,^ O > •• -n^o* ^0 ' C) J. "^ . •■ ' • ^ ■<^>. O^ , o « o A, O *, .«.:. -.,,.- ,>v,.:. X/ .•;^'-- ■'' -ov^ :^^^ "-^^0^ ^v^>:^ %/ ^t>:^> Vo^' " •0 3l^ "7". ' r 4 O V *^'%.;i^. '■-'"'°^^'■•-°"- .4,^^"-. 1 ^ 9 « O - ft' o •I' ■^^ .^;o.:% '^ 1 /. i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i A k k k k k k k ♦ k k k k k k k k k k K^> ^^-c £^^///^;, (s-// Tlie Black Troopers, OR Tin: DAKING HEROISM OF THE NEGRO SOLDIERS IN THE SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR. PKOi USKI.Y ILLUSTRATED, BY MILKS V. LYNK, M. D., CX^^^^ ^ ArTHOK OK "THE AFKO-AMKKICAN SCHrtCt Sl'EAKKK AND GKMS OV LITER ATUKB. " BTC« Copyright 1809. By M. TrX.TWK Publiflhed by THE M. V. LYWK PUBLISIHTVC aOt7SE> JACKSON, TENN. 38415 gccUcatiou. TO TUli: MUI.Tl'ltDM or PAINSTAKINw .\NU CONSCl Il.NTIUUS I'AKKNTS, IN WHOSK IKJMi:^, AKorND whosh; hkaktii-stonks, AND UNDER WHOSE TENDEK, FOSTERING CAKE, TMK (;Al.l,ANr NKtiRo SDI.KIKKS, WHO l>Il)YOKMAN SKRVICK, IX THK Sl'AMSII-AM KUIt'AN WAl.", TO THK THOUSANDS OF i'.KAVP: NKGRO BI.U K JACKKTS KN<;Ar.KI) AM) FINALLY, Ti> THAT UNl)A('\rEI> SIMKIT <'F MANLY VALOU AND II KUDIS.M THAT IS BOUNI> TO LKAVK ITS IMPRINT UI'OS THK SlllNINt; I'ACiKS oK THE WoRf.I'S HUroRV , Tlirs VOLUMK 18 RKSPKCTFULLT PKPICATEU ^^y the ^uthoi-. PREFACE. U ISTORY abounds in strikiiiff narra- "^^ tives of chivalry and lu'iuisni, (f '*^*^ profound statesmanship and hirtii national struggles; but its most gluwiiiii pages are tliosc that lecord the pmud achievements of i)atriotic stddicrsand sijjl- ors, in their eilorts for tlie suprcniai'v. Sparta had her Thermopylae, Haiti h< r ' L'Ouverture and Dessalines. Scotland had her Bannockbui-n, and imn o ral Biuce. 1'he Afro- Americans have legions, who have forever immortalized themselves by their soldierly conduct in defense of hu- man liberty. It was with the desire to permanently write the names of these illustrious heroes upon the pages of recorded history, and thus insure to generations, yet un-born, a proud heritage, the writing of this volume, as incomplete as it may be, was undeitaken. Having impressed my readei-s with the bravei'v. valient heroism, and ti'uc •>(il- dierly bearing of Afro-Americans us VI . PREFACE. proven on recent battlefieJ(]s, in camps, and as commissiond officeis of the I'. <^., the consumation of a high junbition will have been effected. The status of Nations and Races is measured by thier industry, scholarship and biaveiy. Considering all things, tl' :• Negi'o it standing the test as measui'ed by these standards. Methink.^ I can see the day, just beyond the horizon of the blackening clouds, vvhen the world, moved by the in- exorable facts of plain histcry, w^ill ac- cord to the Negro all the considerations vouchsafed to the most favored branch of th(^ human family. If not, why not? On account of the scarcity of special correspondents with the colored ^soldiers in Cuba," we have made libeial use of the pages of the following papers for which we extend thanks, viz: — The Frekm\n, Age, Curistian Rj^corder, Statesman, National Standard J^nterprise and Plane r. Jockson, Tenn. April 15, 1899, The United States Battleship Maine, before blown up The United States Battleship Maine being- l)lown up in Havana Harbor, Feb. 15 1898. Over 260 American sailors were killed, 24 of whom were colored. PARTT.^ CllAriEK 1. I>/J KODUC'i OKY. F OR conveDience of studying the sub- jects herein treated, this book is di- vided into two paits. Part 1st. is devoted to the history of the colored soldiers, enlisted in the regular army of the U. S. who took part in the Spanish- American war. Part 2nd. gives account of the colored sol- diers, who enlisted in the U. S. army as volunteers and not as regulars. Some of these volunteers saw service; others were pr ontedfromrelizingtheir highest am- bition by the short duration of the war. Both regulars and volunteers, those who saw actual service and those who didn't, w.M-e (Mjually heroic, and thus deserving of praise. One wont into service when his time came and the other was prevented by circumstances over which he had no con- trol. CHAPTER II Causes Leading up to the War. rflHE cause wliich gave rise to the Span- -^- isli- American War may be divided ^^> into two classes, viz: — Remote and Immediate, Remote Cause. One only has to study the colonial policy of Spain, extending through centuries, to notice the oppression, the curtailment of human rights and liberties, and the con- stant stream of bloodshed, consequent therefrom, to see the underlying causes that might give rise to a war oc liberation. Cuba is situated right in the door of the U. S., so to speak. For centuries the Is- land had been a hot-bed of oppression. Spain had taken advantage of every oppor- tunity to enrich her home treasury, at the expense of the Island colonists. There was no popular government. The people becoming tired of the tyranic.J. yoke, made several attempts to gain thoir inde- pendence, notable among these, the bitter Ten Years War which began Oc: K), 1869 rSE BLACK TliOUPEKS. \ I and lasted ten years; and the vrar which nad for Its culniination the throwing oft* <»i the yoke Of Spain. It h<^j?an in April, 1895 and enutd ii. Aiii,-., ib^S. Aside froni'ilie naiLirai teudenc> oi" the U. S. , to syn.pa- thize ^YitL a raco of people, strung-ling for independence, ti.ese insurrections, cNcr which Spain seemed to have little comud, did much to interfere with American c m- merce and American property on th is- land. for this anl for humanitarian reasons, the American people, through their ncu.^ papers an(i tnrongh their represent,viti\ es in Congress, clemanded that the U. S., in- terfere to the end that Spanibh rule should cease in Cuba. Spaniards became very defiant of what they termed American interference in their affairs. Americans were o fit red many indignities on the streets of J:la\... • , t ireats were made against American consu- lar and other ofti'^ers. Bat the American war spirit was not fully aroused until.the U. S. Battleship, ^ "Maine," was blown up in jlnvnria Il^rhnr on tb^ <^^ rning of Feb. 15, X6\^. Tuis brings us o lie 12 THE BLACK TROOPERS. IMMEDIATE CAUSE. Tt was supposed that the Maine, a sec- ond class battleship, and one of the best Tessels of her class, was destroyed through Spanish treachery. Owing to the intense excitement, and the nn-trustworthineps of the peasons who were competent to testify, this theory could not be proyen. Howeyer, public sentiment in America favored it and ail the administration, at Washington, could not prevent a declaration of war by Congress. Accordingly, Congress ordered intervention, Tuesday, April, 19, 1898. Colored Men on the Maine. There were thkty colored men in the crew of the illfated battleship Maine. 1 liis tends to further prove, that, notwith- standing the fact, white historians fail to give the Negro proper credit, yet, without his ever presence, American history would be void of some of its most illustrious pages, But we digress: of the thirty col- 01 nl men on the Maine twenty-two were k led, and injured, The following lost their lives, as the direct result of the explosion, to wit: — Geo. Johnson, Washington, D.. C. ; John T. Adams, Washington, D, Om Paniel THK BLACK TROOPKRS. 13 Lewis. W'ashing'tun, 1). ('.; Noldc T .Miidd. Washington, D. C ; Ohas. Ander- son, Norfolk, Va.; -las. Gordon, Poits- nioutli, Va.; William Lambert, Hampton, Ya.; Kobt. Perry, Norfolk, Va.; Alficd Simmons, Portsinouth, Ya.: John K. Bne; William Colejiian, Brooklyn, N. Y.; CharlevS Hassell, Salla, W. L; Harry Jack >(^n, Los Angeles, Cal.; Chas. F. Jnst, < harlston, S. C; James W. London. Keyport, N. J.; John E. Marshall, Harri- son, Ky.; John Mose, Rainwood, N. C; James Pinkney, Annapolis Md.; John Warren, Randolph, S. C. William Colo- man, New York, N. Y. ; and tw.o others. The injured were: James W. Allen, Norfolk, Ya.; Robt. Hutching, New York, N. Y^.; James Williams, New York, N. Y. Henry Williams, Richmond, Va. The uninjured were: Westmoie James, Charles City, Va.; Daniel C Toppins, New York, N. Y.; John 'J\>ppin, Long Branch, N. Y.:Alonza Willis, Keyport, N. J.; CHAl* Tiili lU. iSTegro Solcl*ers eiilist-ed io the regular U. S. Army. 'JjX)UK Kegro refill! en ts constituie the ■^l^ quota of troops in the regular U. S. ^•^ army. They a-re the 9th. and lOtfc. cavalry: and the 24th. and 25th. infantry. Before the breaking '.)at of the war, they were Mc^-f/ioned ap. foUi>ws. The 24th. reg-i- inefji ar Fort DonglasR, near Salt Lake City: Lhe 25th. at .Minsonia, Mont. ; the tnh cavalry m the department of the PLitt; aii'f the 10th at Assiniboine, Mont. All of the comniiRsioned (^("Bcers of tnese re^^iments are white. The regiments were recruited in the fiO's and are composrd of some of the besi; discijjlinf d tr(><\] s (;f il.r IT. S. Army. kM of these y.'Tirjns suvr service in the Spanish-American War. [In the <'.ity of New Oideans, in 1866, two thousand two hundred and sixt}' six ex-slaves were recruited for service- None but the largest and blackest Negroes were accepted. From them were fi)rn#d the Twenty-fourth and Twenty-fifth infan- THE BLACK TROOT'ERS. 17 try, and the Ninth and Tenth cavalry. All four are fanious fighting' rigiinents, yet the tAvo cavalry commands have earned the proudest distinction, ^^'hi c tie rec- ord of the Ninth cavalry, in its i*. .ty-two yeafb of service in the Indian wars, in the military history of the border, stands witii- out a peer: and s. wirhont exception, the most famous fighting regiment iii liic r^nited States service.! J list before the actual declaration of hostilities;, the New York Tribune, among- other things, had the J'ollovving to say: — ''Since 1862 the nation has had ample op- portunity to t*?st the value 01 the colored American cis a soldier in a variet} of ways — on the baitieheld, in the protracted si( ge, in Indian warfare, and in the trying Service of preserving order and protecting life and property in the time of the great strike of 189-1. During the closing" period of the war he won for himself a place .a the military world which he has been able if) hold ever since. Fourteen colored sol- diers leceived medals for heroic conduct during the short period that they served in .the civil war; since then seven \\a\c won cJfi-ressional medals for distinguished 18 • THE BLA'^K TROOPERS. gallantry in rii-tioii against liidians and robbers, aiiil two have received certiricatcs of m 'I'lC ill r!)iv;.