaniel Shaler, of the private armed
schooner, Gov. Tompkins, reporting these incidents
in a letter to his agent in New York, concluded it
as follows: "When America has such tars, she has
little to fear from the tyrants of the ocean."
A TRIBUTE FOR THE NEGRO SOLDIER 23
HIS RECORD IN AMERICA PROVES NEGRO
BRAVERY.
BUNKER HILL MONUMENT IS
SHARED WITH US.
Edward Everett, the silver tongued orator of
Massachusetts, in his oration at the dedication of
the monument to Gen. Joseph Warren, among
other things said:
"It commemorates no individual man or state.
It stands, indeed,, on the soil of Massachusetts,
where the battle was fought, but there it stands
equally for Connecticut, New Hampshire and
Rhode Island, and the younger sisters of the New
England family. Vermont and Maine whose troops
shared with ours the dangers and honors .of the
day. It stands for Prescott and Warren, but not
less for Putnam and Stark and Greene. No name
adorns the shaft, but ages hence, though our alpha¬
bet may become as obscure as those which cover
the monuments of Nineveh and Babylon, its unin-
scribed surface (on which monarchs might be proud
to engrave their titles) will perpetuate the mem¬
ory of the 17th of June. It is the monument of
the day of the event of the Battle of Bunker Hill.
All of the brave men who shared its perils—alike
of Prescott and Putnam and Warren, the chiefs
of the day, and the colored man (Peter) Salem,
who is reported to have shot the gallant Pitcairn
as he mounted the parapet. Cold as the clods on
which it rests, still as the silent heavens to which
it soars, it is yet vocal eloquent in their undi¬
vided praise."
The event which evoked this tribute to the gal¬
lant Salem is more particularly described in a
letter by Aaron White, Esq., of Thompson, Conn.,
in answer to an inquiry on this subject. He writes:
24 A TRIBUTE FOR THE NEGRO SOLDIER
"With regard to the black hero of Bunker Hill,
I never knew him personally, nor did I ever hear
from his lips the story of his achievement, but
I have better authority. About the year 1807 I
heard a soldier of the Revolution who was pres¬
ent at the Bunker Hill battle, relate to my father
the story of the death of Major Pitcairn. He said:
'The major had passed the storm of our fire with¬
out and had mounted the redoubt when, waving
his sword he commanded in a loud voicei the
rebels to surrender. His sudden appearance and
his commanding air at first startled the men im¬
mediately before him. They neither answered nor
fired, probably not being exactly certain what
was next to be done. At this critical moment a
Negro soldier stepped forward and aiming his mus¬
ket directly at the major's bosom, blew him
through.' My informant declared that he was so
near that he distinctly saw the act. The story
made quite an impression on my mind. I have
frequently heard.my father relate the story, and
have no doubt of its truth. My father on the day
of the battle was a mere child and witnessed the
battle and the burning of Charlestown from Rox-
bury Hill, sitting on the shoulders of Rev. Mr.
Jackson, who said to him as he replaced him on
the ground: 'Now boy do you remember this.'
Consequently after such an injunction he would
necessarily pay particular attention to anecdotes
concerning the first and only battle he ever wit¬
nessed."—An Historical Research.
FOUGHT SIDE BY SIDE.
A single passage from Bancroft's History will
give a succinct and clear account of the condition
of the army in respect to Negro soldiers at the
time of the Battle of Bunker Hill:
A TRIBUTE FOR THE NEGRO SOLDIER 25
"Nor should history forget to record that as in
the army at Cambridge, so also in this gallant
band the free Negroes of the Colony had their
representatives. For the right of free Negroes to
bear arms in the public defense was, at that day,
as little disputed in New England as their other
rights. They took their place not in a separate
corps, but in the ranks with the white man, and
their names may be read on the pension rolls
of the country side by side with those of other
soldiers of the Revolution."—Livemore's "An Histori¬
cal Research."
Negrroes as As early as 1652 the militia law of
Revolution,*1776 Massachusetts required Negroes,
Scotchmen and Indians, the in¬
dentured slaves of Cromwell, who encountered his
army at the Battle of Dunbar, to train in the militia.
Those Negroes who displayed unusual courage in
defending their masters' families from the attacks
of prowling bands of Indians in their absence from
home were not infrequently given their freedom.
The early Colonists regarded the Indians with more
terror than they did the boa constrictor, and their
slaves fully realized that if captured by Indians
they would share the same, if not a worse fate,
than the whites, and so they fought them with the
same desperation as did the whites, and they came
to be so proficient in the use of arms of precision
that one of the first acts of the settlers after the
Indians were driven from the forest was to disarm
and forbid Negroes keeping or handling firearms
and weapons of every sort.—The Black Phalanx, by
Col. Jas. T. Wilson.
Negroes in the Fear that the English with
British Army whom the Colonists were at war
would arm the slaves and employ
them as soldiers against the Americans led ulti¬
mately to the enlistment of many slaves and free
men of color in the American army. In March, 1779,
26 A TRIBUTE FOR THE NEGRO SOLDIER
the following resolution was reported to Congress:
"Resolved, That it be recommended to the states
of South Carolina and Georgia that if they shall
think the same expedient, to take measures imme¬
diately for raising three thousand able-bodied Ne¬
groes."
