I. and II.
Col. Franklin A. Denison and Lt. Col. Otis B. Duncan,
the highest ranking colored officers in France.
III. Col. Charles Young,the highest ranking colored officer in the United States Army.
IV.
Major Rufus M. Stokes. V. Major Joseph H. Ward.

Two Colored WomenWith the American
Expeditionary Forces
By

ADDIE W. HUNTONandKATHRYN M. JOHNSON

Illustrated

BBOOKLYN EAGLE PRESSBROOKLYN, NEW YORKSSOS06

Dedicated to the women of OUT
race,

who gave so trustingly andcourageously

thestrongest

theiryoung manhood

and

to

die

for

the

to

of

suffercause

offreedom.

With recognition and thanks to the authors quoted involume and to the men of the A. E. F. who havethiscontributed so willingly and largely to the story herein
related.

Contents
f FOREWORD

5fTHE CALL AND THE ANSWER

9fFiRST DAYS IN FRANCE

15*THE Y.M.C.A. AND OTHER WELFARE ORGANIZATIONS

22*THE COMBATANT TROOPS

41

fNON-COMBATANT TROOPS

96

fPiONEER INFANTRIES

112

fOvER THE CANTEEN IN FRANCE{THE LEAVE AREA

135

159

*RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE FRENCH

182*EDUCATION

199

fTHE SALVATION OF Music OVERSEAS*RELJGIOUS LIFE AMONG THE TROOPS

217

THE DEAD

233

f REBURYING

241

fSTRAY DAYS*AFTERTHOUGHT

t By

*

227

.

Addie W. Hunton.

By Kathryn M. Johnson.

253

Foreword
T3EMARKABLE achievements are worthy of remarkaAX ble acclaim. This justifies our desire to add still
another expression to those already written relative tothe career of the colored American soldiers in the lateWorld War.
career

The heroic devotion and sacrifice of thathave won appreciative expressions from those

who, from a personal point of view, know but little ofthe details.
How much more then should they who
walked side by side with those brave men in France
realize the merit of their service and chant their praises.
Surely they should be best able to interpret sincerely
and sympathetically, lovingly and gratefully for our soldiers, as they

may not for themselves, something of thewhich they passed as
the American Expeditionary Forces.
vicissitudes throughmembersof

We feel, too, that almost fifteen months of continuousthat carried us practically over all parts ofFrance, and afforded a heart to heart touch with thousands of men, is a guarantee of the knowledge and devotion that has inspired this volume.
Memories will ever crowd the mind and cause the eye
to kindle with the light of loving sympathy as we recall
our months of service at the base of supplies on the
coast of France. For there we were privileged to learnsomething of the life and spirit of the stevedores, laborbattalions and engineers- more than 25,000 of themwho, through all the desolate days of war, never ceasedin their efforts to connect America with Chateau Thierry,
Verdun, Sedan, St. Mihiel and other great battle centersof France. There we beheld combat troops, filled withthe spirit of adventure arriving fresh from America toAndfollow the trail to the already warworn front.
there came also those regiments that we called Pioneer
Infantries, the imprints of whose deeds of duty and daring are stamped all over France.

serviceWe followed our depot companies and engineers
through those isolated stretches and wastes where they
performed tasks so essential in the plans for victory.
After many months we went away from the confusionof war to beautiful southern France. There we worked
make happy the days of the men who came for rest
and recreation to that wonderful Alpine region of Savoie.
There in the Leave Area, by the side of shimmering Lake
to

Bourget, we learned something more of the life of oursoldiers as they fought or worked on French soil. Every
week, for five months or more, a thousand or so men

poured into Chambery and Challes-les-Eaux, and we
saw in them the gladness or depression of their service.
Far to the North we took our way, over devastatedareas, and dwelt midst the loneliness of poppy-covered
In those Cities of die Dead,
fields in "No Man's Land."

we beheld our soldiers summoned to the supreme test of
their loyalty and patience in the re-burying of the fallen
American heroes.
Back again to the coast we went to join in the great"Battle of Brest"
the battle for the morale of the tired,anxious soldier waiting for transportation back to homeand native friendships. For six weeks, from early morn-ing to midnight, our huts at Pontanezen echoed to thetread of thousands of feet. During that period it is estimated that fifty thousand colored soldiers passed throughthe camp. Battle scenes and war adventures were ended,
but the memory was yet deeply poignant, and often
silences revealed the depths of experiences beyond thepower of all words. Because of all this, we strive tonumbly recount the heart throbs of our heroes.

Again the authors have written because to them it wasgiven to represent in France the womanhood of our racein America
those fine mothers, wives, sisters and friends
who so courageously gave the very flower of their young
manhood to face the ravages of war. That we thenshould make an effort to interpret with womanly comprehension the loyalty and bravery of their men seems
not only a slight recompense for all they have given, but

an imperative duty.

We believe that undervaluation is a more subtle andunkind foe than overvaluation, so that we have not refrained in our story from a large measure of praise fora large measure of loyal and patriotic service, performed
ofttimes under the most trying conditions.
We have had no desire to attain to an authentic history,
but have rather aimed to record our impressions andfacts in a simple way.
But wherever historical facts
have been used, it has been largely to justify the measureof praise accorded and to offset the criticisms of prejudiced minds.
This volume is written at a time when, after the shockof terrific warfare, the world has not yet found its balance
when, in the midst of confusion, justice and truth callloudly for the democracy for which we have paid.
/ If for all time the world is to be free from the murderous scourge called war, it must make universal andeternal the practical application of the time-worn theoryof the brotherhood of man. May this volume written in
all love and truth, though perhaps imperfectly, serve toliftsome souls nearer to this ideal.

THE POTENT HOUR

The hour is big with sooth and sign, with errant men
at war.

While blood of alien, friend and foe, imbues the land afar,

And we with sable faces pent, move with the vanguard
line,

Shod with a faith that springtime keeps and all the stars
opine.

GEORGIA DOUGLAS JOHNSON.

The Call and the Answer
throbbing spirit of war

great
THE
did not reach the United States
thrilling,

until

that

memorable spring of 1918. Then it came in amighty tidal wave of vitalized force and energy.
Our country, woefully late, was at last awakened
Great human cargoes andto terrific speed.
innumerable tons of supplies held transports andCities, towns and villages
ships to their guards.
were suddenly transformed into great inspirational
centers of war activity. Meanwhile we were watching the map of France, noting with deep anxiety
the stubborn resistance of the war-weary French to

Once
moved with pitiless and determined face

the slow but certain advance of the enemy.
it

again
toward Paris the heart stream of all France.
Although General Joffre had once checked theGerman raiders and sent them to confusion anddeath, their lesson was not yet learned and they
were again throwing human force against the prinBut now that so many of the
ciples of right.
heroes of France had fallen, how would the foe
be met? Surely there was urgent need of a strong

army to stand at the Marne once again.
The American Forces already in France werecalling not only for help, but haste.
Suddenly,
we found ourselves included in this call with pass-Not all at once did its full significance come to us, but in those waiting days, as we
sat at our desk and tried to concentrate on
port in hand.

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

A.

E.

F.

war-work at home, quite unconsciously, we wouldfind the passport in our hands and our eyes searching the war map on the wall. Slowly we began torealize that we were to make an effort to reach"over there" where thousands of our own men had
gone and other thousands must go.
Then one dark afternoon, as the rain came down
in torrents, the buzz of the telephone at our elbow
told us our time had come. We asked no questions,for those were days of deep secrecy, but looked forthe last time at the war map in the officestudiedas never before, wondering where in that warwrecked country across the Atlantic we would findour place of service.
breathed a little prayer,itWe

our fellow workers, knowing
good-byethat tomorrow we would be on the ocean eastward
bound and went out to meet her who was to try
the unknown with us and who would prove thefaithful companion of all our "overseas" life.
There was no sleep that night for us; friends cameand went, and two ever faithful ones lingered lov-

said

to

ingly for the last possible service.
Of necessity, in those days, there were strict laws
sentries at the docks, so that when
we entered there was little hope of rejoining ourand manyWe

took the precaution, however, to beg them to wait for a final
sign of parting and while going through the

loved ones for a second adieu.

ordeal of having baggage examined and passed,
learned that our sailing time had been delayed fourhours.
We determined upon an effort to rejoin
those waiting so patiently outside the dock. Making
10

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE A.

E.

F.

a wide detour, we passed quietly by the sentry who
was striding to and fro with gun on his shoulder.

Now whether he could not quite grasp the fact thatwomen were really going to join theAmerican Expeditionary Forces, or had seen thecoloredclose clinging hug given one of the women by thelittlelad and lassie near him

or whether thebutit, we do not know
we passed, and in that very act much of the sadtwinkle in our eye didness of our parting was removed. We rode acrossFourteenth Street, a jolly party, had our lunch
and returned to the dock, where from an upperpier with smiles and tears all mingled, we waved
a final adieu.

How wonderful is love at such a time!
they stood lovingly and lingeringly

There

the cousin of

one of us who had come all the way from theMiddle West for this leave-taking; two bravechildren with the dear little woman whose true andtried devotion made us know that she would motherthem as her own till we came back to take herplace; and that other friend with whom we hadcrossed in peaceful days, joyously roaming overThat last picture
England and the Continent.
remained with us, to cheer us for all the months of
our absence.

And now there was no turning back.

Monthsago the war zone was just six hundred miles fromthe coast of France
but now the United States was
at war, and as we stepped on the gang plank, warzone passes were surrendered. We were crusaders
11

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

A.

E.

F.

on a quest for Democracy! How and where wouldthat precious thing be found?
What a spectacle was that sun-lit bit of New YorkAll about us were
harbor that June afternoon!
filledwithkhaki-clad
men, crowding
transports
port holes, every bit of deck and perched on every
beam. These thousands of youths of fearless anddeathless spirit, would quickly follow us over there,
and many of them, in war's thunderous tumult,

How theysupreme sacrifice.
whistled, sang and cheered as our little French
liner, Espagne, steamed slowly away from themquickly pay thetobrave alone the sea peril of that time!
First to the south and then to the east we sailed

over seas of glass, with never a storm or gale, buttremendous speed.
They were cheerful days,
although they were ever-watchful ones, with lifebelts close at hand.
No lights showed on deck at
Yes, just once!
night nor on the whole horizon.

By the big blazing cross at the foremast, we saw
form of a hospital ship, bringing its toll ofthehuman wreckage to the waiting hands and hearts ofits

native heath.

For all the trip there was no anxious face orword that revealed the danger that so constantly
lurked near us. Even the frequent summons forlife-boat drills were answered with mirthful banter.

An unfailing, kindly courtesy, and, in many cases,
comradeship marked the fellow-workers with
Perhaps it was due to the quiet
but wonderful personality of the leader of thisMr. William Sloane, Chairman of thegroup.
real

whom we crossed.

12

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE A.

E.

f.

War Council of the Young Men's Christian AssociaThe four hundred Polish recruits entertained
us with song, verse and dance; while usually we hadtion.

music and movies in the salon. Our Sunday afternoon at sea, we sat in the dining salon with the sun's
rays stealing through the closed portholes and fall-upon us in long, flickering, gold lines. Dr.
Henry S. Coffin talked to us in his forceful way ofheroes of old. Some one sang "Speed Away," andthen there was a triumphal outburst of "Eternal
Father Strong to Save!" The morning of the ninth
day we entered the Gironde River and steameding

slowly between vine-clad heights, overtopped bystately chateaux; between flowering meadows, withpicturesque villas, up to Bordeaux.

we "Answered the Call."13

It

was thusThat for which millions prayed and sighed,That for which ten thousands fought,
For which so many freely died,God cannot let it come to naught.
JAMES WELDON JOHNSON.

14

FirstDays in France

are many American boys now who are

THERE
quite familiar with the Louvre, Boulevards,
Notre

Dame and Napoleon's Tomb at Paris but

who know absolutely nothing of the Metropolitan
Museum, Fifth Avenue and its Cathedral, or Grant's
Tomb. The many ports of France were particularly the home of the colored soldiers, so thatlanding at Bordeaux it did not seem strange to be
But it did
greeted first of all by our own men.
seem passing strange that we should see themguarding German prisoners! Somehow we felt thatevencolored soldiers found it rather refreshingenjoyable for a change having come from acountry where it seemed everybody's business toguard them.

Bordeaux was singularly the home of colored
They were in the camps there by thesoldiers.

thousands.

In fact, as

we landed at Bordeaux,seemed every man's home. So crowded andvaried was its population, one could almost believethat during the nine days of silence on the ocean,Paris had been passed by the enemy. There wereitmany Colonial troops, Chinese laborers and, moreor less maimed French soldiers. The French government had been removed to that city in which theblending of the finest in old and new architecture
made it a charming substitute for Paris. Sitting in
the park that evening, looking out upon the teeminglife
2

about us, with crowds of black-robed women
15

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE A.

E.

F.

and helpless soldiers' filling in the picture, there

came to us. our first definite realization of the costof war.

Our first dinner in France, with butter and real
cream, was an unfortunate delusion, for it in
no way prepared us for all the lean days to follow.
ice

Especially not for the war-breakfast the next morna thick piece of dark bread, a hard-boileding
egg and a cup of black coffee all thrown at us
in unsweetened confusion; for while we waited forsugar, we were informed that for the future wemust use a liquid substitute supplied us in bottles.
But Paris was our destination, and we rode all
day over that part of France so full of historicalmemories past Tours with its Cathedral of Royal
Staircase and Towers; past Blois with its chateau
of

historicalpre-eminence;

past

Orleans,overwhich the spirit of Jeanne d'Arc eternally hovers
on to Paris.

Who does not know it now!
narrow
streetmade famous by theshort,
Men's
Association.
For there
ChristianYoung
were the Headquarters of that organization for all
its vast service to the American Expeditionary
Forces.
It was to 12 Rue d'Aguesseau that thefrom home were sent. There, inletters
precious
the crowded foyer, they were read and often
answered. There friends were met and conferences
Rue d'Aguesseau!

That

held.

How

can

any

Y

secretary

who went

through it all ever forget the intricate processes of"Movement Orders" and "Transportation" thatsomehow carried one all over the building and
16

1.

The Park at Bordeaux.

2.

The Foyer

quarters, Paris.

atthe Y.

M.

C.

A. Head-TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE A.
included several excursions from theE.

F.

first tothefifth floor, with the perverse little elevator generally

out of order!
ascenseur, forReally it was far better named
when on rare occasions it did re-spond to the push of the button and take one up,
there was always the warning sign not to descend
in

it.

It

was always necessary to report to the Paris

Headquarters in changing one's base of service.
Hence, we have several distinct pictures of the city
as we saw it at different intervals during our fifteen

We remember Paris at Chrismas time, 1918, when President Wilson had but
recently arrived there; when the forces that had
months in France.

for so long fought against cold and darkness weretriumphant at last. Warmth and light flooded the

The American was thevery soul of the city.
buttheFrench were riotously
dominating figure,
for
had
come
a Victorious Peace!
happy,peace

We remember, too, the Paris of the late summerof 1919, when after her great victory paradeinwhich all the victors participated except our own
she began to realize her real
The foreigners had mostly gone and theIt was alights were less brilliant than in winter.

colored soldierscondition.

quiet but wise Paris, bravely facing her tremendous

work of reconstruction. But the saddest picture
was our first. It was the summer of 1918, Paris
was again in the war zone. We entered a city ofdarkness and our taxicab literally felt its way tothe hotel. Here and there dim green lights, heavily
hooded, peeped out at us, and we learned that17

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

A.

E.

F.

they were simply guides to caves for those unhappy
wayfarers caught beneath the enemy's shell. On
that June night, the great Gare d'Orsay was aseething mass of aristocracy, peasantry and soldiers.
The same was true of all other railroad
stations, for soldiers were forcing their way to thefront and refugees their way to the rear.

But allseemed concentrated in those terminals; overEven thethe city itself there was deep silence.
The
with
dark
were
forebodings.
days
heavy
French went quietly to their business by day andto their cellars by night, as the Germans menaced
and shattered with shell and bomb. The day of
the British and Belgian soldiers in Paris had almost
passed that of the American scarce begun. The
many French soldiers one saw there were, for themost part, heartbreaking in their poor torn bodies.
We had just seen the children at Bordeaux who
used to play among the flowers and marble statuesof the parks and look from the windows now closelife

shuttered.

We looked in vain in the Louvre, Notre

Dame and other repositories for their pricelesstreasures, but they were hidden, and ugly sandbags
hugged the architecture against the ruthless attacksof the foe.

True, the shop-keeper tried to extol
and press her wares upon us as of old, but, with theabove picture before us, bread tickets in our hands

and meatless days, we felt most keenly that it was
not the Paris in which, just ten years before, we had
lived so joyously for many weeks. It was a bleeding, war-harassed city with its deadly foe pressing
upon it. But faith at Paris was not wholly dead;18

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE A.

E.

F.

the spirit of Jeanne d'Arc still lived and Saint
Genevieve still kept faithful vigil through the longdark hours of waiting. To such a Paris we went,and somehow seemed a part of it. The warningof the siren, air-battles by night and "Big Bertha"bombs by day were accepted as a part of grim war.

Meanwhile we prepared for work in the camp.
Those last days in America and first days inFrance brought us into close touch with the finespirits who guided the women's work for the War
Council of the Young Men's Christian Association.
In the United States, we had gathered inspirationand vision for our service from the highly efficientand spiritual chairman Mrs. F. Louis Slade.
Closely associated with Mrs. Slade was Mrs. Elsie
Meade, whose warm sympathy and steady hand
was such a comfort, first, to the out-going womenin America, and later in France with its everchanging camp life. There was Miss Crawford,
whose alert service and cheerful word in the office
at home and in France meant so much to the Y

woman who sought information.

Our first assign-

ment in France was made by Mrs. Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., and the second by Miss Ella Sachs, bothof whom gave to the Young Men's Christian Association a wealth of devoted service
the love of their country.

purely for

There was Miss Martha

McCook, who for so long stood so faithfully at
the head of the women's personnel abroad. Whoof the secretaries will ever forget Dr. Cockett?
Giving herself first to pioneer work in the camp, she
19

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

A.

E.

F.

afterwards stood as a tower of strength and knowledge to the newly-arrived secretary. Last but notleast came Mrs. W. L. Wright, with her understanding and appreciation of the colored unit inFrance.
The colored women who served overseas had atremendous

strain placed upon their Christian
but the officials whom we have mentioned,

idealsone and all, as did now and then a regional secretary like Miss Susanne Ridgeway at St. Nazaire,Miss Harris at Aix-les-Bains or the Misses Watson

and Shaw at Brest, helped them to keep their faith
in thedemocracy of real Christian service.

A whole volume of interest centers about those
The conferences from which
we gathered facts and details that would find practwo weeks in Paris.
tical expression

on thefield; themeeting of old

friends and the making of new; the full realizationof the restrictions of the army and its penalties
for disobedience; the fortitude and fineness of theFrenchall thisand more crowded upon us

inthose days and wonderfully strengthened us forour task. And then, one day, one of us faced
toward Brest and the other toward St. Nazaire tolove and serve our men at those ports.

20All honor is due the faithful men and women of both
races

at

home, who by a great expenditure of time,money and energy, made possible the operation of thegreat plan of bringing comfort and relief to the soldiers
through the Welfare Organizations overseas. And while
there was disappointment in the hopes of many anhonest heart, in that there were prejudices and discriminations often shown to the colored race, and sometimes in-

the soldiers of both races, still, the army
would have been a barren place had these institutions
not existed. The great good that was done gives muchjustices tohope for the possibilities of organized welfare effort in
the future.

21

The Y. M. C. A. and Other Welfare
Organizations
was our privilege to go overseas as welfare

IT worker under the auspices of the Y. M. C. A.,

and from the time we entered active duty until we
finished our work at Camp Pontanezen, we canconscientiously say that we had the greatest opportunity for service that we have ever known; service
that was constructive, and prolific with wonderfuland satisfying results.
The contact with a hundred thousand men, manyof whom it was our privilege to help in a hundred
different ways; men who were groping and discouraged; others who were crying loudly for help,that they might acquire just the rudiments of an
education, and so establish connection with theanxious hearts whom they had left behind and stillothers who had a depth of understanding and abreadth of vision that was at once a help and an;

inspiration.

was a wonderful spirit that prompted theM.
Y.
C. A. to offer its vast facilities to this serviceIt;

to cheer and encourage; to administer to the spiritual and physical needs; and to establish a con-necting link between the soldier and the home; thathome which ever kept for him a beckoning candle
in the window, and a fire that was ever aglow.

And no less wonderful was the spirit of the Red
Cross, the Salvation Army, the Knights of Colum22

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

A.

E.

F.

bus, the Jewish Welfare Board, and the Y. W. C. A.
For the privilege of serving in this capacity weshall ever be grateful,and not only for the privi-

lege of service, but for the privilege of contact
with a wonderful and soulful people; for the privilege of seeing their beautiful gardens, their fertile
fields,theirsnowcapped mountains and winding

rivers; for the privilege of gathering inspirationfrom their wealth of architectural beauty, theirwonderful art galleries and cultural centers; andfor the privilege of serving in even the smallest

way to help in the preservation of the treasures of
thiswonderful civilization, for the generations of

the future.

But to help to mar the beauty and joy of thisservice was ever-present war, with its awful toll ofdeath and suffering; and then the service of thecolored welfare workers was more or less clouded
at all times with that biting and stinging thingwhich is ever shadowing us in our own country,
and which marked our pathway through all ourjoyous privilege of giving the best that was within
us of labor and devotion.
j Upon our arrival in Paris we met Mr. Matthew
Bullock and his staff of four secretaries, including the first colored woman, who had been orderedhome as persona non grata to the army; this wasdone on recommendation of army officials in Bordeaux, who had brought from our southland theirfull measure of sectional prejudice.

This incident resulted in the detention of many
secretaries, both men and women, from sailing for
23

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

A.

E.

F.

quite a period of time, and no more women camefor nearly ten months, thus leaving three coloredwomen to spread their influence as best they could
among 150,000 men.

An incident, in some respects similar, occurredin connection with the work in the city of Brest.
During the days when it became the greatest embarkation port in France, at times there were as
many as forty thousand men of color, at Camp
Pontanezen, waiting for transportation home, andup until about the 18th of June, 1919, there wasonly one colored Y man there and no women.
This, too, at a time when Paris had as many as
forty colored men and women, who had returned
from their posts of duty, and were willing andanxious for reassignment. This spectacle would no
doubt have continued until the close of the work,
had not the writers remained in Paris for a periodof ten days, requesting continuously that they bepermitted to go to Brest. They were finally admitted through the intercession of Mr. W. S. Wallace, who had become the head of the personnel

department.

When they arrived they were told by

the secretary at the head of the woman's work forhad tried repeatedly to getcolored women, but for some reason the Paris officethat region, that she

had refused to send them.

But the Paris office had

said each time, upon being questioned with regard
to the matter, that the office at Brest did not desire

coloredwomen secretaries.

This misunderstand-ing came about, no doubt, when, one year previous,
the first colored woman sent there had been re24

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE
turned to Paris.

With the necessary

A.

F.

E.

tact

and

investigation on the part of the proper authorities,
the matter could no doubt have been very easilyadjusted, when the original men in authority at

Brest had been replaced by others who were morereasonable, and who had more sympathy for thecolored men; in that case we would not have been
confronted with the spectacle of numbers of colored
workers idle in Paris for a period of from four to
six weeks, just one night's ride from thousands ofcolored soldiers, who were necessarily centered at

Had they been there
they could have been of wonderful service, at atime when waiting was a task that tried men's
the great home-going port.

souls.

Commendable things were accomplished, however, through the limited number of colored secretaries, the sum total of whom finally became
seventy-eight men and nineteen, women, the rank
and file of whom were splendid, giving excellent
service in whatever portion of the A. E. F.
which they happened to be assigned.

toAmong those who gave especially valiant service
were Mr. Matthew Bullock, of Boston, Mass., who
served with the 369th Infantry; Mr. H. 0. Cook, of
Kansas City, Mo., who served with the 371st; andMr. E. T. Banks, of Dayton, Ohio, who served withthe 368th. All of these men were cited for bravery as a result of their services with the combatant
Mr. Banks went over the top with his
troops.
men in the Vienne, La Chateau sector, of the
Argonne Forest. Mr. Cook gave gallant service
25

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

A.

E.

F.

in the Champagne offensive, working tirelessly until

he was gassed; while Mr. Bullock could be seen attimes making his way under tremendous shellfire that he might reach his men with necessaryallsupplies; all of these

men won high praise for

their services in giving first aid to the wounded.

While there is very little exception to the rule
were generally and wonderfully helped by the colored secretaries, andthat the colored soldierswhile the official heads of the Y. M. C. A. at Paris
were in every way considerate and courteous to its
colored constituency, still there is no doubt thatthe attitude ofmany of the white secretaries in

the field was to be deplored.

They came from allparts of the United States, North, South, East andWest, and brought their native prejudices with them.
Our soldiers often told us of signs on Y. M. C. A.
huts which read, "No Negroes Allowed" ; and sometimes other signs would designate the hours whencolored men could be served; we remember seeing
such instructions written in crayon on a bulletinboard at one of the huts at Camp I, St. Nazaire;
signs prohibiting the entrance of colored men were
frequently seen during the beginning of the workin that section; but always, when the matter was

brought to the attention of Mr. W. S. Wallace, theregional secretary, he would immediately see thatthey were removed.

Sometimes, even, when there were no such signs,
services to colored soldiers would be refused. One
such soldier came to the Leave Area, and one day,26

GROUP OF Y.M.C.A. WORKERS, INCLUDING THE THREE
SECRETARIES WHO WERE CITED FOR BRAVERY
1. Miss
Turner.
4.
2. Mr.
Matthew Bullock.
3. Mrs.
Craigwell.
Misses Edwards and Rochon, and Mr. Owens.
5. Misses Phelps andSuarez.
6. Mr. H. O. Cook.
7. Miss Hagan.
8. Mr. E. T. Banks.

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE A.

E.

F.

while on a hike to Hannibal's Pass, he confided to
the writer that he was beginning to see the Y. M.
C. A. from a different view-point, since he had

been where there were colored secretaries. Thatat one time, up at the front, he had been marchingfor two days, was muddy to the waist, cold andstarving, because he had had nothing to eat during
the entire journey. He came across a Y. M. C. A.
hut, went in, and asked them to sell him a packageof cakes. They refused to sell it to him under theplea that they did not serve Negroes.

The writer remembers an appeal that came toher one Sunday morning while at St. Nazaire. A
Sergeant in the Medical Corps desired her to use
her influence to help to get him out of the guard
house.
On investigation she learned that he had
been placed there for doing violence to a Y. M.
C. A. secretary.
This secretary served in a hut
just two blocks from the one in which the writerserved. It happened to be immediately across thestreet from the dispensary, where the sergeant wason duty. Instead of coming to the colored hut, hewent across the street to the one nearer. The secretary, with much indignation, told him that hedid not serve Negroes. The sergeant went back to
the dispensary, feeling outraged.

The next day

this same Y. M. C. A. secretary went into the dispensary and asked for some medicine. The ser-geant told him he must wait until those ahead ofhim were served; but the secretary persisted that

he was in a hurry, and must be served at once;
27

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE A.

E.

F.

whereupon the sergeant, still smarting under the
insult of the day before, unceremoniously ejected
him from the building.

One secretary had a colored band come to his
hut to entertain his men. Several colored soldiers
followed the band into the hut. The secretary got
up and announced that no colored men would be
admitted. The leader of the band, a white man,by the way, immediately informed his men thatthey need not play; whereupon all departed andthere was no entertainment. Some huts would permit colored men to come in and purchase supplies
at the canteen, but would not let them sit down andwrite, while others received them without any discrimination whatever.

Quite a deal of unpleasantness was experienced
One secretary in chargeof a party sailing from Bordeaux, attempted toTheyput all the colored men in the steerage.

on the boats coming home.

rebelled and left the ship whereupon arrangements
were made to give them the same accommodations;

as the others.

On another boat there were nineteen coloredwelfare workers; all the women were placed on afloor below the white women, and the entire coloredparty was placed in an obscure, poorly ventilated
section of the dining-room, entirely separated fromthe other workers by a long table of Dutch civil-

The writer immediately protested; the reply
was made that southern white workers on board
the ship would be insulted if the colored workers
ians.

28

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE
ate in the

A.

E.

F.

same section of the dining-room withthem, and, at any rate, the colored people need
not expect any such treatment as had been given
them by the French.

But Y. M. C. A. secretaries were not always
responsible for discriminations that occurred in theY. M. C. A. huts. In some places, commanding

On another page
Camp Guthrie, near

officers would order signs put up.
is a picture of a hut located at

The small sign just on the right of the
St. Nazaire.
The hut
picture says, "Colored Soldiers Only."
secretary here was a colored man, the Rev. T. A.
Griffith, formerly of Des Moines, Iowa, and Topeka,Kan.

To this hut came many white soldiers tolisten to his sermons, and to get into the ice cream

At the same time many of
where
there was a white secretary, to be served in the ice
cream line. In time these boys were told that theymust get out of the line and be served at their own
hut. Simultaneously Rev. Griffith was told to keep
the white men out of his line, and let them beserved where there were white secretaries.
Rev.
Griffith did not do this, but left the order to be
enforced by the colonel who had made it. Whenthe colonel saw that his order was not being recognized at the colored hut, he had the sign put up as
shown in the picture. Rev. Griffith made a number of efforts to get the sign removed, but to noline at the canteen.

the colored soldiers went to the other hut,avail.

The following
another section:isa copy of an order issued in
29

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

A.

E.

F.

HEADQUARTERS CONCENTRATION CAMP
S. 0. S.

TROOPS

REMACOURT

Memorandum
Y. M. C. A.

There are two Y. M. C. A.'s, one near the camp, forwhite troops, and one in town, for the colored troops.
All men will be instructed to patronize their own Y.

By order of COL. DOANE.
JOHN A. SCHWEITZER, 1st Lt. Inf.,
May, 1919.

Adjutant.

But there were splendid men among both secretaries and army officials, who honestly and actively
opposed discrimination. Mention already has been
made of our personal knowledge of Mr. W. S.
Wallace at St. Nazaire, who was always on thealert to see that the colored soldiers had a squaredeal; while at Brest we found an equally finespirit in the person of Major Roberts, the army wel-fare officer.

While welfare organizations other than theY. M. C. A. did not employ colored workers, still,

we had the opportunity of observing the attitude
they assumed toward the colored troops. It was apart of the multiplicity of the duties of colored
Y women to visit the hospitals; here they foundcolored soldiers placed indiscriminately in wards
with white soldiers, while officers were accorded thesame treatment as were their white comrades.
However, we learned that in some places, colored
officers would be placed in wards with private soldiers, instead of being given private rooms, as was30

HUTS SHOWING SCARCITY OF COLORED SECRETARIES ANDSOME DISCRIMINATIONS PRACTICED
Hut 5, Camp Lusitania, St. Nazaire.

The largest Y. M. C. A. hut inof three secretaries.
C. Croom, Kathryn M. Johnson, F. O.
Nichols, traveling Lecturer on Civics, said Walter Price.
2. Last Y. M. C. A. hut built in France, showing sign in upper right1.

France, with full

From

left

to

staff

right

J.

corner, reading, "Colored Soldiers Only."

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE A.

E.

F.

their military right; and one soldier tells how,
after being twice wounded in the Argonne drive,

he was taken to Base Hospital No. 56; here he, andothers, waited three days before they could secure
the attention of either a doctor or a nurse; butwhen these attendants finally came, the coloredsoldiers were taken from the hospital beds andplaced on cots which were shoved into one end of
the room where there was no heat; they then received medical attention, always after the others
had been well attended, and were given the foodthat remained after the others had been served.

There was one notable incident of discriminaon the part of the Knights of Columbus. It
occurred at Camp Romagne, where there wereabout 9,000 colored soldiers engaged in the hearttion

breaking task of reburying the dead. The whitesoldiers here were acting as clerks, and doing theless arduous tasks.
The Knights of Columbus
erected a tent here and placed thereon a sign tokeep colored soldiers away. The colored soldiers,
heartsore because they, of all the soldiers, German prisoners, etc., that there were in France,
should alone be forced to do this terrible task ofmoving the dead from where they had been temporarily buried to a permanent resting place, immediately resented the outrage and razed the tent

The officers became frightened lest
there should be mutiny, mounted a machine gun
to keep order, and commanded the four coloredwomen who were doing service there to proceed atto the ground.

once to Paris.
3

31

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE A.