-.i ol recognition of aces of specuil rlioiigti ie>s consspicuous br.ivery. Physicai i> the o Mi'd soldier- is the ('(jual of cae b 's,:, aii rn' taik to the contrary n!)Cvvit!)st;ir. .ing. ddie average height of tlif ;iative white rei-ruit is 67.76. inches. Burin weight the colored man has derid- ed !\' rhc advanrage. . Of the recruits re- cei/ed l):"t:ween the ages of twenty-five and twenty-nine years, the average w^eight of the native whites was 146.25 pounds; tiiO foieigu l)oi-n whites, 147.16 pounds, whi.o that of tlie colored men was 149.42 pound-. Ii! iiiere a\(didnpois the ccdored soldi; s itad tiie aimy, and in physical endui'anre they liave proved themselves as tough as t.ie toughest. This paper is also authority for following extract from the Surgeon's report on the subject of alcoholism among the Negro troops. "The admission rate for alcoholism, was 29.06 for the aimy ms a whole — 31 20 among- the white and 5 7u among- the t-olored troops. Seven deaths among- whiles w€T^^ due directly t<> this cause. This is a slight improvement upon the record of 1895 which showed 30 1) as for the array, with ■)2.i6 and b.47 for the wliite and colored respective- ly, and a very consi'^erahle improvement on the re- cord of th« prtcfding^ decade, which g-ives 41.04 as THE BLACK TROUPERS. U) llio .iverugc iinnual rale Ijir the armv— 4.<.2 tor Uic cuktred and 4o.u7 lur ihc wliilc liouj^." it f lilt lie r says: — •"Tne colored sumiers acquire thr driil and readily lake d tair degree ol pride in it and are good sholb. The colored reginienis tiave done as well with the new ritle as any, tiie Joth. regiment leading the de- partment in Wi'i cu It IS locateu. I'hat colored sol- uiers do not lack courage nas been proven again and again. Gen. .Uernii jspecialiy charactcrued them as * brave in uam^- ""' I <.i CHAFTEU IV, Tiie IHli. Cavalry. o Tills regiment has done more desper- ate work in its time thai! auy othe i '"a ^-fH- the f-ev\icc Ihe Kii.th is no pari oo. cummaua. * it was never givei) anythii.-g' but a fighting assignment. It was never assigned even for a season at any of 1K<5 desirable Eastern posts. This was M'g because they are Negroes, but bec'ai:.Si3 they are first-class fighting men. Six months after the Ninth enlisted it TBceived its first shock of battle. It v ?ss in the spring of 1867, at Ft. Lancaste: . a small post on the 'IVxas plai'iis. The thor.?,- ands of Indians vrh.o i^urrounded the i^^iz made much spoit of the black troop.s. The day they met rnem in battle their opm- ion changed. The Negroes fought like demons. They obeyed thesr white officers perfectly, and were more ready to fight than eat. An account of their t^confiict reached civilization several months later and wa-: n revehation to those who had ridiculed the Kegro as soldier. From that '.m: BLAflK TRDOPERS. 21 day it hay been one lun- fiu-ht with riie Ninth, 'rheir deeds ef <\Hv'm .,f Indian wars aliuosr constantlv. 'J'hci they moved into New Mexico, ^vith lieaci- quarters at Santa Fe. 'i'here they contin- ued to see hot service until 1881. weeii they went further north, with head(jnar- ters at Ft. HiJey, Kas. Col. Edwa.ci Hatch was the original coniniander of the Ninth. He never faltered in his opin- ion of his blaek soldiers, and was with them in all theii- hottest wojk. Why. those Ninth cavalrymen would ha\c followed Hatch to the devil, and th(.u^-h he had I en in his o-,-ave these tej^ years, the nieniciy of the ffallant fellow continues to stimulate the dusky troopers he Km! against odds of ten to one amonff the j-eds of the Snutheni plains. A HUNDRED MILES A DA Y. rmmKilrythr Xinih c(.,itinue(i nniiii ^eipf: rransfprr(>(! o Ft .Me Kinney \\'yo. in lt95. 'ihe 1,400 miles the Ninth made 22 ^ THE BLACK TROOPERS. overland just to show what they could do. And it was wonderful what time these men could make. No wonder they were a terror to the Indians, for they were here one day and 100 miles away the next, fij^litiiig like devils. The Government ahviiys kept these troopers in action and as the Indians moved further into the heart of the Rock- ies of the north, so were the troopers re- moved into more isolated district. They have remained in the North since 1885, be- ing transferred, however, to Ft. Kobinson as headquarters in the meantime. r^ Said a well known army man: — "I recall a hundred desperate engfag^ements of this troop, showings their wonderful coolness and daring- qualities. Their hardest work in the Sioux campaign of 1890-91 marked the Ninth as a fighting command of wonderful energy. Thej were in the Bad Lands hunting Indains, 114 miles from Pine Ridge, on De- cember 30, 1890. That was the day of the battle of Wounded Knee, where Custer's old command the Sev- enth, wiped out old Two Strikes's band of Sioux. Incidentally, it may be mentioned that the Seventh lost nearly two score of men there, so it was hot work on both sides. That day the Ninth was instructed to get back to the agency as quick as possible. (^uy V. Henrj Was then major of the Ninth. He is now Colonel of the Tenth, and Perry is Colonel of the Ninth. The NinUi rode to the a^-ency, 100 miles away, in twenty-five hours; then without getting out of their saddles rushed off fourteen miles to the rescue of the Seventh Cavalry, which wi^s t^re^^tetted witji total THE BLACK TROOPERS. fS extinction at i he battle of the mission Tf the fifj^ht- int; Ninth had been an hour later Custer's old com- mand would have sutlered the same fate as their chief and his men did on the LittU- Big- Horn. 'I he >inth fnced the Indains after that terrible riiie ■without slacking'- speed. The Indains recofi;nized tin- reg-iment as it came over the hill north oi the ni ---ion buildinj^s and refused to stand their terri- h- V harg"e, but scampered off in a hurj." ^ One of the most notable achievements [he Ninth Cavalry, and in fact one of Tiie most exti'aordinary incidents in tlie liistory of the operations in the Indian country, was the dash of Troop D of the ^'inth on October :-^, 1879, at .Milk River, Avhen they went to rescne Thornburg's com- mand, which was hemmed in by hostile ^Vhite Hive; Utes. Troop D was sent 1 ! rough the lines of the Indians wnth a liiirrah. Kveiy horse in the troop^ was killed, not one getting inside the brcst- woiks. Yet, remarkable to relate, not cue member of the detachment was kilb'd. L hey ride like centaurs, and can shoot a rcvolvei- with each hand, iiolding their bridle iviiiN in their teeth while their horses aie lunning. The 9th's. Cuban Camprtign. T/^HEN war with Spain was declared J^ it was in keeping- with the eteraal -►>> fitness of things that the 9th. U. 8. Cavalry should be given a place of great- est danger — and consequently of greastest honor. .\ccordingly, this regiment, popularly known as the "Black Buffaloes," was with the first division of troops sent to Cuba. This division was under the command of Maj. Gen. Shafter. The 9th. was in the brigade commanded by Brig. Gen. "Joe" Wheeler, an ex-eonfederate commander of cavalry. The Rough Riders Ambuscaded. "The Rough Riders" a New York cav- alry regiment of whites popularly so called because it was composed of athletes and cow-boys, was with the division in which th ')th, was serving. This regiment was considered the crack, white volunteer reg- iment, and was in charge of Lieut. Col. THE BLACK TROOPERS. 2.") Theodore Poosevelt These new v^cnifc!^ not beinof used to g-eiinilla wai-iaie, weie aml)iiscaded by a handful of Spanish shcirp shooters, and would have been exteimi- nated had it not been for the timely an i\ al and quick work of the 9th. and lOtli. caval- ries. The following poem, by \V. F. J'ow- ell, a white man is a monument, more ciui m-- ing than granite, that shall foi ever stjind as a Gibralter to the sparten couiaj^e of the Negro soldier around San Juan Hill and their work in saving the Rough Riders at Guasimas. Hark! O'er the drowsy trooper's dream, There comes a martial metals scream, That startles one and all! It is the word, to wake, to die! To hear the foeman's fierce defyl To fling- the column's battle-cry! The "boots and saddles" call. The shimmerinjf steel, th« g-low of morn, The rally-call of battle-horn, Proclaim a day of courage, born For belter or for all. Above the pictured tentag-e whitt, Above the weapons glittering; bright, The day God ciists a o-c'den light Acr< ss .*^an Ju; n Hill. "Forward Forward" cc^mes llic cry, As stalwart coiunins, anilling 1>< , Stride over the graves tbat waiting- lie Undug in niolber earth I 26 j^ TBffi BLACK TROOPERS. Their goal, the flay of iLrce Castile -Above her serried ranks of steel, Insensate to the cannon's peal That g-ives the battle bii ui. As brawn as black— a fearless foe, Grave, grrim and g-rand, thej onward go, To conquer or to die! The rule of rig-ht; the march of mig^ht; A dusky host from darker nig-ht Responsive to the morning- lig-ht, To work the martial will! And o'er the trench and trembling earth, 1 he morn that gives the battle birth Is on San Juan Hill Kark ! sounds again the bugle — call Let ring the rifle over all, To shriek above the battle poll The war god's jubilee! Their's were bondman, low and long; Their's once weak against the strong; Their's. to strike and stay the wrong, That strangers might be free! And on, and on for weal or woe, The taM'Tiy faces grimmer grow, 1'hat bade no mercy to a foe That pitties but to kill, "Close up!" "Close up!" is heard, and saidi And yet the rain of steal and lead Still leaves a livid trail of red Upon San Juan Hill! "Charge!" "Charge'M The bugle peals again; Tis life or death for Roosevelt's men! — The niHusers make reply! Aye! s]>eachless are those awarthy sons. Save for tlie clamor of the guns — Their only battle-crjl THE BLACK TROOPERS. 