The states of South Carolina and Georgia did not
then seem to think it was expedient, and General
Lincoln, who was at that time in command at
Charleston, in a letter to Governor Rutledge,
dated March 13, 1780, says:
"Give me leave to add once more that I think
the measure of raising a black corps a necessary
one; that I have great reason to believe if per¬
mission is given for it that many men would soon
be obtained. I have repeatedly urged this matter,
not only because Congress has recommended it and
because it thereby becomes my duty to attempt to
have it executed, but because my own mind sug¬
gests the utility and importance of the measure,
as the safety of the town makes it necessary."
What higher compliment than this could be paid
to the Negro soldier as a protector of life and
property? Subsequently the delegations from those
states in Congress informed that body that such a
body of troops would be not only formidable to
the enemy but would lessen the danger of revolts
and desertions among the slaves themselves.
"Three regiments of the British army arrived
in Chesapeake Bay in the middle of August, 1814.
General Ross commanded the land forces. Ad¬
miral Cockburn, the fleet, their first measure was
to take possession of Tangier Island, where they
erected fortifications, built store houses and
hoisted the British flag, inviting at the same time
the Negroes in the adjoining provinces to join
the British force in the island and offering them
emancipation in the event of their doing so. Seven¬
teen hundred speedily appeared, were enrolled and
A TRIBUTE FOR THE NEGRO SOLDIER 27
disciplined and proved of no small service in sub¬
sequent operations."—Allison's History of Europe.
Vol. XIII, p. 438.
Drove Back Qn April 19, 1775, Negroes fought
ThrM*Timeg side by with the white men of
New England when Major Pitcairn
of the British army fell mortally wounded by the
shot of Peter Salem, a Negro soldier of the Con¬
tinental army. A distinguished historian of the
period, speaking of the heroic deeds of these Ne¬
gro defenders of the flag, said:
"Indeed, it is hardly too much to say that some
of the most heroic deeds of the War of Independ¬
ence were performed by black men."
Colonel Christopher Greene, hero of Red Bank,
commanded a Negro regiment that had been raised
in Rhode Island. Of this regiment Governor Eus-
tis of Massachusetts, who had been Secretary of
War under Jefferson, said:
"They discharged their duty with zeal and fidel¬
ity, the gallant defense of Red Bank in which this
regiment bore a part is among the proofs of their
valor."
Tristam Burgess in the House of Representatives
in 1828 said of them that no braver men met the
enemy in battle. Arnold in his history of Rhode
Island says :
"It was in repelling these furious onsets that
the newly raised black regiment under Colonel
Greene distinguished itself by deeds of desperate
valor. Posted behind a thicket in the valley they
three times drove back the Hessians who charged
repeatedly down the hill to dislodge them."
Connecticut also raised a battalion of black sol¬
diers which was commanded by Colonel David
Humphrey of Washington's staff.
28 A TRIBUTE FOR THE NEGRO SOLDIER
Negroes in the War Every school boy is, or ought to
1812 be, familiar with the famous proc¬
lamation of Andrew Jackson,
dated at Mobile, Ala., Sept. 2, 1814, calling upon the
free Colored inhabitants of Louisiana, as "sons of
freedom," to enlist and arm against the British,"
and with his flattering address to them after they
had served faithfully in the ranks. It is worth
reproducing here:
"To the Men of Color: Soldiers! From the
shores of Mobile, I collected you to arms—I invited
you to share in the perils and to divide the glory
of your white countrymen. I expected much from
you, for I was not uninformed of those qualities
which must render you so formidable to an invad¬
ing foe. I knew that you could endure hunger and
thirst and all the hardships of war. I knew you
loved the land of your nativity, and that like our¬
selves you had to defend all that is most dear to
man, but you surpass mv hopes. I have tound in
you united to those qualities that noble enthusiasm
which impels to great deeds. Soldiers, the President
of the United States shall be informed of your con¬
duct on the present occasion, and the voices of the
representatives of the American nation shall ap¬
plaud your valor as your general now praises your
ardor. The enemy is near, his sails cover the lakes,
but the brave are united, and if he finds us con¬
tending among ourselves it will be for the prize of
valor and fame, its noblest reward."
In the War of 1812 the Negroes who enlisted in
the state of Ohio rendered invaluable service to
that state by their heroic conduct in repelling the
British. They fought side by side with white JTien,
and united they drove the invader out,
A TRIBUTE FOR THE NEGRO SOLDIER 29
Military Prowess A Negro soldier named Lambert
Antiquity*1 ° avenged the death of the com¬
mander, Col. Ledyard, at the de¬
fense of Fort Griswold on the Heights of Groton
by killing the British officer who, upon receiving
Colonel Ledyard's sword, ran that weapon through
his body. Lambert thrust his bayonet through the
British officer and then fell himself, pierced with
thirty-three bayonet wounds. These were the kind
of Negro soldiers which the beginning of the first
century of American Independence produced. The
great-grandchildren of the black men who helped
to make this a nation and the union perpetual are
just as loyal, patriotic and heroic as were their
illustrious grandsires.