E.

F.

As a rule, only words of praise were heard forArmy, whose field of service was

the Salvation

very small but very excellent.
The Y. W. C. A. was another welfare organization with overseas workers; their field of service
was among the women welfare workers of otherorganizations, and the French war brides who
were waiting to come to America with their
American soldier husbands. No colored representative of this organization was sent over, as thenumber of colored women was so small that she

would have had no field in which to operate.

Few,

any, of the white Y. W. C. A. workers gave any
attention to this little colored group, notwithstandif

ing the fact that they were women, and Americans,
One, however, remembers ajust like the others.
greeting of much insulting superiority and snobbishness, by one of its representatives whom she meton the street. After that she always felt it neces-sary to keep in places where they were not to be
Of course, all of them were not of this type,but there was no way of being sure of those who
were not. As an organization there is no doubt
seen.

that

much good was accomplished by them, espe-

cially in furnishing reasonable

and comfortable

hotel accommodations for women welfare workers

and also in caring for the wives of solwho were waiting to come home, in thecrowded seaport cities.
The largest Y. M. C. A. hut in France was one
in Paris,

diersCamp Lusitania, St. Nazaire, for the useof colored soldiers. It was the first hut built forbuilt at32

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE A.

E.

F.

our boys, and for its longest period of service wasunder the supervision of Rev. D. Leroy Ferguson,of Louisville, Ky.

Itreached its highest state ofefficiency and cleanliness under Mr. J. C. Groom, ofGoldsboro, N. C. It did service for 9,000 men, andhad, in addition to the dry canteen, a library of
1,500 volumes, a money-order department whichsometimes sent out as much as $2,000 a day tothe home folks; a school room where 1,100 illiterates were taught to read and write; a large lobby

for writing letters and playing games ; and towards
the close of the work, a wet canteen, which served
hot chocolate, lemonade and cakes to the soldiers.

To this hut one of us was assigned, and served
for nearly nine months.
The work was

there

pleasant and profitable to all concerned, and no

woman could have received better treatment anywhere than was received at the hands of these 9,000
who helped to fight the battle of St. Nazaire byunloading the great ships that came into the harbor.
Among the duties found there were to assist
in religious work; to equip a library with books,
chairs, tables, decorations, etc., and establish asystem of lending books; to write

letters for thesoldiers; to report allotments that had not been
paid; to establish a money order system; to search

for lost relatives at home; to do shopping for theboys whose time was too limited to do it themselves; to teach illiterates to read and write; tospend a social hour with those who wanted to tellher their stories of joy or sorrow.
All of this kept one woman so busy that she
33

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE A.

E.

F.

found no time to think of anything else, not evento take the ten days' vacation which was allowed herevery four months. In a hut of similar size amongwhite soldiers, there would have been at least six

women, and perhaps eight men. Here the only
woman had from two to five male associates.
Colored workers everywhere were so limited thatone person found it necessary to do the work of
three or four.
Just on the suburbs of St. Nazaire, about two
miles from Camp Lusitania, was another hut, thesecond oldest for colored men in France. Herethe other one of the writers spent six months ofthrilling, all-absorbing service; while about six
miles out, in the little town of Montoir, where
thousands of labor troops and engineers had permanent headquarters, the third of the coloredwomen to come to this section ran a large canteen,supplying chocolate, doughnuts, pie and sometimes ice cream to the grateful soldiers. This hut
was far too small for the number of soldiers it
had to entertain, but it was made large in its hospitality by the genial, good-natured, energetic Mr.
William Stevenson, its first hut secretary, now
Y. M. C. A. secretary, Washington, D. C.
Hestarted the work in a tent, and built it up to a veri-

table thriving beehive of activity.
There were several other localities in the neigh-borhood of St. Nazaire, where one colored secretary would be utilized to reach an isolated set.
They usually worked in tents. Other places where
Y. M. C. A. buildings, huts or tents for colored34

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE A.
soldiers

Mans,

E.

F.

were located, were Bordeaux, Brest, Le
Chambery, Marseilles,

Challes-les-Eaux,

Joinville, Belleau Wood, Fere-en-Tardenois, Orly,

Remacourt, Chaumont, and Camp
near
Verdun.
Romagnecanteens
ran out from some places,
Rolling
the soldiers had no Y. M.
wherereaching points
C. A. conveniences. This was a small automobile
Is-sur-Tille,

truck, equipped with material for serving chocolate

and doughnuts, and operated by a chauffeur, anda Y woman who dispensed smiles and sunshine tothe ofttimes homesick boys, along with whatever
she had to tempt their appetites.
The last, and perhaps the most difficult piece ofconstructive work done by the colored workers, wasat Camp Pontanezen, Brest.
It has been told in
another chapter how one of the writers received
Brest as her first appointment, and how she wasimmediately informed upon her arrival that because of the roughness of the colored men, shewould not be allowed to serve them. That woman
went away with the determination to return to
Brest, and serve the colored men there, if there

was any way to make an opening; so after finishing her work in the Leave Area, she and her coworker, who had been relieved from duty at Camp
Romagne, were finally permitted to go there, as
has been previously explained.

Upon their arrival, they were told that they would
be assigned to Camp President Lincoln, where there
were about 12,000 S. 0. S. troops. Here there
were several secretaries and chaplains, and the35

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE A.

E.

F.

need was greater at Camp Pontanezen, where there
were 40,000 men, and only one colored secretary.
The writers requested that they be located there.
The appointment was held up for one day, andfinally they became located at Soldiers' Rest Hut,in the desired camp.

They were told that they must retain a room inthe city, as the woman's dormitory atCamp Pontanezen was filled to its capacity. But they contended that to do so would take them away fromthe soldiers at a time in the evening when they
could be of the greatest service. Finally, it wasarranged for them to stay in the hut, much to thedissatisfaction of the white secretary in charge.
The next morning before they left their room,a message was received, telling them that trans-

portation would be at the door at any moment they
desired, to take them back to Brest; that Major
Roberts, the Camp Welfare Officer, had said thatthey must not stay in the hut. Upon investigation
by Mr. B. F. Lee, Jr., the lone colored secretary
at this tremendous camp, it was learned that Major
Roberts had been told that the women were uncomfortable, and did not wish to stay.
Mr. Lee explained that such was not true. The
Welfare Officer then visited the hut, talked with thewomen, recognized the situation, gave his consent
to their staying, and assured them that he waswilling and ready to do anything in his power tomake them comfortable, and assist in equipping
the hut.
The white secretary, seeing that the
women were going to stay, acquiesced in the situa36

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE
tion, instead of moving out,

could to

A.

E.

F.

and did everything heassist.

After this there was no difficulty experienced atCamp Pontanezen.

The camp secretary and his

put every means at our disposal to assist us
in the work, while the head of the women's work
was at all times helpful and sympathetic. From
the time she received us at Brest, until our departure, she showed us every consideration and courtesy due Y. M. C. A. secretaries.
staff

During the nearly seven weeks there, the chiefof the women's work for France paid the city avisit, in order that she might, among other things,
visit thecolored work.

The two women remained in the same hut about
two weeks, when Major Roberts gave one of themost beautiful huts in the camp to the colored
It had been occupied by the
106th
and
had been built for their own private
Engineers,
soldiers.

use.
It contained a beautiful stage; a large auditorium, seating 1,100 people, with a balcony andboxes for officers. It also had a beautiful libraryand reading room, as well as a wet canteen. To
this hut came Mr. B. F. Lee, Jr., and one of thewomen, while the other remained at Soldiers' Rest
Hut, and became its hut secretary. To join themcame two other women from Paris, one of whom
was placed in each hut, making the total numberof women secretaries, four.

The new hut was quickly gotten in order, sleeping
quarters being arranged, a new library built, and37

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE A.

E.

F.

game room made by removing partitions fromunder the balcony.
There were several other large huts at Camp
Pontanezen, that were used for long periods exa

by colored soldiers; but in the absence
women, white women, sometimes as
fivein a hut, gave a service that was
many asclusivelyof colored

necessarily perfunctory, because their prejudiceswould not permit them to spend a social hour witha homesick colored boy, or even to sew on a service stripe, were they asked to do so.
But thevery fact that they were there showed a change inthe policy from a year previous,

when a coloredwoman even was not permitted to serve them.
In nearly all the Y. M. C. A. huts, in every section of France, moving pictures would be operated

every afternoon and evening. Many times before
the movies, some kind of an entertainment would
be furnished by the entertainment department of
the Y. M. C. A. There were shows furnished by
French or American dramatists; concert parties by
singers and musicians of all nationalities, and freThequently a lecture on health and morals.
movies and shows were the most popular forms ofentertainment, and on these occasions the huts
would always be crowded, as all entertainments
given by the Y. M. C. A. were free.
The organization also did much to promote clean
morals among the men, by the free distribution ofThisbooklets, tracts, and wholesome pictures.
literature would be placed in literature cases, andthe men would select their own material, while the38

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE A.

E.

F.

pictures would be placed in parts of the hut where
they would be easily visible. Some of the booklets

which were unusually popular among the men were
"Nurse and Knight," "Out of the Fog," "When a
Man's Alone," "The Spirit of a Soldier," and"A Square Deal"; while quantities of other stories
with sharply drawn morals were distributed by thethousands and thousands of copies.
All told, the Y. M. C. A., with a tremendousarmy of workers, many of whom were untrained,
did a colossal piece of welfare work overseas. The
last hut for the colored Americans in France wasCamp Pontanezen, Brest, on August 3,
1919, by one of the writers; the two of them having given the longest period of active service of

closed atany of the colored women who went overseas.

39

"These men are high of soul, as they face their fateon the shell-shattered earth, or in the skies above, or in
the waters beneath;and nolesshigh of soul are thewomen with torn hearts and shining eyes; the girls whose
boy lovers have been struck down in their golden morning, and the mothers and wives to whom word has beenbrought that henceforth they must walk in the shadow."

THEODORE ROOSEVELT, in "The Great Adventure"**

By permission of Charles Scribner's Sons.
40

The Combatant Troops
was our greatest hope, when we left that great

ITcity of the Middle West, in May, 1918, that
we might have the privilege of serving those soldiers whom we had seen march proudly away
about six months before, and entrain for the cityof the South, there to prepare to take their part on
the great western front, in the world's greatest
It was at once a joyous and heart-achingwar.

them from the spacious 8th

privilege to follow

Regiment Armory, through the penetrating breeze
from Lake Michigan, in order that we might see
them bid a last adieu to those who loved them
most; the mothers, wives, and sweethearts whoclung to the car windows and steps for a last tearful embrace, as the train prepared to move slowly

away, bearing its burden of human freight, someof whom were not to return, but were to remain
resting in those fields whose blood-red poppies

seemed death's perfect emblem of crimson beauty.
But failing to have the privilege of serving them,

we desired

in

all

earnestness of heart to serve

whatever other colored regiments were marshaledin battle array against the foe; those who were
facing the

shot

and

shell;

thepoison gas andliquid flame; the bombs from above and the minesfrom beneath; who were struggling through barbed
wire entanglements, and sleeping in trenches anddugouts; who were suffering in all possible ways
from the wicked ingenuity of the Germans; who
41

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

A.

E.

F.

went for days without food and drink; and whooffered themselves as a supreme sacrifice to help
make the world safe for democracy.

toTo these troops we owe much for our splendid
record in the World War. They summoned withsuperhuman strength the courage to overcome thegalling and heart-breaking discriminations which
they had known before they crossed the seas; theopen and public discussion as to whether colored

men should be allowed to fight; the tragedy of
Houston, and the resulting discouragement at Des
1
Moines; the impudence of the commanding officer
at Camp Funston, and the pre-arranged and infamous plan to discredit colored officers on thebattlefields; all this was sufficient to sap their verylife blood before it had a chance to crimson the
soil

that

of Flanders Fields; and it was to these troops
we felt we owed all that could be given ofservice and devotion.

But we were not permitted to do this serwhich we longed so much, and conseourquentlychapter on Combatant Troops must bea record of facts which we have gathered fromofficers and men of the different organizations who
have so kindly and willingly come to our assistvice for

ance.

True, it is a brief record; the full record

must be left to those who write the histories; but

we hope it is quite sufficient to establish for alltime the fact that these troops lived up to the fullmeasure of their opportunity; that whether underwhite or colored leadership, they fought bravely
and with undaunted courage; that their spirit of42TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE A.

E.

F.

patience and long suffering enabled them to overcome even the battle of prejudice, which had fol-

lowed them even into that war-torn country, andwhich at times was more ominous and terrible than
any war- weary conflict; and finally that they won
for themselves a crown whose glory and beauty
will increase with the passing of the years.

COLORED OFFICERS AND THE 92ND DIVISION
The American colored men had very small
opportunity to get training that would fit themfor officers before going overseas; there was only
one graduate of West Point available, Col. Charles
Young, of Wilberforce, Ohio; unfortunately thearmy found him physically unfit, and retired himfrom active service just one day before a long listof brigadier generals was made, among whom hewas sixth in line for promotion. He was finallycalled back into active service, and since the war
A whitehas ended has been sent to Africa.
colonel remarked in his introduction of Colonel
Young to a large meeting held at St. Mark's M. E.
Church, 53rd Street, New York City, in December,
1919, and in the hearing of the writer, that it wasvery plain that the only reason why this darkskinned military officer had been retired, was thatthe army did not want a black general.

For a number of years preceding our entrance
into the war, no colored students had been admitted
toWest Point, and graduation was ever refused
43

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE A.
them

the

at

Annapolis

colored school, however
had maintained for a

Naval Academy.

E.

F.

One

Wilberforce University
number of years a de-partment of military tactics supported by the government. Here Colonel Young, and other regulararmy officers had been kept from time to time as

During the war 65 men, graduates
and undergraduates of the school, received cominstructors.

missions as officers.

The small number who had received limited
training here, however, was quite inadequate to beof much service among any considerable numberof troops and the problem of how to train colored
officers became quite a vexation; the camps that;gave six weeks' training to white men did not wish
to admit them, and there were many who argued
that colored men should not be allowed to become
soldiers, and that therefore there would be noneed for colored officers. Southern congressmen
were particularly alarmed over any prospects ofcolored men learning to use guns.

After some weeks of agitation, however, the war
department decided to establish a training camp at
Des Moines, Iowa, where about 1,100 men entered
Over six hundred
for the three months' course.
received commissions as 2nd Lieutenants, 1st LieuThere seemed to be a ruletenants, or Captains.
that no colored man in training should receive acommission higher than that of captain. Most ofthese men were college graduates, and on the whole

were of a very high type.
44

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE A.

E.

F.

They were assigned to the 92nd Division, and toany other units where colored officers were allowed
to serve, and were needed; but the record of the
92nd Division shows more than that of any otherorganization the ability of the officers of the Des
Moines Training School.
The 92nd Division was composed of the 365th
and 366th Infantries, and the 350th Machine Gun
Battalion, which made up the 183rd Infantry
Brigade, commanded by General Barnum; andthe 367th and 368th Infantries, together with the
351st Machine Gun Battalion, which made up the184th Infantry Brigade, commanded by General
Hay. These two Brigades, commanded by colored
officers as high as the rank of captain, together withthe 167th Artillery Brigade, commanded with few

exceptions, by white officers, made up the 92nd
Division, which was under the command of Major
General Ballou.

Major General Ballou had had charge of theTraining School at Des Moines, at which time hisrank was that of colonel. Through the influence offriends, some colored men included, he was promoted, and given charge of this large body ofcolored troops ; but before he left for France, even,he caused an order to be issued, known as Bulletin
No. 35, which must have operated in no small
degree to destroy his influence with his men, andcause a humiliation of spirit among them which
would take away whatever desire they might have

had to lay down their lives that Democracy might
The following is the text of the Bulletin:

live.

45

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE A.

E.

F.

HEADQUARTERS 92ND DIVISION,
CAMP FUNSTON, KAN.
March 28, 1918.
Bulletin No. 35.
1.

Itshould be well known to all colored officers andmen that no useful purpose is served by such acts as
It is notwill cause the "Color Question" to be raised.
a question of legal rights, but a question of policy, andany policy that tends to bring about a conflict of races,with its resulting animosities, is prejudicial to the mili1

tary interests of the
dicial to

92nd Division, and therefore preju-

an important interest of the colored race.

2. To avoid conflicts the Division Commander has repeatedly urged that all colored members of his com-mand, and especially the officers and non-commissioned
officers should refrain from going where their presence
will be resented.
In spite of this injunction, one of
the sergeants of the Medical Department has recently
precipitated the precise trouble that should be avoided,
and then called on the Division Commander to take sides
in a row that should never have occurred, and would nothave occurred had the sergeant placed the general goodThis
above his personal pleasure and convenience.
as
enteredahehadatheatre,undoubtedly
legalsergeantright to do, and precipitated trouble by making it possible to allege race discrimination in the seat he was given.
He is entirely within his legal rights in the matter, andis legally wrong.
Nevertheless theguilty of the greater wrong in doing anymatter how legally correct, that will provoke

the theatre manager

sergeant
thing,

noisrace animosity.
3. The Division Commander repeats that the successof the Division with all that that success implies, is de-46

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

A.

E.

F.

That public
White men made the Division, andcan break it just as easily as it becomes a trouble maker.
pendent upon the good will of the public.

isnine-tenths white.

4.

All concerned are again enjoined to place the gen-above personal pride andAvoidsituationthat can give rise
gratification.
every
to racial ill-will.
Attend quietly and faithfully to yourduties, and don't go where your presence is not desired.
eral interest of the Division

5.

This will be read to all organizations of the 92nd

Division.

By Command of Major General Ballou.
ALLEN J. GREEK,
Lieutenant Colonel General Staff,

Chief of Staff.
Official:

EDW. J. TURGEON,
Captain, Assistant Adjutant, Acting Adjutant.

Nothing that General Ballou could do in theway of prosecuting the theatre manager, which heis said to have done, could alleviate the moral effectof this order upon men who were being sent toanother country to fight for the preservation of thevery privileges of which they at that very moment

were being denied.

The 92nd Division as a complete unit received
no training as such in the United States, but arrived
in France by regiments, the entire number having
447

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landed at Brest by June 20, 1918.
The fourinfantry regiments went into training at Bourbon
les Bains, where they remained seven weeks, when
they were sent to the Vosges Sector; they remained
there from August 23 to September 20, andwere then sent into the region of the Argonne
Forest, where they were partially engaged in the
It was here that thegreat Meuse-Argonne Drive.
368th Regiment was sent over the top, without

being equipped withrifle

grenades,instruments

were absolutely necessary for use

in the de-struction of German machine-gun nests.

Very few
men hadthatof the officers and none of the enlisted

ever seen such a grenade, and the absence of thisweapon in warfare where guns alone were practically useless, caused a retreat which resulted inseveral of the colored officers being arrested andsent to prison for cowardice. Capt. Leroy Godman,a colored attorney from Columbus, Ohio, secured
a record of the facts, and after his return toAmerica, was instrumental in having them pre-sented to the War Department; this action resulted
in the release and exoneration of the officers,

andthe stigma of cowardice was removed from theentire regiment, and public notice of it was givenin the newspapers throughout the entire country.

The 92nd Division was never permitted until
two days before the signing of the Armistice tofunction in battles as an entire unit. The following bulletin by Brigadier General Erwin shows

how certain parts were at all times kept in reserve:48

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

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HEADQUARTERS 92ND DIVISION
A. P. 0. 766
A. E. F.
Bulletin No. 13.

January 27, 1919.

Participation of the 92nd Division in Major andBattle operations during the war.
1.

Die Sector, Vosges, Aug. 23, 1918 Sept. 20, 1918.
Entire 92nd Division, less Division Artillery.

St.

Meuse-Argonne Offensive, Sept. 26, 1918 Sept. 20, 1918.
Entire 92nd Division (less Division Artillery and Train,
368th Infantry, 3d Battalion 365th Infantry, 1st Battalion
366th Infantry, 3d Battalion 367th Infantry, 1st Battalion
317th Military Police) in reserve.

1stArmy Corps.

92nd Division (less 183d Brigade, 317th Engineers andTrain, Division Artillery, Det. Co. A 317th M.P.) in reserve.
38th Army Corps.
Oct. 4, 1918.
Sept. 20368th Inf. and Companies A. & B. 351st M. G. Bn.,as liaison troops between 1st Army (American) and 4th
French Army operating in the Provision Brigade withllth Cuirassiers, under command Colonel Durand.
Sept. 26-30, 1918.

MARBACHE SECTOR
Oct. 9-Nov. 11, 1918.

Entire 92nd Division to be centered as date of actual
arrival in sector.

Offensive Operation

2nd Army, Nov. 10-11, 1918.
Entire 92d Division in Marbache Sector, attacking direction Corny.

Patrols, raids, and defense of raids are not mentioned
here. They are local in character, and concern only the49

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

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These entries are to be made by company
commanders, in strict compliance with the following extracts from G. 0.
units involved.

Discretion must be used by company commanders.

Dates and locations of some minor operations as described above are the following,(to be entered only byelements actually engaged).

Repulse of enemy raid, C. R. Mere Henry,
23 hours. 25-26 Aug., 1918.
St. Die Sector

Repulse of enemy raid, Trapelle,
Sept. 1-2, 1918.

Repulse of enemy raid, C. R. Palon,
6 to 8 hours. Sept. 9, 1918.
St. Die Sector, Vosges.
Repulse of enemy raid, Trapelle,St.

Sept. 19, 1918.
Die, Vosges Sector.

In case where units have operated under independentcommand, as in the case of the 317th Engineers, in the
Meuse Argonne Offensive, appropriate notation should bemade under supervision of organization commanders
concerned.

By command of BRIGADIER GENERAL ERWIN.
C. K. WILSON,
Col. General Staff, Chief of Staff.

Official:

EDWARD J. TURGEON,
Maj. Infantry, Adj.
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This bulletin shows that from September 26 to
1918, the entire 368th Infantry, and one
battalion each of the 365th, 366th, and 367th were30,

engaged in action in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive,
and that, from September 30 to October 4, the183rd Brigade, composed of the 365th and 366th
Infantries, was actively engaged in the same offenBut at no time is the entire 92nd Division
sive.

shown to be in active service except on November
10 and 11, when it is reported to be attacking
in the direction of Corny.

During its activities the Division lost 248 men
and 7 officers killed and died of wounds. There
were a number of individual citations for bravery,
and one entire battalion belonging to the 367th
Infantry was awarded the Croix de Guerre. On
the morning of the signing of the Armistice the365th Infantry had taken several hundred yards ofthe battle front, the 366th had captured and wasin possession of several kilometers of territory, and the 367th was nearest to the covetedstillstronghold of Metz of any of the units of theAllied Armies. Had the war lasted another day,the entire Division, along with six other divisions,had been selected to absorb the first shock of thebattle.

Because of some unusually interesting things
that happened in connection with the 367th Infantry,

and because it has the distinction of having

the only entire unit of the 92nd Division that wasawarded the Croix de Guerre, its full history follows in some detail:51

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

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THE 367TH INFANTRY
The 367th Infantry came into existence at Camp
Upton, N. Y., during the latter part of October,
1917. Sixty per cent of the soldiers who composed
regiment were from the State of New York,
20 per cent, while the remainder came from New England and the West.
It was commanded by Colonel Moss, a regular army
thisthe South furnishedman, originally from Louisiana, and an authority
on military tactics, having published several bookson the subject. He took charge of the regiment on
November 2, 1917, and spent the winter in giving
it what is said to have been the most thoroughHe alsotraining of all the drafted regiments.
christened the organization with the name of Buffaloes ; this name had been given to colored soldiers

by the Indians, in the early western pioneer days,

when colored troops made it so interesting for the
Red Men in frontier warfare, as to remind themof the buffaloes of their own great western plains.
The name was finally adopted by the entire 92nd
Division.

On June 10, 1918, the regiment embarked forFrance, landing at Brest on June 19. They rested
for a few days in dog tents, pitched on the cold wet

ground at Camp Pontanezen, and then entrained forHaute Saone, where they were given seven weeks'
intensive training in trench warfare and gas instruction,

along with the other regiments of the 92nd
Several officers, both white and colored,

Division.

52

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were given additional training in the American
Training School at Gondre Court.

On August 22, the regiment took over its first
trenches at the front in the Vosges Sector, where
they remained until September 18, during whichtime numerous raids, patrols, etc., were plannedand executed.
One of the interesting things that happened tothem while in this sector, was the dropping of

propaganda literature from German aircraft. The
following circular was picked up by them on
September 3, 1918:

TO THE COLORED SOLDIERS OF THE UNITEDSTATES ARMY
"Hello, boys, what are you doing over here? Fighting
the Germans?
Why? Have they ever done you any

harm?

Of course some white folks and the lying English-American papers told you that the Germans ought tobe wiped out for the sake of humanity and Democracy.
What is Democracy? Personal freedom; all citizens enjoying the same rights socially and before the law. Do
you enjoy the same rights as the white people do in
America, the land of freedom and Democracy, or are
you not rather treated over there as second class citizens?
Can you get into a restaurant where white people dine?
Can you get a seat in a theatre where white people sit?
Can you get a seat or a berth in a railroad car, or canyou even ride in the South in the same street car withthe white people?
And how about the law? Is lynching and the mosthorrible crimes connected therewith, a lawful proceeding
in a Democratic country?
Now all this is entirely different in Germany, where they do like colored people;
53

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where they treat them as gentlemen and as white men,and quite a number of colored people have fine positions in business in Berlin and other German cities.

Why, then, fight the Germans only for the benefitofthe Wall Street robbers, and to protect the millions thatthey have loaned to the English, French, and Italians?
You have been made the tool of the egotistic andrapacious rich in America, and there is nothing in thewhole game for you but broken bones, horrible wounds,
spoiled health, or death. No satisfaction whatever will
you get out of this unjust war. You have never seen
Germany, so you are fools if you allow people to makeyou hate us. Come over and see for yourself. Let those
do the fighting who make the profit out of this war.

Don't allow them to use you as cannon fodder.
To carry a gun in this service is not an honor but ashame. Throw it away and come over to the Germanlines.

You will find friends who will help you."After leaving the Vosges Sector, the organization

was sent to the Marbache Sector, where it joined
the other regiments of the 92nd Division just outside of Toul. It was here that the First Battalion
distinguished itself by coming to the rescue of the56th Infantry on the left. Captain Morris, andLieutenants Hunton, Dabney, and Davidson were

instrumental in having the terrific fire which was
being directed at the regiment, turned onto theirown organization, thus enabling the suffering troops
to retire to safety; they were at the same time abletohold their own ground and take over the terri-

For this action the
tory of the retiring soldiers.
Battalion was cited in glowing terms by a French
General, and awarded the Croix de Guerre.
54

It wasTWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE
also

given
Ballou.

specialA.

mention by Major

E.

F.

GeneralStaff officers of this regiment tried very hard toprevent entrance of men into French homes. One
medical sergeant tells of order issued in French
and English, fixing penalty for such at living on
bread and water in pup tents for 24 hours, andbeing forced to hike 18 miles with pack.
After the signing of the Armistice, the regiment

was sent to the forwarding camp at Le Mans. Heresome interesting things happened by way of race

On January 21, 1919, General
Pershing made a visit to the camp for the purposeof reviewing the troops.
Following is a memorandum posted for the benefit of the colored troops:
discrimination.

HEADQUARTERS FORWARDING CAMPAMERICAN EMBARKATION CENTER.
A. P. 0. 762.

Memorandum:

No. 299

E. 0.

To All Organizations.
1.

January 21, 1919.

For your information and guidance.

PROGRAM REFERENCE VISIT OF GENERAL PERSHING
9:30 A.M.

Arrive Forwarding Camp.

All

troopspossible, except colored to be under arms.
Formation to be designed by General Longan.

Only necessary supply work an^ police work to be
performed up to the time troops are dismissed in orderthat they may prepare for reception of General Pershing.
As soon as dismissed, men to get into working clothes
and go to their respective tasks in order that Commander55

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

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in-Chief may see construction going on.
(Work of dry
Colored troops
delousing plant not to be interrupted.)
will be passed through wet delousing process as planned.
Colored troops will furnish usual police details, andtheir work not interrupted.

Colored troops who are notquarters,

atwork, to be in theiror in their tents, kitchens, delousing plants,

be inspected.
Route followed to be designated by General Longan.
Plan of Forwarding Camp as planned to be in possession of General Longan to show Commander-in-Chief.
11:00 A.M. Leave Forwarding Camp going to Classietc>, tofication Camp by way of Spur.
Officers

not on duty will assemble at these Headquar-ters at 9:15 A.M.

By Command of BRIGADIER GENERAL LONGAN.
RICHARD M. LEVY,
Major C. A. C., U. S. A., Camp Adjutant.

HEADQUARTERS, 367TH INFANTRY,
A. P. O. 766, A. E. F.

January 21, 1919.

To Organization Commanders for their information,
guidance and compliance.
Men will be kept busy at all times. Area formerly
used for tents will be levelled, ditches filled in, ditches
along road will be carefully policed.
By Order of COLONEL BASSETT.
ELMER A. BRUETT.

When General Pershing came, he noted theabsence of the colored troops, and asked for them.
He was told that they were at work. Whereupon
56
I

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he set another day for a return trip, in order thathe might review them also.
Another order prescribing the eating place forcolored officers at the Le Mans Evacuation Camp

was as follows:

HEADQUARTERS AREA D.
January 25, 1919.

Memorandum C. 0. 367th Infantry:
White officers desiring meals in their quarters will
have their orderlies report to Lieutenant Williams at thetent adjoining Area Headquarters for cards to present at
Mess.
All Colored Officers will mess at Officers' Mess in D.-17.

Officers'

F. M. CRAWFORD,
1st Lt. Infantry, Area

"D"

THE EFFICIENCY BOARD
Several references have been made to efficiency
boards and their efforts to remove colored officers
from the 92nd Division and other colored organiIn order that a clear idea may be conzations.

veyed as to the type of men who suffered from theseinjustices, as well as how these boards operated,
the life, training, and experience of the first officerof the 92nd Division to undergo such an ordeal,
follows in detail:

Captain Matthew Virgil Boutte was born in New
Iberia, Louisiana, of Creole parentage; his father
was a sugar planter, of the type that used to strap
57

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his gun on his saddle girth for protection, and go
to the poles and vote, in the days when guns wereused to maintain white supremacy in that State.
He sent his son to Straight University, New
Orleans, from 1898 to 1903, where he received therudiments of an education.
Afterwards young
Boutte went to Fisk, where he finished a high school
course, and a four years' college course; thence tothe University of Illinois, where he graduated asa chemist and pharmacist; he then taught quantitative chemistry at Meharry Medical College, andopened a drugstore in Nashville, Tenn. This hedisposed of after receiving his commission at the

While in Nashville,
he joined the Tennessee National Guard, the only
Colored National Guard Company in the South.
With six months' training there as a private, heentered the Des Moines School, and was one of
the few who received the commission of captain.
Des Moines Training School.

On November 1, 1917, he went to Rockford, 111.,
where he attended Machine Gun School at Camp
Grant, and organized Company 350, Machine Gun
Battalion. His company was well trained not onlyin military tactics, but also to such a high degreeof athletic efficiency, that it received a loving
cup for wnning a cross country run; also won
cup for individual running in whole brigade. The
winner, Sergeant Bluitt, was afterward commissioned lieutenant.
On June 6, 1918, Captain Boutte sailed forFrance, with the advance officers' party of the 92nd
Division. They landed at Brest where the colored58

GROUP OF OFFICERS OF 92ND DIVISION
Matthew Virgil Boutte.
2. Lieut.
Williams Clifford.
Capt.
J.
3. Lieut. Benjamin H. Hunton.
4. Lieut. Frank L. Drye.
5. Lieut.
Frank L. Chisholm.
6. Lieut.
Ernest M. Gould.
7. Lieut.
Victor
R. Daly.
1.

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE
officers

tion

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received a taste of the American segrega-

afterwards

thatFrance.

becamesoannoying

inRooms for the entire party, white andcolored, had been reserved at the Hotel Continental,
but the colored officers were told to go to Camp

Pontanezen, where they would find barracks; there
they were to sleep on boards with no mattresses,
and only one blanket apiece. Captain Boutte protested, and the party returned to Brest, where they
discovered that the white officers had not made theFrench people understand that the rooms held inreserve were for them, and consequently had goneelsewhere.
Captain Boutte, being able to speak
French quite fluently, was able to get the reserved
rooms for the six colored officers. He was sentfrom Brest to Bourbon les Bains to serve as billeting officer. Here he was told not to take the Frenchpeople's kindness for friendship, but to treat them
just as he had been taught to treat white people athome. When they found that his ability to speak
French gave him ready entree into French homes,
they relieved him of all work as billeting officer,
so that he would have no occasion for going among
the French people.