27 The lowly slain upon each lace. The taunt still fresh of prouder race. But speeds the step that springs apace; To succor or to die! With rifles hot — to waisl-baud nude; The brawn beside the paii.pered dude: The cow-borking- — one grave — and rude — To shelter him who falls! On ^ breast — and bare — how'er beg-ot; Tk.' low, the high — one c >tiimon lot; Thj world's distiHction ail forg^ot When freedom's bug-al callat No faltering stept, no fitful start; None seeking less than all his part; One watchword springing from each heartt Yet on, and onward still! The sullen sound of tramp and tread; Abe Lincoln's fiai»- still overhead; They followed ^vhere the angels lead The way, u > San Juan Hill! And where tl c life stream ebbs and flows. And stains the track t>f trenchant blows That me;, no meatur steel, The bated breath- the battle yell — ■ The turf in slippery crimson, tell Whert- Castile's proudv;*t colors fell With wounds that never heald! Where every tJooper fcHind a wreath Of glory for his srbre sheath ; And earned the laurels well; With feet to field and face to foe, In lines of bartle Ijing low. The sable soldiers fell ! And where the black and brawny breast Gave up its all— life's ric'u-st, best, To find the tomb's eternal r»^t A dream of freedom still 1 28 THE BLACK TROOPERS. A groundless creed was swept away, With brand of "coward" — a time-worn say And he blazed the path a better way Up the side of San Juan Hill! For black or white, on the scroll of fame, The blood of the hero dies the same; And ever, ever willl Sleep, trooper sleep; thy sable brow, Amid the living- laurel now Is wound in wreaths of fame! Nor need the graven granite stone, l\) tell of garlan'^s all thine own — To hold a soldier's name! CHAPTKR VT. The lOth. Cavalry. o ri^lIKSE stiilwart hoys of I'licle Sam's -*- (ighting family were with the 9th. at "♦■■♦^ La Quasima, Kl C"aney, and San Juan Hill Col. Guy V. Henry was the cnuimanding colonel, its men are es- p:- ially noted for their Hue physical de- Teiopement and stately carriage. Tneir conduct around Santiago often called ftM-th the loudest praise, even from the en- euiy. The day after the taking of San, Juan Hill, says John, A. Kathani to the Saii Francisco Chronicle, a >panish officer re nirked to an American officer: ''We kiK'W the Amei'ican soldicis would fight hard and l)ia\('ly. hut we didn't leave our jKtsitiniis. uiitil wc saw creei)ing on to-wai'd ns rlie-^e hlack men, these Haitians. " "No ma Haitians" said the American oiTicer, 'M)ut Americans." \\ hat t)il>ute to the bravery of the Haitian soldier! Spaniards did not retreat — not even from Americans, until they thought flaitians soldiers were in Sight! Every race loving >«ej|fro'ii> heart 50 THE BLACK TRUOPFJ.S. must swell within him while he reads these lines! At La Quasima, where two of the Negro cavalry regiments arrived just in time to save the Rough Riders from being- cut to pieces; at San Juan, where a Negro color serg'eant was the first man to plant our ban- ner on the top of the hill; on all the sur- rounding heights overlooking Santiago, and later among the sick and dying in the terrible fever camp at Sibony, where the Twenty-fourth Infantry had been paced to watch over and attend their comrade . \i was always the same. The Negro lu ni the beginning of the campaign to the end never for a moment showed anything but, the utmost devotion for the cause and a most reckless bravery and a stubborn cour- age. It was down at Siboney, that viie village that must always be associated in the minds of men who saw it aftei- the battle of Santiago, with every-thing horrifying and sickening, that the great truth of the axiom ''the bravest are the tenderest," was pertinent. These fellows had been seen scrambling up against the enemy only a lew days before in the face of a withering and deadly fire, struggling on with clenched i i * Sergeant Horace W Biviut^ 10th. United States Cavalry and Marks-maa of the United States Army. 3Iajor K. K. >\ i ij^ht, Who w;is appoiiiied i.;iv-master in tiic United States Army, witli rank nl Major. He and Mrijur J..lin K Lvnch. were the only two colored paj-mastcrs ap- poinied. ^ THE BLACK TROOPERS. 'A') tepfh UPC steady aim, and iookinfr and act- ing iiKe black deiuois let loo.-(>, and heiQ in this little sea^-idt^ villi. gf, ti.o!!;4-h thorn- selves exhausted with the labor of the two preceding weeks, they were ninsing the wounded^ and tending the tlvitij^-. Ked Cross nurses were thoi-e too, Ijut ;io wonriaii acted more gently with her charges, or pressed the brow of pickness more tenderly rhan these same black soldiers. ^ hen they rode into the very jaws of death ar La. Quasima, to ^;ive the Rough Riders (White) from extermination, they must have presented a panaramic spectacle un- eqiialed in the annals of militai y warefare. W ell might the muse^, with their souls running over with the fullness of poetical essence, say, (St. Joseph Radical): — "When a rain ot shot was falHag-, with a song- upon his lips, In the horror where such gallant lives went out in death's eclipse. Face to face with Spiinish bullets, on the slope of San Juan, The Negro soldier showed himself another type of man. Read the story of his courage, coldly, carelessly, who can — The story of tlie Tenth at La Ouasima! We have heaped the Cuhriu soil above their V)odies, black ;>nd ^vhitt'. The sirangely sorted cuniriide': of that grand and g-lurious fight. 36 THE BLACK TROOPERS. And many a i^^air-sicinned volunteer g-oes whole ana ijounu to-day, * For the succor of the colored troops, the battle records say ; And the fued is done forever, of the blue coat and the g^ray; All honor to the Tenth, at La Quacima." rrAT»Ti5:R vii. Some Tdividiial Members of the 10th. A FTER the roar of cannonry has ceased and the din of battle huslied, '*♦■'♦■♦ the real heroes of the conflict stand out prominently. Some operate the guns, others command, requiring great sell-pos- sion, nicity of j\u;genient, and executive ability; still ar.oilier class is given to ten- derly care for the injured. It is tlic lairer to which our hero belongs. Never before in the history of the U. S. ha^^ Negro soldiers, of high rank, been given such an oppoitunity as in the Span- ish-American war. Dr. AutherM. Brown, is one of the few Negro military snr- g( ivins distinguished himself as the best ]lrie shot in the whole army and as one of th-3 best pistol shots." Sergeant Bivins was transferred to the 'liistinguished Marksmen's Cli-^ss" and \,..6 incbented with the badge worn only San Juan Block House, Showings Marks of Shots. a* o 3 3» M 3 3: arq O < •<: c THE BLACK TROOPERS. 51 by members of that clas^, which bad^^e bars him from every departnifMit competi- tion except the one above m'lui uied. Geo. h\ Tyriill u one of the best musical direcK rs in the 11 . S. Army. He is the leader of the band, t..mposed of 25 artists, of the 10th. cavalr} . Besides being a groat Band Master, he is a composer of wonderful talent. His com- positions are entrancing and exhilarating in the highest degree. Captain Tyrrell was born in Eagland, at which time his father was in the English army, so you see became of fighting stock. His future rep- utation as a soldier-musican is secure. Private Robert I. Drake is another member of the famous Tenth, whose history should cause every patirotic Negro's heart to feel proud. He is intel- ligent and highly educated: an athlete and orator of no mean ability. After en- listing with Troop (j,. Tenth cavalry in 1898, he was held for special duty in the Tj. g _a deserving compliment to his ex- ecutive ability. The following is a bit of reminiscences, u)ld by 1st sergeant;. James C. Williams, Troop M. 10th. cavalry, of their Cuban cx- p^rieDce. It IS ^ Cine vindication of ilie 52 THE BLACK TROOrERS. Negro's sticktouiveiiess as a so.diers; — "On the 8th. day .J: June 18'»S a small body of cavalrymen nuiuoeiin;^ 50 left JLakelaud, Fla and proceeded to l^ort i arapa, Fla. where they em- barked for Cuud on the Transport Florida and sailed to a point on the Souch-western coast of the island of Cuba, aftt-r makini>- a futle attempt to land at the moutii of San Juin river, they proceeded to Tu- nis where the transport ran aj^round. At this place a reconiioitering- party of Cubans was sent out but thev were ambushed by Spanish reg-ulars and had one captain killed and 7 enlisted men wounded While strande^ on this sand bar, the transport Florida was within the ranges of the Spanish bat- tery and it seemed as if this little band of heroes were doomed to find a watery grave on the coast of Cuba when the Gunboat Helena hove into sig-ht bringing- joy to these heroes and destruction to ttie Spanish, Clearing themselves from the sand bar they were compelled to proceed to the south-west- ern coast of the Island and there landing and join- ing General Gomez's army and marching into Santa Clara Province, they participated in the capture of Kl Hebro thereby capturing stores and munitions of war that were a Godsend to the starving Cuban army winning to themselve the admiration of the Com- mander-in-Chief of the Cuban forces It was immediately after this fight that th(^ com- mand of this body of men known as Troop M 10th. Cavalry, devolved upon its 1st. Sergeant Lewis Smith, I think that this is the first instance in the history oi our republic where a Negro has been placed in full command of the United States forces on foreign land. Sergeant Smith was born atWar- rentown Virtrinia July 15, 1854. At the age of 21 he enlisted in Troop I U. S. Cavalry and has been Corporal Sergeant and 1st.'. Sergeant at various times since Jst enlistment. Re has participated in numerous Indain campaigns against hostile Indians in the states of Texas, Arizona, Idaho, Indian Ter- THK BLACK TKOOPKIls. •> ' ritorj and other slates. He led his troop into tbc fii4tii ol' Royal Blanco la«t summer, Sergeant Smith had no assistance of any nature whatever from the United States.". For more than two months he was cut off from :ill communication with the war de:art- n^coi ;i..a U>v ihe last fifteen days on the Islam had to subsist upon green corn, pumpkins, and aJiga- tors, they did not have salt to season these unsavo- ry dishes with. After remaining- on the Island for about three months they embarked for Mor'auk Point, New York, and arrived there Sept. .7^st- 1898..: The casualities of the tri;- was oat msB ic#:; in Cuitui CHAPTER VIII. The 24th. Infantry. ripHERE are many reasons why the 24th ^ Infantry U. S. Regulars come in for >^^ special mention and praise for their conduct around Santiago.- A capt-ain of regulars, an board the transport with Ee^. Astwood, A. M. E. Missionary, remarked: "We may blow all we want to, but the victory at San Juan belongs to the colored boys. 1 was there," he said, "and for my part, I would not be so mean as to rob them of it. 