The Negro has covered himself with glory as
the record shows in all the wars of this Repub¬
lic; he has proved his worth and value as a "fight¬
ing man" on land and sea.
Early law Makers The mighty Ethiopian General
^hmaZseso"dier8 Zerah commanded an army of a
thousand thousand and three hun¬
dred chariots (II Chronicles 14:9), so that it is
clear that while the Negro race is not a warlike
race in the sense that other races with covetous
eyes and grasping hands are, it has never avoided
war when it was forced upon it and has always
convinced those with whom it has engaged in war
that they have been in battle with a people worthy
of their steel. The Hon. Mr. Martindale, a con¬
gressman from the state of New York, said in a
speech in the House, January 22, 1838: "Blacks who
had been slaves were enlisted as soldiers in the
War of the Revolution, and I myself saw a battal¬
ion of them, as fine martial looking men as I ever
saw, attached to the Northern army in the last
war on its march from Plattsburg to Sackett's Har¬
bor." And the Hon. Chas. Miner, of Pennsylvania,
in Congress said, February 7, 1828: "The African
race make excellent soldiers, large numbers of them
30 A TRIBUTE FOR THE NEGRO SOLDIER
were with Perry and aided him to gain the bril¬
liant victory on Lake Erie. A whole battalion of
them was distinguished for its soldierly appear¬
ance." And the Hon. Mr. Clark, in the convention
which revised the Constitution of New York in
1821, said in regard to the right of suffrage of Col¬
ored men: "In the War of the Revolution these
people helped to fight your battles by land and by
sea. Some of your states were glad to turn out
corps of Colored men and to stand shoulder to
shoulder with them. In your late war, 1812, they
contributed largely toward your most splendid vic¬
tories on Lake Erie and Lake Champlain, where
your fleets triumphed over a foe superior in num¬
bers and engines of death. They were manned in
large proportion with men of color. And in this
very house, in the fall of 1814, a bill passed, receiv¬
ing the approbation of all branches of your gov¬
ernment, authorizing the governor to accept the
services of two thousand free people of color."
Jlrs't ®?8:anized The first fighting done by or-
«v1TWar00p8 ganized Negro troops appears to
have been done by Company A,
First S. Ca. Negro regiment, St. Helena Island, Nov.
3-10, 1862, while participating in an expedition along
the coast of Georgia and Florida under Lieut.-Col.
O. T. Beard of the Forty-eighth New York infan¬
try, who in his report said of them;
"The colored men fought with astonishing cool¬
ness and bravery. I found them all I could desire,
more than I had hoped. They behaved gloriously
and deserve all praise.
From Fleetwood's "The Negro as a Soldier."
Pure Grit and The Sixth U. S. C. T. was organ-
Cold Steel Win ;zed at Shelton Hill) pa-) july 26,
1863. The field officers were J. H.
Ames, colonel; Clarke E. Raye, lieutenant-colonel;
Joseph B. Kiddoo, major. This regiment took a
A TRIBUTE FOR THE NEGRO SOLDIER 31
conspicuous part in the Battle of Olustee, where
it suffered great loss. At Sugar Loaf Hill in the
same state, Captain N. J. Hotchkiss was mortally
wounded and the regiment sustained heavy losses
in February of that year during a sharp engage¬
ment with the rebels. Among the wounded were
Lieut. D. K. Healey and Lieutenant Fields, com¬
manding Company A was killed outright. Upon the
death of Lieutenant Fields the direction of the line
devolved upon Sergeant Richard Carter, a black
man. After the battle Sergeant Carter was pub¬
licly complimented by Colonel Ames for the skill¬
ful and brave manner in which he handled his men
on the skirmish line in the face of a hot and with¬
ering fire from the enemy. Sergeant Carter and
his men, nerved with sinews of steel and the cour¬
age of lions, met and repulsed the rebels at every
point.
Negro Volunteers Corporal James Harris of 38th U.
Corporal****0 S. C. T., which made the first suc¬
cessful charge at Fort Gilmore
Sept. 29, 1864, was one of the first to volunteer to
take one hundred black soldiers in the face of the
enemy under a galling fire ff^ni their sharp shoot¬
ers and strengthen their position. When it became
apparent that the works would be assaulted Har¬
ris ordered his men to the rear and remained at
his post of danger until he drove the last stake.
There was not a white officer there to give him in¬
structions or to inspire him with the courage he
so coolly displayed. Fir this act of bravery Gen.
B. F. Butler presented him with a badge of honor
which he wore up to the day of his death. For
leading the charge on Fort Gilmore he was award¬
ed another badge for gallant and meritorious serv¬
ice, though it was won only after a rebel bullet
had ploughed through his cheeks. Another Negro
distinguished for great bravery was Sergeant John
A. Scott of Company H, Twenty-second U. S. C.
T. Its officers being disabled, he assumed com-
32 A TRIBUTE FOR THE NEGRO SOLDIER
mand of the company and led it successfully against
the enemy. The command never had an officer
in whom it reposed such implicit confidence nor
a braver, better drilled or more capable officer
than he. He was a born soldier and could have
handled an army with the same ease, coolness and
courage which he ever displayed while leading the
little command which he assumed on that momen¬
tous occasion.