On July 7 he was returned to his company.
He instructed his men to such a point of efficiency
that

the

mendedinspector
his work.

under closearrest.

ofmachine-gun

tacticscom-

On July 24 he was placed
While underarrest hewasforced to ride from one town to another in an open

wagon, and between two armed guards, in orderthat his spirit might be thoroughly crushed, and59

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE
hishumiliation

madecomplete.

A.

E.

F.

Twenty-three

specifications under the 96th Article of War wereplaced against him. These dealt with duties im-

posed upon the Commanding Officer of the Com-pany by the Commanding Officer of the Battalion.
After he had been under close arrest for eightdays, the charges were submitted to him; following
are samples of specifications:"Why did you command your first sergeant toremain at home instead of having him on the fieldof drill, as commanded from headquarters?""Why did your mess sergeant not have his billof fare posted on a certain day?"
Boutte's answer was that in order to be responsible for his company he must have full control of

his officers, as was his military right; and as forthe mess sergeant's bill of fare, it could easily

have blown away after having been put in its accustomed place. In due time he was called before
the Efficiency Board, in order that reasons might begiven why he should not be court-martialed. At
the trial Major Raborg withdrew all specifications
but six, saying that he had found that the others
were not true. Subsequently it was learned that
he had written a letter to the commanding officer,
asking that all colored officers be removed. Uponbeing questioned as to the efficiency of Captain
Boutte, he replied that he was mentally and morally
It then became
efficient, but otherwise he was not.
evident that it was such a clear case of prejudice,60

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that Captain Boutte was returned to his company,

and Major Raborg removed as commander of the
But a number of officers became victimsof this now notorious efficiency board, and while
no one would suppose that all colored officers wereabove criticism, and must know that some of themwere justly removed, still, there is no doubt thatmany of them were as innocent as the subject ofbattalion.

Captain Boutte retained Captain Leroyof
Godman,Columbus, Ohio, as his attorney, andheowesmuch to him for his acquittal andsays
exoneration.
All officers on trial were not so

this sketch.

fortunate in being able to secure a good coloredlawyer, while others were simply condemned as

and removed, without being given achance for defense. Capt Boutte was afterwards
for six months a member of General Pershing's
staff, with headquarters in Paris.
inefficient,

THE 325TH SIGNAL BATTALION
Attached to the 92nd Division was the firstcolored Signal Corps ever organized. It was known
as the 325th Signal Battalion. They were assembled during the months of December and January,

1917-18, respectively, and after five months' training were sent to France. After an additional periodof training at Voisey, Haute Marne, they were sent

Vosges Mountains, and afterwards to the
Argonne, where they engaged in actual warfare;they were in the Marbache Sector, near Metz, whenthe Armistice was signed. They were commended
to the61

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highly both by the French and American HighCommand, and some of them were cited forbravery, and decorated with the Croix de Guerre.
In the 92nd Division a total number of 14 officers
and 42 men were cited for bravery.

THE 167TH FIELD ARTILLERY
The 167th Field Artillery Brigade was composed
350th, and 351st Regiments ofof the 349th,

Artillery; the first two handled light equipment,
and received their training at Camp Dix, while thelatter had heavy equipment and was trained atCamp Meade. They also had attached to themthe 317th Ammunition Train, whose 36 officers
were all colored but three. In this organization
there were several officers promoted, among them

being Major Milton Dean, of Washington, D. C.,
the only colored man to be promoted to such a rankoverseas, with the exception of Major Joseph Ward,of Indianapolis, Indiana, whose ability and services as a physician were thus recognized; very

few other promotions of colored officers were madein France; a small number of dental lieutenants
were made captains after the signing of the Armistice, when they were relocated in the Ser/ice ofSupply sections; but the majority came back withthe same rank with which they went over, eventhough they had shown marked ability, and had
been cited and decorated for bravery.
Early in October, 1918, 33 colored officers, whowere to have been attached to the 167th Field
62

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Artillery, landed in St. Nazaire; they were second
lieutenants, who had been trained to take the placesof some of the white officers of that organization;
but instead, they were first sent to La Corneau,
near Bordeaux, where they remained about a week;
they were then ordered to leave there, and after
about three weeks' junketing about they became
stationed at Camp Meurcon, near Vannes. At thisplace they were attached to the 63rd American
Artillery Brigade, composed altogether of southernwhite men; they were required to drill these men,even though their prejudices were so strong thatthey would not salute their colored officers if there
was any possible way to avoid it; but the officers
stuck to their task, and had started to the front withthe regiment when the Armistice was signed. They
were then ordered to Brest to embark for home;here they were detached from the regiment andreturned to Camp Meurcon, near Vannes, where
they were attached to another white outfit; theyremained there another three weeks, and were thensent to Nancy in search of the 167th Artillery, towhich they were originally to have been attached;

had left, they proceededCamp at Le Mans, where theyfinding that the Brigade
to theEvacuation

found the organization stationed in camps locatedin the neighborhood of the city; they then becamea part of the official family of the Brigade, butsome were detached on the eve of their return toand made to return home as casuals;
this seemed to be a part of the policy of those who
had charge of the transportation of troops. The
the States,

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remembers several incidents during her
period of service at Brest, where colored officers
had made all preparations to return with theirorganizations, and within a few hours of sailingwould be detached; some contended vigorously
for what they considered their rights, while others
writerresigned themselves to their fate; then frequently
when they would have sailing orders to return homeas casuals, they would be turned back, when it
would be discovered that they were colored; sometimes this occurred even after they had gotten on

gang plank. On July 16, 1919, the 184th
Casual Company, together with the 323rd Ordinance Battalion, about 300 in number, were sent
back after half of them had gotten aboard the boat,
the

as a result of a protest against their color.

Someof these men came to the writer sick at heart, andsaid that such treatment seemed

more than they

could bear.

The 167th Field Artillery, the first of its kindthat was ever organized, was under the commandof Brigadier General Sherburne, of Massachusetts,
who seemed in every way to have the interest of
the troops at heart; they landed at Brest, June 26,

1918, and after being attached to the 92nd Division,
were engaged in action at Pagny, Bois Frehart,
Cherimo, and Bois La Cote; and it was under thebarrage of this Brigade that the Division while on
the Lorraine Front, between Toul and Nancy, wasable to advance, capture a number of towns, andstand ready to enter the coveted stronghold ofMetz, when the Armistice was signed.
64

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During their period of action, they gave excellent service, and the following words of commenda-

tion were given the 351st Regiment by their com-mander:HEADQUARTERS 351sx FIELD ARTILLERYAMERICAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCES

GENERAL ORDER No. 3.
December 27, 1918.

When you landed in France you were acclaimed as
comrades in arms, brothers in a great cause. In thedays that have passed, no man, no little child, has had
cause to regret that first glorious welcome. Surroundedby new and unusual conditions, beset by subtle temptations, you have kept your hearts high, and with purpose
fixed on the high ideal of service, you have put away
those things that did not contribute strength for the task
at

hand.

You have been men.

Through rain and in tents, or in cold billets, you havecheerfully pushed on to fit yourselves for the final test,
and at length you came to the front lines. There underfire by day and night you served the pieces, sending
back gas for gas, and shell for shell, two for one. The
orders reached the guns because you maintained the connections; the ammunition was there because neither theelements nor enemy stopped you. The mission has beenaccomplished and you have been what America expects
her sons to be brave soldiers'.

Your first six months of service on foreign soil haveended; accordingly,

all officers

and enlisted men of the

351st Field Artillery are authorized and ordered to wear
one Service Chevron. As surely as this chevron stands
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for something accomplished, just as surely it imposes
an added obligation; it sets a new standard of soldierly
qualities; it is a reminder of what manner of men youare.

As you have earned it fairly and well, so you will

strive tobe worthy of it, and of the things for which it

every
regiment.
stands',man a guardian of the good name of the

By Command of COLONEL WADE H. CARPENTER.
GEORGE C. MATHER,
Capt. F. A., U. S. A., Adj. 351s/ Field Artillery.

In taking his farewell of the 167th Field Artil-

Brigade, Brigadier General Sherburne
corded the following:

lery

re-

1.

In leaving the 167th Field Artillery Brigade to takeup other duties, the Brigade Commander wishes to recordin General Orders the entire satisfaction it has given him
to have commanded the first brigade of Negro Artillery
ever organized. This satisfaction is due to the excellent
record the men have made. Undertaking a work that was
new to them, they brought it faithfulness, zeal, and patriotic fervor.
They went into the line and conducted
themselves in a manner to win praise of all. They had
been picked for important work in the offensive which
had been planned to start after November llth.
2. The Brigade Commander will ever cherish thewords of the Commander in Chief, the compliments hepaid in all sincerity to this Brigade while he watchedpass in review last Wednesday. He wishes the Brigade
understand that these words of appreciation were
evoked only because each man had worked conscientiously and unflaggingly to make the organization a success.
it

to

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3. The Brigade Commander feels that he should also
make acknowledgment in General Orders of the re-markable esprit-de-corps displayed by the officers of theBrigade.
They were pioneers in a field, where at theThis being the firststart, success was problematical.
of
its
kind
ever
Brigadeorganized, it has been only
natural that the work of the men should have been featured prominently, yet the same prominence and the same
While the Bripraise should be accorded the officers.
gade Commander takes this occasion to speak of theirsplendid work, he believes that their greatest praise
will come from the men themselves, not only now, butever in greater measure when they have returned tocivilian life and have secured the perspective of timeand experience that will teach them how fortunate they
were in making the race's initial effort as artillerymen
under officers who were both skilful artillerymen, andsympathetic leaders.

By Command of BRIGADIER GENERAL SHERBURNE.

HENRY KING TOOTLE,
1st Lieut., F. A., U. S. A., Acting Adjutant.

In concluding the story of the 92nd Division,nothing could be said of more significance than
the farewell words used by Major General Ballou,

who had crushed the spirit of the officers and men
in the very beginning of its existence by the notori-ous Bulletin No. 35, and who had continued his
policy of catering to southern prejudice up until
the time he was removed from the organization;
the memorandum is signed by Col. Allen J. Greer,
who had used his good offices in every way possible to get all the colored officers removed fromthe Division.

2

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HEADQUARTERS 92ND DIVISION,AMERICAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCES,
A. P. 0. 766.

Memorandum:

November 18, 1918.

Five months ago to-day the 92d Division landed in
France.
After seven weeks of training it took over a sector in
the front line, and since then some portion of the Division
has been practically continuously under fire.
It participated in the last battle of the war with creditable success, continuously pressing the attack against
highly organized defensive works. It advanced successfully on the first day of the battle, attaining its objectives
and capturing prisoners. This in the face of determined
opposition by an alert enemy, and against rifle, machine
gun and artillery fire. The issue of the second day's
battle was rendered indecisive by the order to ceasefiring at 11 A. M., when the Armistice became effective.
The Division Commander, in taking leave of what heconsiders himself justly entitled to regard as his Division,
His workfeels that he has accomplished his mission.
The results have not always
is done and will endure.
been brilliant,, and many times were discouraging, yet
and well-trained
a well-organized, well-disciplined,
Colored Division has been created and commanded byhim to include the last shot of the great World War.
May the future conduct of every officer and man besuch as to reflect credit upon the Division and upon thecolored race.

By Command of MAJOR GENERAL BALLOU,
ALLEN J. GREER,
Col., General Staff, Chief of Staff.
Official:

EDW. J. TURGEON,
Ma]. Inf., U. S. A., Acting Adjutant.
68

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE A.

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F.

THE 93RD DIVISION
The 93rd Division was to have been composed
New York National Guard (369th
Infantry), the 8th Illinois National Guard (370th
Infantry) and the 371st and 372nd Infantries.
Col. Charles Young was to have been its commander. The Division never materialized, however, and the different regiments were brigadedof the 15th

with the French troops.

THE 369TH INFANTRY
The 369th Infantry, or 15th New York National
Guard was organized in 1916, and did guard duty
during the summer of 1917 in the States of New
York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. It came into
existence with the understanding that it was tohave a full quota of colored officers; some unfavorable conditions, however, caused very few
to attempt to qualify, and when they sailed forFrance on December 14, 1917, they had only thefollowing named: Captains Charles W. Fillmore
and Napoleon B. Marshall, First Lieutenants
George W. Lacey and James Reese Europe, andSecond Lieutenant D. Lincoln Reid; the otherofficers were white, with Col. William Haywardcommanding.
The regiment landed at Brest on December 27,
1917, being the first colored American fighting
troops to put their feet on French soil; on January
1, 1918, they left by train for St. Nazaire, where69

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

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F.

they remained for two months building railroads,
docks, piers, and working in store houses, in addition to keeping up their military training exercises.

Here their name was changed from 15th New YorkN. G. to 369th Infantry. On March 12 they weresent to Givry in Argonne, where they were billeted
at Noirleu, St. Mard, and Remacourt.
They remained at these points until April 8, when they
were sent to Main-de-Massiges, Champagne Sector,
where they were attached to the 16th Division of
the 4th French Army, and became to all intents
and purposes, French soldiers; their only mark ofdifferentiation was their uniforms, and sometimes
they even wore the French helmet.
For 191 days these soldiers were in the frontline trenches, and it is claimed by them that theyremained there for a longer continuous period
than any troops in the allied armies. They were
engaged in the battles of Main-de-Massiges, Buttede-Mesil, the Dormois, Seechault, Argonne Forest,
Ripont, Kuppinase, Vosges Mountains, the Aisne,
the Tourbe, Maison-en-Champagne, Fontaine, andBellevue Ridge.

By an accident, it is said, the regimental records
were lost, but the casualties are estimated at 600
killed and 3,000 replacements; the replacements
were made from new recruits just brought overfrom the States, and sometimes they more thanfilled the vacancies made by the killed andwounded. These new recruits were often untrained,
and frequently had to be taught to load a gun
after they reached the front line trenches; their70

GROUP OF COMMISSIONED AND NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS
OF 15xH NEW YORK (369TH INF.)
1.

Capt. Charles W. Fillmore. 2. Capt. Napoleon B. Marshall. 3. Groupof Sergeants. 4. Needham Roberts. 5. Henry Johnson.

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

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ignorance of how to protect themselves in battlecaused the list of killed and wounded to be muchlarger than it otherwise would have been; but withthe assistance of their comrades in arms, they soon
became seasoned soldiers; and, according to arecord published by 19 non-commissioned officers,
while the regiment made tremendous sacrifices, they
inflicted much greater losses on the enemy thanthey themselves suffered, and captured manyprisoners and munitions of war.

For its record in the great German Offensive ofJuly, 1918, and the Allied Offensive of the following September and October, the regiment wasawarded the Croix de Guerre. In addition to this
there were 132 officers and men cited for conspicuous and meritorious conduct, and awarded the
Croix de Guerre or the Legion d'Honneur. Amongthese were the now famous Henry Johnson and
Needham Roberts, the first two Americans, whiteor colored, to be decorated these two men defeated;twenty or more Germans in one midnight engagement, by the skillful use of hand grenades, thebutt ends of their rifles, and the bolo knife; theyrouted an entire machine-gun nest, and broughtback numerous war trophies; both were severely
wounded, and remained in the hospital for sometime before they were again able for service.

After the victory of the great German Offensiveof July, 1918, General Gouraud, Commander ofthe 4th French Army, with whom the organization

was fighting, issued the following bulletin:
71

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

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Fourth Army Staff,
5th B., No. 6954/3.

July 16, 1918.

TO THE FRENCH AND AMERICAN SOLDIERS OF
THE FOURTH FRENCH ARMY
During the day of July 15th you have broken theof fifteen German Divisions supported by ten

effortsothers.

They were, from their orders, to reach the Marneyou have stopped them where we wantedin the evening;to giveand to win the battle.

You have the right to be proud, heroic infantrymen and machine gunners of the advanced posts, whohave signalled the attack, and who have subdivided
it, aviators who flew over it, battalions and batteries
who have broken it, staffs who have so minutely prepared thatbattlefield.

a hard blow to the enemy.
day for France.
It

is

It

is

a beautiful

I rely upon you that it will always be the same,each time they will dare to attack you, and with all
my heart of a soldier, I thank you.

(Signed)GOURAUD.

In combination with the facts that the regiment

was the first of the colored Americans to see active
service at the front, and produced the first two
winners of the Croix de Guerre of all the soldiersof the American Expeditionary Forces, they havethe final distinction of having been the first unitof the Allied Armies to reach the Rhine.
Theyarrived at Blodelsheim on the Rhine on November
72

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

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F.

18, 1918, as the advance guard of the 161st Division of the 2nd French Army. The next day after
the signing of the Armistice, Marshal Foch gave out
the following document to be read to the command;

was read to these men three days after theyreached Blodelsheim:
it

HEADQUARTERS 369TH INFANTRY, U. S. A.
AMERICAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCES,France, 21st November, 1918.

BLODELSHEIM

Document No. 21-11-3.
Bulletin:

1.

The following

ispublished and will be read tothe command:

The Commander in Chief

Allies G. H. Q.
November, 12, 1918.

of the Allied Armies

General Staff
1st Section

5,961

OFFICERS, NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS, AND PRIVATES
After having boldly stopped the enemy, you have attacked them for months with indefatigable faith andenergy, giving them no rest.
You have won the greatest battle in history, and saved
the most sacred cause, the Liberty of the World.
73

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

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F.

Be proud of it.
With immortal glory you have adorned your flags.
Posterity will be indebted to you with gratitude.

The Marshal of France,

Commander in Chief of the Allied Armies,
FOCH.

By order of COLONEL HAYWARD:
T. A. RYAN,
1st Lt.,369th Infantry,
Acting Adjutant.

While the regiment embarked for France withcolored officers, it returned with only one,
Lieutenant James Reese Europe, of the famous
15th Infantry Band. The others were transferred tofiveother organizations under the peculiar system thatwas used for the purpose of moving colored officers
about like checkers on a checker board. Captain
Marshall was sent to the 365th Infantry, while theother three were attached to the 370th.
Captain
Fillmore was decorated with the Croix de Guerre
before leaving the 369th, and Lieutenants Lacey
and Reid after they became members of the regiment from Illinois, a proof that the French recognized their ability.

The regiment returned to the States on February 12, 1918. They had made a splendid record
all through their period of service, andin thewords of a tribute paid by the new 15th Regiment74

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

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F.

they "Never lost a prisoner, a trench,nor a foot of ground, and demonstrated for alltime the bravery of the American Negro, his highquality as a soldier, and his devotion to the cause

to the oldof liberty."

The City of New York gave them a tremendous,
whole-hearted, and royal welcome, and the New
York Herald republished in their honor the fol-lowing poem from "The Black Phalanx,'
posed by George Henry Boker:

THE BLACK REGIMENT"Dark as the clouds even,
Ranked in the western heaven,
Waiting the breath that lifts
All the dread mass, and drifts

Tempest and falling brandOver a ruined land,
So still and orderly,

Arm to arm, knee to knee,
Waiting the great event,Stands the black regiment.

Down the long dusky line
Teeth gleam and eyeballs shine;
And the bright bayonet,
Bristling and firmly set,
Flashed with a purpose grand,Long ere the sharp command

Of the fierce rolling drum
Told them their time had come,Told them what word was sent
For the black regiment.
75

9

com-

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

A.

'Now,' the flag-sergeant cried,'Though death and hell betide,
Let the whole nation see
If we are fit to be
Free in this land; or boundDown, like the whining hound,
Bound with red stripes of pain
In our old chains again!'
Oh, what a shout there went
From the black regiment!
'Charge!' trump and drum awoke;
Onward the bondmen broke;
Bayonet and saber stroke

Vainly opposed their rush,Through the wild battles' crush,With but one thought aflush,
Driving their lords like chaff,
In the guns' mouths they laugh,

Or at the slippery brands,
Leaping with open hands,
Down they tear man and horse,
Down in their awful course;

Trampling with bloody heelOver the crashing steel,
All their eyes forward bent,
Rushed the black regiment.
'Freedom!' their battle cry,'Freedom!' or leave to die!'Ah! and they meant the word,
Not as with us 'tis heard,
Not a mere party shout:
They gave their spirits out;
Trusted the end to God,And on the gory sod
Rolled in triumphant blood,
76

E.

t\

VIEWS TAKEN FROM THE BATTLEFIELDS OF THE

GREAT

WAR

Anti-Aircraft Gun.
2.
Long German Gun. 3. Mrs.
Hunton in barbed wire entanglement in "No Man's Land." 4.
View of Trench in Hindenburg Line, at Soissons. 5. Dead Man's
1.

French

Hill.

6.

A

French Flame Throwers.

7.

Burying German Dead.

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

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Glad to strike one free blow,
Whether for weal or woe;
Glad to breathe one free breath,Though on the lips of death;Praying alas! in vain!
That they might fall again
So they could once more see
That burst to liberty!
This was what 'freedom' lent

To the black regiment.
Hundreds on hundreds fell;
But they are resting well;
Scourges and shackles strong,
Never shall do them wrong.
Oh, to the living few,
Soldiers, be just and true!
Hail them as comrades tried;Fight with them side by side;
Never, in field or tent,

Scorn the black regiment."

THE 370TH INFANTRY (STH ILLINOIS, N. G.)

We

feel that special emphasis should be given
the 370th Infantry, because it was the only regiment that crossed the sea with a full quota ofcolored officers; made a splendid record forbravery; received numerous certificates from the
French people setting forth their high appreciation
for their excellent behavior; received numerous
individual citations for conspicuous and meritorious conduct, and returned with a full quota ofcolored officers with the exception of a colonel,
one captain, and one 2nd lieutenant.
77

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

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When the regiment embarked for France, theCol.
following named were the field officers:
Franklin A. Denison, Lieut. Col. Otis B. Duncan,
Major Rufus M. Stokes, Major Charles L. Hunt,

Major Arthur B. Williams, the Regimental Adjutant being Capt. John H. Patton.
After being inFrance for a period of three months and a few
days, Colonel Denison, because of illness, was replaced by Col. T. A. Roberts, who became the only
white officer in the regiment. Later Capt. John T.
Prout, and 2nd Lieutenant Stapleton were added,

making a total of three white officers. This left
Lieutenant Colonel Duncan, of Springfield, 111., theThehighest ranking colored officer overseas.
record of this regiment should forever silence thecontention made by so many, that colored men havenot the ability to be officers, and that at any rate,

colored soldiers will not follow the leadership ofofficers of their own race.

The regiment was called into service on July25, 1917, and the following October entrained for
Houston, Texas, where they spent the winter intraining, and where they conducted themselves withsuch admirable decorum, that even that hostile citycommended and applauded them vigorously when
they departed on March 6, 1918, for Newport
News, from which city they were to take transportfor France.

They landed

at Brest

on April

6,

1918, andafter spending three days at Camp Pontanezen,
took train and went to the town of Grand Villars.

Here they were attached to the 73rd French Divi78

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE
sion,

were reorganized according

to

A.

E.

F.

the French

regulations, and in fact became French soldiers inevery respect except their uniforms; they were evenfurnished with French food, and chefs to teachthem how to prepare it most economically. They
were given six weeks intensive training, and wereallowed to mingle freely at all times with the
French troops, in order that they might profit byclose contact with veteran warriors.

was

ity

tastedat;

this

A new equal-

time by these Americancolored men; they were treated upon an absolutely

equal basis with other men, while theirofficers

moved with perfect ease among the highest officialsof the French Army; they were received with allsocial and military courtesy due their rank.

After iheir period of training, they were movedby easy stages towards the front, and on June 21
began occupying positions in the St. Mihiel Sector,
where there was desultory machine gun and rifle
firing; by July 6 they had been moved by train
and placed immediately behind the lines in the
Argonne Forest; here they remained six weeks,
and were then assigned to be one of the three infantry regiments of the 59th French Division, which
had had its ranks largely depleted by the battles ofChavigny, Leury, and the Bois de Beaumont.
On September 15, 1918, the regiment was
Fourordered to the region of St. Bandry (Meuse).

companies took position opposite Mont de Singnes,
and an attack was ordered which lasted five days
(September 16-21); during this time both officers
and men had a chance to distinguish themselves,
679

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

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and a number were awarded decorations for meritorious and gallant conduct.
Perhaps the most
of
these
was
noteworthy
Sergt. Matthew Jenkins,

who captured a large section of the enemy works,
with only a platoon of men at his command. He
advanced so far ahead of the units on his rightand left that he was cut off from supplies, and heand his men went without food for two days; theyturned their captured ammunition and machineguns upon the enemy, and held the positions until
reinforcements could reach them. For this act ofheroism, Sergeant Jenkins was awarded the French
Croix de Guerre and the American DistinguishedService Cross.

On September 26, 1918, the regiment for the
first time took over a full regimental sector, Colonel

Roberts locating his commanding post at Antioch

From this date until the enemy began its
on October 12, the organization was constantly under fire from enemy equipment located in
the Bois de Mortier, a dense wood.
Perhaps the most important engagement wasthat which occurred at Ferme de La Riviere. Hereon September 30, Lieut. Col. Duncan's battalion
was ordered to make an attack which necessitatedan advance across open fields. While preparations
were going on enemy aviators discovered theirposition, and a terrific bombardment was at once
started, incapacitating three company commanders,
three lieutenants, and completely demoralizing theFarm.

retreat

George M. Murphy was ordered

company.

Lieut.

to detail aman to gather up the scattered frag80

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

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F.

ments of the organization. Realizing the importance of the mission, the lieutenant himself volunteered, and though under continuous shell fire wasable to locate and reorganize the company. For thisaction Lieutenant Murphy was cited for especiallyconspicuous and meritorious conduct.
The attack which Lieutenant Colonel Duncan
was ordered to make was prosecuted vigorously,
despite the bombardment of enemy aviators, andby October 4, one of the strongest points in the
Hindenburg Line had been taken.

On October 4, 1918, a patrol of one officer andtwenty men was called for, to penetrate into the Boisde Mortier, in order to ascertain the strength of theCapt. Chester Saunders, and the desired
number of men immediately responded, and at

enemy.

3.30 o'clock in the morning started on the mission.
They were within fifty yards of the enemy before
Fire from all sides wasthey were discovered.
immediately opened upon them, but Captain
Saunders, with remarkable self-possession, madenotation of the nests of machine guns, and returned
to his organization just before daylight, without the

Captain Saunders was awarded the
Croix de Guerre, and the patrol was highly commended by the commanding officer for their heroic
loss of a man.

action.

On October 12, 1918, the entire division wasordered to advance, and the Battalion under Captain Patton took up the pursuit by way of the Boisde Oiry. This wood had just been evacuated by
the Germans, and to show that they were expecting
81

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

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F.

to be followed up closely by the allied troops, theyleft everything in readiness for them.

Tools valuable for wire cutting, and other devices so neces-sary in modern warfare, were left in easy reach,but no sooner would they be picked up than there
would be an explosion. All writing convenienceswere left ready for immediate use, but every penholder was a messenger of death. Beds would be
so inviting to the tired and footsore soldier, but
the sdieets held deadly chemicals, which lulled
him into an endless sleep. These are examples
which show the wicked ingenuity of the German.
Captain Patton, for making this exceedingly difficult advance through this maze of trickery, wascommended by the commanding officer, as was

Major Stokes, who was successful in clearing theBois de Mortier, a very important enemy stronghold.

On October 27, 1918, after a rest period which
was spent in building roads, the regiment was again
ordered into the lines.

They moved up into thevicinity of Grandlup, where they were subjected tosevere shelling, and in some places machine-gun

and rifle firing. Company A, stationed in the vicinity of Chantrud Farm, suffered a loss of 35 killed
and 50 wounded as a result of a shell falling intheir midst while at mess.

On November 5, 1918, a general advance wasordered, which was continued in hot pursuit of theenemy until the Armistice was signed on November 11, 1918. Company C, of Prout's Battalion,
under command of Capt. James H. Smith, was82

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

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awarded the Croix de Guerre and palm, the highest citation awarded in the regiment.
This was
for
the
and
of
St.
Pierregiven
attackingoccupying
of
the
the
River
the
and
mont,
Sierre,crossing
of
three
of
and
severaltakingpiecesenemy artillery
machine guns, despite strong resistance from theenemy.
For attacking and taking the town of Lorgny,
from which point the French commander and his
troops were being severely shelled, Lieut. Osceola
A. Browning, commander of Company M, and anumber of others, received the French Croix deGuerre, and the American Distinguished Service
Cross.

On November 11, just before the signing of
the Armistice, an enemy combat train of about
fifty vehicles was captured, thus completing arecord of continuous, difficult and vigorous warfare, every inch of the way from Antioch Farm,
near the ruins of Vauxillion, to the Belgian border;
Lieutenant Colonel Duncan won the name of thelieutenant colonel who would not stop fighting,because he led his troops into the Belgian Villageof Gue D'Hossus, before he could be reached withthe message that the Armistice had become effective.

The 370th Infantry carried with it a full staff
of colored medical officers, composed of Major
James R. White, in command, Captains Leonard W.
Lewis, and Spencer Dickinson, and LieutenantsJames F. Lawson, Dan M. Moore, Rufus Bacote,
George W. Antoine, Claudius Ballard, and two
dentists, Lieutenants Tancil and Roe.
83

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

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F.

With careful elimination of all soldiers who were
not physically fit, the organization entered the ser-During the winter of1917 and 1918, much time was given by the medical department to the delivering of lectures, and avice in excellent condition.

systematic course of training for the developmentof healthy and robust physiques was inaugurated.

The result of this careful training was that onlysix

men died of disease during the ten months inFrance, notwithstanding the fact that they sufferedas many hardships and inconveniences as any othertroops in the conflict. The medical detachment wascomposed also of 23 men, who were ever on thealert to give first aid to the wounded; because ofprompt attention on the battlefield there were

this

only 96 out of the entire regiment who lost theirThis, in addition to 425 who recovered

lives.

from wounds, represents the entire list of casualtiesof the organization.

Major White was awarded the Croix de Guerre.
In the words of the citation, "he visited daily theaid stations in the advanced area, and himself
dressedmany of the fallen men, thus giving tomost noble example."
officers and 57 men of
who
were
awardedthe Croix deregiment

his subordinates the

All told there were 33
this

Guerre, the Distinguished Service Cross, or both.
Among the officers were Col. T. A. Roberts, Lieut.
Col. Otis B. Duncan, Maj. James R. White, Captains Smith, Patton, Prout, Gwynne, Warner, Allen,
Hall, Alexander, Jackson, Crawford, and Saunders; First Lieutenants Tancil, Browning, Lacey,
84

GROUP OF OFFICERS OF STH ILLINOIS (STOrn INF.)
Lieut.
3.
Lieut. Elaine G. Alston.
2.
Capt. James H. Smith.
Lieut. William
5.
4.
Capt. John H. Patton.
George H. Murphy.
Andrews. 6. Lieut. A. Hugo Williams. 7. Lieut. George F. Proctor.
8. Lieut. Osceola A. Browning.
1.

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

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F.

Robinson, Ballard, Jackson, Warfield, Gordon,
Kurd, Shelton and Lee; and Second Lieutenants

Cheatham, Norvell, Tisdell, Painter, Price, Reid,and Jackson.
The colored soldiers were greatly loved by the
French people, and while passing through the townof Laon, which had been in the hands of the Germans for four years, the French civilians knelt by
the roadside and kissed the hands of the boys ofthe 370th Infantry, so grateful were they for theirdeliverance.

From the mayors of every village and town
where the organization had any contact with the
French people, they received testimonials setting
forth their good behavior and splendid decorum;
similar letters were secured with regard to oursoldiers in nearly every section of France, and veryfrequently the writer was personally told that they
were better behaved than the white soldiers; especially was this true in the Leave Area, where allarmy restrictions were removed; the absolute increase of disease among all of the colored troops

was only 7 per cent., according to statistics from thesurgeon general's office, while among the white
troops it was 88 per cent.; this in spite of the factthat a much larger per cent, of them were physically
unfit when they entered the army; in the first draft

36 colored soldiers out of every hundred men wereadmitted, while there were only 24 out of every
hundred white; this shows that there was morecare exercised in getting in white men who were
physically sound than there was for the colored.
85

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F.