'When they dashed up the hill, the Roug-h Ribers and the7ls't," he said, "were g-one, our boys were beat, and but for' the colored boys we would have been completely anni- hilated.". They won the day." Thomas Bowles, of the Hospital corps, a white man from Herlford, North Carolina, said to him on the Serg-urancia, "Rev. Astwood, I shall never forget the bravery of the colored soldiers." He said they were forging" along the death angle, when a white comrade fell wounded. He was left by his company, and was calling in the agonies of death for help; they did not stop for him; just as he fell, two colored boys of the 24th, one wounded in the foot and one in the lung, hobbled by, stooped down and picl:e us tha? (l,;y. 1 felt it, thoi!g-h no oi:(' si>oke of our ^roin^ into battle even if t}j;iolusioti of which jio one knew. Why I was so melancholy, so sad and serious iu mind and sou) that morning, 1 have so cften since tried to picture to myself the answer. - Jnit tliat tiie condiiioji of feeling was oh"C 01 extreme susjjciise only and only needed a sudden siair upon the act in view to break it, (a f^'el:i:g so often felt by those going on a journey who are impa- tient and anxious as to v,iier!»er their train, or the hour at which it is (]■.•■, will ever arrive.) At 6:10 a. m., when t\\e first gun of Capron's bait^'i y sounded the opening peal of the battle, .la entirely new feeling came over me; one of dare devil Inavery, eager for the fray; willing to go jnto the fight and be shot down. In fact, 1 felt as though I loved the idea of being sh<;t at. I had been held in a state of suspense as to when we were to try conclusions'with tLiQ Dons and as to the fa e of tlie army of 60 THE BLACK TROOPERS. invasion; but now, relieved of that, I was anxious. I had been a witness to the fleet engagement* with the land batteries* on June 22, but now I was a:»::ious to see men actually face each other^as 1 had so often seen in pictures a'nd read about in descrip- tions of battles, etc., befo.ro I left home years ago to become a "soldier ^\ Eight o'clock came; thf brigade trump* eter came from his hive 1r> express to us the command of tbe brig: (ir con;marder. A few. miiiiitcs later v, - l'i;;d ''stiuck'' camp and were in the road vn our wny to the bactieHeid. The battc'ry p^uns above VA Caney con- tinned to l)()oiii! !)Oom! wi':i a huinan in- teliigvMice, cippe-iiliiig to the boys, telling them tnat tliey Jiad begun the task that would try every inch of their souls to com- plete. Tliuuglrtiui we grew then indeed, for as we niuv^d up the road v;e could hear the sharp, decisive ri;.g of the mus- ketry of those tiiat had pie eded iis. Boon we met friends of uthur regimen 1 3 wounded and b^dng carried to the rear. <*i lie intense heat had caused a breathleess Silence to come over the ranks; the rattle of the tin cups agaiust thescabbarded bayonet was more soiina than any funeral dirge I ..x.f^'^^^^e^ Corp. fJeo. Ilutton, *i Itli Infantry Recommended for :i coniiB^ssion as 2nd Lieutenant for bravery in the charge up San Juan Hill. THB BLACK PROOl'KRS. . » 63 have ever heard; the colonel rode at the head of the column, solomn,* serious and majestic. Everything- seemed to aid in u)ii to the day. W e all had vigorously elieeicd at tlio first sound of the cannon tluir moining, hiirnow we were coming close r» rlie^scene of nctioii no one seemed to dare open his liiout'i. Grimes' battery was just aliead, pouring at the enemy its most deadly contents and the noise it made as we came ui der it was enough to divide the strong;- fioni the weak. Here we disrobed, throwing olf our blanket roll, etc., and only taking witii us into the fiffht such as was necessary to life (if spared,) ration bag (haversack) and water can (canteen), we had now come to the real point of actior., at rlace where a maa is unable to describe the pulsations of his bosom; to decido wliether ne is fright- ened and afraid to .h) ins duty, or posess- ed of bravery that leads hiin either to a command or a grave. ' Willi all the exeit- nunt and confusion of the day impressing itself uiMHi me, 1 yet thought of my feel- ings. > I had for two days nursed it. and uuw had ome to stay; it would not be dis- placed, try hard as 1 might. The.iuestion wliether 1 was a coNvaid and afraid to do 64 THE BLACK TROOPERS. ; ■ my duty haunted uie, and was I equal to the occasion? Ah, suspense, to you was due all my agony of feeling in my first les- sons of real war! ''Forward!" At the commend my bosom swelled and all that was best in me came rushing forth. " I have fouglit fright aid cowardice and have won. An intense feel- ling of pride came ovcc n.( , and bullc rs rained like hail and men fellcvLrywhere. i was no longer afraid, and ti.at evening, up- on San Juan, I breathed a silent prayer that I had been a man and felt that I had dor. e my duty fearlessly.'; v t^^r-^ Sergeant Major B. F. S« vre, who was noticed for "coospi«uo«is Iwa^ery and coolness on H^e ticM "i battle" at Snntintro. nnd proiiT ic July 4th.— part of the tiin^- fighting, aga in in almost 'o)-eathless Mi-i»ense, while the rail' "poured" and rlie heat almost as intens<' as if it were rii«' fragments from Hades blasts. The foUowiiii: is a pen picture, drawn b\ Sergeant— Majoi- B. F. Sayer of Co. (-, himself noticrd for ''conspicou> bravery and coolness on the field of battle" and ar coidlingly promoted from the position ot corporal of ("<•• <\ to the i)ost (»f Sergeant- Major of thr i^-lth. Infantry. N<»thin- tlirills the s(.i;!< of people more than «> di> ciiption, hy oiM- w l.o actualx i ; rtii-ii at« « in the '-n au-'-'v-rt . Wi^h t)n> ever w Y9 THE BLACK TROOPERS. view, and in order to lend authority to these acctjuiits, the author has purposely included these personal ri niiiuscenees. Sergt. -Major 8ayer, in speaking of his e.xjerience, m the trenches, says, (New york Age;):— •'We broke camp on the morning- of the 1st. The battlf began at 5 :3U A. M. 'between the :id\ance army of Cubans and the Ninth Cavalry on one side and the Spanaras. We could plainly hear the sharp crackling- of small arms and the roar and boom of the cannons as we were making- our blanket rolls, and the thoug-ht that we were g"oing- straig-ht to the front, and that, perhaps, this mig-ht be the last l>reak fast we should take on earth for many of us, sob- ered the most irrepressible. ,Ve had. to march insing'le file throug^h a narrow muie path, shut in by dense woods and jungle on each side. As we drew near the firing- line bullets beg'an to liiss across the road, and a number of our men hit and a few killed witliout even seeing- the foe or firing a shot in return. We passed a number of troops lying- down behind trees and bushes as for shelter: but our order wastog-oto the front. The road led into a stream which was quite deep, the water reai-hing- up to my arm pits. We waded this under a heavy fire an"" climbed the steep, sli])pery bank on the other side, cut the barbed wire fences (which are met with everywhere in this country) and found ourselves in a great field of g-rass, five or six feet tall, full of larg-e trees?. About half a mile -across this field rose a hig-h, steep . Ii i 1 1 (Sai^'Juan) with three block houses on the crest. It was from these and the intrenchments all along- the top of this hill that the Spaniards were firing- while the thick brush nt the foot of it was lined with them, and nearly every tree that could afford THE BLACK TROOPERS. ^c5 concealtneni contauicd oue or nioro sharpsli(;t»ti i -.. Our mjn chari>e«l rig-ht across with magnilic*. 1. 1 ■;ecklessncss and daring- and tlie Spanards bog'an it» run. Kij,'^ht up the hill we went and they took lo their heels, leavino- tlK'ir dead and wounded behind. We poured a I'ulisade of shots into them as they ran and dodged in llir underbrush until they g^aincd the shelter of their thirdline of entreni-hment, abc>iit eight hundred yard^ away, just on the outskirts of the city, where they made a stand and foug-ht us all that day till darU. The battle wa-; renewed before daybreak the no.xt morning- and continued without ceasing- till 111*. .M. The next morning- (Sunday) there was some little shooting- but about noon this ceased and we were g-lad to g-et a chance to fortify our position, which is one of the best imaginable from a strateg-etic stand- point, and when the Spaniards lost it they were practicaly whipped. They fig-ht strictly on the defensive from intrenchments and retreat from one to another when hard pressed. They had prepared these defenses months before and they knew to a certainty the exact di.-.tan(-e from one point to another. They are fair shots too and they had the advantag-e over us at first becaust- they had us in view all the timo and knew exactly how to sight tht'ir rifles, while for a long- time w« did not know wliere they were concealed; and then, too, thicr sh irpshooters in the trees were not discov- ertd till after :i number of our men and officers had been killed 'Ih*^ officers particularly had beiii singled out as targ-ets and the loss among them was sevre. The first dav we lost over 1,500 killed and wounded. The enemy's loss must have been veiy g-reat in the three days fig-hting, for our men bur- ied over ,500, and one can see bodies lying- in tin- g-rass between us and ihera The stench is almost unbearable." It must have been sickening beyond ties- -^4 THE BLAClv TROOPERS. cription, as our soldieivs ucc-upied the tren- dies, as the Spaniards fell hack — leaving hundreds of human carcasses, to fui-nish iironia for their respirarory appai-ntus, and this too, under tl^^ tiopical nixn and nn^ii^ij ^tmosphcie of Cuba. - - o n P- C/3 ft M »> arc o CHAPTER XI. The *^5th Inliuitry. How El Caney Was Won. IIHE 25th. Re-iiueiit displtived r e- -^ markable bravery in tlu* l-attlcol F.l ♦♦> Caney. After all of tlicir comii s- sioned white officers were either killed )r lay welteriBg in their life blood, and tlieie was DO one to conamand them, brave S W. Taliaferro, (col.) 1st. Ser-eant. Co., C took coiiimand and led his company to vic- tory. The following vivid description i i tbat memorable conflict was j^Mven 1 y xM. W.. Saddler Ist b>ergeant of company 1 himself a participant, in a communieatiun to the New York Age:— -On the moraine of July 1, our re^inient. after hav- iuj. Viepl in one par. of ihc ni^hl with stones lur pillows and heads resting in hands, arose at the (l:,wn of dav, without a morsel to eat, fernied line, ii .fter a" half day of hard marchinj^ sucaeded lu re.v Mini.