«.° * The lamented James A. Garfield
ftC struck the keynote when he de¬
clared in his great speech in New
York in 1880 to the Boys in Blue "that we never
saw a traitor in a black skin." The Negro went
into the Union army to fight for his liberty as a
free man or to die as thousands of them did, in
defense of it. The Negro is going into the army
now to fight not alone for larger freedom for his
own race, but for the freedom of other races
which are now menaced, threatened by a great
European power, whose hand like Cain's is against
every man's hand. And the hand of every man
who loves and values liberty of conscience, of ut¬
terance and action, is against this overshadowing
spectre which has thrown itself athwart the hori¬
zon of all Europe and threatens the civilized world.
The annals of modern warfare do not record any
instances of bravery surpassing those performed by
these black defenders of the nation, some of whom
were raw troops with only a few months train¬
ing. In the Spanish-American war, as in the pres¬
ent world war, the Negro responded to the call of
duty with alacrity and performed it with loyalty
and fidelity. Thousands of instances could be cited
to show the patriotic devotion of the Negro to the
flag which for nearly a century had only been the
emblem of his stripes, yet he has fought and died
for it as heroically as any white soldier in battle
to whom it even now has a larger meaning than
to the Negro.
A TRIBUTE FOR THE NEGRO SOLDIER 33
Seventeen Win Under Act of Congress passed
Medals Of Honor July 12j 1862> the President was au¬
thorized to have prepared with
suitable emblematic devices medals of honor to be
presented in the name of Congress to such soldiers
as should most distinguish themselves by their gal¬
lantry in action and other soldierly qualities. So
chary has the government been in their issue that
the award did not reach two thousand among the
three millions of volunteers and regulars in the
army and navy, so that these medals are more rare
than the Victoria Cross of England, the Iron Cross
of Germany or the Cross of the Legion of Honor of
France. But seventeen Negroes won and received
them. The list follows :
C. A. Fleetwood, Sergeant Major, 4th U. S. Col¬
ored Troops.
Alfred B. Hilton, Color Sergeant, 4th U. S. Col¬
ored Troops.
Charles Veal, Corporal, 4th U. S. Colored Troops.
Milton M. Holland, Sergeant Major, 5th U. S. Col¬
ored Troops.
James Brownson, First Sergeant, 5th U. S. Colored
Troops.
Powhattan Beaty, First Sergeant, 5th U. S. Col¬
ored Troops.
Robert Penn, First Sergeant, 5th U. S. Colored
Troops.
Thomas R. Hawkins, Sergeant Major, 6th U. S.
Colored Troops.
Alex Kelly, First Sergeant, 6th U. S. Colored
Troops.
Samuel Gilchrist, Sergeant, 36th U. S. Colored
Troops.
Wm. Davis, Sergeant, 36th U. S. Colored Troops.
Miles James, Corporal, 36th U. S. Colored Troops.
James Gardner, Private, 36th U. S. Colored Troops.
Edward Ratcliffe, First Sergeant, 38th U. S. Col¬
ored Troops.
James Harris, Sergeant, 38th U. S. Colored Troops.
Wm, Barnes, Private, 38th U. S. Colored Troops.
34 A TRIBUTE FOR THE NEGRO SOLDIER
Decatur Dorsey, Sergeant, 39th U. . Colored
Troops.—Fleetwood's "The Colored Soldier."
Thorough Test of of the battle of Port Hudson
egro roop« jn Qur Qvjj war> Gen. Nathaniel P.
Banks, whom I knew very well,
said:
"Whatever doubts may have existed hereto¬
fore as to the efficiency of organizations of this
character (Negro regiments), the history of this
day proves conclusively to those who were in a
condition to observe the conduct of these regi¬
ments (the Fifty-fourth Massachusetts colored regi¬
ment) that the government will find in this class
of troops effective supporters and defenders.
"The severe tests to which they were subjected
and the determined manner in which they encoun¬
tered the enemy leaves upon my mind no doubt of
their ultimate success."
It was at this battle that the brave Captain Andre
Caillioux, with his brigade of black men, made a
charge upon the rebels that challenged the admira¬
tion of the Negroes' worst enemies. Caillioux was
killed in this charge and his body was not per¬
mitted to be removed by the enemy for twenty-
three days, even though a flag of truce was sent.
Of this incident Dr. A. H. Holt of Boston, an emi¬
nent physician and lecturer, in a letter to the au¬
thor Feb. 8, 1877, wrote:
"I also well remember that one of the captains,
a colored man of this colored regiment, was killed
close to the rebel earthworks at the assault on
Port Hudson June 14, 1863. I do not remember
his name, but he was a well known colored man
of New Orleans. He showed great bravery in this
attack. I remember his case well, because the rebel
commander would not allow us to bring his body
under a flag of truce, as we did our white com¬
rades who fell the same morning—and there it
A TRIBUTE FOR THE NEGRO SOLDIER 35
remained for twenty-three days, or until the sur¬
render of Port Hudson, when it was, if my mem¬
ory is correct, taken to New Orleans and buried
with marked military honors. I am sure his great
bravery was talked of in the army. The ungen¬
erous treatment of his remains by the rebels was
severely commented upon."