In the entire 92nd Division only one soldier wasconvicted of criminal assault; in fact the coloredsoldiers in all the organizations made such a splen-

did impression upon the French people that a
recent issue of a widely published Paris paper
asked that two million return to France, in orderthem in building up theirdevastated regions, and become a part of their
future civilization.
that they might assist

The following farewell address speaks for itself
with regard to splendid achievements of the 370th
Infantry, and the high esteem in which they were
held:
"OFFICERS AND SOLDIERS OF THE 370TH R. I. U. S.

:"You are leaving us. The impossibility at this time
German Army can recover from its defeat thethat thenecessity which is imposed upon the peoples of the Entente of taking up again the normal life
leads the United
to diminish its effectives in France.
You areIn thechosen among the first to return to America.
name of your comrades of the 59th Division, I say toyou, Au revoir in the name of France, thank you.

States"The hard and brilliant battles of Chavigny, Leury,
and the Bois de Beaumont, having reduced the effectiveness of the Division, the American Government generously

put your regiment at the disposition of theFrench HighCommand to re-enforce us.

You arrived

from the trenches of the Argonne.

"We at first in September, at Mareuil-sur-Ourq, admired your fine appearance under arms, the precisionof your review, the suppleness of your evolutions that
presented to the eye, the appearance of silk unrolling its

wavy folds.
86

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

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F<

"We advanced to the line. Fate placed you on thebanks of the Ailette, in front of the Bois de Mortier.
October 12th you occupied the enemy trenches Acier andBrouze. On the 13th, we reached the railroad of LaonLa-Fere the Forest of St. Gobain, principal center of
Hindenburg Line, was ours.
"November 5th, the Sierre was at last crossed, theProut's Battalion distinguishedpursuit became active.
itself at Sal St. Pierre, where it captured a German batresistance of thePatton's Battalion crossed, the first, the Hirson
Railroad at the Heights of Aubenton, where the Germans
tried to resist.
Duncan's Battalion took Lorgny, andcarried away with their ardor, could not be stopped short
tery.

of Gue d'Hossus, on November llth, after the Armistice.

"We have hardly had time to appreciate you, andalready you depart.
"As Lieutenant Colonel Duncan said, November 28th,
in offering to me your regimental colors as proof of yourlove for France, as an expression of your loyalty to the59th Division of our Army, you have given us your best,and you have given out of the fulness of your hearts.
"The blood of your comrades who fell on the soil ofFrance mixed with the blood of our soldiers, renders
indissoluble the bonds of affection that unite us.
Wehave besides, the pride of having worked together at amagnificent task, the pride of bearing on our foreheads

common grandeur.
"A last time Au revoir.

the ray of"All of us of the 59th Division will always remember
the time when the 370th R. I. U. S., under the ordersof the distinguished Colonel Roberts, formed a part ofour beautiful Division."

GENERAL VINCENDON,

Commanding the 59th Division.
(

87

Signed )VINCENDON.

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

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F.

THE 371sT AND 372ND REGIMENTS OF INFANTRY
The 371st and 372nd Regiments of Infantry
were composed of drafted troops and National
Guard Organizations. Those of the former camein a large measure from South Carolina, and weretrained at Camp Jackson in that State; while thelatter organization was composed of the first sepa-

rate battalion of Washington, D. C.,

Company L,of the Massachusetts N. G., the first separate company of the Connecticut State Guard, the 9th sepaand other National Guardfrom
Tennesseeand Maryland.
troopsThe 371st had a full quota of white commissioned officers, and colored non-commissioned
officers, while the 372nd had a mixture of whiteand colored commissioned officers, with colorednon-commissioned officers. After some heroic serrate battalion of Ohio,

vice on the battlefields of France, the colored com-missioned officers became victims of the efficiency
board, and at one fell swoop, were nearly all
removed.

These two regiments saw service together inFrance, and became noted for their indomitablecourage, and splendid fighting record.

On April 6, 1918, the 371st Infantry left ourports, and by April 26 was in the training area
at Rembercourt-aux-Port, as an independent unitof the 13th French Army Corps.

Afterwards they

became a supporting regiment to the 68th French
Division, where they remained until July 22, 1918.
Between this date and September 14, 1918, they

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

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F.

occupied the Verrieres sub-sector. Here the regiment did exceptional work, their front extending
over a distance of more than five kilometers, always
holding their own ground and at one time half ofthe front of the 333rd French Infantry on the left.
On September 14 the regiment was withdrawn
from this sector and taken to the area of Holitz1'Eveque, Champagne, and were in reserve of the
9th Army Corps of the 4th French Army, at the
beginning of the great Champagne Offensive.

During this great offensive the regiment sufferedtremendous losses under the blistering fire andonslaught of the enemy, always carrying the attack
forward in advance of the adjacent troops. Their
Division Commander in forwarding a recommendation for an army citation for the regiment, remarked that they marched forward under heavy
artillery fire, without faltering, and without counting their dead.

Following is text of citation:

157TH DIVISION INFANTRY.
October 8th, 1918.

From:

Colonel Quillet, commanding the I. D.

To:

Colonel of the 371st U. S.

The Colonel commanding the I. D. has proposed yourregiment for a citation to the Army Corps with the following motive.
"Has shown during its first engagement the very best
qualities of bravery and audacity, which are the characteristics of shock troops.
"Under the command of Colonel Miles, it launcheditself with a superb spirit and admirable disregard of89

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

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danger at the assault of a position stubbornly defended
by the enemy. It took by terrific fighting under exceptionally violent machine-gun fire of the enemy artillery, and its cruel losses, numerous prisoners, and secured
cannon, machine guns and important material."(Signed)T. C. QUILLET,

Commanding the I. D.

The losses of the regiment during its period ofand died of wounds,
42 wounded, and 1,055 enlisted men killed andwounded, with a total of 28 missing.
The 372nd Infantry, was organized at Camp
Stuart, and landed at St. Nazaire, April 14, 1918.
They spent five weeks in training at Conde-enservice were 8 officers killed

Barrois, Meuse, as part of the 13th French Army
Corps; afterwards became attached to the 63rd

French Division, the 35th French Division, andfinally on July 2, 1918, became a part of the 157th
French Division, to which the 371st Infantry also

became attached.
For more than six months the regiment was on
the front, taking part in the great Champagne
Offensive, and in the battles which centered around

Vanquois in the Argonne, and around Verdun,
including Hill 304, and Dead Man's Hill. They
were in the Vosges Mountains, along with the
371st, training for the Metz Offensive when theArmistice was signed.
On October 8, 1918, this regiment also received
a citation from Colonel Quillet.
Following is its
text:
90

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

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157TH DIVISION INFANTRY
No. 3500.

October

8, 1918.

From:

Colonel Quillet, commanding 157th I. D.

To:

Colonel Tupes, commanding 372nd Infantry.

The Colonel commanding the I. D., has recommended
your regiment for citation in the orders of the French
Army, worded as follows:"Gave proof, through the first engagement, of the finest
qualities of bravery and daring which are the virtues ofassaulting troops.""Under the ordersofColonelTupes dashed withsuperb gallantry and admirable scorn of danger to theassault of a position continuously defended by the enemy,
taking it by storm under an exceptionally violent machinegun fire; continued the progression in spite of enemy
artillery fire, and very severe losses. They made numerous prisoners, captured cannon, machine guns, and important war materials."(Signed)QUILLET.

Upon relinquishing his command of these two
regiments after the signing of the Armistice,Colonel Quillet gave out the following words offarewell:

157TH DIVISION, STAFF OF THE INFANTRY.
December 15, 1918.
Order of the Divisional Infantry.

The 371st and 372nd
after

Infantries are leaving France,

having carried on a hard campaign of six months

with I. D., 157.
After having energetically held a series of difficult
sectors, they took a glorious part in the great decisive
battlewhich brought the final victory.
91

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

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E.

In sectors they have shown an endurance, a vigilance,a spirit of devotion and remarkable discipline.
In battle they have taken by storm, with a magnificent

animation, very strong positions doggedly defended by
the enemy.
In contemplatingthedeparture

of

these

two

fine

commanded with pride, I desire totell them all how much I think of them for the generous
regiments whichI

and precious concurrence which they brought to us at
the decisive period of the war.
I shall keep them always in my soldier heart, theirloyal memories, and particularly those of their distinguished commanders who have become my friends.

COLONEL QUILLET,

Commanding the I. D., 157.

About the same time the above was issued,
General Goybet, Commanding Officer of the 157th
French Division, sent out the following General
Orders:GENERAL ORDERS
On the 12th of December, 1918, the 371st and 372ndof theI. U. S. have been placed at the disposal
American High Command.
With a deep feeling of emotion, on behalf of the 157th
Division, and in my own personal name, I come to bid

R.

farewell to our brave comrades.
For seven months we have lived brothers in arms,
partaking in the same activities, sharing the same hardships and the same dangers. Side by side we took partin the great Champagne Offensive which was to becrowned by a tremendous victory.
Never will the 157th Division forget the indomitable
dash, the heroical rush of the American regiments up
the Observatory Ridge and into the Plain of Monthois.
92

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE A.

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The most powerful defenses, the most strongly organizedmachine-gun nests, the heaviest artillery barrages nothThese crack regiments overcame
ing could stop them.
every obstacle with a most complete contempt for danger;
through their steady devotion the Red Hand Division,for nine whole days of severe struggle, was constantly
leading the way of the advance of the Fourth Army.
Officers, non-commissioned officers and men, I respectfully salute our glorious comrades who have fallen, and1

I bow to your colors, side by side with the flag of the
333rd Regiment of Infantry that have shown us the way

to victory.

Dear Friends from America, when you will be backagain on the other side of the ocean, don't forget the
Red Hand Division; our brotherhood has been cemented
in the blood of the brave, and such bonds will never be
destroyed.

Remember your General, who is so glad of having
commanded you, and be sure of his grateful affection
toyou forever.

GENERAL GOYBET,

Commanding the 157th Division.

On January 24, 1919, for taking strategic town
inChampagne Offensive the 372nd Infantry was

cited

with the Croix de Guerre and palm, thehighest honor of the kind in the gift of the French
Army. It was the first entire organization of the3

American Expeditionary Forces to be thus cited.
It was received at the hands of Vice-Admiral
Moreau, French Commander of the Port of Brest,
and the ceremony took place at Cours Dajot, over-looking the Port of Commerce of that city.
In a word of conclusion with regard to theentire record of the combatant troops, many of93

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

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whom went overseas with hesitations and misgivings because of the great battle they had alreadybeen compelled to fight against the ill-will of theirown countrymen, it seems that their wonderfulachievements in the face of a propaganda that
continued even across the seas, make them fully

worthy of the beautiful tribute paid them in thefollowing poem by Roscoe C. Jamison:*"These truly are the Brave,
These men who cast aside
Old memories, to walk the blood-stained pave
Of sacrifice, joining the solemn tideThat moves away, to suffer and to die
For freedom, when their own is yet denied!
Pride!
Prejudice! When they pass by,
Hail them, the Brave, for you now crucified!

These truly are the Free,
These souls that grandly rise
Above base dreams of vengeance for their wrongs,

Who march to war with visions in their eyes
Of peace through Brotherhood, lifting glad songs
Aforetime, while they front the firing line.
Stand and behold! They take the field to-day,
Shedding their blood like Him now held divine,That those who mock might find a better way!"*

By permission of The Crisis.
94

MISCELLANEOUS VIEWS OF OFFICERS AND

MENengaged in automatic rifle practice. 2. Sergeant Charles
T. Monroe, a winner of the Croix de Guerre and DistinguishedService Cross. 3. Group of Officers of 372nd Infantry and French
5. Sergeants Ray WilAssociates.
4. At the mouth of a dugout.
liams and Wadley Ellis receiving wireless messages from Eiffel
Tower. 6. French Officer giving instructions in machine-gun tactics.
7. Two comrades of the famous "Red Hand Division."1.

Officers

If the muse were mine totempt itAnd my feeble voice were strong,

my tongue were trained to measure
would sing a stirring song.
I would sing a song heroic
If
I

Of those noble sons of Ham
Of the gallant colored soldiers
Who fought for Uncle Sam.

PAUL LAURENCE DUNBAR.

Non-CombatantTroopswas little difference in the spirit of thoseTHERE
who went to France as welfare workers andthose who went as soldiers.

Both felt the urge ofboth desired to be stationed where they
could give most serve most. Hence it was notstrange that we reached theheadquarters inParis hoping to be forwarded to some one of thefighting units, and that during the ten days of
preparation for the camp, we were looking wishIndeed, one of us had
fully toward the front.
the hourYcome from Illinois, and had already been adopted
as the daughter of the 370th Regiment. The otherhad come from the Metropolis, and somehow felt
the whole responsibility for the welfare of the"Fifteenth New York" and the "Buffaloes" resting

upon her weak shoulders.

easy then to imagine our disappointment when we were assignedIt
to the S. 0. S., or Service of Supplies Sector.
was just at this point we found it necessary as
members of the American Expeditionary Forces
to learn one of the most important lessons of thearmy that of obedience.
But it was a most kind Providence that sent usaway from the scenes of devastation and death for
our first service, and placed us where we could
come into a comprehensive knowledge and appreciation of our non-combatant forces. Seven monthsof continuous service and daily contact in thecamp with these men warrant our writing with
96

It is

ON THE WAY TO THE DOCKS AT ST. NAZAIRESERGEANTS DUNN, TAPSCOTT AND JONES AT THE PORTTWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

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assurance certain definite impressions left upon
our minds by them. We take it that the 20,000
soldiers whom we served, those visited at Brest andother S. 0. S. points and those who rested with us
in the Leave Area from Bordeaux, Marseilles, andother camps were typical of the one hundred thou-sand or somen who formed the non-combatantgroup.

These men were known chiefly as stevedores andlabor battalions.

Somehow a widely circulated

beenthat they had
gainedhadbeenlandedongathered indiscriminately, andforeign soil, a mere group of servants for thewhite soldiers. We do not know who first sought
to thus humiliate these soldiers by such unjust
and undeserved rating. One might easily believe,of course, because of the constantly unfair attitude
of some of their officers toward them, that there wassome such assumption to that effect. But the world
has learned now, that in spite of all handicaps, there
could be found nowhere in the army stouter andbraver hearts, or more loyal and self-sacrificing
spirits.
Subjected to a stern discipline; with disreportcredence

criminations, cruel in their intent and execution;
long hours of toil; scant recognition for service
or hope of promotion, they still kept their faith.

Throughout the war they wrought as weavers who
are given to see only the wrong side of the glorious
pattern they are weaving.

Indeed, through these

men we came into an abiding belief that the coloredman was in the war to justify his plea for democ97

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE A.

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The first day we entered that busy militaryof
St. Nazaire, we saw a colored lad standing
port
racy.

under the ancient clock in the center of the square.
He had M. P. (military police) on his arm bandin large red letters, and in his hand a stick withwhich he quietly directed the tremendous trafficof that town.

Auto-trucks,

auto-cars of officers

from the highest to the lowest rank, auto-busses for
welfare workers, sidecars, bicycles, used so constantly by French women as well as men, and thetypical French voiture made a constant noisy
stream. And this colored lad, who had come froma rural district of the far South, stood there calmly

pointing his stick, now left, now right, or holding
it up in demand for a pause.
Surely he was there

by Divine Thought.

^/^he very first group of colored soldiers to leave
for France in the autumn of 1917 were stevedores

and laborSt.

battalions.

Anothergroup

reached

Nazaire, by way of Brest, Christmas eve of thesame year. Time and time again in camp they told
us the story of that first winter of hardship. Christ-mas day found them cold and cheerless, with hardtacks and beans for their rations. All that winterthey worked, poorly equipped for their severe task.
In the dark hours of the night and the morning,they plunged through the deep mud of the camp
and city, without boots. On the dock they handled
But they
the cold steel and iron without gloves.
were soldiers, and so they worked without complaint.
98

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE
When the first American

A.

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F.

Forces reached theContinent, the French were calling loudly for help.
All seemed chaos for a little, as thousands of troops

began to reconstruct the ports of France. These
quiet ports, many of them centuries gray, became
Hundreds of warecenters of throbbing activity.
houses, most modern in their construction, rose as
if by magic.
From the south where Marseilles

looks out on the blue Mediterranean, to Brest at
the entrance to the English Channel, our own stevedores, labor battalions and engineers, have rebuilt
much of the water front of France, thus making aepoch in the history of French navigation.
During the last year of the war, these thousands ofmen were at work in the S. 0. S., connecting itwith the great battle front. System and efficiency,with the greatest possible haste, were required in
speeding the supplies to combatant troops. All of
this these soldiers comprehended and ever they responded with a decisive and soldier-like spirit.
real

The incessant tramp of many feet through the city
street, the constant rush and rumble of autotrucks kept the camps of these ports closely linked

with the docks.

All who were at work in France well rememberthat "Race to Berlin" contest, upon which the last

great forward

move of our troops so largely de-pended. The world looked not only toward Metz
where our great combat army was centering, butjust as often, anxious eyes were upon the rear where
our men were toiling like mad that peace should99

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

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not be delayed through any failure of theirs.

E.

F.

With

feverish haste and anxiety they battled with greatbulks of ammunition and supplies.

For weeks at

Marseilles, Bordeaux, St. Nazaire, Brest and otherports

worked with almost superhumanThose serving these men during this con-theystrength.

labored with the same feverish spirit that
How they tried tocheer, encourage, and entertain our determinedheroes as they contested for the honors!
If bychance you see somewhere a soldier wearing theemblem of the S. 0. S., with an arrow running

test

possessed the men themselves.

through it and pointing skyward, you will know that
he belongs to those service battalions at Brest whoby their inexhaustible reserves of energy and endurance, won in the "Race to Berlin."

Although these men were not called upon to face
the shot and shell at the front, they paid their tollin death from accident, cold and exposure.
No
more at the rear than at the front did they pause

consider personal danger.
They were truly
notandheroes, carrying
bayonetgun, but connectwonderful
resourcesof
their
own country,
ing thethree thousand miles away, with the greatest battletoworld has ever known.
There went to rest in the land of light and peacea short time ago, one of the world's poets whose
divinest gift was her great human understanding
and sympathy. Long and well did Ella Wheeler
Wilcox write to lift the souls of men from thefields thesordid things of earth to the purer realms of sympathetic knowledge

and co-operation.
100

She wasTWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE A.

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given entre to the heart of the war, and saw thegrim conflict in all its various settings. Riding
along the coast one day, looking out upon the longlines of warehouses, hearing the hum of the thousands of men at work, she said: "I have gainedwith the years a growing appreciation and love forthe colored people, and I have seen nothing inFrance finer than the work of the stevedores. I
have written and dedicated a poem to them." That
afternoon, after she had spoken for a few minutes
to the thousands of swarthy soldiers, assembled to
pay her homage, her companion read the poem
as follows:"We are the army stevedores, lusty and virile and strong.

We are given the hardest work of the war and the hours
are long.

We handle the heavy boxes and shovel the dirty coal;

While soldiers and sailors work in the light, we burrow
below in the hole.
But somebody has to do this work, or the soldiers could
not fight

And whatever work is given a man, is good if he doesitright.

We are the army stevedores, and we are volunteers.
We did not wait for the draft to come, to put aside ourfears.

We flung them away on the wings of fate, at the very
first callof our land,

And each of us offered a willing heart, and the strengthof a brawny hand.

We are the army stevedores' and work as we must and may.
The cross of honor will never be ours to proudly wear
away.
101

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But the men at the Front could not be there,
And the battles could not be won
If the stevedoresstopped in their dull routine,

And left their work undone.
Somebody has to do this work, be glad that it isn't you,
We are the army stevedores give us our due!"

But this wonderfully revealing poem goes hardly
far enough to give full appreciation of the whole

So often in
addition to this "hardest work of the war," wasadded treatment accorded no other soldier. Whilewhite American soldiers were permitted to go
freely about the towns, the great mass of colored
American soldiers saw them for the most part, as
they marched in line to and from the docks. Passes
for them were oftener than otherwise as hard tosecure as American gold. Always they were awareof some case of cruel injustice for which there
seemed absolutely no redress. We found in ourlife of the colored stevedore in France.

camp a young college student, who, believing thatwar spelled opportunity, was among the first to
enlist.
His education placed him at once in theof his company, and he went to France a
sergeant. He did not find that war meant for him
officewhat he had dreamed it would, but he kept loyal;
his work commanded respect, and, for a time, allwent well. But a company commander came who
resented the pride of the colored boy, and thenbegan a series of humiliations that took away rank,
sent him to the guard-house and dock. Retribution
is rather swift at times, and so this officer's downfall

came

soon.

He never knew, however, that102

MEN OF THE TWENTY-FIRST DEPOT COMPANY

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the fond mother back home was the only thing thatstood between him and death.

The young man has

since told us how happy he was to return home withhis honor maintained, rank restored.

But in camp

his face hurt us as often as we looked upon it, so full

was of the endurance of an outraged manhood.
Even a short outing might be robbed of its pleasure.
For how well we remember a company that
had been granted a week-end leave as a reward for
exceptional work. They were going to a neighborit

ing summer resort

a miniature Coney Island. It
had been arranged for them to tent on the beach.
Just like children, they made us listen to all their
enthusiastic plans and dreams of this outing. They

went, but came backdumb in the despair of out-

raged truth and justice. A runner had preceded
them, and the French restaurants and places ofamusement had been warned not to receive them,since they were but servants of the white soldiers.
Later the French knew better, but at that time it
required more time and spirit than this company
had, to convince the French people of the injusticeof it all.

Always there was the knowledge that for them,loyalty, devotion, and energy, led to no higher rank,

no possibility of promotion. True, orders were
often issued that for the moment, seemed to include
the colored soldier in their opportunity for advancement, but just as soon as he attempted tomake himself a part of these orders, some subterfuge would be used to deny him the privilege ofthe army of which he was a part.
Well for the103

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

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colored soldier in France, well for all, that he possessed the far-visioned faith and the endurance of
his fathers!

Another misleading idea relative to the noncombatant organizations was to the effect that they
were totally illiterate. While the percentage ofilliteracy was high, on the other hand hundreds ofmen were of fair intelligence, while other hundreds
had been given fine educational advantages. Not
only could there be found large numbers of students and graduates of our colored schools, butthere were many from the largest and best known
universities and colleges of the United States.
It
was not unusual to have a man in fatigue uniform,
as his working clothes were called, volunteer forsome needed educational work, modestly announcing himself a graduate of Dartmouth, Iowa, Yale,or some other large university or college. Two of
the best-trained physical directors of our race werediscovered over there doing their "bit"one as astevedore on the dock, the other busily cutting woodwith an isolated labor battalion. For every variety
of profession or trade there was a representative.

One had but to require the service of a stenographer, dentist, doctor, lawyer, electrician, plumber,draughtsman, pianist, illustrator, or what not, tofind him at hand.

Once in the palmy days of Camp
One, St. Nazaire, an educational exhibit was heldin the Y Hut and it was far more interesting,varied, and unique, than any one school could havepossibly produced.
104

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Labor battalions were to be found not only at
the ports of France, but more than any other classof soldiers, they were spread over all France.
Whether near the Belgian or Swiss border, or in"No Man's Land," one would be sure to find these
Oftener than otherwise these

indispensable troops.

would be split, and a company or two
would be at Verdun or some other important center,
while another company would be found in somewoods cutting trees. The 608th Labor Battalion
was the only organization regularly stationed at
St. Nazaire, that had its own colored SergeantMajor. So clean cut, intelligent and forceful was
battalions

Sergeant Major Thomas, that he might have beena Major quite as well. His men were much liketheir leader, and we found it not only a pleasure
but comfort to count them among "our boys."

At Romagne we worked side by side with the332nd and 349th Labor Battalions. There with thePioneer

Infantries,

they

were

grimlyfighting

To the Leave Area came thesemen of the labor units in large numbers, and wethrough to the end.

have many pictures of them and with them.
betterrecollections

have,still,
earnest and often sad
related the

of

We

their

faces,
their eyes aglow as they
story of their adventure in France.

Always they had suffered but always they knew
"That Freedom's battle once begun
Bequeathed from bleeding sire to son
Though baffled oft is ever won."
105

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Hundreds of men among these non-combatant
troops were so thoroughly fine that to mention a
few of them in a special way seems hardly worth

We

think
while, except as they represent types.
of Charles Wright from Ann Arbor, Michigan, who

not only performed his office work with thoroughness, but who, through all the long months, first at
St. Nazaire, and later at Camp Montoir, gave himself withdeep earnestness as a volunteer teacher
Many others gave

for his less fortunate mates.

help in much the same manner for the educational,
religious, and athletic activities, or for library or
canteen service. There were Charles Wilkinson of
the Medical Corps, Sergeants Farrell, Dunn, Jones,

Ward, Armstrong and Tapscott, Corporal Henry
Smith, Electrician Powell, all so faithful as to seema part of the regular staff of Y workers.

There was one special group within this groupfor whom we had great sympathy and deep respect.

They were the regular army men, who had seen
real fighting, who were still in their prime, andlonging for the opportunity to go "over the top."
There were men who had seen service in Russia,
thePhilippines, Hawaii, heroes of the Spanish

American War; men who had known the hideousness of Carrizal, all kept in the S. 0. S. But they
were soldiers and they knew how to hold their
One had to but look at men
peace and obey.
like Sergeants Blue, Banks, Clark and Dogan, toknow that even without the bars on shoulders, they
were finer soldiers than many who wore them.
106

1.

"A Canteen Man."

3.

Playing Ball at

2.

An Old Soldier

Sergeant Banks, 10th U. S. C.
4. Our Military Policeman.

Camp No. 1, St. Nazaire.
5.

An Electrician.

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

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These non-combatant troops challenged the very
best in those welfare workers who could appreciate
the tremendous undercurrent of their lives andtheir rigid determination to be loyal to the country
they served. Always during our days and nights
with them, the urge and desire to serve was sokeen as to make us forget the loss and strain of

Our greatest effort was centeredin keeping constantly before them this truth sophysical strength.

beautifully expressed by James Weldon Johnson:"That banner which is now the typeOf victory on field and flood,
Remember its first crimson stripe

Was dyed by Attack's willing blood.
1

And never yet has come the cry,When this fair flag had been assailed
For men to do, for men to die,That we have faltered or have failed.

We've helped to bear it rent and torn,

Through many a hot-breathed battle breeze;
Held in our hands, it has been borne

And planted far across the seas.
Then should we speak but servile words',
Or shall we hang our heads in shame?
Stand back of new-come foreign hordes,

And fear our heritage to claim?
No! stand erect and without fear,

And for our foes let this suffice,We've brought a rightful sonship here,
And we have more than paid the price."
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THE ENGINEERS

No group of men had a deeper baptism of pain
andFrancethanCorps ofnon-combatantEngineers.
Althoughtroops, they might, in an emergency, as at Chateau
Thierry, become combatant. There, in the crisis ofa struggle, they dealt the German invaders thedecisive blow that not only sent them reeling to
defeat, but caused the world in general to attach alonelinessinclassedtheas

new importance and appreciation to the work of
the engineer.

The colored engineers, however, although sometimes trained with arms in the United States were,
for the most part, not permitted the use of themin France.
corporal of the 546th Engineers

A"Although some of us worked quite closebehind the lines, within range of shot and shell,
we did not see arms except such as lay discarded
about the woods and in the fields."

writes,There seems to have been little difference between the work done in France by the colored
Both were
Engineers and Pioneer Infantries.
largely engaged in road building and general construction.
However, the non-commissioned officersof the Pioneers were largely, if not entirely, colored

and in many regiments, they retained their arms,
while the engineers were rarely accorded rank
beyond that of corporal and, as previously stated,
But the colored engineers
rarely carried arms.
were a part of that far-visioned phalanx of dark108

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F.

skinned men who went to France to fulfil a trust

and who remained true to the end.
Their work, too, was lightened by their ability tosing in the midst of thunderous guns.
Many ofthewar songs were madeinto parodiesof thewhich the engineer jokingly made his
emblem. The following is a parody of the song,"Mother":shovel"S

isfor the soup they always give us

Hisfor the ham we never get;O is for the onions in the gravy,
V is for the victory we'll see yet.
E is for the end of our enlistment,
L is for the land we love so dear,
Put them altogether, they spell SHOVEL

The Emblem of the Engineer."

Wherever troops were fighting, the engineers
could be found hard by and their faithful andefficient service won for them praise.

For instance,the 37th who served as a part of a French Corps
and afterwards with the First American Army
Corps was cited for the high efficiency of its work.

The 546th spent many months in various partsof the forest of the Argonne and were also com-mended for their meritorious

service;themight be said of the 505th and many others.
109

same

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But viewing their record as a whole we mightsum it up in the following lines of Paul Laurence

Dunbar:Thou hast the right to noble pride
Whose spotless robes were purified
By blood's severe baptism.
Upon thy brow the cross was laid,
And labor's painful sweat beads madeA consecrating chrism.

110

An Engineers' Camp in France.

Representatives of the Engineer Corps.

HOMING BRAVES
There's music in the measured tread
Of those returning from the deadLike scattered flowers from a plain
So lately crimson, with the slain.

No more the sound of shuffled feet
Shall mark the poltroon on the street,
Nor shifting, sodden, downcast eye,
Reveal the man afraid to die.
They shall have paid full, utterly
The price of peace across the sea,
When, with uplifted glance they comeTo claim a kindly welcome home.

Nor shall the old-time daedal sting
Of prejudice, their manhood wing,
Nor heights, nor depths, nor living streams
Stand in the pathway of their dreams!
GEORGIA DOUGLAS JOHNSON.

ill

Pioneer Infantries

OTEVEDORES, engineers, and labor battalions
kJ had been rushed to France to blaze the trail for
die American forces.

Already the 15th New York,the 8th Illinois, 371st and 372nd Regiments had
worked and fought their way to the thickest of thecarnage.

The 92nd Division was waiting for the

And yetthe twelve million colored people of the UnitedStates had not fully answered the call. None, how-

final word that would carry them across.

were more willing to serve the country inhour of peril. Therefore there was a readyresponse, when late in May of 1918, President
Wilson called for the organization of colored
ever,
its

infantries.

The early history of these pioneer regiments
was very similar. They were formed for the mostpart, out of provisional troops, a few men drawn
from the regular army, and specialists from thevarious schools of Training Detachments.
For
the
805th
Pioneer
instance,
Infantry Regiment wasformed at Camp Funston, of provisional brigades;
twenty-five men of the 25th Infantry, brought overfrom Hawaii; thirty-eight mechanics from Prairie

View Normal School; twenty horseshoers and men
skilled in the care of horses from Tuskegee Institute, and eight carpenters from Howard University.
The best evidence of the high character of the service in France renderedfollowing:112

by this regiment

is

the

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January 16, 1919.

From:

Commanding Officer, 805th Pioneer Infantry.

To:

The Adjutant General, G. H. Q., A. E. F.

Subject:

Commendation of Regiment.

1.

I feel ita duty which I owe the officers and enlisted

men of this regiment which the War Department hasgiven me the honor of commanding, to place on record
at General Headquarters, American Expeditionary Forces,
the enclosed papers commending their conscientious andintelligent work.

The first is a letter from the Chief Engineer, First
Army, regarding the services rendered by the 805th Pio2.

neer Infantry in the Argonne-Meuse Campaign, whichbegan September 26, 1918, in which this organization
participated from October 3rd to the conclusion of theArmistice. The second is a letter from the Chief Salvage
Officer, First Army, stating that the regiment "by its intelligent co-operation and initiative" was of great assistance to him.
3. I claim no credit for myself, but only for the officers
and men to whose energy, judgment, tact and force of thehighest grade, must be attributed any success this regiment may have attained.

2 Encl.

C. B. HUMPHREY,

Colonel Infantry, U. S. A., Commanding.

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HEADQUARTERS, FIRST ARMY.
OFFICE OF CHIEF ENGINEER.

November 24, 1918.
From:

Chief Engineer, First Army.

To:

The Commanding

Officer,

805th PioneerIn-fantry.

Subject:

Services rendered during offensive.

1. The Chief Engineer desires to express his highest
appreciation to you and to your regiment for the services
rendered to the First Army in the Offensive between
the Meuse and the Argonne, starting September 26th,
and the continuation of that Offensive on November 1st
and concluding with the Armistice of November llth.

2.

The success of the operations of the Army Engineer
toward constructing and maintaining supply
both roads and railway, of the Army, was in no

Troopslines,

small measure made possible by the excellent work performed by your troops.
3. It is desired that the terms of this letter be published

to all the officers and enlisted men of your command at theearliest opportunity.
4.