- the blood^ battle jrround of El ("anev. \N e w. re ii. the last brigade of our division. As we were marehinjr up we met regiments ut our com- rades in Nvhue retreating from the Spanish ^Irong- l„>ld Asw. presf«e.l torward all the reply tiiat. i-;.niefrr.m therrtirinsr >oldiers was: /I here M no use to advance fuiherl The Spaniards are .- treiA he.i and in buKkhouses. You are runnmp o sudden death.' Hut with.M.t a falter did our b. • •' men continue to press un to the front. _ 78 THE BLACK TROOPERS. In a fe«' moint-nts the debirtu j.osition wns reached. (;"• i lie first battalioti ot the 'I wentj fitih iiilantrj, cuiiiposed of Cou.}»iiriies C, Li, Rob rt Goodwin, Andrew Smith Company E — W(.)unded. Privates Huj^-h Swaiiu. David (Jiiliiiin, John Sadler and James Howinl. Company !■' - wounded. First Seryeant Frank loleman. Private William Lalayette. Company G— killed. Private Aron Iveflwich; wounded. Privates Alvin Daniels, Cenjamin Doug'lass, (^'orge P. Cooper and John Thomas. Company H — killed. Corporal lunj.imin Cousins, Private Albert Strothers; wounded. lUnry Gilbert, William Hevels and Kdward Foreman. Officers — killed. Second Lieutenant H. 1- McCorkle; wounded. Captain Eaton A. Kdwards, Lieutenants Kennison and Murdock." Tile personnel of the 25th. is leiiimiciMy good. The sohliei's take great dclii^vhr in the liohors of thcii- regiment — and 1>\ tlie way, military honois mean sometlmig. ''Keniember the Maine'' was the hatrle cry oi' the navy. The men of the 2r)rii., however, led the army in rh''ir paraphi:!-^^' of the chorns of *'A hot time in ili- ".d town to night. " They termed it, wliich is as f«dl«'U-;^ HOT TIME IN (1 liA SO.Mi: MCilCr. Since the Spaniatd^ have tramp'.ed on our name, Have starved m.tt-' Cub^!•^ ai:d l.iown i.p -'Ur ship, the Maine, We'll dig them up in Cu. ;'. ai.d we'll rot a\ut when they strike- the Twenty-fifth they soon will have enough; There'll be a hot time for Spaniards that niffht. And they made it hot too. JIOWJTIS SUNG. '^o get the fall affect of the song, one }ia> n» hear it when the soldiers are lying around on the grownd between 6 and 9 at night. Every man knows the words, and groups aruund, guitar and banjo players be- gin to sing. First one or two, then a sec- ond, and third, until the whole regiment is singing the tune. * If the Negro's voice is anything, it is m isical. How entrancing must have been t'l )se strains of music as they pealed forth 'tii^ if touched by the gods! Before they sailed for Cuba, and while at Gamp Boynton, Chicamauga Park, Ga., near Chattanooga, a white visitor, in speaking of the discipline of the 25th, said; — "Battalion drill was held here yesterday afternoon. The companies were formed ^i!:^ft^^tl "';i;>i''''i'!'''^ii!!l!iriI!!!il'li!i!!i;ii!iri'Tn;n:::r;nir!'i 1 lir HLACK rUodPKRS M") ill ijiiik l>y the (';ipr.(iii» aiiti rlu-ii iiuiicht'd lip 111 frciir of ('(>1. Hiirr'< h('a(l(iiiarrers. The liiiy-e c'oloi- lieaier. and a colored i^naiit of a private stepped forwai'd. and l)altiii«,% saluted. The re^-iinental colois, a liraii- tifiil silk Stars and Stripe'^, with 'Twmty- hfrh infantry, C S. A.' in Mur h'ttcrs on rhe revei'se, in one of the white line^, was hrou^^'ht from the C<)h)ner^ tent, it was u if.irle I an I the stiif hree/c made it srand >ri'ain'hr out. Wavinii' it twice, rhe (-(dor i>,Mrei' tni'ned and niar(d)erivare 'iri/.en on rlie li'round i-ai^^e his hat and (dieer lii-rily. ' rhere"> the kind (d' pei-formance rhat iiiake- i»arrinri>ni. " said a hysrandei'. 'Ir hisdii;ie iiic iiinie iidod than twct ilo/eil >ei-nioii«.. Till-: HATTALloN hiiii.L. lie niinle >imilar comment wlieii ( 'oj. iMii't had tile men .n doiilth' hie stretchinn" across, perhaps, two city hl(»(d<-. I'iie ^leami.iu' of lia* setting miii made the dark faces look like In'on/.e. -\uf a moxcnieiit wa> jioticealde until the c(mimand, 'lii;^hr o6 THE BLACK TP'OPERS. Slioiilder Ann!' rauii out, and tiK cotton* gloved hands pas ed over the blue coats and fell back again, as though son)t .. one Wiis I'unnin^- the whole movement by pull- ing- a string-. For a well drilled regiment the boys from Montana can take4'ank with the best in the army." PART TT. VOI.rM i;i.l{ SOMMKK'S k CHAPTER XII. Volimteer Soldiers. THE Negro lias t'uuglit for the elevation and maintainance of the Stars and AAA -♦-♦^ Stripes for centuries, in fact as long as any other inhabitant of the Amei'ican Con" tiuent. It was he who first shed his blood foi- the first American Independence; It was he who turned the tide of battle at New Orleans: and his unbending courage and indefatigable work saved the Union, freed the Slaves, and forever saved the South from a condition of industrial and commercial stagnation, by throwing its owners, the white man, upon his own re- sources. Who can say that the I'liion could have been preseiv('...uards did not re ck treat untu tUcy though iher ^y,^->/ ,^' '' ,„ Haitiansof whose citizenship this Uaf,' is the un blem. The top stripe is l,Uie. the bottom red. THE BLACK TKUOl'KKS. 95 the defense of his country, from the Kev- olution untill now should not be debarred from wearing shoulder straps simply on ec- counr his color. The Negro's loyalty b.as Ix'en proven upon an hundred battlefield— the cry of their blood from the besmeared eminences of Bunker Hill to the belea^Mier ed city of Petersburg attested this fact. The war department, apparently out or respect to the predjudice of some Negro- hating Southern journals, was not in favor of Negro commissioned officers, and ac- cordingly,' appointed none. In speaking of the Negro's promotion from the ranks, Mrs. Victora E. Matthews, after visiting the Regulars, at Camp Wickoff; writes the New York Age as jrHows: — ''Instead of stopping to wonder if tlic i/iack soldier has done the nine hundred jiiul ninety-nine things that a black solditM- would have to do before being even con- sidered by a prejudiced board as one fit to aspire for promotion, the situation should be viewed as it is. Some of the saddest sto- ries that could be amagincd fell from the lips of men hardly able to say three words without halting for iMcath, in New York hospitals, in cam] . v.ud at such places as 96 THE BLACK TROOPERS. Hampton, Ya. Man> men, now dead, said to me that not]i'tig but the hope to get home to tell soni( one of their own race what they had ert"rience was terrible he could not talk,— * ^3ople, words won't do! People, listen, Andersonville was nothing beside it.' His tears ran like rain down his sunivcn face. li '^ is dead now. Tliere are many reasons why whit^ offi- cers don't want any of the black lighters elf'vated. Many reasons why a black man when applying for promotion is rigorously subjected to every inch of existing law regarding examination, while any white youngster from the rank or civil life, whose-- father may have a little prestige Or pull with the powers that be, can be ap- Ex-Lieulenant H. O. Flipper First colored Graduitc'from West Point Mil.t.-irv .\cad..'m>. NowsiKVMlAKentDept Jasuce a.ui .nu-rpr.t.r of Spanish and Mexican Lany:uageK pointed to potiitioLs as high as secoDd lieu- tenancy over battle scarred, but black h»»- roes! Is this righty — if it is let us be dumb and accept contempts and inhuman tieat- nient with humbleness and other cowardly attributes. . If it is not lot a No!! be thun- dered forth so that the heads of the Nation will hear it. \\ hite men know that black nu n have '. -r :ill faith in them when it comts to ai - ])lying the principles of universal brother- hood to blackmen. They know that the da v of white leadership over black men has passed. « It is in the stage that the crushed snake is that will hold on to life, will la^n the air vindictively until sundown, butdie it must. The claim that the black peoj.le a;re white hero worsh!{»ets falls flat on even the most sentimental. There is no ques- tion in an.A unprejudiced mind as to the black man's fitness to lead. That is unt the obstacle in the way of makin^^ an officer of him in the regulai- army. The world knows he can fight, but United States' army officers do not want to know that he can I'e a gentleman! The thing now agitating army circles is not that he will bring dis- grace on the service by offiic(MS ineffirincy not that, but the (j I. • - ioi. i- niiist a >\hite l()() THE BLACK TROOPERS. () nicer treat a black officer as a gentlema ':" That is the Gibraltar barring his progre>.~. For that reason men likely to be a sonic c of hnmiliation to his black comrades mic chosen to stand as examples of the aspiring men of the regiment. Men of refinen ei't good breeding, and character, are kept down by a system as repnlsive to the senses as is cowardly in principle. No service rendeieci by the government can level this barriei-- The black soldiers are helpless. Nothiiig bnt the creation of a pnblic sentiment that will hound coloi' hating officers cut of tlu* service can open'the door of promotion and fair dealing for then. Every man and wo- man who feels a spark of just pride in tlie fame of oni- intrepid fighters should help in foi'cing the war department to consider these things and in making the distinguish- ed head of our government know that ten mi lion people are thinking this way and in til ^ way and in teaching the children, as did Hamilcar, young Hannibal, what theii- rights are, though the fathers submit now to oppression." Believing it just that Negio officers shcjuid command Negro volunteers, several Negi'o soldiei's mutiiicd wl;;'!! white o^cel•^ THE BLACK TROOPERS. Ill' Avf^ro about to be forced iip(->n tlu'in: iio- taUle among these iiiutiners, wne a cnin- pany tliat was leciiiitedat M<>l>il»' A la., and the 6th. Va., which we shall iicrcmaf- ter notice. A few leading papers, at the Xmth spoke favoiably of coniniissioiied ^^c^m otficcMs. 1 say a few, because the autlutr must admit, with reiablished hy e\piill rct;i:ii the''constituti(jiiai peculiai ities which an* 102 THE BLACK TROOPERS. commoTT to t^r^ir kind. It recalls tVint, when the Spaniards after they had discov- ered and conquered the new world, tried to make the native Indians dig gold out of the mines for them, so many died that it was found necessary to import Negroes from A "i.