The Highest Form After the battle of New Market
Of Courage Heights Sept. 29, 1864, when these
brave black troops faced death as
gallantly as ever brave men did, General Benjamin
F. Butler issued an order, an excerpt from which is
here quoted:
"Of the colored soldiers of the third divisions of
the Eighteenth and Tenth corps and the officers
who led them, the general commanding desires to
make special mention. In the charge of the enemy's
works by the colored division of the Eighteenth
corps at New Market, better men were never bet¬
ter led, better officers never led better men. A
few more such gallant charges and to command
colored troops will be the post of honor in the
American armies. The colored soldier, by his cool¬
ness, steadiness, determined courage and dash, have
silenced every cavil of the doubters of their sol¬
dierly capacity, and drawn tokens of admiration
from their enemies, have brought their late mas¬
ters even to the consideration of the question
whether they will not employ as soldiers the hith¬
erto despised race."
Ten years after this order was issued the writer
sat in the gallery of the House of Representatives
at Washington and heard the debate on the Civil
Rights Bill introduced in the Senate by Charles
Sumner. Among the speakers was Benjamin F.
Butler, then a representative in that body from
Massachusetts. In the course of his speech he
said:
"There in a space not wider than the clerk's desk
36 A TRIBUTE FOR THE NEGRO SOLDIER
and three hundred yards long, lay the dead bodies
of 543 of my colored comrades, slain in defense of
their country, who had laid down their lives to up¬
hold its flag and its honor as a willing sacrifice.
And as I rode along guiding my horse this way and
that lest he should profane with his hoofs what
seemed to be the sacred dead, and as I looked at
their bronzed faces upturned in the shining sun as
if in mute appeal against the wrongs of the coun¬
try for which they had given their lives, and whose
flag had been to them a flag of stripes, in which
no star of glory had ever shone for them—feel¬
ing I had wronged them in the past, and believing
what was the future of my country to them, I
swore to myself a solemn oath: May my right
hand forget its cunning and my tongue cleave to
the roof of my mouth if ever I fail to defend the
rights of the men who have given their blood
for me and my country this day and for their race
forever. And God helping me I will keep the oath."
^8tinets The last charge at Appomattox
Retaliation was by the black brigades of Gen¬
erals Doubleday and William Bir-
ney, and the last man killed was Captain Falconer
of the Forty-first U. S. C. T. Although General
Forrest coldly murdered three-fourths of the gar¬
rison at Fort Pillow, making Fort Pillow the war
cry of colored troops, there is no record to show
that these murders at Petersburg and Fort Pillow
were retaliated by Negro soldiers. The brutish in¬
stinct in these black men was less defined than
that of the enemy against whom they fought.
One chivalric Southern captain gave as a reason
for the rebels fleeing before Negro troops that "we
could not expect the sons of Southern gentlemen
to fight 'niggers'."
A TRIBUTE FOR THE NEGRO SOLDIER 37
Marked_Military Qf the assault on the defenses
Honors m Cml of petersburg June 15> im> Gen.
W. F. Smith made this report on
the fighting of General Hicks' division of colored
troops:
"This day's work is one of the grandest of the
war. It will make the old Army of the Potomac
open wide its eyes. The earthworks so success¬
fully carried, are regarded as the most formidable
the army has encountered so far during the pres¬
ent campaign. The success has a peculiar value
and significance from the thorough test it has given
of the efficiency of Negro troops. Their losses
were heavy. In the thickest of the fight and un¬
der the most trying circumstances they never
flinched. The old Army of the Potomac, so long
prejudiced and so obstinately heretical on this sub¬
ject, stands amazed as they look at the works
captured by Negroes and are loud and unreserved
in their praise."—Personal Narratives, Services
With Colored Troops. Jas. H. Rickard.
Edward M. Stanton, the great Secretary of War
under Lincoln, wrote: "The hardest fighting was
done by the black troops, the forts they stormed
were the worst of all."
The Ages The world's standard of hero-
Braver 'sm *s Thermopolae, but the as¬
sault of Negro troops at the Cra¬
ter and the assault and capture of Fort Harrison
at New Market Heights without firing a gun, the
caps having been taken from the guns, using bayo¬
nets only, where General Butler says he counted
543 black heroes dead in a space not 300 yards long,
challenges Greek, Roman or any other heroism.
These blacks fighting with bayonets on the ram¬
parts of the fort at Milliken's Bend and success¬
fully bayonetting back Gen. Henry McCullough's
rebel division, is a record that can not be smirched
with sneers or prejudiced injustice.