A copy of this letter has been sent to the Chief ofStaff, First Army.

GEORGE R. SPALDING, Col. Engrs.,
Chief Engineer, First Army,

American E. F.

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AMERICAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCESHEADQUARTERS, FIRST ARMY,

OFFICE OF THE CHIEF SALVAGE OFFICER.

December 17, 1918.

From:

Chief Salvage Officer, First Army.

To:

Colonel C. B. Humphrey, Commanding Officer,
805th Pioneer Infantry.

Commendation.

Subject:wish to express my appreciation of the very excellent work done by you and your command, while I had
1.

I

charge of the Salvage Operations in the Battle Area, FirstArmy.
2. Your regiment by its intelligent co-operation andinitiative has been of the greatest assistance in carrying
on operations, conducted under very trying conditions.

JEREMIAH BEALL,
Lieutenant Colonel, Ord. Dept.,

Chief Salvage Officer.

HEADQUARTERS, 805TH PIONEER INFANTRY,AMERICAN E. F.
January 17, 1919.
with pleasure that I publish herewith truecopies of the foregoing letters for the information of
1.

It

is

this command.

C. B.

HUMPHREY,

Colonel Infantry, U. S. A.,

Commanding.
Official:

PAUL S. BLISS,
Capt. Inf., U. S. A., Adjutant.
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The 805th had three men at the University of
London during the educational period, Sergeant
Major Marriott, and Sergeants Walter Powers andLeonard Barnett. This was another testimony to
the worth ofits

personnel.

The 806th formed at Camp Funston at about
the same time as the 805th, and the 815th and816th, formed there later, were made up in muchthe same way.
Twelve hundred enlisted men of
158th Depot Brigade made the foundation of the
802nd Pioneer Infantry, formed at Camp Sherman,
while other groups from the regular army weredisributed through the regiment.

The outstanding characteristic of these regiments
was their rapid mobilization and departure forFrance. Very brief, at best, was the training theyreceived in the American camps. In some instances
it was as highly intensive and thorough as timeallowed. The great mass of these men had known
absolutely nothing of military life six weeks, and,in some cases, three weeks, before taking transport

But they went as others had gone,
and firm in faith. As they sailed away,
their folk knew that they had given the residue of
their strong young manhood. The last hope of thecolored Americans had been cheerfully placed
upon the altar as their gift. It was their last grim
insistence on the triumph of the Great Cause forwhich the race stood so desperately in need.
A wonderful sight were those convoys with theirfor France.
resolute

mighty hosts, as they plowed their way across those
three thousand

miles of periled
116

ocean!

MoreGROUP OF PIONEER INFANTRYMENTWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

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F.

wonderful if we can really realize that for them
death was ever near, hiding its piratical and cruelhead beneath the waves.
Relative to a voyage
across at that time we quote from the history of
one of the regiments the following:"At least once daily, and often three times, the buglesounded 'Boat Call' and thereupon everyone hurried tohis assigned place. Fire drills often

accompanied boat

drills.

Each vessel bore a heavy gun astern and howitzers
forward for firing depth bombs. Details were told off
to help serve the guns.
During the last four days out
officers were posted alternately with enlisted men on
submarine lookout posts, so that there were five officers,
and five enlisted men continually on this duty in addition to the regular guard.

Portholes were closed at dusk throughout the entire
voyage and no smoking outside was permitted after dark.
Silence on deck after dark was also prescribed during
the last four days. No bugle calls were permitted during

foggy weather.

Good ships had gone down in the same area andthere were times when there was anxiety.
Once a mine
was sighted and passed at about sixty feet. The matter
was flashed to the destroyers who went to the spot anddropped depth bombs. Two days out word was received
that a submarine had been sighted by a destroyer deadahead. At the same time the cruiser signalled and thewhole convoy literally 'went by the left flank.' Fromthat time on the course was changed every few minutes."
So, not only that regiment but others crossed.

And some others had far more exciting and hazardous times fighting those German sea monsters. On
both sides of the Atlantic there was anxious waiting; and now and then it was useless waiting, for117

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

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as these brave sons journeyed across, some foundtheir graves in the deep gray fathomless deep.

There white crosses and poppies may not be found,but resting in that mysterious sea world, newemblems of honor, beautiful and sparkling, will
decorate them for all time.
We were with the soldiers in France, cut off
almost entirely from the outer world. One morning the word was flashed through camp that a whole
regiment of Pioneer Infantry had arrived. "Whatare Pioneer Infantries?" everyone asked. Many
answers were volunteered but none very satisfacThis ignorance was not altogether our own
tory.
We had heard no mention of pioneers in
fault.
those first days of mobilization before we left theUnited States. Our "continental editions" of the

New York Herald, London Times, and Chicago
Tribune were just about as meagre of information
as they were of size.

True, friends sent us magaand papers, but in those days they rarely
reached us.
So we asked "What are Pioneer

zines

Infantries?"

All were quickly at work preparing to receive
An addition of three thousand men
meant extra work. Reams of paper and thousands
the newcomers.

of envelopes had to be prepared for easy distribution,

because writing material was the very

first

demand of the soldier landing on foreign soil.
Above all other pressing needs was the need towrite the folk back home that, "I got over all right."
Not only were letters hurried home, but the handsof thefolk were quickly filled with messages toY

118TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE
be cabled.

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Extra gallons of chocolate had to bemade and canteen supplies enlarged; special "information bureaus" set up; money made ready forexchange and other details arranged for prompt
service.

But as we worked we also wondered about these
new soldiers. The word "pioneer" embodied a
wealth of courage and daring, so that long before
the 807th rushed our hut that September afternoon,
we had woven about them all the wonderful dreamsof their achievements at the front that it is possible
for a woman's fancy to fashion.
And, although
they never had all the chance we had dreamed forthem, they did not fail us. Wherever an opportunity challenged them, they triumphantly answered
it, as attested below:

HEADQUARTERS, 807TH PIONEER INFANTRY,
M. T. C. RECEPTION PARK, 714,
Bourg (Haute Marne), France.
A. P. 0. 714.
April 26, 1919.

General Orders No. 2.
1. The commanding officer takes pleasure in publishing to the command the following letters received from
General Headquarters, American Expeditionary Forces,
relative to participations of the 807th Pioneer Infantry
in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive.
It is desired that thisorder be published to all troops, and that proper recognition of the same be made on all records pertaining
thereto.
It is the intention of the Commanding Officer
to present this ribbon when the regiment has again asService ribbons as prescribed, will be forsembled.

warded as soon as received.
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France, April 19, 1919.

From:

The Adjutant General, American 3. 1.

To:

Commanding Officer 807th, Pioneer Infantry.

Subject:

Ribbons.

1. Herewith is a copy of the order issued at these
Headquarters on the subject of the award of silver bands
to be engraved and placed upon the Pike of Colors ofLance of the standards of the organizations which have
served in the A. E. F.; even if we get here in France theprescribed silver bands', it would be impossible to havethe engraving done in time to present them to the divisions entitled to them.
For that reason each organization is given a ribbon which shows which battle it parThis ribbon will be retained until theticipated in.

proper silver band is presented by the War Department.
2. The Commander in Chief directs me to send the
ribbons to you, and to ask you to present them withappropriate ceremonies to the units for which they are
He regrets that this cannot be done by him
intended.
in person.

By Command of GENERAL PERSHING.
J.

A. JONES.

To:

France, April 19, 1919.
Commander-in-Chief, American E. F.
Commanding Officer 807th, Pioneer Infantry

Subject:

Battle Participation.

From:

1. Following is a list of battle engagements of the807th Pioneer Infantry Regiment, during the War withGermany, including organizations which are entitled tothe silver bands awarded under paragraph 244, Army
Regulations. The ribbons furnished herewith are in lieu
of the bands which will be supplied by the Adjutant
General of the Army later.
120

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE
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Meuse-Argonne Offensive, France, October 25 toNovemberband:

A.

11, 1918.
Organization entitled807th Regiment of Pioneer Infantry.

tosilverBy Command of GENERAL PERSHING.
J.

A. JONES,

Adjutant General.

By Order of COLONEL GARY.
CHARLES W. ROOTH,
Captain, 8Q7th Pioneer Infantry,
Acting Adjutant.

Somehow it seemed difficult for the above regiment and others, whom we questioned from time totime, to know just why they had been honored with
their name.
Many of them had the high hope at
finesoldier expressed it, that they wereasone
first,
to be trained into the highest type of combatant
troops, who were to clear the way to victory. Their
record is abundant proof that they did clear theway to victory, but it was hardly as combatant
troops that they won their honors. Although sharing
the general hardships of the front, subjected toitsshot and shell, they had small chance for real
When the Armistice came several offighting.

these regiments had reached the trenches, and withanother week of war, their story would have beena very different one.

Most of these regiments as they reached France,
were forwarded to the Haute-Marne Training Area
where they were given short but strenuous instructions in French warfare.
From there they were
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again sent forward, this time to the aid of thevarious fighting detachments.

A notable exception to this general dispositionof these

Pioneer Regiments was the 809thasturdy set of lads from the Middle and Northwest.
They arrived in France in early October, andalmost immediately were ordered to the front.
Investigation showed that this regiment had been
formed about the first of September, sailed the
21st of the same month, and that most of themen knew very little about handling a rifle. The
order was revoked and the regiment kept in therear, most of them being sent to Nantes, where theyremained until the following summer. And yet
this regiment had a larger percent of professional
men and skilled artisans in their ranks than mostof the others. Three of the nine who went to the
University of London were from this organization.
Howard Drew, the world-champion at a hundred
yards, Dismukes, Lyons, Malacher and Charlestonof baseball fame were a part of it. Lionel Artis,
now Y. M. C. A. Secretary at Indianapolis was

one of its fine Regimental Sergeant Majors. An
officer admitted to the men that he had been requested to recommend some of them for commissions, but preferred to keepthem to build up theregiment.

The experiences of these Pioneer regiments inFrance, related in their own unique expressions,would make a volume of much historical value,
Each regiment held arich in humor and pathos.
certain pride for outstanding qualities peculiar to122

PIONEER INFANTRYMEN
Sergeants Baylis, Coleman and Freeman.
Sergeant-Majors Long, Armstead and Clifford.
Sergeants Carr and Johnson.

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

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itself.
Very often we found "silence golden" as
we sat in the midst of heated discussions relative tothe merits of these various "8s," as they were
often called, because the regiments ranged in num-

ber from 801 to 816. But we did learn by personal contact that each organization had its own
distinctive fineness and fitness, and all who served
these men in France will ever count it one of theirgreatest privileges as welfare workers.
The first of these regiments to reach France was
the 808th, which landed at Brest September 7th,1918.
There were many men in this group of
superior intellect and character Maurice Clifford,
a teacher of the High School, Washington, D. C.,
and son of Honorable and Mrs. William H. Clif-

was one of its regimental sergeant majors;
Cornelius Dawson, graduate of Lincoln University,

ford,

had left his theological course at Philadelphia to
the ranks.
Warwick Johnson of Virginia
Union University fame was one of them, along withhundreds of others of the same type. These men
were called to help the 12th Engineers in the construction of a narrow gauge railway at the front.
As they worked, shot and shell rained over them.
In their dugouts they were tortured by rats and"cooties."
Small wonder that an officer who had
observed it all should have remarked: "We cannot understand their make-up, for under hardest
conditions they hold themselves together and are
join

able to raise a song."

It seems after all that only

black folk can interpret the "Souls of Black Folk."
We went to look for the "808" at Dombasle where
123

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they had their headquarters so long after the war
ended.
But they had entrained, and there wasonly the dreary waste and desolation, thatswept unbroken over many a mile, to tell us theterrible isolation they had suffered in France.
left

One of the men of the "813" said: "We endured
all the hardships of the front but missed the thing

we wanted mostsome real whacks at the enemy."

This was no doubt true, for this regiment was really
bombarded from one front to the other until itreached St. Remy a few miles from Metz. Thenthe order came to fight!
It was two o'clock in themorning, and at four they were moving forward.
For two days they were under constant fire. This
regiment held itself with a justifiable pride.

Regimental Sergeant Major W. W. Tyler, fine inphysique, intellect and manners, was a fit leader
and representative of the men under him. Whether
in field maneuvers under Sergeant Major Williams
of the 24th Infantry, or in the office with men likeJay Dickinson, one was conscious of the highWe
intelligence of the soldiers of the "813th."
went one Sunday to visit some of this particularregiment. At that time it had been distributed on
the various battlefields to assemble the American
dead in cemeteries, and we were visiting the companies at Belleau Wood and Fere-en-Tardenois,
near Chateau Thierry. At these places the men
gathered in the huts to hear a word from the Y
secretaries.

Each had received the hearty applause
But there wasthat only soldiers know how to give.

one young lad in the party, formerly a sergeant in
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the regiment, who had been released to the Y. M.
C. A. for service. It was when he modestly moved
fonvard to say his word that the men made the hut
too small for their outburst. There were yells andcries for "Sergeant Burwell! Burwell!" until, putting his hand to his mouth, he yelled back, "FelHe stood before themlows, give me a chance!"with a wonderful light on his face, and drove home
plain truths about right living; he told them about
those secret places of reward for the hard things
they were then doing. The men listened to him andcheered, because they knew that he exemplified in
his own life the message he gave them.
The day was closing at Fere-en-Tardenois and wewent to sit on a log and eat supper out of a borrowed mess kit. It was then two of the fellows
said they wanted to tell us something.
This iswhat they told us. "We think you might be able
to tell some of the Y men about our condition
here, and they could help change it. We find theP'rench villagers here have been told we are an

aggregation of diseased men, sent to dig thesegraves and bury the dead as a punishment!" It
had been a glorious day, full of the fun and joy

be found in the midst of our young manhood,and we had realized all the delightful thrills of

tobeing A. W. 0. L. (absent without official leave).
But now the cloud came as it so often did in France.
We looked out upon the war shattered landscapeabout us, and wondered why the spirits of thethousands of French, who had allowed themselves
to be mowed down in that very place rather than125

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surrender the principles of right, did not rise up
With tears in our souls,
but with brave eyes, we talked to them. We didtell this case, but the soul that should have beenstrong to vindicate them, proved but a weakling,
to curse this awful wrong.

and the young Y man who made the attempt to help
them, was not only thwarted, but crushed for his
effort.

Several of the Pioneer regiments touched foreign
Some were held there for service
as were some labor battalions. But most of themsoil at Liverpool.

crossed England to Southampton and landed at La

Havre.

This was the route of the 802nd, who camelargely from West Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Making long and exhausting hikes, this regimentalso reached the First Army where it talked little
and worked hard. Says one of the men: "Ourregiment was divided about October 1st into three
The first battalion was given the task
sections.

of helping the engineers build a standard gauge
railway from Aubreville to a point north, half-way
to Varennes
a distance of ten kilometers. The
second battalion was to connect up with the firstthence northward five kilobattalion at this point

meters beyond Varennes. The third battalion wasgiven the task of furnishing rock from the stone
quarries for the repair of the highway. All thiswork was highly essential in order to keep thefiring line supplied with ammunition, rations, etc.
The conditions in the sector were at all times most

The men were subjected to bombardmentfrom enemy long range guns and aerial attacks

trying.

126

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But the railroad was completed ina short time, and supplies were speeding up to thefront for the final drive."

November 18th, seven days after the Armistice
was signed, the entire 802nd Pioneer Regiment was
highly commended in general orders by the Chief
Engineer of the First American Army in which hedeclared their services indispensable to the final
drive.
We must look behind this record to thequiet, dignified, but wonderfully alert enlisted men

who made it.

The ranking Regimental Sergeant

Emmet Armistead, was not only an exMajor,
perienced army man of spotless record, cultured byJ.

hard study and Old World travel, but a high typeof Christian soldier.
Although still young, hecarries the marks of Philippine fighting and is anexpert swimmer, horseman, marksman and athlete.
But one learned this only after many conversations

and gentle probings.

This spirit of modesty went

down through the regiment. We think of Sergeant
Toney of Ohio University, Sergeant Kenneth Packof Virginia Union University, and many others who
made us conscious of the fineness of the regiment.
No two Pioneer regiments were quite so famed
as hard workers and hard fighters as the 801st andBoth shared the toil and danger ofother regiments, but both seemed to have been
determined to fight for right treatment, although

the 803rd.

meant continuous fighting. At Brest, we saw
evidence of the labors of the 801st in the transformation of Pontanezen from a mudhole to theitcleanest
9

and most modern of camps.
127

These men

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came from Indiana and Kentucky, and the regiment
was formed at Camp Taylor, largely of the 157th
and 159th Depot Brigades. The Y. M. C. A. gained
two secretaries from it, Sergeant Majors Eggleson
and Watkins, who gave fine service to their former
comrades. Regimental Sergeant Major U. S. Donaldson of this organization was among the brightest
and most popular of the soldier-students who went
to the British Universities.

Of all the Pioneer regiments, we knew the 803rd
those "terrible" Illinois lads, one thousandof whom came from Chicago. In fact they werebest

our own regiment, for they christened us godmother with water that flowed straight down fromthe far-famed Alps.
It was for some of the menof this regiment that we first cooked sausages andpancakes in the Leave Area; for its band that we
made our first ice cream there. It was there thatgroup after group told us of their lonely life at
St. Maurice, Vigneulies, and other points near
Verdun. Afterward, we were sent to serve them,but, alas,it

was too late, as they had entrained.

However, we caught up with the whole regiment at
Pontanezen, and there, instead of our serving them,
they served us. True, we gave them ice cream,
Butlemonade, cookies, "movies" and books.
whatever of beauty and comfort came to the Y
hut known as "Soldiers' Rest" at Camp Pontanezen,

was largely due to the energy, time and money invested by the 803rd in its remodeling. From Company M, with its wonderful sergeants from theregular army, always alert to help us, we were128

MEN OF THE PIONEER INFANTRIES
4.
3. Sergeant Chapman.
2. Sergeant Roach.
Sergeant Sheridan.
7.
Ser6.
Sergeant Gowdy.
5.
Sergeant Dawson.
Sergeant Jeton.
withL.
Coverdale
H.
Sergeants
geant-Major Hardy. 8. Sergeant-Major
9. Sergeant Blackwell
1.

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

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supplied the finest "detail" for work about the
hut to be found in all France. But the volunteer
details were no less fine, and we can never forget
Taylor and James who constituted themselves ourprotectors as well as hut carpenters.
We could fill a whole book with the names ofmen of this regiment who throng our memory.

There was Gowdy, Griffin, Williams, Jetton, Sheridan, Harrison and Matthews all soldiers, but gentlemen first; there was Curtis Kennedy, whose young
face shone as he talked of his wife, mother and baby
back home; there was Sergeant Washington, whoknew so well the value of a balanced menu, andgave us our best mess in France, then sailed away,
leaving us to our leanest days. But memory clings
closest to the one, who in addition to the lonelinessand hardship of life at the front, had bitter gall
For a time it seemed
too much to endure, and he was ready for theplunge of despair. Slowly but surely, we drewthat man back from the precipice, and lingered
near till he was on sure ground, and the strengthof the real soldier had come once again into his
sent him from home to drink.

veins.

What joy to know that for him there is

still thegrim determination to walk the better way.

One afternoon, in our hut at the port, a whistle
sounded and a sharp command followed, "Allmen of the 804th report to their barracks at once."
What did it matter that the most interesting pictures
imaginable were being passed over the screen*
The "804th," with its plenty of brain and plentyof brawn
who had now and then sent an over129

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bearing military police into deep repose the"804th," with the isolations and hardships of thehaunting it, was going home that July
Oh, the gladness of them for this hardday.
earned reward! It was so contagious that it filled
not only their souls but those of their comradesof other organizations, waiting for the same mesfront

still

sage.

Some one said that the order went forth, "onlyhandsome men for the 806th."
everywhere they went
good looks mentioned.

Certain it was thatin France one heard their

But it in no wise spoiled
them for the immense amount of work they did.
At the front, at Montrichard, at Orley, and lastnear Paris, where they helped to build the celebrated Pershing Stadium, they carried themselveswith honor. Many of the men of this regiment, too,sought for training and commissions, but were toldthat they were too badly needed by their regimenttoencourage any changes.
The "811th" and "814th" had their regiments
split up from the beginning and used at many
pointschiefly in the S. 0. S.

some companies ofEngland.

the "814th"

We believe thatsaw

service

inThese men were rushed across the ocean

moment, but they did great service inandreconstruction after the Armisticesalvagingcame. We recall an amusing incident in connection with one company of the "814th." It had but
recently reached our area, and was at mess in oneof the huge mess halls, constructed towards the endof the war. We were bravely plunging through theat the last130

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

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deep mud so common to the camps in France, andwearing high hoots, the novelty of which had longsince heen forgotten. We were startled by a sharp"Oo-lawhistle, followed by the camp expression
la!" that brought men and mess kits to the doors
and windows.
One exclaimed, "It's a genuine
brown!" while another in most sympathetic voiceadded, "And it's got on boots too!" For a moment
embarrassment swept over us, but we knew how
genuine was the surprise of colored soldiers at
first sight of their own women in France, so welaughed back and waved them a welcome to the

Y hut. From the "811th," Sergeant Ulysses Youngand from the "814th" Sergeant Everett Brewingamong those who went to King's College

ton, werein

England.

We had been waiting among the ruins of Verdun
a whole week, by order of the Regional Secretary of the Y. M. C. A. ; he was trying to convince
the colonel in charge of Camp Romagne that women

would help to better the conditions in that camp.
But the colonel was not easily convinced.
He
told us afterward, that it was not colored women,
but just women that he felt should not bewith the soldiers in the camps. "War was sternand men ought to be hard at such times." He was
not alone in this opinion, for not only did colonels
feel that way, but many soldiers and welfare
workers were of that opinion. However, we finallyrode from Verdun to Romagne in a wonderfully
uncertain Ford, through thirty-six kilometres ofblinding dust that bit and stung for several days.
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But it was all well worth while, for it gave us the
chance to share the life of the 815th and 816th
Pioneers, with the labor battalions who were there
in the camp, and that of some of the companies ofthe "813th" who came later.
We reached the camp on Mother's Day, andas many of the men as could crowd the "hanger,"as the tent auditorium was called, were there.
year among soldiers, we had become
quite accustomed to whistles, calls, applause andshouts; otherwise the noise occasioned by a woman's
advent among the thousands of men, might haveoverwhelmed us, and made it impossible to reach
After

a

the rostrum.

The work of these stalwart California lads ofthe "815th," and of the "816th," so many of whomcame from the Central West, is told elsewhere in
the chapter Reburying of the Dead. Their record,with that of the "813th," and labor battalions whohelped at the task,
Pioneer regiments.

isthe most sacred of all the

They were "our boys" at
andat
Brest! They were the very
Romagne,againlast of the Pioneers to reach France and the last
to reach America again.
It was a picture to linger
in the memory, as with packs on back, bags in handand heads erect, we saw these men march at thedawn of the day out of the camp, down the long
dusty road, over the city streets to the waitingtransports.
They were not permitted to look to
the right or left, but as they passed slowly by, alifting of the eyes, a movement of the hand, or insome small way, the women who had served them132

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recognized through tear-dimmed eyes a warm
adieu.
Those Pioneer regiments, so quickly mobilized tomeet an emergency, were just as quickly demobilized with the return of the men to America. But
the strengthening and unifying processes throughwhich they passed as a result of the hard work,
hard sacrifices, and in many cases, hard treatmentof the war, can never be demobilized. There will
be little whining from these men who are even
But certain of their power of
yet Pioneers.
achievement, keen and courageous for truth andjustice,they will hold fast to their vision of the

future, and with strong, sure hands, build towardthat future.

133

Ye Queens, who bear the birth-pangs of a world,
To whom the nations in this hour of stress,
For succor look, and for the truth to bless,Ye great, whose fondled darlings, combed and curled,Arein the shell-torn, shamble-trenches hurled,

To stay the hellish Hun, who else would press,
The cup of degradation and distress,
To lips of men with freedom's flag unfurled
Ye valiant mother-band who gladly gave,
The first fruits of your riven wombs to save,
The world from horrors darker than the grave,
Ye are the Brave, who in your Country's need
Did sow the trenches with your precious seed
The greatest gift of war, and valor's noblest deed.
CARRIE W. CLIFFORD.

134

Over the Canteen in France
and pulpit, organizations and individuals

PRESS
were beseeching and demanding in 1918 thatthe

Red Cross add some of our well-trained andexperienced nurses to their "overseas" contingent,
but no favorable response could be obtained.
Meantime, the Paris Headquarters of the Young
Men's Christian Association cabled as follows:"Send six fine colored women at once!" This callcame so suddenly that for a while attention wasdiverted from the Red Cross issue that had been
so uppermost in all minds.
Six women!
A small number to be sure, but
the requirements for eligibility were not so easy
to meet and one must not have a close relative in
the army.
Many questions were asked.
there a real need for women over there?

they stand the test?"
to

real

danger?""Was"Could"Would they not be subjected"Were not gruesome stories

being told relative to terrible outrages perpetrated

on women who had gone?" To these questions andothers there seemed to be but just one reply.
It
was that if hundreds of other women had answered
the call to serve the armies of the Allies, surely
among the thousands of colored troops already inFrance and other thousands who would soon follow
there would be some place of service for six
colored women. A few leaders were far-visioned

enough to see the wisdom of colored women goingoverseas. Mr. Fred. R. Moore, Editor of the New
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York Age, worked untiringly to help secure therequired number, while Dr. W. E. B. Du Bois, Maj.
R. R. Moton, and Mr. Emmett Scott strongly endorsed the sending over of colored women.

Almost immediately Mrs. James L. Curtis andMrs. William A. Hunton, were invited to go toThose were the days when sailing dates
were kept secret and orders for departures given
France.

at the last

moment.

When the first call to sailcame, Mrs. Hunton could not easily be released
from the war work she had undertaken for theYoung Women's Christian Association. But thefollowing week, Mrs. Curtis, keenly anxious forthe adventure, was permitted to go alone. Meanwhile, Miss Kathryn Johnson had been called from

Chicago, and three weeks later sailed with Mrs.
Hunton.
For all the period of the war and the dreary
winter that followed it, there were just these threecolored women with the American Expeditionary
Forces in France. Time and time again they werelifted up by rumors that other canteen workers
were on the way. Whenever they saw women arriving fresh from America, they would at once inquire
if there were any colored women in their party.
Always the rumors would prove false and theanswer negative. Two hundred thousand coloredsoldiers and three colored women in France!
So
it was for many months.
But finally the dreamof help was realized when in the spring of 1919
sixteen canteen workers reached France.
Only
sixteen, to be sure, but to the three who had waited
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and served so long alone, they seemed a mighty
host.

What a wonderful spirit these sixteen women
They had been impatiently
for many months, to answer
some
of
them
waiting,
the call.
knew
how their soldiers needed
Theybrought with them!

their presence in France so they arrived eagerly
service, the imporready for that last lap ofYtance and significance of which can hardly beover-estimated. The Armies of the Allies had won
the war, but there was a moral conflict for the war-

weary men hardly less subtle and deadly

in

its

than the conflict just ended. It required a
program of compelling interest to hold the soldiersagainst the reaction of war's excitement andeffects

ghastly experiences, and the new thirst for homeand friends. Therefore, the coming at that timeof sixteen canteen workers for our soldiers waswonderfully opportune.
But just what of the canteen service for all theHowmonths that had preceded their coming?
had just three of us managed to be mothers, sisters
and friends to thousands of men?
The first colored woman who reached France
had been sent to Saint Sulpice in the great Bordeaux area, and though she was quickly returned

few days she had spent in the campamade bright spot for the men there in that veri-

to Paris, thetable wilderness of hardships. That she made ice
cream and other "goodies" for them, and best ofall, let them open their hearts to her, was neverforgotten

by

the

men

of that camp.
137

Reaching

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

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Paris, we found her with a group of men secretaries ordered home.
It was then that for the firsttime we questioned the wisdom of our adventure.
Surely we had not given up home, friends and work
for such an experience!
Would blind prejudice
follow us even to France where men were dying by
the thousands for the principles of truth and justice?

There had been no slackening of the impulse

when as a part of a mighty procession,
we crossed the periled deep; no lessening of ourenthusiasm for war work as we looked for the firsttime upon war's dark picture. But somehow thisto serve,

incident, with its revelation of the fact that preju-

dice could follow us for three thousand miles
across the Atlantic to the very heart of the world's

sorrow, tremendously shocked us in those first days.
But it was a challenge to a heroic sacrifice, andwe realized the significance of the challenge moredeeply as the months receded.
Miss Kathryn Johnson was appointed to Brest,
but that area, too, seems not to have been keen to
the advantage of a colored canteen worker, so that
she was returned to Paris. Both Miss Johnson andMrs. Curtis were then assigned to the advanced
sector, but found it impossible, because of theterrible drive, to reach their posts.
Meantime, Mrs. Hunton had been sent to the St.
Nazaire area, and it is there that our story of canteen service really begins, because whatever ofsuccess came to the colored women in France, wasdue primarily to the record made by them in this
area.
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The St. Nazaire area, in the region of the Loire,
was more than any other the pioneer section for
There went Franklin 0. Nichols,
colored welfare worker to reachFrance, and there he constructed the first Y hut
for colored men in France. Soon, he was joinedby the Rev. Leroy Ferguson, Mr. John C. Wrightcolored work.

the very

firstand Mr. William Stevenson, each of
direction of a

Y hut in the area.

whom had

In due timeseveral secretaries arrived to help these first men.

When Mrs. Hunton reached Saint Nazaire, she
was immediately assigned to Y hut 5, Camp
One, for canteen service under the direction of
Mr. John C. Wright, and to visit other camps ofthe area.
Miss Kathryn Johnson came next and/ was placed at Camp Lusitania with the Rev.
Then came Mrs. Curtis, whoLeroy Ferguson.
It wasjoined Mr. Stevenson at Camp Montoir.
thus that the first three canteen workers were placed
for all the period of the war and many weeks
thereafter.

The St. Nazaire area, more than any other inFrance at that time, warmly welcomed andallgave opportunity to the colored Y secretaries todemonstrate their spirit and ability to serve theirown soldiers. Indeed, it seemed rather providentially planned to give colored women a first
There were two reasons for this opreal chance.
portunity given them.

First of all the broad, prac-

tical Christian spirit of the Divisional Secretary,
S. Wallace, and second the attitude of ourMr.

W.

own Y men in charge of the huts.
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Mr. Wallace

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

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was not only an executive of rare Christian courage, but his attitude and opinions commanded the
He dealt
respect of those under his supervision.
with the colored men and women of his area in thesame fine manner and spirit that he dealt with allothers.
We shall always remember him among
those fine spirits of his race that hold our faithfor the ultimate triumph of the brotherhood ofman.
The second contributing cause for whatever ofsuccess the women came to have was in the personnel of the men with whom they worked. For,
however fine might be the Divisional Secretary or

no matter how far-visioned and energetic thewoman herself might be, she could hardly renderefficient service unless she had the sympathetic
co-operation of her hut secretary.
The writer was most fortunate in doing her firstwork with Mr. John C. Wright. It was a rare privilege that gave us four months of most enthusiastic
service under the direction of this Christian gentleman. He was one of the few men who reallydesired a woman in his hut, so that in our first
four months of service we were able to plan andaccomplish something really constructive for theseven thousand permanent colored troops of ourcamp, and to help the regiments that spent a few
weeks with us as they prepared for the front.
With him we tried to study and comprehend theneeds and desires of the soldiers, "our boys," as
we usually called them, and to meet these needs
and desires in the very best way possible.
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Over the canteen in France was essentially different from the same thing in the United States
where friendships and home ties had not yet beenreally severed and war was still thousands of miles
from the camp. In France, war, with its mysteryof pain and suffering, was over all. Everywhere
were evidence of its mutilation and destruction oflife and home.
Everywhere there was exhausting
work and deep loneliness. In the most joyous hourin the Y hut we knew that there was a nervousness, a tenseness, a deep undercurrent of seriousness that could be found only in an environmentof death and desolation.

Over the canteen in France friendships and confidences ripened quickly because of the lonelinessof men because of the haunting and yearning

memories of their women-folk at home. A glassof lemonade or a cup of chocolate offered with asympathetic touch was usually sufficient to break
down all barriers and make way for the usualquestion, "Where are you from"? This answered,a like question asked and the acquaintance wasestablished.
Always there was real happiness if
one could from somewhere in the memory resurrect a mutual friend in one of these home towns.
Then came quickly talks of family and life in theStates.
We learned to anticipate that from somepocket in the jacket usually the one nearest theheartwould be drawn forth a wallet or a muchworn envelope. From it photographs would come
forth.
Sometimes it would be the "best mother,"again the "dearest wife," and still again the "finest
141

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE A.