^a, who proved able to stand the suain^^'The Picayune thinks that, if the Tropical possessions of the Spaniards in ei- ther the P^Hst or West Indies, or both, are to be conqured and held by the United J^'are^, Negi'o troops will be of tiic utmost importance for that service; and it is of the opinion that a considerable proportion of the soldiers to be sent to the aid of Ad- mi -al Df'wey ouirht to be Negro troops. -We observe that the New Orleans eSi- tor contemplates the officering of such black regiments by whites, and it seems to be the general feeling in the South, as is not un- narural. General Kussel of North Carolina, nowever, has appointed colored men as of- iicei-s -f the colored regiment furniaJ4ed by t'.w: S ate. " Governers to the Resetie. Nvtwithstanding the war (iepartment WHS nut favorably impressed'^Twith le i^iea of Negro ofl&cers for Negro regiments, THE BLACK TROOPERS. lO:^ Several jrovein^rs. jitm1 soinr of rliiiii Southerners at that. ;.i.|i<>iiitt'd full n-m- niental ofticei's, fiom < oloiicl doun, ficiii the ranks of the Nc^ro soldiers. 'J'his was the fiist time, in the I'liih <1 States, that a full le^inient had been put under command of Negro ofticeis. Notable amontr the Negro i-eginicnts commanded by Negi'(M)fficers were the Nrli. Jlls. : 23rd. K;insas; cJid. North (^arolina; ar.d Hrh. Va. Coin))any I-. 6th. Mass. Infanny. It lias b.^'en in tlie Massachusetts Militia since 1863, wIkmi Mass. sent two colored regiments cf ii'antiy and one of cavaliy to the front. ^ Ml of this ( '(j's. othcers are colored, and the i ef^inieiital battilioii. -T which Co. L. foniis a part, ha> a N<'i;io battilion adjutant. According to the Adjutant Concrars report, its record, in the State of Mass., pievious tothr war. was sectuid to n<>ii«' of the eighty infaim; - ••nipaiiic> in tlie -n- viee of the Stale. 1 rs ofticcTs wreoi(ii Cjh oliiiii Ijinmlry. /^XEof the best oioHiiized re«iiinent3, ^^ with colored coniinissioiied officers, ^^'^ was the 3id. N. C. The followiii^r is a briei" sketch of some of its officers- Col JaiiH's II. Youiij^. TiiL' efficient coiiiniander of the .3r(]. N.L\ was born a shive of Captain D. K. Yoiiii<,^ of Henderson, Vance Comity, ^'. C. He attended the common schools an(i entered Shaw Univeisity, in Octobei, 1874. He was office boy for Col. J..]. Young, collector of inteinal revenue eight years, was promoted to chief clerl, and cashier, and was removed by Presi- dent Cleveland, in 1885. In 1KS() he \Nas made chief clerk to the register of deeds uf Wake County, which office he hebl until Dec. 1888. Hi July4889 he was appointed special inspector of customs, by the late secretary, Mr. Windom, and was again re- moved by President Cleveland. He was appointed by President Harrison, Sept., 1^90, collector of customs for the port of Wilmington, N. C and re-appointed in 106 THE BL-\CK TROOPERS. 1891, but the United States' Senate ad, jiicned without confirmation. In 1894 he was nominated and elected, by the Repub- licans, to the State Legislature, and again in 1896. He is, tkerefore, a well tried man in public affairs. His military careeir, began, however, when he was appointed Major of ''Rus- sell's Black Battili^," April, 27, 1898. As a testimonial to his efficiency, as a military tactician, he was promoted and commissioned Colonel of the 3rd. N. C, regiment, volunteer Infantry, June, 23, 1898. ' His superior skill as a commander brought his regiment up to one of the best drilled in the volunteer service of the United States; Lieut. Col. C S. t.. A. Taylor was born at Charlotte, N. C., January 31, 1854. He was born a slave, and a shoe- maker by trade. He made shoes for Gen- eral Lee's army during the late rebellion. Immediately after the close of the war he attended a Quaker school, and learned rapidly. He was prominent in Odd Fel- low circles, before enlisting in the army — Ex Department Distrijst Master of Grant Lodge No. 7. P.M. V. P., Ex- Department G.C. of the I. 0. G. S. and D. THE BLACK TROOPERS. 1U7 oftS. He was marriea in looy ro.ui:,. Agu>;;i W heeler of Charlotte, N. C. Uh eiiT: r family seem iuciiued to Miliiar^ liff -having two sons in the famous 10th. C<)^aijry. J. L. Td^^lor was sergeant of thu 10th. (.avalty and was wounded in the bat- tle of Santiago. GTeorge is also a ser. geant. Lieut. Col. Taylor was a barber, musician, and dancing master, and ha(J th( j-eputation of h-aving taught many ot the hrst families of North and South Caror lina how to trip the light fantastic. He was appointed first lieutenant of the Char- lotte Liirht Infantry, Company B. , in 1887, ixv.': - as, after one year, commissioned captain. .;; d commanded the Co. until April. k7, 1898 when he was appointed captain of Co. A.. First Battilion, K.C. volunteers, lie was promoted Lieut. Cd of the 3rd" regiment, N. C. volunteeis June 23rd. 1898. Ho was very popular with the regiment, and no man was moro anxious than he to meet the "Dons. " Mnj. Andrew James Walker was another popular officer with ^he regi- ment. He was commander of the Hrdt battilion: was bo' n in ^^'iImiHgtou N. C. of slave I'arents. After the Civil War 108 THE BLACK TROOPERS- he attended tlie public schools. He was married in January, 1882 u uis. F. W. Steward. * Three children bless their un- ion, one of whom was a volunteer in the resriment. lie was appointed first Lieut. Co. B. 3rd. regiment, N. C. voiuntoers, April 2Cth. 1898 and was promoted to the Xosition of major, June 23rd. 1898. Be- fore enlistment in the army, he was an ar- ('ont S. S. w^orker and was for seven years elected president of the North Carolina Cape Fear Sunday School Convention. fc Maj J. E. Delliiiger was born near Lowesville, Lincoln Co., K. C. At fifteen years of age he entered an academy near Line Into :i, in his native county, where, after three yeais study, he finished the prescribed course. ^ After teaching for a whi^e he took a course at the State Normal School, graduating at t'.ie head of his class, and winning the niedal awarded the best scholar of the year's class. Next he became principle of the Reidsville graded schoo],^.nnd assis- tant principle of the Snlisbui y. he entered Leonard * Medical school and graduated tb' efi'om in 1892 with highpst honors. iie was, on the 3rd. of July 1878, after pr^"' UlWMillil' »«ii»«gl~>M'" J Capt. Wm. J. Williams, Co I.. (.lIi Infantry. \'.)1. 1 THE BLACK TROOPERS. a compr'titi\o oxainiiiation. appoinrcd Chief Surgeon of rhc :^i(l. N. T- r('jj:iment. He ranks as one of the best surgeons of this CoMitry. CHAPTER XIV. The 8th. Illinois Infantry. THE 8th. Illinois filled a very impor- tant position in the United States »> service, during the Spanish- Ameri- can War. ' They were part of the army of occupation, and its commander, CoL Jno. E. Marshall, was military governer of the town of San Louis Cuba. The officers were as follows: Col. John R. Marshall; Lieut. Col. J. C. Johnson; Majs. Robert R. Jackson and Franklin A. Dennison; Adjutant, Harvey A. Thompson; - Quar- termaster, James S. Nelson, Chief Sur- r on. Major Wesley. After forty days of waiting at Camp Tanner, they struck camp, and sailed for Cuba, on the trans- port cruiser, Yale, on the after-noon of Thursday, Ai-gust 11th. 1898. Upon their M-rival in Cuba, Chaplain Jordan Chavis ^rote the National Standard Enterprise, under date of August 24th. as follows: — ''We had a very pleasant trip across the sea. A few were sick. I never ex- perienced a finer trip and had mj health Col. James H. Young, 3rd North Carolina Vol. Infantrj. THE BLACK TKu(h'.,i;.s. ) ) ;, better than before. We reached Santiago Harbor t^e 16th. and landed tlic 17th. It was dark when we got ashore. We marched two miles from the city through the mud anda struck camp. The next morning we moved back one mile and the second day thereafter were ordered to San Luis, the first battalion preceding us the day before. - It was 2 o'clock A. M. when we reached here, so we remained on train until morning. Soldiers struck camp one mile from the city. We made staff headquarters in the city. We have good houses and everything is well if they will just let us stay here and I thinK they will. , We have entire charge of the city and lailroad, a distance of thirty-five miles. There are 6,000 inhabitants here. Ever- thing is oriental. Bull carts are used for hauling loads. The yoke is strapped to their heads by which they pull instead of their .Oioulders. Jb'rom one to six pair are worked to one cart. Pack mules are also used extensively. Small ponies are u-d for riding. Cows, goats and jennies arc used lor milk- It was a strange thing to sec a hoy peddling milk, ride a Jennie up to a (h.or, get down and milk from the jcnnie one- 116 THi. BLACK TROOPERS. half cup of milk and ride to another door and do the same. Plenty of men and wonien are ai'ound the streets, half naked, vatng w]^;;t :hrj i'-Av. gather from our camp. Thcie is i;i'eat sickness and sufieihifj : -non^- the Cubans. Our regiment is having good health. Two companies left this morning for Pal- ma 'Sarino, 12 jiiiles from here, under Major Jackson, to take charge. With proper care I think this is a healthy climate. The towns are filthy, but we are putting American enterpise into them and we will soon have a nice little city here." As has been stated, Col John R. Mar- shall acted as military governer of San Louis Cuba, a city about half the size of Springfield, 111. Major R. R. Jackson, with compaiiies E vnd F, were stationed at El Paso, about : 2 miles from San Louis; Major Jack^un -\v as acting Mayor of that town. Thus it will be seen that these Xegro s-ldiers were given responsible posts — :>!)sts calculated to show to the woi-ld that the Nergo is as able to command as lie is to obey. And it should be said, here, that .|!^V-t^> : \ Lieut Col. C. S. L A. Tavior, 3rd Noit'i Caro- lina \'ol. Iiifiiiurj-. IHE BLAC\ TKoui'EKS 11:) the Xegro should be c-ommanded by Xe^Toes was amply justified. 'Ihv ictimi home of the 8th."^Illinois was one coiiri;iaai uvarioii, from New York to Chicago. CHAPTEK XV. The 23rd. Kansas Vol iiiiteer Tnfar.try. THIS Regiment has the proud cnstiiic- tiou of bein^ one of the only two regi- "♦-^> ments, officei-edby Negro officers, that did garrison duty in Cuba. A dramatic incident is told Ly Captain "W. B. Koberts, of Co. F. of hisexperience at a Santiago hotel- Capt. Hobei-ts, writ- ing to his parents, - Oct; 3rd. 1898 says:— "When we are in Santiago we are re- minded so much of home. There is a hotel there called the American, run by an American w^ho is from St. Louis. Mo. They try to draw^ the color line here in Cuba. 