38 A TRIBUTE FOR THE NEGRO SOLDIER
The Supreme The charge of Ferrero's division
Courage at Crater at Petersburg, Va.,
through a broken and demoralized
division of white troops, then forming line inside
the enemy's works and temporary capture of their
interior works with awful losses in killed, wound¬
ed and murdered, is a record to win back the
previously prejudiced judgment of the President,
cabinet, generals and officers of the Army of the
Potomac, who up to this time had thought Ne¬
groes all right for service in a menial capacity,
but from henceforth to take responsible places,
like the right flank of the Army at Deep Bolton,
Va., and the storming of strong works like Forts
Alexander and Gregg.—Personal Narrative, Rickard.
(Ibid).
The rebel General Forrest unwittingly contrib¬
uted perhaps to the success of colored troops, but
hereafter let no man say that black troops led by
graduates of Harvard and Yale and the sons of
the first families of the North, will not fight."
WISDOM IN WARFARE.
The idea of the cotton bale barricade erected
at New Orleans by Andrew Jackson to save the
city was not original with him. It was suggested
to him by one of his Negro soldiers, a native of
Africa, who had seen the experiment tried with
success at home. Still Jackson took credit for it.
But for a Negro familiar with the topography of
Vicksburg, Miss., and who showed Ulysses S. Grant
how to enter without the knowledge of the enemy
whom he wanted to surprise, the Vicksburg cam¬
paign might not have been so successful.
A TRIBUTE FOR THE NEGRO SOLDIER 39
SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR RECORD HIGHLY
CREDITABLE.
®an Of the famous charge of the
an ,9th and 10th cavalry, Col. Theo.
dore Roosevelt wrote: "The Ninth
and Tenth cavalry regiments fought, one on either
side of mine at Santiago, and I wish no better men
beside me in battle than these colored troops
showed themselves to be. Later on, when I come
to write of the campaign, I shall have much to say
about them."—Col. Theodore Roosevelt's letter to
John E. Bruce, Aug. 14, 1896.
These colored troops saved the day for Colonel
Roosevelt's regiment at Santiago, and heleped to
give to the Colonel mtich of the military promi¬
nence and prestige and fame which has since come
to him. Everyone is familiar with the story of
that famous charge, of how these black heroes
rushed the Spanish stronghold singing "There'll Be
a Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight."
One of the First at In the assault on San Juan
Spanish Blockhouse HiU) July ^ 189gj Corporal John
Walker of Troop D, Tenth cav-
alray; Private (now Corporal) Lucius Smith
and Sergeant James Elliott, both of the same
troop, distinguished themselves by an act of dar¬
ing and courage that commanded the admiration
of their officers and comrades. Just before the
foremost asasilants reached the foot of the hill,
the American artillery began firing over the assail¬
ants at the enemy on the top of the hill. Cor¬
poral Walker was about half way up the hill, and
the only persons near him except an officer who
was disabled, were Lieutenant Ord of the Sixth
U. S. infantry and Private (now Corporal) Smith.
The main line was about fifty yards in the rear
of this party. Lieutenant Ord observing that the
40 A TRIBUTE FOR THE NEGRO SOLDIER
artillery fire had caused a slowing up in the main
line, called out in a loud tone, looking toward the
main line and waving his hat: "Come on, men;
we've got 'em on the go!" Corporal Walker
reached the intrenchments about fifty yards in
advance of the main line, and the only persons
near him at that time were Lieutenant Ord, a
private of the Sixth U. S. infantry and a private
of the Sixth U. S. infantry. About twenty yards
to the rear of Corporal Walker was Corporal Lu¬
cius Smith, and about twenty-five yards back of
him was a scattering of other soldiers, foremost
among them being Sergeant James Elliott, Troop
D, Tenth Cavalry. Corporal Walker found two
Spaniards alive and a number of dead and wounded
in the intrenchments. These two threw up their
hands at once and surrendered. He took from one
of them a pearl handled pistol and handed it to
Lieutenant Ord, who said: "Let us go to the block¬
house and capture the men in it. " He led the
way and had only gone about four yards in the
direction of the block house and stood behind a
tree looking in the direction of the retreating
enemy when he was shot with a pistol directly
under the chin by a Spaniard on the other side pf
the tree. As he fell, he said: "If we had the rest
of the Tenth Cavalry here we could capture this
whole command." He died about five minutes after¬
ward, or about ten minutes after he was shot.
The man who shot him ran off. Corporal Walker
fired at him twice and saw him fall. Both shots
going through the small of the back.
This is a striking contrast with the action of
the Seventy-first New York, which started on the
run to the rear after the first volley was fired
by the Spaniards, and almost precipitated a panic.
White troops do not possess a monopoly of cour¬
age and Negro troops don't run like rabbits at the
crack of the rifle or the smell of burnt powder,
A TRIBUTE FOR THE NEGRO SOLDIER 41
NEGRO SCOUT IN THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR
On June 8, 1914, in the House of Representatives,
Hon. Martin B. Madden of Illinois cited instances
from American history to show the merit and serv¬
ice of the black citizen. Among other things he
said:
It will surprise many scholars familiar with Revo¬
lutionary history to learn that one of the most dar¬
ing feats of the War of the Revolution was per¬
formed by Caleb Barbour, a free Negro of New
York, and that by his aid Gen. Anthony Wayne was
able to recapture from the British Stony Point by
surprise July 16, 1779.