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F.

girl" or "cutest kid" that a fellow ever had. The
families or the girls would become visualized forus,

and after that we would ask about them as if

they were old friends.

Over the canteen in France, the woman becamea trusted guardian of that home back in America.

To her were revealed its joys and sorrows. Because of that same loneliness that loss of background the soldier poured out to the canteen
worker his deepest and dearest memories anddreams. She must be ever ready to laugh withhim, but she must also be ready to go down into
heart-breaking valley with her soldier boy when
he would get a bad bit of news a mother, father,sister or even a wife or child might have been taken
away; or, worse still, once in a great while thetragedy of faithlessness was made known to him.
But by far, the letters from home were cheerful tohave come straight from hearts of women tense withlonging and anxiety. Oh, the pride of a new father!
How well we remember a young "top" sergeant

whom we had thought of as a mere boy.

He

the canteen one evening with thewesend a cable home for him. He
thatrequestwrote the following: "Congratulations on birth

walked up

toof Spencer Roberts, Junior, and love to mother."
Saying to us, "No matter about the cost, I want tosend it all." How full of love were his eyes as
he showed us the girl-face of that wife, and we
could only say "How perfectly wonderful for theboy when he grows up! He will know that his
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father was in France at the time of his birthasoldier in the world's greatest war."
When we established the first wet canteen in the

Nazaire area for our own men, we were thinking of the real comfort of it to the men. We deliberately planned to make our chocolate so goodthat they would really come for it and our lemonade real lemonade, and crullers that would "taste
But we could not even dream
just like home."St.

it would mean in cheer,
comradeshipand good will. It was pathetic to see long linesof all thatofmen patiently waiting for a cup of chocolate
to find many coming from distantand a cookie

camps not alone for the refreshments, but for thegood cheer they found with us. It was a picturethat would have touched the hearts of the homefolk
these men sitting around on the window-seatsor at the tables, hundreds of them quietly talkAnd the Y woman
ing and sipping their drink.
would leave her post behind the canteen for a little
and wander from table to table for a word, or
she would drink a cup of chocolate with a little
group while they talked of farming, opening a
store

or returning to college after the war.

It

was so little and yet it was so much in that every-

day life of war war so terrible so long.
Over the canteen in France meant not simply theeat and drink of it when rightly interpreted.
Itmeant that we must not rely alone on the "Movies"
and entertainments sent from Headquarters to thesoldiers
but we must supply games, entertainments of our own and even parties. One party
10

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our first was only time in France we believe, inwhich we showed the "yellow streak." It was tobe a beautiful party in spite of the fact that but
two women would be present. Two days had beenspent in decorating the hut and stringing extra
Our hut secretary suggested that we put
lights.
aside our uniform for an evening gown and leadthe grand march, to which we most enthusiastically
But we were hardly prepared for theassented.
met
our eyes as we entered the outer
that
sight
hut. There were men crowded in every space evento the rafters
more men than we had ever seen in
It was no use.
one
room.
We just could not
any
a
the
neededtoleadmarch, and so wegetcouragesatdown and looked on that night. How
quietly
we used to wish for our home girls in those days!
Oh, if we could have had some of the fine ones

we knew at home to help in those little social
As we think of this first party, we recall
the last more than a year later in the embarkation
camp at Brest. Not seven thousand men this time,affairs!

but probably three hundred, and nine women todance with them. We held the watch and there
would be a pause in the music at intervals of threeminutes.
That meant "change partners."
The
best part of that evening was the fun of securing
a partner without a real rush upon her. Then, too,hearts were lighter by far than at that first party,
for the war had ended, and the soldiers were simply
waiting for the transports that would take themhome.

With the co-operation of our splendid hut secre144

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

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Mr. J. C. Wright, we had fitted out the firstreading and reception room for the soldiers in our
Other rooms had been open to them, but
area.
this was open for them and others.
It was therethat our men loved best to go in the twilight andtary,evening hour.

How quickly they learned to feelthat it was worth while to look spick and span forsuch a cozy spot.

It

was because of this lovely

room with its magazines, books, comfortable seats,
beautiful plants, flowers, and cheerful fire thatmany men could endure the months in which"passes" to leave camp could not be secured. "Weshould worry when we have a place like this,"
was a remark often heard in those days as they

But thisquietly discussed this special grievance.
room became best known for its Chat Hour thatcame to fill it to overflow on Sundays at the twiSomehow it came to us that this waslight hour.
a lonely time for men. Sunday, just after supper

away from home and no special place to go. So
we discussed it with some of the men and beganwith just informal talks on current topics

apartfrom the war or army. The interest grew. Men
were there from Howard, Union, Hampton, Tuskegee, Morehouse, Atlanta, Clark, and other schools,
so we had talks about their institutions and theirfounders. We had talks on race leaders, on work
after the war
music, art, religion and every conceivable subject. We instituted a question box thatwas generally opened in fear and trembling, for
one could never be quite sure of the questions. It
might be, "When will you make us some fudge?"
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or it might be, "Which is the greatest science?" Aquestion like the first we would answer, while one

would be respectfully deferred
A cup of tea
or chocolate with a wafer would give the social
It was so much better thanside to the hour.
most lyceums and forums we have known here
at home, because somehow it was, as mostthings were over there, so much more full of
human warmth. This little Chat Hour started ina simple way at Hut Five, St. Nazaire, remains
one of its most precious memories, and was

likethe second

to the hut secretary or chaplain.

adopted in many other places. When the soldiers,
who were for so many months a part of that hut,were sent to Camp Lusitania, they carried theChat Hour with them, and it was there one of thefinest features of that great camp as it continued to
be at Hut Five even after many changes had been

made.
Over the canteen in France meant much letter
writing and the wrapping and sending home little
presents that had been approved by the company
commanders. At Christmas tide, this involved
many hours of work, as it did always at embarkation time.
Frequently the Y woman must go
shopping for her boys to buy not only the presents sent home, but also the little necessities that thecanteen and commissary of the camp did not have.

How can the picture of Christmas in camp everfade away? The Y. M. C. A. was a most generous
Santa Claus in its wonderful trees, decorations and
The hut was full of good cheer, but it
presents.
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was also full of memories, and men talked of other
Christmastides back home. More than one fellow
found it made him just too homesick to look upon
the lighted Christmas tree, and yet he wanted it
wanted that link with his own fireside. He
there
was glad of the lights, of the music and the romping
Santa who distributed the presents.

Then came the French school children several
hundreds of them, with their teachers, brought out
in army trucks to be the guests of the camp.
Howtheir eyes filled with joyful wonder at the big glit-

American tree!
How they laughed andclapped as the men played, danced, and sang forthem! Then they listened in wrapt silence as a
Red Cross lady told them in French about theAmerican Christmas and its wonderful Santa
teringClaus.

Withthenativegrace peculiar to the

French child they received the presents handed
them by the soldiers, but not trying to conceal theirperfect ecstasy over them or their bon-bons. How
lovely is that fine child courtesy of the Old World!

Somehow one found time

for a

great

many

and so between the Christmas tree
and canteen, we had prepared a real Christmas
dinner for the Y men and the soldiers who helpedwith the canteen. But the dinner was too much for
one of the soldiers, and he carefully put it all aside
till later.
The memory of the past Christmas was
too vivid, when he had just arrived in France, andhad only the cold ground for a bed and cold beansand hard tack to eat. Before the beginning of
the evening's activities, the hut was quiet for anthings in camp,

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hour, and we sat in the firelight's glow for a
moment of personal thought, on that wonderful

So far were we from homefarkeener in human understandand friends, yet
In so manying and sympathy than ever before.
Christmas

day!

thousand American homes there could be no Christ-mas joy that day, only the memory of the deadlying somewhere on the cold bleak Western Front.
What could the Christ Child signify at such a time?

Perhaps there in the camp one could comprehend
better than in America that through mighty travail

was being born to the world a New Day in which
men would be conscious of their worth, assuredof their liberty, and learn that right after all
is might.

Over the canteen in France included not only a
cozy reading room and the selection of books forthe men to read, but it meant also, reading to themor with them in leisure moments. One must help,
too, in educational work.

Our first visit to Camp

Lueitania was spent teaching a class in English.
Then came thewoman to that camp, who gave aYgreater impetus to study there than had hitherto
been known. She would spend hours guiding withher own small, fair hand, those of the men who
for the first time were eager with desire to write
It was thus, then, these women
their own names.
worked in the St. Nazaire area at Camp Lusitania
with its emphasis on educational activities; atCamp Montoir, where the excellence of the canteen became far-famed, and at Camp One with its
joyous, homelike atmosphere.
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After four months, a change came over the campMr. Wright returned to AmericaThe
to take part in the great drive for funds.
seven thousand stevedores and labor battalions
that we had served with so much joy for fourmonths, were divided between Camps Lusitania
and Montoir. We saw with proud but sad heart
life of the area.

the 807th march toward the Front.

From the con-stant noise of many feet and voices, we found ourhut reduced to an unbearable stillness and isolation.

The camp was now to become exclusively an embarkation and debarkation center. For two days
we were in danger of a good hard spell of homesickness and then came the news that there weretransports

in

the

harborcolored soldiers werecoming heaps of them!
We were never quite so glad to see any soldiers
as we were the 809th Pioneer Infantry, and the
33 Lieutenants of the Artillery who arrived that
Monday morning in October. We met them firstas they rested on the beautiful ocean boulevardof St. Nazaire.

Life flowed into us once again as

we flitted among them welcoming them to our campand hot chocolate.
Even then, many of themlooked very worn and ill, but we hardly dreamed

We wereon our way that morning to the weekly Y Conference with its inspirational and helpful program
that, no doubt, was a large factor in the successof the area. But the conference seemed very long,so anxious were we to get to camp. We requested
at headquarters special transportation to speed ourof the tragedy of that October transport.

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errands and hurry us to work.
Soon we are in
it is crowded
men are everywhere andwe look over the crowd and wonder what has happened. These are not the swarthy lads we werewelcoming on the ocean front only here andthere do we see one. We are still wondering whena voice close at hand says, "Lady, got any paperand envelopes?" "Certainly," we say, and thenwe begin to meet the first need of the soldiers.
Meantime, we are saying, "No, no stamps necesturn your letter over to your company comsary
mander to be censored." "Oh, yes three-centstamp if your folks are in Italy." Later we learn
that many of our own boys have been sent toanother camp, and that most of those in our camp
are in a distant part. We learn something else
influenza is raging
hundreds of men have diedon the voyage the hospitals are crowded, so are
Sick men could hardly be left inthe barracks.
"pup" tents in the deep mud and constant rain ofthat season. That night another change comes over
our hut. On all the benches, in all the corners andin what had been our cheerful reading room are
We aresick men, many of them ill unto death.
not only preparing hot chocolate now, but all day
long we are preparing lemons, so that at night wemay pass among these men with hot lemonade. It
is a sad time
graves can hardly be dug rapidly
enough nurses are scarce every one is doing thebest he knows.
True, these are not colored boys
we are serving, but what matters that they are
soldiers all, and every lad of them a mother's son.

our hut

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We go to the hospital and move among them.

E.

F.

They

can only see the smile in our eyes, for we wear thewhite masque across our faces. To the convales-

we give cigarettes, literature, gum, and now
and then candy. For the very ill we leave oranges
or lemons. For some there is little need to leavecent

anything but a prayer.
The following is an extract from a letter received
from a soldier with reference to that period, "It
was in St. Nazaire at Base 101, that I was desperately sick with 'Flu' in October, 1918. Mr. Davis,

whom I had known at Evansville, came throughmy ward.

Next day you and Miss Johnson camewith oranges and that most prized thing in all theworld at that time lemons. Oh, how good you
did look to me!
Then, too, how kind you folk

were when I rejoined my outfit at Camp One. My
recalls that Sunday evening 'Quiet Hour'
you held, while we were there. How you spoke
to the boys and urged them to keep themselvesclean for the sake of the good women back home.
Then when you asked us to talk what man could
have kept still." The plague passed, and many a
man was laid to rest having done his bit to themindutmost, though it simply meant breaking home ties
and reaching the port of France. After the plague

had spent itself, we marched one day with a longline to the American Cemetery, a mile distant from

There, while the day was dying, a Red
Cross Chaplain told impressively the challenge
flung to us by those white crosses upon which we

the town.

looked, and that hadcome so suddenly into our151

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE
little

of

part

that

death-riddenA.

country.

E.

F.

The

French people brought flowers, the Red Cross andY secretaries sang, the band played "America,"

trumpeter sounded "Taps," the guns rangout for the dead and then we left them alone inthetheir glory.

The sixteen Y women who came to France inthe spring of 1919 worked much as the first three

women had, except that they were able to go out by
twos.
The first three women had always been indifferent camps, each a lone woman in her hut.
There might be a dozen Y women in her camp
but she worked absolutely alone, often her hours
stretchingfrom 9 in the morning to 9 at night
it was a work of love.
When thebut always

sixteen women arrived, they brought in themselves companionship, not only for the soldiers but

for the women already over there.

Five of themwent to the Leave Area. Dr. N. Fairfax Brown,
Mrs. Childs and Mrs. Williamson joined Mrs. Curtis at Chambery and Misses Evans and Thomas withMiss Johnson, who had been at St. Nazaire, joined
Mrs. Hunton at Challes-les-Eaux. Mrs. Williams
and Mrs. Craigwell succeeded Miss Johnson at St.
Nazaire, while Misses Bruce and Carbon went toMarseilles.
First Misses Rochon, Edwards andfound
Phelpsplace with that splendid secretary,
Mr. Sadler, in the Chaumont Area. Misses Saurez
and Turner went to Le Mans. The soldiers

had seen

every variety of entertainer sent to
They had heard some of the very bestof American and foreign pianists, but none had
France.

152

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

A.

E.

F.

received the ovation from the colored soldiers thatwas given Miss Helen Hagan, the only coloredartist sent to France.
Everywhere she was received
by tremendous crowds of men with rapturous applause, and her wonderful talent was never put
to better use nor more deeply appreciated.
The
last woman to arrive for overseas work was Mrs.

Mary V. Talbert, President of the National Association of Colored Women.
felt deeply honored hiWehaving her a member of our overseas group. With
Misses Rbchon and Edwards, Mrs. Talbert joined
Mrs. Curtis, who had succeeded Mrs. Hunton at
Romagne. There she won the hearts of the soldierscompletely. They gave her a purse of $1,000 for
the Frederick Douglass Home at Anacostia, which
through Mrs. Talbert's untiring efforts, has been
made a national memorial for colored Americans.

Many changes were made by the Y women inthat last lap of the work.

This was caused by the

rapid closing of the various areas and the depart-ure of the men for the ports. With the close of
Area Mrs. Curtis went to Romagne.
Miss Thomas and Mrs. Williamson were sent to Belleau Woods, near Chateau Thierry.
It was not
like
the
Leave
but
in
Area,
tents, they
lovelylivingserved the lonely fellows who were making the
Their Y hut was only a large
cemetery there.
it
but
was
beautifulinside the day we saw it
tent,with plants and wild flowers in profusion andwith one corner equipped as a library. On one
side was the canteen with its ice-cold lemonade
and macaroons. How proud the men were of it
the Leave

153

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE
all

A.

E.

F.

and how they worshipped those women! For
it was the biggest work they had ever

the womendone.

To Joinville went Dr. Brown and Mrs. Childs,

many weeks the 806th Pioneer
otherswho were building the PershingandInfantry
Stadium. For their splendid work there, the men
to serve for many,sang their praises without stint.
General Pershing in commending the splendid
service rendered by the Y. M. C. A. in the Leave
Area, especially commends the work of the women.

While always there was competent French help andsplendid men secretaries came to help in the Leave
Area, for four months almost, Mrs. Curtis andMrs. Hunton felt not only the responsibility of providing the meals served in the two areas, but the
beautifying and housekeeping of the buildings andconstant entertainment of the men. Over the canteen in the Leave Area was something more thanitthe jolly vacation that we worked to make it
was a time for bracing the morale of the men andsending them back to camp with hope and cheer,
vision and strength.
Misses Rochon and Edwards in the Chaumont
Area and Miss Evans in the Le Mans Area did what
was known as rolling canteen service for the men.

We have heard the men tell of the first time these"angels" appeared in their isolated camps. It wasthat American
believe their eyesdifficult toout in those
had
them
women of their own
soughtfar-off lonely places, and were actually bringing
154

A.

Men

Home.

Room.

B. A Group of Canteen Workers en route
D. "Our Boys." E. More of"Our Boys" at Brest.

in

Class

C.

Serving at the Wet Canteen.

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE A.

E.

F.

them good, hot chocolate and other heavenly blessings, but best of all the sunshine of their smiles.
No woman who went to France won stronger

approbation for her work than did Miss Saurez.

When a prize had been offered at Le Mans for themost homelike and best kept hut, it was this little
coloredY lady who wonit.

Over the canteen at Brest meant hut activity
from early morning till midnight. It was a partof what came to be known as the "Battle of Brest,"
which Miss Watson, the Regional Secretary, declared "Ofttimes more terrible than that of 'No
Man's Land' because less open." Every minutealmost meant keeping men free from the despairof long waiting and hope deferred.
Eight regiments of Pioneer Infantries, three labor battalions,many groups of casuals and several depot companies were among those whom we bade bon
voyage during our days at Ponlanezen. Here, as
at St. Nazaire, the huts were crowded and the canteen lines unending. Men made "seconds," as anadditional helping was called, but rarely unlessthey were fortunate enough to slip into other men's
places. Those were busy but happy days at Brest!
The men were not strange, for we had met them inthe Leave Area or along the devastated highways.
We closed our work there so happy that nothing
could take away the joy of it.

Over the canteen in France we learned to know
our own men as we had not known them before,
and this knowledge makes large our faith in them.
Because they talked first and talked last of their155

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

A.

E.

F.

women back home, usually with a glory upon theirfaces, we learned to know that colored men loved
their own women as they could love no other
women in all the world. Their attitude of deep
respect, often bordering on worship, toward thecolored women who went to France to serve them

The least man
assumed
to
the
right
protect his women,
camp
and never, by word or deed, did they put to shame
But they were
the high calling of these women.
fortheir women
human
and
their
longing
intenselyindifferent
showed itself
a hundredways. One
night a Red Cross parade on Fifth Avenue, NewYork City, was being passed on the screen. Whena group of colored women were shown marching,
the men went wild.
They did not want that particular scene to pass and many approached andonly deepened this impression.
infondled the screen with the remark, "Just look atthem." Mrs. Curtis, in whose hut this occurred,
One mantells how it brought tears to her eyes.
came to us saying, "Lady, do you want to get richover in France?" We gave an affirmative reply
and questioned how. He said, "Just get a tent andgo in there and charge five cents a peep. These
fellows would just be glad for even a peep at you."
Another man stood near the canteen one day, but
not in line.

He stood so quietly and so long that
He simply

we finally asked could we serve him.

gave a negative shake of the head. After several
minutes we said, "Surely you desire something,"
only to be met by another shake of the head. The
third time we inquired he said quietly, "Lady, I
156

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE
just

for

want to look at you,
it

I'll

pay you

it

if

A.

E.

F.

you charge anything
me back home."takes

Hundreds of incidents gave evidence of the love of
these men for their women. Sometimes they shedtears at their first sight of a coloredwoman inFrance.
We learned somewhat of their matchless powerof endurance and of their grim determination to be
steady and strong to the end in spite of all odds.

We came to know, too, that what was often taken
for ignorance, was a deep and far-thinking silence.

They were sympathetic and generous, often willingThe
to risk the supreme sacrifice for a "buddie."chocolate might be too thin or too thick, but there

was little complaint. On a cold day or after ahard hike it was just "hot-stuff" gratefully received.

We learned to know that there was being developed in France a racial consciousness and racial
strength that could not have been gained in a halfOver thecentury of normal living in America.
canteen in France we learned to know that our
young manhood was the natural and rightful guardian of our struggling race. Learning all this andmore, we also learned to love our men better thanever before.

157

PEACE
Peace on a thousand hills and dales
Peace in the hearts of men

While kindliness reclaims the soil

Where bitterness has been.
The night of strife is drifting past,
The storm of shell has ceased,
Disrupted is the cordon fell,
Sweet charity released.

Forth from the shadow, swift we comeWrought in the flame together,
All men as one beneath the sun
In brotherhood forever.
GEORGIA DOUGLAS JOHNSON.

158

The Leave Area
was a master mind that first conceived the idea

ITof sending tired soldiers away from the shattered havoc of

camp

war and the incessant routine ofand recreation. The mostlife, to find rest

beautiful and historic places in France, left untouched by battle's fire, were selected and opened
as Leave Areas.

Had the Young Men's Christian

Association done no other bit for the American

Expeditionary Forces except equip and maintain
Leave Areas, it still would have donea colossal piece of work, fully justifying its
It was a work for which
operations in France.
thousands and thousands of soldiers are deeply
Whatever criticism or prejudice relagrateful.
theseto the Young Men's Christian Association
was in the minds of the soldiers as they entered the
Leave Area, they went away its most enthusiastic
There, more than anywhere else insupporters.
France, perhaps, they had opportunity to see below
the sordid and selfish spirits of individuals who

tive

it, to the heart ofrealize there
could
They

might unfortunately represent
the Association itself.

that the fundamental principles of the organizationwereright,

throughits

nomatterhow poorlyinterpreted

workers.

The first of these Leave Areas to be opened was
Aix-les-Bains in the region of the Savoie.
Savoie itself is one of the most pleasantly pastoral
at

11

159

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

A.

E.

F.

The country with its rugged
spots in Europe.
mountains often snow-clad; its quiet little riverits Old World customs, original and unique, suggested peace and rest. It was

villages everywhere;

so nearmany of the interesting things that men

had read aboutin

history andgeography, but

so fullnever, for the most part, expected to seeof historic associations and traditions that one

could forget for the time the dead cities, villages,
and men strewn over other parts of France. Savoie
is wonderfully exhilarating with its mountain air,beautiful lakes and medicinal waters of worldwide fame. Everywhere the eyes roamed, theyrested upon mountains.
There were the Swiss

Alps just forty miles to the East, the Italian Alps
the same distance toward the South, and the French
Alps close at hand in every direction. Even before
men left the trains or "side-door Pullmans," asthey nicknamed the freight cars in which they sooften rode, they were filled with the wonder andcharm of the country into which they had come.
For the first time they were finding the real France,
and it was life-giving after dwelling for so many
months in those parts that were filled with evidencesof the enemy's unspeakable crimes.
It was in this region that the first Leave Area
was opened for American soldiers in February of1918. From that time until June, 1919, from fiveto six thousand soldiers came each week for an
ideal vacation. So successful was this Leave Area
region that others were opened at Nice, and manyother beautiful places of Southern France.
160

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

A.

E.

F.

was at Christmas time of 1918 that the Paris
Headquarters of the Y telegraphed Mr. Wallace,It

the Regional Secretary of the St. Nazaire Area,
asking for the loan of Mrs. Curtis and Mrs. Hunton

for six weeks.
They were needed to open two
Leave Areas for colored soldiers.
One of thedemands of war on welfare workers as well assoldiers, was that they be ready to "pack up roll"and move on short notice. So that after sevenmonths of service at the port, they were to be
moved. Mrs. Hunton desired to go, because formany weeks she had been serving white soldiers

almost exclusively. They treated her with great
respect and helped her to prepare and serve as
As they marched away
colored boys had done.
from camp, they sang for her, cheered for her
chocolate and crullers and left little tokens ofaffection, and while she had served them with awarm and willing heart, always she would be thinking, there are only three colored women in France
for all the colored soldiers, and one of them serv-

She communicated her feeling white soldiers.
the
to
ings
understanding spirit who at that timeheaded the Women's Department of the Y workin France, and was told to stick to her post and achange would be made as soon as possible. But

when the time really came, it was not so easy to
It meant leaving the thousands of men whomgo.
she had served those first months, and with whom

had kept in constant touch although they
were in the other camps of the area.
There
she

161

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

A.

E.

F.

was the lovely French family Monsieur et madame, les deux tantes, la chat blanc et le bon
jardin with whom she had lived for sevenmonths. She had been worshipped into feelinga part of all their charming life. But both
Y women reported to Paris .and were orderedto Aix-les-Bains for assignment. There Mrs. Curtis
was sent to Chambery and Mrs. Hunton to Challesles-Eaux.
These places had been in operation
since the preceding summer.
Colored troops had
visitedbutnow
there,
already
they were to be sentin larger numbers and those two resorts were to
be used exclusively for them. In the meantime,
Messrs. Stevenson and Sadler were also asked toreport. Mr. Stevenson was assigned to the Challesles-Eaux Casino, but Mr. Sadler was unable to getrelease from the Chaumont region where he had solong directed a large and important work. When
we first reached the Leave Area, and for several
weeks thereafter, it was still occupied by white
In January of 1918, with Mr. William
troops.
Stevenson as Director and Mrs. Hunton, Directress,
at Challes-les-Eaux, and Mrs. Curtis, Directress at

Chambery, a new epoch for the colored soldierson leave began. There, as in other places, thecolored women served alone, endeavoring to do thework that had occupied a large staff of white

women

secretaries.

From time

to

time

men

arrived to help with the work until there was a staff

of five men at each place.

But in the Leave Area,

more than any other place, much of the work was162

1. The Village of Myans with Mt. Granier.
at Challes-les-Eaux.
3. Mr. Stevenson andChalles-les-Eaux.

2. Dinner on the Grounds
Mrs. Hunton with Staff, at
4. The Chateau of the Dukes of Savoie at Chambery.

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE A.

E.

F.

which women are peculiarly fitted. The
Chateau or Casino must be kept clean and sweet,that forwith cheerful decorations; appetizing menus arranged; American dishes made familiar to French
help

and

promptservicegiven;

teas,

partiesand hikes planned and still they must have lotsof time left in which the men could talk to them.
But for nearly four months these two women
worked alone, each in her building, until finallyother women arrived and shared the service. Eachweek from January until late May, a thousand
to twelve hundred colored troops reached the
Savoie Leave Area, ano$ were divided between
Chambery and Challes-les-Eaux. The men lived
in the many surrounding hotels, but found thelargest part of their life and entertainment with
the Young Men's Christian Association.

A brief description of Savoie, with its leave
no doubt be interesting, because inmost instances, it was the one bright spot in thesoldier's whole "overseas" life, and because socenters, willmuch of his pleasure there was derived from thenatural beauty of the country.
Savoie, like Alsace-Lorraine, has been apawn

in the hands of contending peoples many times in

From French to Italian and from
history.
Italian to French again
back and forth it has

itspassed as the fortunes of war have dictated. With
the division of the great empire of Charlemagne,
Savoie fell into Italian hands.
163

It

went to General

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

A.

E.

F.

Berold of Saxe in 1008 and at that time was laid
the foundation for the royalty that has come down

through the centuries as the House of Savoie, andof which the present King of Italy is a member.
Since the Treaty of Turin in 1860, Savoie has beena part of France.

This frequent change of govern-

ment has produced a peculiar blending of French
and Italian in architecture and life, and adds
greatly to the charm of the region.
Aix-les-Bains, not only the most important townof the area, but one of the most famous health resorts of the world, is a striking

blending.

example of thisFrench chateaux on the mountain sides

and Italian villas by the lake, give it a charming
In the city itself one is carried back manysetting.
centuries by its Arch of Campanus, old Roman
Baths, Temple of Diana, Museum and the Grottoes.
This Arch of Campanus is believed to date toOlder still are the Roman
Baths that are supposed to have been built one
hundred and twenty-four years before Christ.
This was always one of the most interesting places
to the soldiers on leave.
There one sees remainsof the not very ancient methods of these ancient
Romans for bathing, and even the remains of athe third century A. D.

Nothing is more interesting
Temple of Diana, built
time
same
as the Roman Baths
about
the
probablyand in which is housed the museum. The founda-

large swimming pool.
in Aix-les-Bains thanitstion walls of this temple are more than twelve
feet thick, and the stones are of enormous size.
164

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

A.

E.

F.

In one corner of this old Greek temple is inserted
a Gothic window of interest because of its delicate

beauty and purity of style, but not a part of theoriginal architecture. The Grottoes, with the threesprings that have defied union, are always a sourceof wonder. There are to be found hot alum, hotsulphur and cold water springs turning out overtwo million gallons of water each day.
With
candlesone
follows
thelightedmany windings anddescents of the flowing waters. It is very hot butvery interesting.

One sees the place where someengineers, two of whom were killed, made an ineffectual effort to unite the waters of these springs.

From things ancient, we come to look at thosemore modern.

There are the thermal establishments that have made Aix-les-Bains world famous
as a health resort.
We are told that this city,with a native population of less than ten thousand,always had within its boundary prior to the war,
about thirty thousand visitors. The sedan chairs
in which the visitors rode about the city are as

numerous as those that are moved up and down
Many Americans
andthesoldiers were
frequent Aix-les-Bains,
shown
the
chair
and
alwaysbathing apartments
reserved for Mr. J. Pierpont Morgan.

the board-walk at Atlantic City.

At Aix-les-Bains the Young Men's Christian Ashad its activities in the Casino one of
the most luxurious and spacious places of amusement on the Continent. With a beautiful garden on
one side and an imposing entrance on the other,sociation

165

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE
this

A.

E.

F.

Grand Cercle, as it is called, was the Monte

Carlo of France until the war came. It has a finetheatre, seating a thousand people; a sumptuousball-room, grand salon and many other rooms,
beautiful with their mosaics, rich carvings andAll of these were put tostained glass windows.

use for the entertainment of the soldiers.

Chambery is hardly less interesting than Aixles-Bains.
Surrounded by mountains, with thecross on Nivolet dominating all the rest, withits

quaint stores, streets and houses, it is indeed picOne follows the rue de Boigne with itsturesque.
old arcades and beautiful stores from the Fontaine
des Elephants up to the Chateau des Dues deSavoie. It is an imposing structure with its monu-

ment to Joseph and Xavier de Maistre on the stairway. The finest part of this chateau is its chapel
with

its

remarkable Gothic architecture, ancient

windows and fine paintings. Just across from thischateau was the Y, a charming building, beautifully furnished and always lively with music andgood cheer. One delighted in looking on the soldiers sitting by the open fire in its large, but homelike salon. Chambery has interesting churches andparks.
Perhaps the most interesting thing connected with this town is the fact that for so long it
was the home of Jean Jacques Rousseau. In what
Americans would call the suburbs of Chambery,

we find the home of this much persecuted poetphilosopher. It is called "The Charmettes" and is
carefully preserved with

its

166

original furnishings.

:L__U
1.

Secretarial

3.

2. TheChalles-les-Eaux.
Lady of MyansThe Elephants at Chambery. 4. The Cross on

5.

Statue Jean Jacques Rousseau at Chambery.

at

Group

"Black Madonna."
Mt. Nevolet.

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

A.

E.

F.

At the entrance is a French inscription which may
be translated as follows:"Hovel by Jean- Jacques inhabited.
You remind me of his genius.
His solitude, his proudness
And his misfortunes and his folly.
To Glory and Truth

He dared to consecrate his life,
And was always persecuted
Either by himself or by envy."

A word about the Fountain of Elephants because
it was the center of the town.
This large white monument with four life-sizebronze elephants surrounding it, is most imposing,the more so because there is continually pouringfrom the mouths of these elephants, streams ofwater.
This unique monument is in honor of anoted benefactor of the town
Count de Boignefor the Americans

who spent many years in the Far East.

There bythe fountain the little steam tram usually put off
or took on its largest number of passengers. There

American bands played and the French folk
One would usually say,gathered about them.
"Meet me at the Elephants."
It was at the Elephants that we took the tiny
tram for Challes-les-Eaux, about three miles
away. The Thermal Establishment was inaugurated at Challes-les-Eaux in 1876, and from thattime it was a popular resort for not only were thewaters wonderful for baths, but were valuable fordrink, pulverization, inhalation and gargling. One
the

167

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

A.

E.