'Y\\e first time 1 was theie I went to that li'tc! along with ('aptain Hawkins, of Atchison, who is very light in color. They thought he was white and so said nothing to him, but the proprietor was going to scop me. He said his boarders a n d white customers objected to eating with colored men and that he could not afford to ruin his business by accommodating me, and I an American army officer in full Coljiiel John K. Marshall, 6tn. Illinois Volun! called him to join tht'in. Mr. ''llohiian, however, refused to serve hnn. As the existing Spanish laws prohihit race, distinctions, Senor Mora, to whom com- plaint was made, consulted Maj. (ici.eral Lndlow% Military Governer of the Depaii- ment of Havana, as to the action to he taken, (ien. Ludlow told him to enforce the law, and Senor Mora infoi-med Mr. Holman that unless he wrote a letter of apojoo^}' the cafe would be closed. Mr. Holman declined to write the letter, and Senor Mora issued the closing order. }.\v. Holman. who is an American, says he will reopen, claiming that he is sus- tained by the American authorities. It is considered that the controversy will tai-e thr race question." ('aii it be possible that Spain, miicli a- bused, cruel Spain, would treat it> eir- izens of color with moie consideiation than proud America— tlie land of the fiee and the home of the biave! it i> a fact, however, that there had been mr h more equality among the races, inCula, under Spanish rule than in America. Think of it, Maceo, a Negro, yet secMul ni command of the Cubari forcc^I ;[30 THE BLACK IROOPtRS. I'lie 23rd Jvansas did ?ood service, on g.iii'ison duty in Cuba, ('apt. Roberts, writiug from San Luis De Cuba, Sept., 7, 1898, Says: — San Luis is the most peculiar city I have seen or dreamed of. It*is situated in a beautiful valley between the Sierra Ma- dre mountins, a unique (Jubau town of a- bout 4,000 inhabitants, all Cubans and col- ored people, but all speak Spanish and we cannot undei-stand what they say, only a few words. ''Man" in their language is "humbre," the "h" being: silent; woman, "senora;" young lady, ''senorito;" children, ''pickaninnies, "boy, ''bache;" and a girl is called a ''muchache." We are camped on the outskirt of the town, just 'across the branch fi'om the Eighth Illinois regiment, and have met several of the officers, and think a great deal of them. All are getting alcng nicely together. Our men visit back and fo"th and have a good time. Wahave but little sickness in camp; most of what wo have is bad colds and malaria. We have 24 men in the hospital, but none seriously sick. It is impossible to keep from taking cold until a person (retH acclimated. It h very hot in thi? The Cuban Flag-, under which Maceo, (Jiircia, Gomez and other Cuban patriots foug-hl. The stripeb are blue and white and a white star in a red field. r'- /I "ten. A ntonio Maceo. THE BLACK rKDOl'EUS. 135 climate and the nights are cool cnou^^ii to sleep under blankets; and it rains every day. Big dews fall at night. 80 you see the weather conditions are much dif- ferent to any thing we have been used to, but I am feeling fine, except a slight cold, and am trying to keep well There is no yellow fevor here, but a good many cases in Santiago, there being there two hospitals for fever patients. This country is five hundred years behind ours. * Little dirty streets, with houses worse than our barns, made of bark from cocoanut trees, which are the most com- mon trees here. It is a sight to see our men climbing cocoanut trees after cocoa- nuts, some green, some about ripe. \\ ill have ripe fruit here plenty in about two weeks. Everything grows hei-e— lemons, oranges, pineapples, bananas and all ti(»]>> cal fruits. We have plenty ('f len.« iis 1» v lemonade by picking them from th<' trees on the hillside anywhere around. This is a great country uf pos.sil):litic.<, but poverty reigns supreme. Tlir fields me gro'.vn over with sod, and i..s \\il le that they are conscious of the many in- dignities heaped upon the Negro by the su- called seperior race, and are cautions, lest he who sows the mind might rrai. the whirlwind. Gen. U.S. Grant was once heard to remark that.Mt will be a tiark day wlicn the Chinese learn the art of n.odern wait an While the Negroes of this conntry have no desire whatever to tnrn their kn"\\ lid^e of operating a machiuc i;nu ni.on liie 140 IKE BLACIv IKOOrEKlS. w^iiHes among' whom tho7 ]\Te, rr.d many of whom they ragard as their .ics: fiiend^: yrtafaint ides, con.'picici-s for itsineradic- fx ility, S83ni3:l togala foocho.aiiitheminds 01 th-e pcwers ihrt Ic, that a ^ ereral ariv- ii ■" of the ific-/n:eii(f L vi\ 5 in-cxped.- e: rt I.;;g: from iLeir point oi; \-c.mcg,c- x^ivtory, from time immemorirl rws \o •show that it hf.o ever hctn t]:e i ( I'n y, v, i ■ a here and there en e:;cpyt:o]i, Gfiuhiii: urns to keep military af^iairs ci;:: or f:\^ .>Rnds of subject races. The hccpiug in vicvv- or this idea aad a hno^ylcGg-e on the p»?vrt of the ruling claso CI this count: y of the en- nobling of Kcgro manhco:! enevi:abiy con- sequent upo:i Afro-Amoricans cxarcising themili'ary prerogative, is what has pre- vented the promotion of Xc^rroes in tlio anny. ^. x.io'r/3ycr, the bh^ch,^ oH Yirglnir, 'icadrd by the ''e:amest Ne^ro editor on the Con- tinent," John Mitchc], Jr., held cut for Kegro oiScers for the Gih. Yr.. V\'iii]e the Virginia Isegrces vrcrc r^ pr.trictic as any other A '-.lorican citizen to bo found eist - where, he wanted simple jnsiic, nothing 7>:o:'e nor less. Iliorciorc, their v, atchcry r. ■, ''No onicerr, no fi^ir." The ifesuit was, Gov. Tyler of Vii^Inia, i TH.S BLACK IH, (»l'Kli>. | 1 i appointed all colore r! ( ffirors except a col- onel, Lieut. Col, and liii assistant surgeon. The Colored officers were; .NFajors, \V. H. Johnson, of Peters- burg; J. IJ. Johiis:)n. 0.' Richniund: Capts.; W. A. HavvKin, j;. A. Graves, Charles B. Nicholas, Jas. C. Hill, J. A C.Stevens, E. W. Gould, and Peter Shepherd, Jr; Lieu- tenants, S. B. Kandolph, Geo. T. Wright and David w'orrell. Assistant Surgeon C K- Alexan1. Croxton (vhite) soon be- came tired oi Xcgro olllcers, not withstand- ing their pi'ovon eHiciency. Therefore he decided upon a plan by which he hoped to oust the Ne.^To officers and have whites put in their places, namely to prefer charges of incoir.petence ap:ainst the col- ored officers, have a picjudiccd board ap- pointed to (xamiiie them, and thus dis- charge them, 'i'his was about the middle of Oct., 18^^". A Disl Jiiciloii vrKija DirTeroiicc. In order to avoid the appearnnce of dis- criminating on account of color, Maj. J. B. Johnson, Cnpt. W. A. llawkius and 142 THE BLACK TKOoPEivS. Capt. B. A. Graves were not disturhed. Assistant Surg'eoii C. K. Alexander was not included, because the examination of him would have led to the examiuation of Assistant Surgeon Black, (white). (») A List of tlie Victi^jis. -^ The following however were lujirked for slaughter: Major W. R. Joluison, of Petersburg, Ya; Capt. Charles B Nicholas, of Richmond; Capt. James C. Hill and Capt. J. A. C Stevens, of Peters- burg, Ya.; Capt. Edward \V. GouM and Capt. Peter kShepherd, Ji'., of Norfolk; and Lieutenants S. B. Randolph, Geoi-ge T. Wright and David Worrell. <& A Manly Act. Knowing full well that uo fair examina- tion would be held, all of the nine officers ordered to be examined, promprl}^ handed in their resignation to the War Department. After the question had been agitated in public prints, pro and con, the colored l Ul- cers, who resigned, seiiL the folio win.:;* signed statement to Editor John Mitchell, Jr. of the Planet Avhich apr;eaid ui.der date of Nov. 19, 1898:— ^ Editor John MitcheP; «. Richmond Planet; Dear Sir: — As the daily papers f;;^nen:]:Y THE BLACK TROOPEKS. Uij liavp given theii- supposed version of the resio-nation of the nine officers of the Sixth V II g-inia Volunteers and it has all been unfavorable to the officers in (luestion, it may be well to let our fiiends hear our side. 1^0 begin with, by an act of Congress the commanding officer of a regiment is allowed at any time he sees fit, to ask for a i)oard to examine into the qualification, officiency, conduct and capability of offi- cers under him. A Com in a lid ill*? Officer's Opportunity. This of course gives a commanding offi- cer an opportunity to get rid of any officer who may be objectionable to him, whether on account of color or any thing else. A Nvest Pointer can have room made for his fellow school-mate to the detriment of the volunteer officers, and the colored officers can be gotten rid of for the volunteer offi- cers of choice. ft is stated that we were incompetent. K West Point is to be taken as the stand- aid of efficency we admit that we were incompetent, so is every one else, not a West Point gi-aduate. A Pointod Qiiostion, Again, if we were incompetent, what is \ 44 THE BLACK TRDOPitRS to be said o" ny who are inferior to some of us resigiiL-a, in metal capacity? When we reason along this line, we can see that the object was not to find out our efficency etc., but to throw us out. Had the Board met at the time appoint- ed, we would have been summoned to ap- pear before the Board not knowing what was wanted of us. The order called for a meeting of the Board on Monday, Oct. 3rd, at 10 A. M. We received the order from the Adjutant's office Monday Oct. 3rd, 9 P. M. Snap judgement. Siiininary Proceedings. \V e were not aware of anything of the kind to take place till we read the order. Tuesday, 7 A. M., some of our resignations were in the Adjutant's office. At 9 A. M. the President of the Board arrived in camp. We were sent for. While some of us were standing at the front of the commanding officer's tent waiting for tie othei's to appear, we heard the question coming from witliin the closed tent ^'Are there any officers Oi men fit for pi'omo- tion?" The reply was ''Ko. " \\\ a few minutes the President of the Bofiid vame (An a:ii said to us, "The Board ^uli con- Yeiie \^ ednsdav, 5th, at 9 A. \^ 'V -■ . IKtaT^aCI joW^' IP^JB 3I;ijor Will II. Johnson f'th. Virii^niu VoluntccT I::lut.trv. Jvieulenant John H. Alexander, (Deceased) i^econd Colored Graduate from West I'oint THK BLACK TR0(H'K1{>. 