Stony Point, with its almost inaccessible heights,
was the recognized key to the British position in
New York. It was the route by the old French
and Indian road into Canada, whence the British
drew most of their supplies. The British took it
after a stubborn fight May 1, 1779, and since that
time, urged by Washington, General Wayne had
planned its recapture, but with little hope of suc¬
cess, when Barbour, famous as a scout in the Ameri¬
can service, returned one day with the British coun¬
tersign, and thus armed he led the American forces.
1,200 strong at the dead of night up the perilous,
heights and into the British lines and to victory.
As an evidence of the heroism of the Negro sol¬
dier in the early period of the country I quote the
following from the Annals of Congress, under date
of December 5, 1775:
"To the Honorable General Court of the Massa¬
chusetts Bay:
"The subscribers beg leave to report to your hon¬
orable house—which we do in justice to the char-
42 A TRIBUTE FOR THE NEGRO SOLDIER
acter of so brave a man—that under our observa¬
tion we declare that a negro man named Salem
Peer, of Colonel Frye's regiment. Captain Ames'
company, in the late Battle of Charleston, behaved
like an experienced officer as well as an excellent
soldier,
"To set forth particulars of his conduct would
be tedious. We would only beg to say in the per¬
son of this Negro centers a brave and gallant sol¬
dier. The reward due to so great and distinguished
a character we submit to Congress.
"Jona Breme, colonel; Thomas Nixon, lieutenant
colonel; Joseph Baker, lieutenant; Jonas Rich¬
ardson, captain; Ebenezer Varnam, second lieu¬
tenant; William Smith, captain; Richard Welsh,
lieutenant; William Prescott, colonel; Ephm.
Corey, lieutenant; Eliphalett Bodwell, sergeant;
William Hudson Ballard, captain; John Morton,
sergeant."
LED A SECOND CHARGE.
This is, indeed, a splendid and a well attested
tribute to the gallantry of a worthy Negro sol¬
dier of the Revolutionary War, and is only one of
the many instances wherein black men offered their
lives as willing sacrifices for a country the people
of which for years held their race in bondage.
During the War of 1812 a charging column of
the American army was repulsed and thrown into
great disorder. A colored soldier, a private in the
ranks, at the risk of his life, sprang upon a horse
near by and with great heroic effort rallied the
troops and led them back to a second charge, in
this way completely routing the enemy. This col¬
ored soldier was afterward rewarded by General
Jackson with the honorary title of major. Under
A TRIBUTE FOR THE NEGRO SOLDIER 43
the laws which existed at that time General Jack¬
son could not commission this gallant soldier, and
after the close of the war he returned to his home
in Nashville, Tenn., where he lived for many years
thereafter and was highly respected by the citi¬
zens of all races.
Our Civil War had many incidents not recorded
by any of the historians which showed the value
of colored men as a military force. For instance,
perhaps few persons are aware that there were
several thousand colored soldiers enlisted in white
regiments, as may be seen upon an examination
of our pension roll, while quite a number were
officers in such regiments.
Napoleon paid them a tribute when he trans¬
ferred Louisiana to the United States in the year
1803, when he was about to engage in a death strug¬
gle with England. He said at that time that—
"If a mere handful of poorly equipped Negro
soldiers in Santo Domingo could hold at bay for
two years and finally defeat over 60,000 of Eu¬
rope's best soldiers, I could not hold Louisiana
against England's great navy."
Napoleon therefore sold Louisiana. He also
stated at another time, with extreme admiration
for the valor of the black soldiers of Haiti, that—
with such soldiers, and led by me, I could defy
Europe in arms.
IN THE PHILIPPINES.
During the Philippine trouble it is related by Dr.
Joseph M. Heller, late major and surgeon, United
States Army, that during the campaign Capt. Bach¬
elor, a North Carolinian by birth and a hero if ever
there was one, with 350 colored troopers, a brave
44 A TRIBUTE FOR THE NEGRO SOLDIER
and splendidly disciplined band, marched and fought
their way over a distance of 310 miles in one month.
The route selected was over roads so difficult as
to be almost impossible of travel. In fact, the route
did not really deserve the name of roads, but were
simply trails, through which the men plodded along,
sinking at times to their knees in mud.
The expedition at the time was chasing Aguinaldo
through the northern and central portions of Luzon
and toward the China Sea. Dr. Heller stated that
he never saw men show truer courage than these
troops with Capt. Bachelor. They were insuffi¬
ciently clothed for the long march, and without
guides in a strange region, but through chilling
nights and sweltering days they forded 123 streams
and crossed precipices and mountains where the
daily average of ascent and descent was not less
than 8,000 feet. For three weeks these troops lived
on unaccustomed and insufficient foodstuffs and
drove the enemy twice from strong positions. They
captured many of the natives and set free more
than 400 prisoners. They finally forced the surren¬
der of the commander of the insurrecto forces and
made the people of Luzon enthusiastic advocates
of American supremacy. No other single command
during the Philippine trouble stood as many hard¬
ships or accomplished so much as these Negro sol¬
diers under Capt. Bachelor. Such was the report
made at the time; and although Gen. Lawton was
killed, Capt. Bachelor carried out his verbal orders,
and died of cholera in the Philippines, thus going to
his grave without any further reward of recogni¬
tion for one of the bravest expeditions ever at¬
tempted by soldiers in modern times.