F.

who ever became brave enough to taste them could
In addition toverily believe in all their virtues.
its many beautiful hotels, generally clinging tohillsides,

itrooms.

had

its

Casino, too, with restaurant,

tables, reading and gaming
It was here that General Joffre rested afterball-room,

billiard

It was this Casino and the five Thermal
Establishments in the midst of spacious grounds,
that were taken over for the Y and to which now
so many happy memories cling. Here as at Aixles-Bains, the Thermal Establishments were used

the Marne.

by the soldiers through the morning till noon, freeof all charge to them. What a luxury they were to
the tired soldier who for a long time had known
only the bathing facilities of a camp. Challes-lesEaux was admirably located for excursions of historical and scenic interest, affording real whole-some rest and recreation.

As has been already emphasized elsewhere, thework of the Y folk in the Leave Area was to seethat the eight days afforded the soldiers there,
should be days full of beautiful recreation with aslittle of the atmosphere of camp-life as possible.
There was no "reveille" and no "taps." No one
blew whistles to attract attention. Men ate outof porcelain dishes and slept on real beds with soft
pillows. Often men declared that they had becomeso accustomed to the army bunks that they wereforced at first, each night, to rest a little while on

the floor.

An extract from a report of Mr. William Stevenson to the Commanding Colonel of the Area will
168

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE
give

A,

E.

F.

some idea as to the nature and scope of theY activities in the Leave Area:"On the 17th of January, 1919, Mrs. W. A. Huntonand myself took charge of the Casino here and began
the work which, formerly for white soldiers, had been
carried on by four women and two men secretaries.
When we started, we were given the assistance of one
white (man) secretary. With his help, we carried on thework until the 30th of February when we received another colored secretary

at thattime the white secretary

who had been assisting us, was relieved. We then had
March 5th we rethree secretaries, including myself.
ceived another man and March 25th two more came.
April 6th another women came and April 26th, two more
women. However, Mrs. Hunton who had started thework with me left the first of May for Verdun and Mr.
Bullock who had arrived February 30th, left April 16th
to go to America.
At the close of our work, May 24th,
we had seven secretaries four men and three women.""Our building was opened each morning at 8:45. A
twenty-minute religious service began at 9 A.M. and thiswas known as 'Start the Day Right Service.' Breakfast
then began and was served till about noon. This mealconsisted of one of the following meats: sausage, ham,or chops, eggs, pancakes with molasses and butter, hot
biscuits, crullers and chocolate or coffee. All of this was
sold at cost.
Refreshments ice cream, pies, pudding,cakes and crullers with chocolate or lemonade were onsale afternoons from four until about 5:30.

Free refreshments were served three times a week at night and always to entertainers and educators, whether from thearmy or the Young Men's Christian Association. A reception with free refreshments was always tendered outgoing troops. At many of these we served more than ahundred men. During each of these receptions a strong
moral or patriotic talk was made by some of the secre169

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE
taries,

eyes.

A.

E.

F.

and I have seen men go away with tears in their

A special lunch, at the cost of one franc was put

up for outgoing men, but men without money were often
furnished a lunch just the same as others. Every Sunday
afternoon at four o'clock we served free tea and cakeassisted by the French ladies of the village, who kindly
volunteered their services.
This afternoon tea, during
which there was violin and piano music, was always

crowded by the men."
Athletics.

Every morning from ten until twelve, ath-indoors or outdoors (according to theweather) were conducted and very liberally patronized.
Baseball, Y ball, volley ball and tennis were very
popular; the three billiard tables were always kept busy.
Saturday was given to athletics; that is, the full day.
However, men desiring to go to the Black Madonna, Mt.
St. Michael or the Cascades were always accommodated.
letic

exercises,

Excursions, Hikes, etc. The following trips were taken
Sunday, hike to the Black Madonna; about an hour andforty minutes round trip. Monday, trip to Cat Mountainand Hannibal's Pass, by tram and on foot; about three:hours' hike.
All day trip.
Tuesday, trip to Aix-lesBains and Mt. Revard; all-day trip, tram and railroad.
Wednesday, Black Madonna. Thursday, hike to the Cascades of Doria, about same distance as Black Madonna.

Friday, trip to Lake Bourget and Hautecombe Abbey; allday trip by tram and boat. These excursions, hikes, etc.,
proved to ?>e of great value in an educational way. The
men were not only anxious to get the Aix-les-Bains Souvenir, which explained the various places and things but
a great many took notes.

Amusements, etc.

A band concert was given two to

three times each week in the afternoon in the garden,
and on the nights of the same days a band concert andvaudeville.

Y, at

the

Entertainments vaudeville, etc., sent by the
beginning twice a week; later, during May,
170

IN THE LEAVE AREA
1.

By an old

Billiards.

4.

2. En route to Hautecombe Abbey.
3. Playing
Chapel.
On the train for Hannibal's Pass. 5. On the Grounds at
Challes-les-Eaux.

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

A.

E.

F.

by the Army and the Y, two to five times each week.
Movies, four to six times each week.
Service every Sunday morning at
Religious, etc.
eleven o'clock which a secretary, sent from Aix-les-Bains,conducted.
Also a service every Sunday evening ateight o'clock, which was conducted by the Chaplain.

Educational, etc. A speaker was sent from Aix-lesBains once a week, who delivered a talk, illustrated orotherwise on something of educational value. Also talks
on patriotism, thrift, clean-living, etc., were given by oneof our secretaries to all outgoing troops, and each night
notice of the activities of the week were given, during
which hints on clean living, conduct, etc., were given.

Reception to Civilians. On March 12th a reception
was given the civilians of Challes-les-Eaux. This washeld in the open and the Mayor, by pre-arrangement,
made an address to the soldiers and civilians, responses
to which were made by Mrs. Hunton and your humble
On this day a
servant, all of which were interpreted.
band concert was rendered by the 803rd Pioneer Infantry
Band, and the school children, who were brought in abody by their teachers, were served refreshments.
Photographs. Probably five thousand francs' worth ofphotographs of the soldiers in various places and poses,
were taken by special arrangement with as many as threephotographers. All photographs were sold at cost andthe demand always exceeded the supply.
Transportation.

In order to prevent themen fromarising at an unnecessarily early hour and for the purposeof always getting them back in time for the evening meal

we chartered special trams, the cost of which amounted
tobetween three and four thousand francs.

This ar-rangement, which was put into effect in March, enabled
us to move when we desired.
171

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

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F.

Food, etc. Besides the secretaries, we had about
thirteen French people, in the kitchen, etc., among them
being a chef, whose special duty was to prepare pastries,
ice cream, etc.
Literature.
We had two racks made in which literature pamphlets, etc., were daily displayed. These wereof a religious, moral, patriotic nature and were very
popular. Outgoing men were furnished with free reading matter magazines, etc.

Information, etc.

We had a lady at the information

desk, and a lady in the coat room sewed on buttons
made minor repairs for the men.

All trams bearing

andnew men were met by one of thesecretaries, who sought out the non-commissioned officers
or men in charge, introduced them to all the secretaries,and extended, through them, a hearty welcome to all theirmen.
Every day when new men came in the hotels werevisited at supper time and announcements of the week's
program made while the men were eating.
Conduct, etc. It was an exceedingly rare thing tohear any of the men use immoral or profane languagein the building. We co-operated with the military policein every way possible, even requesting the Mayor to
rid the village of some immoral women.
The military
police reported that they had very little trouble with
our men, and the Mayor's letter, together with othersfrom the various hotel-keepers, etc.,

isstrong evidenceof the truth of their statement.

Conferences. Our ability to do the work we did wasdue largely to the fact that every day at noon we helda conference with all the secretaries, each of which beganwith scripture reading and prayer.

Just here it might be interesting to read a translation of one of the letters written by the Mayor of172

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

A.

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F.

Challes-les-Eaux, with reference to colored soldiers on leave there. After four wonderful months

Leave Area, where we came to know every
variety of colored soldier in France, we were sent
to the devastated area that had been the front.
Just as we were leaving, a messenger met us
at the tram and handed us a letter that was so
unexpected as to surprise us, but of which we
It is impossible towere tremendously proud.
in thereveal the real spirit of this letter in a translation,

but this letter, similar to one given to Mr. Stevenson, expresses the feeling of the French people
for our men as they lived in their hotels and moved
in their midst.

The following is the letter trans-

lated into English:

The Mayor of Challes-les-Eaux, Savaie, tothe Lady Directress of the Y. M. C. A.

Madame: In the name of the population of Challesles-Eaux I thank you very much for the pleasure at yourmany entertainments. Give thanks to your very goodamateur artists.

You have won the admiration of the population forthe care thatyou have not ceased to give these black

who

are wonderful children, with generous
hearts, a spirit of good comradeship, possessing also a
French trait that of loving and making themselves besoldiers,

loved.

Touched by the welcome which is given them, theirhearts are wounded because they cannot fraternize with
their white comrades as they do with us, and they regret
not to be able to express to us more than a promise toreturn to France, the country of fraternity.
173

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

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We retain the best memories of their sojourn withus,

where no incident has occurred to mar our relations.

We are pleased with their good record.
We ask you to convey the greetings of the peopleof Challes-les-Eaux to their dear families and beg thatthey will accept our fondest regard and our sympathetic
felicitations.
I wish torender to Madame Directress my perfect ap-

preciation.

PERROLIFE, Mayor.

April 27, 1919.

Always the French were kind, courteous andunderstanding and expressed again and again theiradmiration and sympathy for our soldiers.

Two or three of the hikes taken by our men wereso full of historic interest as to be worthy of aNone afforded quite so muchbrief description.

fun as that to Mt. Revard. Breakfast at seven andan eight o'clock start on the little steam tram to
Chambery was the order. At Chambery the train
was taken for Aix-les-Bains. There a half day was
given to seeing the places of interest already described, and for lunch. At 12.30 all assembled at
the Mt. Revard station to ascend on the cog railway.
Any description of the ever-changing and widening view of the ascent fails in its attempt to give areal idea of the beauty, splendor or majesty ofthe scenery as they in turn reveal themselves. Morethan five thousand feet the train climbs, stopping
for a moment at two stations where the natives sell
apples and give away smiles and good cheer.
On the top the whole snow-clad Alpine system isin view. One sees the whole Bernese Oberland sys174

IN THE LEAVE AREA
1.

Serving

Literature.
Library.

2.
5.

On the Veranda. 3. At Play.
At the Cascades after a Hike.

4.

In theTWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

A,

tern and Mt. Blanc, almost fifty miles away,

E.

F.

seems

but a good hike distant on a clear day. But thereal fun comes with the coasting, skiing and othersnow sports for Mt. Revard is snow clad most of
the

year.
places, butTheit

train descends steeply at manyhas been a rare day that men will

recount to their children and grand-children, so"Overseas" songs in joyful
strain fill the echoing caves and crevices and float
out on the lake as the day closes and the train
returns them to Aix-les-Bains.

no one seems afraid.

Lake Bourget, the largest and most beautiful ofFrench lakes, offered another happy day. First,
by train to Bordeau or to Aix-les-Bains, thence byboat out on Lake Bourget.
We ride across its
andsurfacefathomlessshimmering
depth; mountains surround it on all sides and are reflected in
all their glory on the lovely water of this lake. We
are told that although it is in the region of snow
and ice it never freezes, because of an undercurrent
or springs of hot water.
On the mountainnomatterhow
onesees vineyards
sides,
steep,
almostChateaux orvineyards
everywhere.
villas lend added charm to the scene. Among these
one sees one called the Maison du Diable houseof the devil

with a strange tradition attached to

One sees also the Hotel du Bois di Lamartine
so named because it is located in a grove namedit.

for the poet Lamartine.
It was there he found
of
for
his
inspiration
poems, including "Le
many

Lac."

The Chateau

St.

Gillesand the Chateau

Chatillon, in which one of the popes of Rome was
12

175TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE
born are also to be seen.

A.

E.

F.

But the dominating archi-

Lake Bourget is Hautecombe Abbey,with its octagonal towers and many windows toward
which our steamer makes its way.
Hautecombe Abbey was founded in 1125 bysome Benedictine monks who, inspired by Sainttecture of

Bernard of Clairvaux, decided to change to theCistercian Order. The Abbey has, with the rest of
Savoie, seen many vicissitudes as a result of wars,
but for nearly seven hundred years it remainedin the hands of the Cistercians.

When the French

Revolution came, the monks fled and the Abbey
passed into the hands of the nation for a time.
Through all the preceding centuries it had been
the burial place for the House of Savoie. Finally,

1824, it was bought at private expense by
Charles Felix, Duke of Savoie, who was also Kingof Sardinia. He at once proceeded to have restored
this burial place of his ancestors and to put inincharge again some monks of the Cistercian Order.
Again, in 1860, the Abbey went into the hands ofFrance, but by special treaty in 1862, it was madethe private property of Victor Emmanuel II andis now the property of the present King of Italy.
The most historic part of the Abbey is the beautiful Gothic church.
Many chapels with massive
tombs of Italian royalty are to be found. Someof them are of the finest Carrara marble as is also

The dome isgreat interest andvalue.
There is a wonderful hand carved organand paintings by famous artists over the chancel.

the beautiful Pieta,

decoratedby Cacciatori.

with paintings

176

of

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

A.

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F.

In every little niche may be seen little statues of
weeping women, some five hundred of them andall different.
Much history, tradition and mystery link themselves to all that one sees in the
church.

Next is shown a Royal Suite that was fitted up
1825 for Charles Felix and Marie Christine.
Everything is well preserved. Visitors, and espein

cially women, are not admitted to the part of theMonastery occupied by the monks. Each time wemade this trip, we were somehow moved by thesight of hundreds of khaki-clad soldiers making
their way quietly through this old Abbey.

Every

has

schoolboy

heard

how

Hannibalcrossed the Alps, so that a day's outing to Hannibal's Pass, althoughitalways a popular one.

involved much hiking, was

The men would go by tram

again to the little fishing village of Bordeau on Lake
Bourget, then ascend the Cat Mountain to a passthat opens into the valley of the Rhone.

Standing
wonderful Alps a Y man would
repeat the story of the hero of Carthage who, morethan two centuries before the birth of Christ, had
climbed with his army to this Pass and then descended into Italy. He would tell how he suffered
great loss of men and much hardship but how he
was a determined foe of the Romans and so fought

among

these

them unto death.

Our own favorite hike was that which took us
southward from Challes-les-Eaux, along the mainroad with the mountains on either side and in frontof us
past the ruins of a picturesque chapel,
177

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

A.

E.

F.

destroyed by Napoleon Bonaparte when he, too,crossed the Alps; up the hill to the little village ofMyans resting at the foot of Mount Granier. For
allof the four miles from Challes-les-Eaux tolife one looks upon seems to have

Myans, themoved not one pace forward for many centuries.
Ancient customs in life and houses make up theand yet withal one finds a charming hosto these people so far removed from
nativepitality
pictureBut we hiked those four
miles to visit the Church of Myans with its Black
Madonna that has reposed there for so many centuries, and has become a famous place of pilgrimthe hurry and fret of life.

age for many French people. Much of traditionand history wraps itself around the Black
Madonna. Many years ago a landslide came tothis section. One looks up and sees how absolutely
bare it has left one side of Mt. Granier. We are
told that the landslide destroyed everything except

even a part of it was destroyed, but
and the praying monks at its
altar were not hurt.
This Madonna that in all
came
from
probability
Spain, is one of the few of
its kind saved in the general destruction of theBlack Madonnas as ordered by Napoleon. The
Virgin and child are life size and wrought out of
black ebony. Her robe is of gold and on her headis a crown in which are embedded priceless jewels.
She is very sacred to the villagers and to all of
the church

the Black Madonna

Catholic faith.

andrelics left

healing.

One finds there many photographsby pilgrims who have come for

But the chief interest to us lay in the178

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

A.

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F.

finely chiseled black faces of mother and child towhom so many devoutly kneel.

Eight days filled with hikes, such as we havedescribed, games, entertainments of various kinds
and music always at hand, were usually sufficient
to re-invigorate the soldier and send him away gladand grateful for abundant life, lovely nature andwarm-hearted friends. The Y folk worked hard
to strike a high note for the future of these soldiers
by teaching them how to rightly interpret and use
their wonderful "overseas" experience.
Just here may we say that with both Mrs. Curtis

and Mrs. Hunton were associated the finest typesof Y men to be found in France. Mr. William
Stevenson, who had done such valuable work at
Montoir, brought to the Leave Area, all his fineideals, which, with his hard work and pleasantmanners, gave him great success. Mr. Matthew
Bullock, who had gone over the top with the 15th

New York, because of his football fame at Dartmouth, was well known to the soldiers. His strong
helpful personality also counted for much in the
lives of the men who visited the Leave Area. There
was Mr. Henry Dunn who had come over fromthe army and who conducted the hikes. We havenever since met a man who was at Challes-les-Eaux
that he has not asked for Mr. Dunn.
Messrs.
Watkins and Shockley, just as fine and energetic
and beloved by the men, formed the group working
at Challes-les-Eaux.
At Chambery Mr. WilliamAnderson was not only business manager, but
thesympathetic,

understanding
179

friendofall.

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

A.

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F.

There were also Mr. Scroggins, who hiked withthe men and who will ever live in their memory; Lieut. Carrie Moore, who having done successful boy's work for the International Committee of the Young Men's Christian Associationin the United States, came over from the army to
in France,
give the benefit of his knowledge to theYand Messrs. Kindal and Parks, who did suchsuccessful athletic work.

All these men gave thevery best in them to the soldiers who came under
their care in the Leave Area.
It was a kind providence that sent Captain
Arthur Spingarn to the Leave Area. The truefriend of the colored people in the United States,
he was no less so as a soldier in France. Thoroughly fine in spirit and personality, he was at
all times an inspiration and help to the colored
secretaries working under his guidance.
The Leave Area is but a memory, but it is abeautiful one, linking thousands of soldiers andwelfare workers in a chain of comradeship thatcannot be broken. It was the mountain of visionand hope in France for those who reached it. It

was the balm in Gilead.

180

VIVE LA FRANCE

Relationships With the French
between the colored soldiers,

relationshipTHE
the colored welfare workers, and the Frenchpeople was most cordial and friendly and grew insympathy and understanding, as their association
brought about a closer acquaintance. It was rather
an unusual as well as a most welcome experience tobe able to go into places of public accommodation
without having any hesitations or misgivings; tobe at liberty to take a seat in a common carrier,without fear of inviting some humiliating experience; to go into a home and receive a greeting thatcarried with it a hospitality and kindliness of spiritthat could not

be questioned.

These things were at once noticeable upon thearrival of a stranger within the gates of this sister

democracy, and the first ten days in France, thoughfilled with duties and harassed with visits from
German bombing planes, were nevertheless adelight, in that they furnished to some of us thefirst fullinto

breath of freedom that had ever comeour limited experience.

The first post of duty assigned to us was Brest.
Upon arriving there we received our first experience with American prejudices, which had not only
been carried across the seas, but had become a partof such an intricate propaganda, that the relationship between the colored soldier and the Frenchpeopleismore or less a story colored by a con182

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

A.

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F.

tinued and subtle effort to inject this same prejudice into the heart of the hitherto unprejudiced

Frenchman.

We had gone to this city under protest, because
we felt that since there were only three coloredwomen in France among approximately 150,000
colored soldiers, that our first duty should be to
the men at the front, who were without doubt suf-

But we were told
fering the greatest hardships.
that in this city there was a great need, and that

we had better serve out a probation here, before
being sent to the more arduous tasks at the front.
Imagine our surprise, then, at being told immediately upon our arrival, that there was no needfor colored women in that section; that the coloredmen were too rough; that they were almost afraid
to locate a man among them, to say nothing of awoman. We were permitted to tarry, however, a
few days, during which time we discovered acolored Chaplain, the Rev. L. C. Jenkins, of South
Carolina, who immediately made us welcome, andarranged for us to talk to his men. They weremuch grieved when they were frankly told of thereputation that had been given them, and assured
us of every consideration and courtesy if we werepermitted to remain among them.
Every effort
was put forth to get the office to change its decision
concerning us, but to no avail. In due time, we
made our return trip to Paris.
In talking with the soldiers, however, and ulti-

mately with the French people, we were told that183

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

A.

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F.

the story of the roughness of the colored men was

being told to the civilians in order that all posbetween them might be avoided.
They had been systematically informed that theirdark-skinned allies were not only unworthy of any
courtesies from their homes, but that they were sobrutal and vicious as to be absolutely dangerous.
They were even told that they belonged to a semihuman species who only a few years ago had beencaught in the American forests, and only beentamed enough to work under the white American's
sible association

direction.

Another ten days in Paris was filled with more
and more opportunity for contact with the
French people. We met again the first coloredwoman to arrive in France, and at her suggestionand guidance, went to a small hotel in the rued'Antin, where very few Americans were located.
Here the proprietor and all his assistants were
smiling and courteous, ever ready to make one
comfortable, and to give all necessary informationand many helpful suggestions.
duties,At this time we were assigned to the 92nd Division, in the Haute Marne region, but the great July
Offensive started, making

itimpossible for us to

get through the lines, so we were told, and we wereHere we were
finally assigned to St. Nazaire.

very happy to have the opportunity to go where

we could have the association of our co-worker,
who had gone there as the pioneer colored woman
for that section.
184

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

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E.

F.

Here, as elsewhere, the French people had been
informed as to the shortcomings of the colored
Americans, and among other things had been toldthat they were incapable of becoming officers, andleading their own people. In October, 1918, thirtythree colored Lieutenants of Artillery landed atUpon meeting them on the street, theinformed them of this false impression,and requested them to show themselves in the busiIn one
ness and residence sections of the city.
this port.

writershop the proprietor immediately turned to a white
officer,and remarked

that

men wore

these

the

identical insignia that he had seen on many otherofficers, and that he would thank some one for an

explanation.

When these same men entered theFrench Artillery School, near Vannes, they wereforbidden to attend entertainments where it wasthought they would in all probability meet the
French people.
Literature was gotten out through the French
Military Mission and sent to French villages explaining how Americans desired the colored officers
to be treated; that they desired them to receive no

more attention than was required in the performance of their military duties; that to show themsocial courtesies not only would be dangerous, butthat it would be an insult to the American people.
The literature was finally collected and ordereddestroyed by the French Ministry.

4

In one city, the soldiers informed us, colored
Americans were confined to certain streets in order
185

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

A.

E.

F.

that their contact with the French people might
have all possible limitations.

Following is a copy of an order gotten out, anda duplicate preserved:

HEADQUARTERS SECOND BATTALION,
804TH PIONEER INFANTRY,
A. E. F., FRANCE.

WARCQ, FRANCE, March 20, 1919.
Enlisted men of this organization will not talk to or
be in company with any white women, regardless ofwhether the women solicit their company or not.

A True Copy,

By Order of CAPTAIN BYRNE.

S/L/D/
This propaganda was spread from the streets of
the large cities to the topmost peaks of the Alps
Mountains, away up among the little shepherd
girls, who knew nothing except what others cameup to tell them. "Soldat noir-vilain," they remarked to the writer one day, while she sat down togather strength to finish her trip to the little chapel
whose ruins stood on the highest pinnacle; even
their minds had been poisoned with the thoughtthat "black soldiers were villains."

These little shepherd girls dwelt in a portion ofFrance that was used for a Leave Area. In the
beginning both white and colored soldiers found186

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

A.

E.

F.

and pleasure in visiting the historic and picturesque region about Challes-les-Eaux and Chambery, but later it was set aside by the Y. M. C. A.
rest

for colored soldiers only.

Naturally the inhabi-tants were much amazed to find that they were notbeing molested in any way, and toward the closeof the work the different impressions that werebeing gathered by the French people became almosta constant topic of conversation. The teachers andproprietors of the hotels came often to converse,and some of them helped gratuitously in the per-formance of ourduties.

Many of the children

came to play upon the lawn of the Y. M. C. A.
at Challes-les-Eaux, where the writer had chargeof the woman's work for a period, and the mayor
came as the official representative of the town, toassure us of all good wishes and sympathetic greetings ; while the mayor at Chambery gave out a pubfor the colored people to return to

lic invitation

France and become a part of their civilization.
Often the staff of secretaries at Challes-les-Eauxwould be invitedtodinner,especially

at

the

Chateaubriand, where the hostess and herdaughter, dressed and smiling, amidst a bower offlowers, opened their hearts again and again conhotel

cerning their entire satisfaction with the conductof our soldiers, and how different they were fromtheir original representation.
They had received
instructions before their coming as to just the man-ner in which they should be treated, but they not
only found no cause for such instructions, but,

187

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

A.

E.

F.

found many characteristics in the colored men
which were a pleasure and a delight.
During the victory parade in Paris, no colored
Americans were permitted to participate, notwithstanding the fact that numerous individuals as wellas organizations had been cited or decorated forbravery. This the French people were not able tounderstand, but in due time they learned that it was
all due to the American policy of discrimination.
They gradually discovered that the colored American was not the wild, vicious character that hehad been represented to be, but that he was kindhearted, genteel and polite. One could frequently

hear the expression,"

soldat noir, tres gentil, tressoldierpoli" (blackvery genteel, very polite) ; thischaracteristic appealed greatly to these people whohave always been noted for their innate politeness.
The French women were especially kind andhospitable to their dark-skinned allies. The writers
had the pleasure of living in one French home forHere they were treated withand almost reverence. Oneof them became ill, and was sick unto death fornearly five weeks, during which time the hostessnearly nine months.

all courtesy, respect,called in her own family physician, administered
the medicine, and nursed her as if she had been

her own child.
When the French women learned that the Americans were trying to control the social intercourseof their homes, they deeply resented it. At one
time the 92nd Division had issued the following
orders:188

FRIENDLY INTERCOURSE WITH THE FRENCH
of Colored Officers visiting French family.
2. Mayor, hotel
proprietors and teachers at Challes-les-Eaux fraternizing with Colored
Soldiers and Y. M. C. A. Secretaries.
3. Group of French Students
taken with Colored Soldiers resting while on a hike.
1.

Group

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

A.

E.

F.

HEADQUARTERS, 92ND DIVISION,
A. E. F.

LE MANS AREA, MIENNE, FRANCE.
December 26, 1918.

The

specialdutieswith which

military

policearecharged are,(A) To insure order and proper behavior by enlisted
men at all times.
(E) To prevent enlisted men from addressing or holding conversation with the women inhabitants of the town.
(F) To prevent enlisted men from entering any build.

.

.

ing other than their respective billets with the exceptionof stores, places of amusement and cafes.

By Command of BRIGADIER GENERAL ERWIN.
G. K. WILSON,

Chief of Staff.
Official:(Signed)

EDW. J. TURGEON,
Major, Infantry, U. S. A.
Adjutant.

When this matter came to the attention of thewomen of the city, the leaders among them formed
a committee and waited on the French Mission withthe statement that they were mistresses of theirown homes and morals, and knew with whom they
wished to associate, and did not desire American
officers to interfere with their social affairs.
Following is an extract from a letter written bya French girl to a young man who was located in
the camp where the writer gave her longest periodof service:189

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

A.

E.

F.

LE GUERANDAISALLEE DES BOULEAUX, LA BAULE.
Dear Mister

October 21, 1918.

:

Your kindletterwas welcome.

I

understand themvery easily without my dictionary, and I thank you verymuch for the kind feelings you express me. Be notanxious about my health, I have recovered now.
I was very touched by all the sympathy you haveshowed me on this occasion, and I was surprised of it,

Thank you for your friendship, I am
happy to give mine in exchange, because I know now
what is your hard condition. I have spoken to whitemen, and always I have seen the same flash (lightning) intheir angry eyes, when I have spoken them of coloredmen. But I do not fear them for myself; I am afraidof them for you, because they have said me the horrible
punishment of colored men in America. As I am avery agreeably.

FrenchgirlIhave answered, "It is not Christian."I

am full of pity for your unhappy condition, more stillwhen

I think you are very intelligent, and you havequality of the heart more than many white men. .
When a colored man goes in the house of a white girl,the policeman wait for him and kill him when he goes
away! I have thought this way to do is savage, and itis why I was pitiful for the colored man.
But I see you
are not unhappy as I believed, and I am glad of it for
.

you.

.

.

.

.

should like to express you how much I am revoltedof that I have learned of your condition, and how amused
I am to have heard many injurious opinions of white men
upon ourselves, French women! I write you in English
and I cannot express my feelings as well as in French.
I

Naturally these "injurious opinions" about the
women were resented, not only by the
women themselves, but the Frenchmen as well.

French190

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

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F.

The result of this, and other difficulties, was thattwo or three months before the American soldiers
were out of France, it became generally known that
the French people were tired of them and wanted
them out of their country. The spirit of dislike
became so great that sometimes French people
were overheard saying that if the American soldiers
had on German uniforms, they could not be told
from the Huns! And that if they were to judge
from their actions it would seem that they had adesire to treat them in the same manner as theytreated the colored Americans.

After the signing of the Armistice there were
frequent riotings between the American white soldiers and the French people. On the first Sunday
in April, 1919, the city of St. Nazaire was changed
from a quiet port city into a tumult of discord,during which a number of people were killed andwounded. It grew out of the fact that a white
French woman and a colored Frenchman entereda restaurant frequented by American officers, inorder that they might enjoy their lunch together.

An insinuating remark concerning the woman was
overheard by her brother, who understood English,
and immediately resented it.

The restaurant wasdemolished in a free-for-all fight, which grew inproportions until the French people mounted amachine gun in the middle of the public square,to restore order.

In the city of Nantes a colored French soldier
was shot by an American Military Policeman,
under the guise that he thought that the Frenchman
13

191

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A.

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F.

was a colored American deserter disguisedinFrench uniform.

During the writer's period of service at Brest
were ever-recurring conflicts, and Camp
Pontanezen was frequently closed and the soldiers
not permitted to enter the city. Some of these weresaid to have occurred because of insults offered tocolored Frenchmen. Rumor had it that these riots
always resulted in a number of killed andwounded.
there

In order to substantiate our statement concerning these conflicts, we wish to quote from SergeantAlexander Woolcott's article in the October, 1919,
issue of the North American Review:*"Whatever turn is taken by international politics during the next two years, whatever the official post bellum
relation between Washington and the government inFrance, the degree of understanding and the nature of
the sentiment existing between our people and the Frenchis going to be of incalculable importance in shaping the
It is going to give the true validity
twentieth century.
to whatever doctrine our ministers may from time totime endorse.

"That is why it is worth while to look back over the
A. E. F., and by so doing, to measure and search forthe causes of mutual rancor which developed between
the French people and our troops
the rancor whichbroke out here and there in riots, as at Brest; which madethe irritated army of occupation lean over backwards intheir affability towards the Rhinelanders ; which moved
Le Rire to some caustic cartoons at the expense of theA. E. F.; and which poured into our astonished ports a*

By permission of North American- Review.
192

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stream of returning doughboys all muttering under theirbreaths a disparagement of the 'French Frogs.' 5"Perhaps it would be well first to consider two rather
on the subject. For one thing, stay-athome Americans have, quite pardonably, come to theeasy conclusion that all the rancor could be explained
fixed delusions

by overcharging. ... As a matter of fact, the amountof overcharging was slight, astonishingly slight, when
one considers that there were more than two million
spendthrift Americans in France, far from home, overpaid, irresponsible, and loose in an impoverishedcountry. It is against the nature of the French peasantor shopkeeper to go in all at once for resourceful profiteering, just as it is against his nature to part lightly

with a sou on which he has once laid his thrifty hands.
Furthermore, both the French government and theAmerican Army were vigilant in the matter, so that thedoughboy was not despoiled with half the unscrupulousness that would have been practised among his own
people certainly no more than is the average lot of
the expeditionary soldier, anywhere under the sun.
"Then, too, there was the delusion from which the
French government suffered the notion that the wholesource of bad feeling was the friction between the Frenchand American staffs. There was such friction, and during
the first few weeks of the Armistice the staff officers of theThird Army were on edge with irritation at the neighboring French command.
"I think that if the dislike developed on one side before
the other, the first appearance can be traced to a certain
disdain for the French which the outspoken Americans
were only too wont to display. To the resulting frictiona hundred and one things contributed, of which highlittle things, like the French
prices constituted the least
.

.

.

1

.

.