147 A 8ij>:iiific'ai)l Hint. "If any of you wi;sli to resign you had better do so before tlie Board uc-ets. If your resignations ai-e not in lie fori' we ;neet we'll have to leporr on >i»at what the white officers of a Ma<=^a^bu8ett« lUfiment did under the cir nstances, b»rrius color. .^W e no in)t wish money at the exn.ii^e of ri^rlit treat- ment. One tWwiu: has Icen deni©»»tiated, yea two, first, that ih? ronnmandin^c offi- cer of the 6th Vir;:inia Hitriment has no respects for <* man of color, retiued or vicious. 151) THE BLACK TROOPERS. Colored Officers, PredicameRt. All look alike to him. Second, that in the eyes of a certain class of army officers, an enlisted man, or an officer if he be a colored officer is no more than a yel- low dog. We do not wish it understood that we were utterly friendless. We were certain that we had one and probably two officers on the Board who would have given us jus- tice, but one of the other officers w;aslxpm a regiment very closely allied, to.: ihe Georgia Regiment which gave us n^^re trouble than all Camp Poland combined, while the other two, one of whom was the President, was from a regiment, the 4th Tennessee, who hated us intensely, as evinced by their action on learning that wc were to be temporarily assigned to the Fame brigade with them". We had nothiii^; lo hope for. Only swift judgement. /Sie:ned: WM. H. JOH^^SON, J. A.Q.-.^rEYENS, D A YIJD WORRELL, JAMES E.HILL, EDWARD W. GUILD, 0. B. ]N:iCHOLAh. ' S. B. RANLOLPIL THE BLACK TROUPEKS). 1>1 A Lyiirliiiiff Two Ainiiliilntod , A report, illustrating- the cliiiiactci- of tlie Bth. Vii'^inia was related hy a ri)V]i'<- pondent, namely; shoitly afrcr the ic.^-i- iiient was moved from (';:iup l*i»laiMi, Knoxville, Tenn., to Cam]) lia-kcll. Mn- con, Georgia, some one pointed out to them the tree on whieh a eolored man had been lynched nine years a^ro, they pro- ceeded to treat the ti'ee as they would liave treated the lynchers, and about a thousand shots tore their way through its trunk and cut away the limbs. Kiiulliiig Wood In Abuiidaiico. To complete the woi'k axes were brought into play and the mighty monarcli reduced to kindling wood. The white owner showed up on horse-back, but when he found^ that those Virginia colored folks were usually serious his horse's head was turned in another direction and for a few moments the boys enjoyed the sight of see- ing his coat-tails play in the wind while his horse was made to doits best in gct- ing him out of the neighborhood of dan- ger. The Otli. Kc'vicnvod by President ^IcKiiiley. ^^hllL■ at Camp Haskell, Macon, Ga , the 152 THE BLACK TROOPERS. btii. was reviewed by President McKin- Jey, while on a Southern tour. A cor- respondent of the Planet writes as fol- lows, under date of Dec. 1898: — A L<>ii|c? March. This morning I'eveille was sounded at 0:(iU, the boys were g:iveni/reakfiisto:45aud evei> thing put in readiness for the Grand Kevifcw given for oui- Corps Com nir* rider Maj. Gen'l Wilson in the city at nine o'clock. At 7 o'clock our command left camp for the long march to town, which was reached shortly after 8 o'clock. Eveiy man was in heavy marching order, with his rifle, canteen, haversack witn luncii, sheltei' tent, ponche aiiU blanket rolled across from shoulder to wais . Moie tiian 7500 troops were in line, and it was truly a magnificent sight as they marched througii the streets and passed the reviewing stand headed by the Divis- ion Commander and his staff niountet., followed by the 7th. Kegiment of cavalry with their mounted baud. it was a sight never before witjie>>e(l by the citizens of Macon, and the ]uta of of 4000 JNegro troops in line was some- thing that they never even dreamed of be- THE BLACK TROOPERS. \')'\ Favorably roiiiinoiHlod. Tho hi)ys created considcMablc favorable '•oniiiuMir however. It is si range how «;hese people rejjard tlic Negro, soldier. One cannot go into town with«»nt being eyed suspiei(»nsly, and looked upon as something oin of the ordinary, this ap- plies to colored as well as the white ele- ment. Jt is noticeable, so far different from the manner in which we were treated by all classes of citizens, while we Wi^j* stationed at Kno^ville. CHAFTFK XVTT The lOtli. Georgia \oliiii1ter jj.iauifj- aud 9tli. Ohio Battiliou etc. IHE 10th. Georgia Regiment was a splendid set of soldiers, coiisiderd from an athletic and disciplinary stand-point. The regiment was well be- haved, gentlemanly, and would Imve shown the Spaniards a thing or two had not the fun ended so abruptly. Company K was recruited by Prof. Thos. L. Cotton of Darlington S. C He was the only col- ored man in the regiment to recruit a company. Company F w^as one of the most inteligent companies in the regiment. It was from Hampton, Va , Capt. P. V. Turney, commanded. Capt. Turney was an old army man of 24 years constant service, oad eminently lirtod for his command. Company A w;i> composed of men from Atlanta, the Gate city, Lieut. F. H. Crumbly was in ^^A K\ MciiU'Majil F H Criiiiibly. ]<'iii (Ic mutain buinci'U. 158 TH-' BLACK TROOPERS. 'I'lip r)lli(^prR of companies were (^^iptain K. R. Rud, Lioiit Joliii R. Rudaiid William FJliot, of company A; Captain Deaton J. }>]-ooks, Licuts. Charles (^mIwcII, and A\'oo(lson p. Welsh of coi]i])aHy B; Capt- Harry Robinson, Lieiitenanrs James W. Smith, and James Bi'azlcroii. <. {' company C; Captain John C . Fiilvni;, J.ientenants Alfred A. Moore, and Kma ucl D. Bass ot company D. — There were sevei'al socallp'i Illumine Ke,i4iiu<'iits organized among tht. colored people. They were supposed to be immune to yellow fever. Most of them were not needed and therefore did not see active service. Col. ^9 Ray's regiment, fixm Louisiana, did snlendid srarrison dutv in Cuba. jy, :3»3:tv Miijov Charlos Y.nin<>-, Third ("olorcd (ira.lualc from WOtruint Coinmaiidcr of the 'Hh -Ohio Ualtiliuii. CHAPTER XVIII. Coiiclu8ion. VVF^ hope by this time the reader lin-? V^I^ seen enough of the Negro iSolduT ^'*"*"'*' to pioperly ai)i)reciate liis sterling wortli. It might not he amiss to leave tlie scene of the Cuban conflict for awhile - Foi'.i^er the sublime charge up San Juan Jlili: full) our backs uptm the tlmndering gates of VA Saney; and lelegate to the rear nf memory's tablet the sickening scenes of Sibony; and lets lo( k tlii-oniili the telesco{ e of inihginatioii. hikj.^ uj in yonders lofty In iyhts, view the colored ve- terans in the W ar of tin* Rebellion, \s h, upon a high liill ai'ound. the sides and ?-ear ejo-e under the ItlnfF lan a bayou tuel\e feet deep and from fifteen to twenty feet wide. Peeping out fiom the openings of the em- bankment were the giim m<»urhs of belch- ing cannon. 162 THK BLACK TROOPERS. A short lest after a long n) a r ^ v rs fol- -iiowered by the stern comniann, ' F<\\\ in." The fcr.oops were really nnxioiis to fi'oht a^d the scene reminded one mure of an pic^vly fstliietie party than a march to isesith. ■ The Confedates rediculed the idea t''i U Negroes were to take them. As the Negro regiment moved to-ward the fort there was a death like silence; broken only by the steady tramp of sol- diers and tap of drum. "Forward, double-quick, march!" rang out along the line; guns were steady, araunition dry. but not a single piece discharged, "Right about!" was the command, the regiment wheeled to the right about three hundred yards then cooly and orderly faced the enemy again by companies. Six awful charges were thus made when Colonel Nelson, the commander, reported to Gen. IJ wight his inability to take the fort because the bayou was too deep for his mon to wade; Gen. Dwight, replied "I shall consider he lias accomplished noth- rnix unless he takes those guns" Stern w >ds those! I'he soldiers, as well as Colonel Nelson, saw it was impossible to accomplish the unattainable, yet again the order to THE BLACK TROOPERS. 1*' > "r"iiiirf;r" was obeyed ^v■^]] n slioiit. rMmdows of Nai)(>le(»ir> lu^-td Aetrrr.iis who swam the turbid waters of the \ <'l}:a, and courted death under the sba(..\.- of the Pyramids of Egypt! Color Sergeant Anselmas rU.nci; i c ois (eolored) said to Cob Nelson beioie tlie tight; ''Colonel, I'll bring back these colors to you in honor or report to God the reason why." Subline determination! Brave IManeiancois repoi,..! to God. Coporal Heath catches up the dear old cob)rs and bears them up! up! and onward and wav^ ins defiance in a few yards of the bUzir.ff Confederate guns, he, too, lay a corp.-. < ;' rather a monument of endeavor to ci::e and to do. Who could select a more preg- nant text for a subline eulogy! History- ancient,'' mediaeval, and modern, shrink from the monumental task of furnishing a superior. Wlien the days of human disinterestidnesb is over; when truth an-ainst error is granted an andience f.f the eJ'ernalbar of .lustice, the true historian diprdng- hib (iuUl intotiie meteoric Hash ot absolure eruditioi^, will aseribo to the .No- {.-rVibc fnf-iplacc a:', ft bruve, ^jacrii.- ani gallai.t ^oUlici^ - Table of Contents Chapter I. Introductory 9 Chapter II. Causes Leading up to the War 10 Chapter III. Negro Soldiers Enlisted in the Regular Army 14 Chapter IV. The 9th. Cavalry 20 Chapter V. The 9th 's. Cuban Cam- paign 24 C hapter VI. The 10th. Cavalry .... 29 Chapter VII. Some Individual Mem- bers of the 10th 37 Chapter VIII. The 24th. Infantry.. 54 Chapter IX. The 24th. continued — the 24th. as Yellow Fever nurses 69 Chapter X. In the Trenches before Santiago 71 Chapter XI. The 25th. Infantry— How Kl Caney was won 77 Chapter XII. Volunteer Soldiers. . 91 Chapter XIII. The 3rd. N. C. Volun- teer Infantry 105' (Chapter XIV. The 8th. Illinois Vol- unteei- I nfatitry ....-•• 112 chapter X\ • I'lu' 'I'.hA. l\aii>;i-> \'(»i- uiiteer Infantry . • 12() Chapter XVI Th« (jth Vu. \'(>lunt»*ri- In- fantry \'A\) Chapter XVII. The lOth. (ieur^ia Vol- unteer Infantry; IHh. Ohio Battilinn; Im- mune Kegiments, etc. l.'i-t Chapter XVIII. Coi'dusiun ... l«»i ^14 7 , ^'W The Black Iroopers GUO DiKii^> HVMU-i:WV.tV>1<. M » .■>•*■ 1 ;^^: '^;:- > ^^-n^. .^ ^: ^ 0' ,0 -. <" -■- ^''-''■■" J' -- "^ -^.-0^ .-^q. 0" * .^• "6^ ^„ ". ^^ N^ \ ^' } o c° / 0^ V - « • o -^ . . . , * 0^ 'o 'o . . - /\ ^°v. "-s^^ A^^ .^^ .' -^^0^ C" ♦ :^0^\ -5^ *' •^^0^ o ■^ ^ >..''-/ ^h V > .^^r > n* , « • ■/, •%.^^' ,^^^^-. •C"*- N.MANCHESTER. /;:.•' INDIANA