CIVIL WAR STATISTICS.
They participated in 449 battles, and a few of
the colored regiments had the largest number of
men killed in any one single engagement. The
States furnishing these troops were:
A TRIBUTE FOR THE NEGRO SOLDIER 45
COLORED TROOPS IN CIVIL WAR.
Alabama 2,969
Arkansas 5,526
Colorado Territory 95
Connecticut 1,764
Delaware 954
District of Columbia 3,269
Florida 1,044
Georgia 3,486
Illinois 1,811
Indiana 1,537
Iowa - ...4.... 440
Kansas 2,080
Kentucky 23,703
Louisiana 24,052
Maine 104
Maryland 8,718
Massachusetts 3,966
Michigan 1,387
Minnesota 104
Mississippi - —- - 17,869
Missouri 8,344
New Hampshire 125
New Jersey 1,185
New York 4,125
North Carolina 5,035
Ohio —• 5,092
Pennsylvania 8,612
Rhode Island 1,837
South Carolina 5,462
Tennessee 20,133
Texas 47
Vermont - —■ 120
Virginia 5,723
West Virginia 196
Wisconsin ■■■* 165
Regiments of Infantry 138
Regiments of Cavalry 6
Regiments of Heavy Artillery 14
Regiments of Light Artillery 1
46 A TRIBUTE FOR THE NEGRO SOLDIER
CAMPS WHERE COLORED TROOPS ARE STA¬
TIONED.
February, 1918.
Name. Location.
Camp Devens Ayer, Mass.
Camp Upton Yaphank, N. Y.
Camp Dix Wrightstown, N. J.
Camp Meade Annapolis, Md.
Camp Lee Petersburg, Va.
Camp Jackson Columbia, S. C.
Camp Gordon Atlanta, Ga.
Camp Sherman Chillicothe, Ohio
Camp Taylor Louisville, Ky.
Camp Grant Rockford, 111.
Camp Pike Little Rock, Ark.
Camp Dodge Des Moines, la.
Camp Funston Fort Riley, Kan.
Camp Travis Fort Sam Houston, Tex.
Camp Lewis American Lake, Wash.
Camp Logan (Eighth Illinois) Houston, Tex.
Camp Stuart Newport News, Va.
A TRIBUTE FOR THE NEGRO SOLDIER 47
ONLY ONE SUCCESSFUL SLAVE REBELLION.
Wendell Phillips in his sublime tribute to Tous-
saint L'Ouverture, the Negro liberator of Hayti,
said:
"Some doubt the courage of the Negro. Go to
Hayti and stand 011 those fifty thousand graves
of the best soldiers France ever had, and ask them
what they think of the Negro's sword. And if that
does not satisfy you, go to France, to the splen¬
did mausoleum of the Counts of Rochambeau, and
to the eight thousand graves of Frenchmen who
skulked home under the English flag, and ask
them.
"There never was a slave rebellion successful
but one, and that was in St. Domingo. Every race
has been some time or other in chains. But there
never was a race that, weakened and degraded
by such chattel slavery, unaided tore off its own
fetters, forged them into swords and won its lib¬
erty on the battle field, but one, and that was the
black race of St. Domingo."
48 A TRIBUTE FOR Till'i XECRO SOLDIER
THE QUESTION IN ALL OUR HEARTS.
This, then is the record of the Negro as a war¬
rior from the earliest periods to the present hour
he is the same courageous, intrepid, fearless fight¬
er that his forefathers showed themselves to be
on every battle field of the world. The 500,000
black and Colored men who are now engaged in
the greatest war the world has ever witnessed,
like their black and Colored brothers in America
and the Numidians and Moors under Tiberius
Gracchus, are f'ghting as they fought to help save
the world for democracy. The incentive is wor:h
the sacrifice which these heroic blacks have made
and which others are now making to bring to full
fruition and realization the dream of the dark, sad
millions the wide world over. Tiberius Gracchus
and the iioman Senate made freedom a permanent
fact for the blacks who helped Rome to snatch vic¬
tory from its enemies.
Will moderns be less honorable when the curtain
will have fallen upon the bloody drama—the cruci¬
fixion of European civilization? Democracy,
brotherhood, justice only can revive and rehabili¬
tate the nations who shall survive in this titanic
struggle. The Negro, like the Lybians of old, will
be at the footsteps of these nations demanding his
place in the sun.
Did you not thrill with pride ov¬
er the foregoing fads? Are you
not proud of the achievements of
our race? Don't you believe it is a
real substantial service for our race
and country to have all Negroes
know what is herein set forth?
The publishers believe this little
book will be eagerly sought after,
and that sales agencies for it are a
good business opportunity. For
terms write
BRUCE AND FRANKLIN,
1309 East 18th Street
Kansas City, Missouri