.

truck driver's enraging habit of driving dreamily in the
middle of the road; big things, like the French street
walker's unprejudiced habits of accepting the Negro's attentions as affably as a white man's"
193

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It is interesting to note the comment of an English paper upon the mutual rancor which so unfor-

tunately developed, and which must have somebearing upon the future relationship between the
French and the American people. The following
significant excerpt is from the London Saturday
Review of June 28, 1919:*"No one at this or any other time should write, oreven say things likely to create international ill-feeling,
but facts' will not be ignored. There are indeed certainIt
truths, which, like mushrooms, grow best in the dark.
is not only absurd, it is also in thelong run contrary tointernational good will, to ignore the fact that Americans

are not as popular in Paris to-day as they were twelve
months ago. There can be surely no harm in discussing
publicly what everyone privately knows.
"At the present moment the Americans are regarded by
the ordinary Parisian as a barbarian nation, and theprospects of beholding them rejoice on July 4th, possibly
on a large scale, already fills him with apprehension and
The nation which a year ago was the mostdisgust.
popular nation in Europe, has become in Paris a burden
almost too grievous to be borne. The other evening weheard a lady whose profession brings her into rather
close contact with the American soldiers and minor diplomatists in Paris, proclaim amid general assent, that theAmericans are at the best children and that at the worst.

.

.

they are brutes. We are not subscribing to this opinion,
we are merely recording that it was passed. The AmerTheicans could not avoid being unpopular in Paris.
mere fact that they came late into the war, and that theimportance of their share in the peace negotiations isout of all proportion to their sacrifices, is in any event.
.
a difficult matter to discount or obscure.
.

*

By permission of The Worlfs Work.
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"Socially the Americans in Paris are in the positionof a man staying in the house of a friend, and forced tobehave much as though the house were his own. It iseven worse than that.
We have to consider that theman who thus stays in the house of his friend, andbehaves just as though it were his own, has in effect,a mortgage on the house. We are most of us the debtorsof America, and France not least of all. The Americanarmy in Paris may almost be described as the man inpossession, and there is no possibility of avoiding him.
It was an unlucky decision to make Paris an American
The wild west sprawls in the
military headquarters.
The
restaurants, and patrols the grand boulevards.
American army could no more be popular in Paris than
When onthe Canadians could be popular in Epsom.
top of the military invasion of Paris there came an
American delegation 1,400 strong, filling the air withandprinciples and viewpoints, and amusing itself loudly
continuously, not the most civilized president in theworld could quite cover with his professional mantle
the nakedness of his countrymen.

"All of this would be of merely passing interest were
not for the peculiar position which America will occupy
for the next thirty years.
What is happening in Parisithappen on a large scale in Europe as soon as peace
signed.
During the war America has become thecreditor of the civilized world.
Her chief problem will
be how to spend the money she has made. She is sorich that she has begun to be alarmed for her foreignwillistrade, for it is impossible for Dives to trade with Lazarus
unless Lazarus can be induced to borrow the necessary

capital to set himself up in business. Whatever ultimate
arrangements are made it is fairly clear that America

have more money than she knows what to do with,and that Europe will be, to an extent unknown before,
an American playground and Europe will hate it to-morrow as Paris hates it to-day."
will

195

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For a period of time many of the colored fighting troops were brigaded with the French troops,
which brought them into very close contact with the
French life. As has been noted in another chapter,four regiments, those that were to have composed
the 93rd Division, became a part of French Divisions of Infantry.

It isinteresting to note that by

far the greatest majority of colored soldiers ororganizations that were cited or decorated forbravery were these troops, and that the decorations

were with few exceptions French and not American.
It isalso interesting to note that the regiment fromunder command of colored officers, wasawarded 30 Croix de Guerre decorations forofficers, and 38 for non-commissioned officers andprivates, while only 3 officers received the American Distinguished Service Cross, and 19 non-commissioned officers and privates.
These colored
Illinois,

officers have

many happy recollections of the over-flowing appreciation of the French people.
Certificates of good behavior secured by thesetroops show that the towns and villages throughwhich they passed or in which they were billeted

found no cause for complaint; that they came inan orderly manner and left in the same way. The
same can be said of the thousands of labor troops
and engineers who built the roads, unloaded theships, laid telephone wires, built warehouses, andhandled supplies.
Finally, we can happily say that it was a pleasure
to note that the relationship between the colored
American and the Frenchman grew in cordiality
196

1.

2.

French Sergeants fraternizing with Colored American Sergeants.
and 3. Colored Soldiers and the French children. 4. Two colored
Sergeants visiting in French home.

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

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and friendliness until a strong, and we hope, lastThey
ing bond was established between them.
were made welcome guests in the homes of thewealthy and cultured, as well as in the mosthumble.
The understanding ear of the coloredman seemed attuned to the French language, andhe learned more quickly than others,itseemed,how to converse with this romantic people.

The

French people are affectionate and demonstrative,
which corresponds to the deep emotional spirit
which seems the heritage of the colored American.
The colored soldiers were naturally musical, andmany of them sang with a wonderful penetrating
pathos, or with notes that brought forth joy thatwas unconfined; others were talented and accomplished pianists. These things appealed deeply tothe artistic soul of our French comrades.

The variety of color among them interested theFrenchman much as the light and shade in a picture, or the coloring in the drapery in his store
windows, or in the birds that flitted about in his

mountain fastnesses. He admired the way they
fought, and the way they performed without murmuring their tasks at the dock, on the railroads, orin the warehouses.
He loved them because they
did all these things with a song of joy, though perhaps with a crucifixion of spirit; and with all
earnestness and genuine desire he invited them tocome again, that the relationship thus begun mightgrow in strength and beauty and mutual helpfulness.

197

Take fast hold ofher; for she

is

thy

instruction, let her not go:

life.

Proverbs 4:13.

198

keep

Educationr I "'HE

chief educational work to be done

among

A the colored troops overseas was that of teachingthem to read and write, as large numbers wereunable to sign the payroll. These men were drafted
into the army often without regard to age or

One man from Texas, upon dephysical fitness.
alivering
company of men to a lieutenant whom
he thought to be white, remarked that he hadbrought him a good bunch of Negroes, and had
Atplenty more down there if he wanted them.
men
who
had
he
took
all
the
first,
said, they
justpurchased little farms, so that the property would
soon return to the original owners, and then they
just went out through the country and gathered
them up everywhere, so that they could get theirfull quota without sending their white boys.
Of
course, he said, the Negroes didn't know any betterand just thought they had to come.
This shows the dense ignorance that existed inno small degree among them, and many of themknew only one name, didn't know when nor where
they were born, and couldn't tell the time of day.
This ignorance was not all confined to the coloredmen, however. One white captain remarked publicly that he had white men in his battalion who
were equally ignorant, and that upon asking one
man where he was born, his reply was "ToonsCounty," which was the limit of his knowledge
concerning the matter.
199

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE
In

A.

E.

F.

Camp Lusitania, St. Nazaire, France, there

were 9,000 colored stevedores, and out of thisnumber 1,100 could not write their names, and alarge per cent, of the remainder had only mediocre
On the other hand, some were college
training.
graduates and undergraduates, and were of greatvalue to those who undertook the task of teaching
the large number of illiterates.

They readily volunteered their assistance, and took great pains with
their unfortunate comrades, helping them in school
and out to get the amount of training that thelimited facilities offered.

The writer, during her nine months' period ofservice at Camp Lusitania, gave most of her timeto this kind of work, and while it was difficult, themen fully compensated her forUpon first entering the camp, there
was no provision made to assist in reaching thesegratitude of the

all the trouble.

men, or ascertaining who they were. The Y. M.
C. A. had furnished a large number of books,
which were piled away in the hut unused. Thesebooks were taken and a request made at the cinema
for all who desired training in English to manifest
it by remaining in their seats at the close of the

In this way we were able to reach a large
number, and through them others could be reached,

show.

work grew until the writer's
entire time was consumed in teaching and directing
so that in time thethe work.

One man told how his parents had died when he
was quite young, and that he was afterwards boundout to a white family to herd cattle for fifty cents200

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

A.

E.

F.

a week. He wanted to go to school so badly that
he slipped off and went two days, when the man forwhom he worked found it out and beat him so that
he never went back any more. He said he had awife from whom he had not heard since he had
been in France, but that he couldn't read her letters
anyway, and he was not expecting her to write.
He worked very hard, however, and in time wasable to write well and read third grade reading
matter. One day he came in joyfully and said he
had written his wife a letter and had gotten a reply.
This, no doubt, was a wonderful day in his life,
when he had acquired sufficient knowledge to makehimself understood in a written communication.
At times their gratitude was most pathetic, and one
man had tears in his eyes as he told the writer how
he had been so anxious to learn, but had beenashamed to let her know that he couldn't write
his name, and had hesitated a long time before
he finally decided to come.

To learn to write one's name seems an easy
matter, but some of these men would try patiently
for an hour or so and the letters would have noform, nor resemble in any way the characters they
were trying to make. Then the instructor would
take each great rough hand in her own and help
the soldier to trace theform of the letter so that

he would get an idea of how to go about making
the first curve of his initial.
When he would
name he would
masterthefirstinitialof
hisfinally
be so delighted that he would go to his barracks
and make all the boys whom he knew give him
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TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

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F.

assistance, so that in a day or two one could realizethat he was making splendid progress.

This kind of work went on without much difficulty until the Armistice was signed; at this time
every soldier became doubly sure that he was goinghomede suite" (at once)
and to add
animpetus toalready bad situation, their colonel
got up in the auditorium and told them that theywould all eat Christmas dinner at home. This
completely demoralized the work until after theholidays. By this time they had all concluded thatthey were going to remain in France a while anyway, and some began to say that they would beglad if they were able to eat dinner at home the"toute;next Christmas.

By the beginning of the new year the army
decided to take a hand in the educational work,and through its chaplains force all illiterates toattend school.
This brought the entire 1,100 at
Lusitania
to the Y. M. C. A. hut to receiveCamp
All of them could not be reached at
instruction.
one time, but two or three hundred could becrowded into the class rooms twice a day, so thatevery two days the entire number would be reached.
The writer would teach them en masse, first fromthe blackboard, having them follow her in sounding
the letters, pronouncing the words, and giving thediacritical markings; then from a small booklet

called"English Reading Lessons," provided by
Educational Commission of the Army andNavy Y. M. C. A. These booklets, containing

thetwenty lessons drawn from the soldiers' experience
202

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE A.
in routine

E.

F.

camp life and drilling, would be fur-nished by the hundreds, free, so that every man
could have a book. After they had all read thelesson in concert, the volunteer teachers, about
twenty-five all told, would each address himself toa group of the men, and hear them read individuIn this way each man could get a small
ally.
amount of individual attention.

One day, by some means, Mr. Ferguson, the hut
secretary, found a French mimeograph machine at
It was the only one,
the Y. M. C. A. warehouse.
The writer, after
it seemed, in the entire section.
andlearnedtouse it, and withtrialsfailures,many
the assistance of Private Stokes

and one or twoothers, was able to make a large number of copies
These would be taken byof written sentences.

Chaplains Hodges, Jefferson, and their assistants,
including Reverend McCoomer, whom the army
had appointed to do educational and religious
work. They would be distributed among the menin the class room, pencils given them free, andevery man would labor earnestly to learn to write
then the men would be permitted to take the copies
to their barracks, where they would practice during
their leisure moments.
The mimeograph was also used to furnish problems in numbers to the men who were learning
to make figures, add and subtract.
After having
a lesson from the blackboard, they would take thepapers to their barracks, solve their problems, andbring them in the next day for correction. Mr.
Julius Rosenwald visited Camp Lusitania during;

203

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F.

the year, and left two hundred dollars to be used

for the benefit of the soldiers there. An automobile school was finally established and a numberof the soldiers took advantage of the training. In

camps much industrial training wasintroduced, and no small amount of attention given

the

white

to higher education as well.

The Y. M. C. A. made ample provision for the
purpose of giving the soldiers the opportunity to
French professors were employedlearn French.
to visit each hut at stipulated hours, where themen would be taught en masse, the rudiments of
conversational French. Small books published forthe express purpose were put without cost into thehands of each man who had a desire to learn, andvery few of them could be found after a few lessons
and a little contact with the French people, who
could not readily make themselves understood withregard to small matters that concerned their every-

day life.
About the first of April, 1919, the Army decided to take over the entire educational work of
the Y. M. C. A., and invited the educational secretaries, the writer included, to leave the organizacome over to the army. It promised totion andcarry out the original contract made by the Y. M.
C. A., and give them the rank and uniform of an

Eight colored men accepted this offer andThey were Mr. J. C. Wright,of
Tuskegee Institute, Mr. F. 0. Nichols,
formerlyof Philadelphia, Mr. Benjamin F. Hubert, State
College, Orangeburg, S. C., Mr. William Nelson,
officer.

went into the army.

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TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

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F.

A. & T. College, Greensboro, N. C., Mr. Joseph L.
Whiting, Tuskegee Institute, Mr. Thomas Clayton,
Piqua, Ohio, Mr. W. H. Crutcher, A. & M. College,
Tallahassee, and Mr. George W. Jackson, Louisville,

Ky.

Of this number Mr. J. C. Wright wasappointed Supervisor of Instruction for colored
troops and Lecturer in Civics; Mr. F. 0. Nichols,
Lecturer in Civics, and Mr. Benjamin F. Hubert,
Supervisor of Agricultural Instruction among thecolored troops.
These men were attached to the staff of the UniAs Supervisor of Instruction,versity of Beaune.
Mr. Wright was well qualified, being a graduate ofOberlin College, Dean of Tallahassee Normal
School, and having done splendid work as a Y. M.
C. A. secretary at Camp One, Hut 5, St. Nazaire.
Here he found a large number of men from the301st Stevedore Regiment, one of the largest military organizations in France, and among them thecolored American soldiers to land on French

first

About 30 per cent, of these men were illiterOn the contrary, a number of them werecollege trained men, having been engaged in professional and business pursuits.
Mr. Wright undertook the task of preparing
these men to go back to civilian life with at leastHis first
the rudiments of an English education.
method was to get men who could not read and
soil.

ate.

write to voluntarily attend classes scheduled at theM.

C. A. hut; but this was quite a difficult
matter, for after ten or twelve hours' work on theY.

dock, the men were usually too tired to do anything
205

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE A.
that

was not compulsory.
itgetting

E.

F.

Then he succeeded inmade a military duty for all men who

could not sign the payroll to attend class threenights in a week for a certain period. This plan
was successful only to a limited degree, as compulsion was left largely with company commanders, who were not entirely in sympathy with
the idea.
They contended that the army was noplace for a man to make up for his lost school
advantages, and some said it was too much to require such a duty of tired, hard-working troops;
but too anxious and determined to be discouraged,
the effort was continued, and after much advertis-

ing and several large public meetings held in theinterest of the work, there were over five hundred

men who enrolled for class work. Of this number
328 were

actually taught by volunteer teacherOne sergeant compelled the thirty illiterates of his company to attend school every night

soldiers.

there were classes being taught; and after eightweeks all but nine could sign the payroll, and manyof them, men still in the morning of their manhood,received such an inspiration as to give them adesire to enter school after their return to the States,
and it is known to be true that some of them areat thismoment enrolled in different schools andreceiving instruction.

Mr. Wright, together with his colleagues, Mr.
Nichols and Mr. Hubert, as members of the staffof the University of Beaune, were sent out singly
and as a team to lecture and hold institutes in the
different sections of France where colored troops
206

COLORED MEMBERS OF ARMY EDUCATIONAL CORPS ANDSOME UNIVERSITY STUDENTS
Captain D. K. Cherry. 2. Secretary Walter X. Nelson. 3. Secretary
William H. Crutcher. 4. Secretary Benjamin F. Hubert and group of
students in attendance at Universities in Paris.
5. Secretary Joseph
L. Whiting.
6. Secretary
7. Secretary
George W. Jackson.
John
C. Wright.
1.

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

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E.

F.

It is estimated by them that theyreached as many as twenty thousand men, and impressed them with the importance of community

were located.

co-operation and collective effort in bettering theconditions in the neighborhoods where their civic
lots would be cast; also with the importance ofbuying land and taking advantage of the industrial
opportunities which the war had brought about.

The other five members of the colored army eduMr. J. L. Whiting,
who had formerly been educational secretary atCamp Montoir, near St. Nazaire, and who had al-

cational corps did local work.

ready done splendid work, went back to his original
Here in September, 1918, he beganwith an enrollment of forty, in classes in reading,field of labor.

By April, 1919,
writing, arithmetic, and civics.
the enrollment, with the assistance of the new compulsory rule of the army, had increased to 868,with 19 soldiers detailed to assist in the work. He
found that there were more than 1,000 troops
below the fourth grade, who would be glad of an
opportunity to attend school, and that there werein every company of colored troops as many as

30 men who were unable to sign the payroll.

Mr.
inwonderful
results
Whiting accomplishedspiteof the handicap of no books, no suitable accommodations, and for a considerable time no regularly
detailed teachers.

He set writing copies for all of these men withhis own hand, taking their work home each day andreviewing and criticisingit.

He held classes in

the mess halls, many times cold and damp and with
14

207

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

A.

E.

F.

no lights except that which could be gotten by theuse of candles and by the close of the work he had
not only done much towards wiping out the X (hismark) sign from the payroll, but had given them;sufficient

foundation for the acquiring of a faireducation.

Mr. George W. Jackson had been assigned by
the Y. M. C. A. to be Educational Director at Is-surTille.

Here he found about 15,000 colored sol-

diers hailing from Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia,
Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Louisi-

ana and Texas. They were S. 0. S. troops, working just back of the combat area. Mr. Jackson was
returned here by the army to complete the work
started by the Y. M. G. A.
During his period ofservice here he learned that about 2,500 of thecolored soldiers had very limited education or noneat all.
With the assistance of detailed tutors he
was able to eliminate 90 per cent, of this illiteracy
in about three months.
Most of them learned tosign the payroll after about three weeks' instruction, and by the time they were demobilized fully
one-third had written letters to their relatives athome. Classes in secondary and college subjects
were also held, in addition to instruction in French,
bookkeeping, current topics, and the Bible.
Mr. Thomas A. Clayton was secretary in chargeof the educational work at Camp Ancona, near
Bordeaux, where on January 10 an Army Post
School was organized. Of 6,987 men in camp at
this time, 1,378 could not sign the payroll; 1,457
had had four years' schooling or less; 584 had
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TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

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E.

F.

attended high school, and 137 had attended colBy the close of the work 367 illiterates hadlege.
learned to write their names. Classes in French
and the study of the history and literature of theFrench people were also organized, and becamevery popular among the soldiers.
Special attention was given at this school to theteaching of agriculture. A Farmers' Institute washeld, which had a total attendance of 18,000 in

The meetings were held under thethree days.
Dr.
H. Paul Douglass, of Syracuse,ofauspices
N. Y., and farmers' clubs were organized and a
In all classes, inspecial instructor given them.
cluding primary and elementary subjects, there
were 503 students enrolled.
Mr. W. H. Nelson had been doing educational
work at Brest under many handicaps. For a longtime they were unable to get a Y. M. C. A. hut

1918, the writers of
this volume went up from St. Nazaire to visit them.
They found the staff of two secretaries and a chaplain struggling along as best they could, with nocompleted.

In December,floor in a large part of their building and no lights

except what could be produced by the use ofnumerous candles. They were very happy to seesome colored women, and brought us a bountiful
supper from one of the company kitchens. This
we ate from a small, bare table, by the light of one
or two flickering candles. Then the writers wereplaced upon a box to elevate them a little, while
they talked for the encouragement of the soldiers
who gathered in a small room, which afterwards
209

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

A.

E.

F.

became the school room. The little force of secretaries was badly discouraged because they wereunable to secure the facilities that had been given
to other huts, but by dogged determination they
finally succeeded in finishing a beautiful building
which was kept immaculately clean in spite of thefact that they were never able to secure any women

To this place Mr. Nelson was returned after he became a member of the army educational corps, and continued his work of teaching.
He had about 1,000 illiterates in the camp whom he
Of this number a total ofattempted to reach.
372 actually received valuable training.
secretaries.

In addition to the army's taking over the entire
educational work of the Y. M. C. A., it providedmeans by which a limited number of graduate
students would have an opportunity to attend thegreat universities of France and England; at thesame time it established the American UniversityThis
for undergraduates at Beaune, Cote d'Or.
school provided facilities for training in all college
courses as well as vocational and technical subjects,

and brought over from the States a corps of theItvery best instructors that could be secured.
also utilized much of the splendid ability alreadyin the army.
The French Minister of Education
loaned the school a corps of experienced Frenchteachers,

who were supplemented throughthecourtesy of the French Minister of War.
Post and Division Schools were established inconnection with the university, the purpose of theDivision School being to accommodate all who were
210

STUDENTS AT UNIVERSITY OF LONDON
1.

4.
7.

2. James L. Moran.
Douglass Sheppard.
3. E. M. Brewington.
S. Young.
Ulysses
5. Henry-.
6. Walter A. Powers.
L. Marriott.
ory L,.
Milton F. Fields.
8. Ulysses S.
Donaldson.
9. Leonard
Barnett.

J.

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

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F.

Here
were taught vocational courses and academic andcommercial subjects of high school grades. The
Post School was composed of those who needed
elementary training in English, arithmetic, andcitizenship and of men who were unable to read andwrite the English language. Special provision was
not qualified to enter the university proper.

made for a Post School for colored soldiers withcolored instructors, but it never materialized. To
attend the university came 120 colored soldiers
who matriculated in the College of Arts and Letters, Agriculture, Science, Journalism, and Music.
Colored American soldiers from all parts ofFrance made application for admission to the
In some places they were
Foreign Universities.
told that colored soldiers were not allowed toattend, and every effort was made to get the young
officers of the 92nd Division out of France before

they could make application for the coveted privi6
havelege and thereby embarrass the army.

Welearned of only one whose application was not refused, that of Capt. D. K. Cherry of A. & T. College, Greensboro, N. C., who attended the Univer-

non-commissioned
and in the University of London nine matriculated
Corporal James
sity

of

Bordeaux.

Severalofficers were admitted, however,D. Sheppard, Peoria, 111., Engineering; 1st Sergt.
Leonard Barnett, Fleming, Ohio, Psychology, English, and Methods in Education ; Ulysses S. Donaldson, Terre Haute, Ind., English Literature; 1stSergt. W. A. Powers, Xenia, Ohio, Music and Philosophy; 1st Sergt. E. H. Brewington, Salisbury,211

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

A.

E.

F.

Md., History and Literature; Sergt. U. S. Young,
Madison, N. J., Philosophy and Psychology; Sergt.
Milton F. Fields, Des Moines, Iowa; James L.
Moran, Lancaster, Mass., Astronomy, and Henry
0. Mariott, of Boley, Okla.
Four entered the University at Bordeaux, one theUniversity of Toulouse, one the University ofMarseilles, and seven the different universities inCharles S. Wilkerson, Phar.D., Pittsburg,
ParisPa. ; Charles A. Johnson, Phar.D., Columbia, S. C. ;Oscar S. Johnson, B. S., Louisville, Ky. ; Thomas
Williams, Phar.D., Patterson, La.; George Washington Mitchell, A.B., Marshall, Tex.; Clarence
Glead, Phar.D., Lawrence, Kan., and Mr. McKenzie, a lawyer from Richmond, Va.

Mention should be made also of the Army Candidate School at Langres, France. The school was
located at Fort Dela Bonnelle, and 62 non-commissioned officers representing all the colored combat regiments in France were enrolled there. Of
this number, one sergeant died, two became ill at
examination time, and 56 received commissions.
This was the best record for the proportion receiving commissions of all the 17 platoons represented

Of this number all whose initials ranged
from A to D were sent to the 370th Infantry; theothers were distributed throughout the 92nd DiviThe 325th Signal Corps Battalion attendedsion.
school at Gondricourt, and made one of the bestrecords of any battalion from the standpoint of
hardworking students and improved efficiency,
there.

while the five colored company officers of the 167th
212

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE
F.

A.

E.

F.

A. attended school at La Cortrine, and thecolonel in charge of the school reported that they

made the best record for studiousness and work
accomplished in a period of two weeks of any
American units in a given length of time.
There were other schools where some coloredsoldiers secured training in wireless telegraphy
and other technical subjects, and 33 2nd lieutenants

received instruction at the French Artillery School

While visiting that city during theirperiod of training there, the writers were told by aFrench general with whom they conversed while
waiting for a train, that these men all showedsuperior mental capacity, and were much loved
by all the French citizens because of their splendid
behavior and gentility of manners.
Another phase of educational work among the
In thistroops was the developing of libraries.
work the American Library Association was themoving spirit. Thousands of volumes of books
were contributed to this Association by the American people, and the Y. M. C. A. acted as a medium
by which they were placed within reach of theatVannes.

This offered a special opportunity forcolored welfare workers to give another kind of
training to soldiers that thousands were unable to
In very few cities in the
get in their home cities.
South are any library facilities provided for thecolored people. They are not permitted to go into
the public libraries, and only a few cities havecolored Branch Carnegie Libraries, such as Louisville or Houston, or a colored library establishedsoldiers.

213

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

A.

E.

F.

through other channels such as the one in Guthrie,
Oklahoma. As a result, thousands of men comingfrom the South had no training in the use of libraries, and special attention had to be given everyinstituting and teaching booklending
all books would have disapotherwise
systems;inaor
not to be read always, but
two,pearedday
to be utilized in various and sundry ways such asa hiding place for letters, or a pad upon which to

where

to

write.

In time they all learned, however, to bor-

row and return books in a given time, and thelibrary soon became the most popular place about
It was always kept warm and attractive
the hut.
and it was the only place about the hut where one
could make himself comfortable in an arm or
steamer chair.
Through the generosity of theAmerican public, magazines and periodicals became plentiful after the Armistice was signed, andthe soldiers would tarry late, often until taps,
before they would tear themselves away from thenews item which brought such interesting information from home.
Large and valuable libraries were established
for the colored soldiers at Camp Lusitania, and the
Embarkation Camps at St. Nazaire, in the Leave
Area .at Challes-les-Eaux, at Camp Romagne, atCamp President Lincoln, Brest, and at the twocolored huts at Camp Pontanezen, and were ofinvaluable service in educational and cultural work
among the soldiers. Through these channels andthe opportunities offered through the different
Y. M. C. A. and Army Schools, the colored men
214

1. Library at Camp Lusitania,
St. Nazaire, France.
2.
Colored College
Students at University of Beaune. 3. Colored Students in Farm School,of
Beaune.
University

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

A.

E.

F.

received a new impetus and a new vision, and with

comes fromand contact, have returned to their homes
better equipped for citizenship and future service
to their race than they possibly could have been
the assistance of the training thattravelotherwise through all the years of a lifetime.

215

"They said they were too slow, too dull, too this andthat to do it,
They couldn't match the method of the Hun,
And then to arm a million why, the land would surely
rue itIf amillion blacks were taught to use a gun.

But right wonout, and they went in at all detractors
smiling ;They learned as quick as any how to shoot,
They took the prize at loading ships, and riveting andpiling,

And trained a thousand officers to boot.
And when they went they took a boon no others had
been bringing,
For whether with a pick or with a gun,
They lightened every labor with a wondrous

sort

of

singing,
And turned the pall of battle into fun.

0, the Frenchman was a marvel, and the Yankee wasa wonder,And the British line was like a granite wall,
But for singing as they leaped away to draw the Kaiser's
thunder,

The swarthy sons of Dixie beat them all."LESLIE PINCKNEY HILL.

216

The Salvation of Music Overseas
who know the native love and ability of

THOSE
our race for music will not marvel at the statementthat

coloredplayed theirwaysang, whistled and
There
the
late war.
throughsoldiers

were days of hunger and thirst; days full ofdeathly fatigue; days filled with the dense smokeand deafening uproar of battle ; days when terrible
discriminations and prejudices ate into the soul
deeper than the oppressors knew. But through it
the salvation of the music
all there was salvationthat welled so naturally in the souls of the coloredIn the midst of the French the artistic
temperament of our soldiers found a warm welcome and a favorable atmosphere in which to unsoldiers.

fold and find full expression; and, although it
manifested itself in many ways, it found no otherrealm half so alluring as that of music. Individually and in groups, colored soldiers gave themselves to the enjoyment or serious study of music.

In the hut the average life of a piano was but ofshort duration. Every moment from early dawn tolate night, this instrument was in constant use.

One became so accustomed to its continuous sounds
as to be unconscious of them.

America hopingthat for the

We returned toremainder of ourlives we might be spared hearing any form of"Blues," for whatever else he might play, a fellow
would finally finish with a touching rendition ofsome one of the many "Blues."
217

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

A.

E.

F.

There were melodies of joy and melodies ofWe heard our soldiers on the coast ofFrance chanting in unfailing rhythm as they unloaded the great cargoes from America. We heard
them in Southern France singing in joyous abandon
as they sailed Lake Bourget, ascended Mount
Revard or hiked up to Hannibal's Pass in the Alps.
We heard them in the night watches at Romagne
as they tenderly reburied their comrades who had
fallen on the fields of battle. We heard them atthe port again, as they looked longingly towards
America and sang, "There's a long, long trail."Ever in our ears will we hear the harmony of those
thousands of voices as they were blended in songsorrow.

for religious service, for the speed of work or
Always this music breathed afor mere pleasure.

wistful poignancy, but always it breathed, too, thematchless will and spirit of the race who sang.
Nothing strengthened more the bond of loving sympathy that existed between the French and colored
American than this musical temperament. Our

bands played their way into the very souls of theFrench.

And these bands that always filled us with marpride and dispelled all fear and dread! We
think of one night in our camp.
The 807th

tial

Pioneer Infantry would entrain on tomorrow for
the front.

Under its enthusiastic and highly pro-

gressive bandmaster, Lieutenant Vodrey, this regi-

mental band was giving its last show. Hundredsof black and white men filled every inch of thespacious hut from floor to rafter. In the front rows218

2. Band
Lieut. James Reese Europe and Men of the 15th New York.
Master Oliver Mead. 3. Band of the 815th Pioneer Infantry, with Men
on leave, at Challes-les-Eaux.
1.

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE A.

E.

F.

sat the regimental officers, camp officers and French

All eyes centered upon the stage where
either the orchestra of fifty men was playing or
Opal Cooper was singing in the sweetest and mostfriends.

expressive tones, or the men were demonstratingby act or stunt their wit and humor. The hutrang with applause or laughter all that wonderful
evening. Fun and merriment ran high during therather ambitious hut reception given the band afterthat evening's entertainment, for they were trying to
eat salad and sherbet without the use of forks andspoons which they had been told to bring but had
quite promptly forgotten. It was rather difficult torealize that tomorrow those men would be facing

toward the thundering guns at the front. We heardof the 807th band again and again as it won honors
in France, playing before the crowned heads of theAllies; of their band leader making an enviable
record at a French band school, and finally wemet them again at Brest. There, with a pardonablepride, we bade them bon voyage as they returned

home triumphantly bearing their laurels.
The fame of Europe's Band, -as it was familiarly
called, spread over all France as well as America.

One single occasion on which we were permitted tohear this band in France is worthy of note. We
had been honored as delegates to the Conferenceof Allied Women held in Paris in August, 1918.

The program, the delegates, entertainment, everyincluding the garden party tendered byPresident and Mme. Poincare, the afternoon
at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Theodore Roosevelt,

thing,

219

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

A.

E.

F.

*
Jr., and the banquet at the Palais d'Orsay had quite

won our hearty interest and admiration and we hadreached the final and crowning session of theConference.
The great Theatre Elysees was
crowded, although the lights were yet turned low.
Someone informed us that the orchestra in the pit
was composed of colored men. Immediately wecame to our feet. Try as we might we could not
see the men, but the leader, Lieutenant Europe,
In spitesat elevated, and so we recognized him.
of the addresses by great personages, in spiteof the royal opera singer and the wonderful chorus,

for the remainder of that evening our thoughts
centered themselves about this band of colored

Americans playing before the elite of Europe andAmerica. It was a significant moment when, witha great martial note, this band of the 15th New
York Infantry began the French National Hymn,
the great audience to its feet as
President Poincaire and party entered their box.

summoning

Time and time again the playing of these colored
Americansthrilled the house into rapturous apAfterthe audience had been dismissed
plause.
and the lights again turned low, admiring friends,

amongwhom were Mr. and

Mrs.

Theodore

Roosevelt, Jr., stood by and the band played on
lingeringly and tenderly as if somewhere voices

were whispering that it would be one of the last
great triumphs of its famous leader.

Music was one of the chief attractions furnishedby the Leave Area for the tired, depressed men who
220

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

A.

E.

F.

were sent there for rest and recreation. There camethe 803rd Pioneer Infantry Band under the capable
These men
direction of Sergeant Major Bailey.
gave us so much joy and entertainment in theirplaying that not only did the Y make efforts tohave them retained permanently in the Leave Area,but the French people were quite as eager tohave them, and showered praises and flowers onthem when at last they were ordered back to theirregiment.

Then came the 815th with their fine Western
pride and spirit playing their way, too, into theheart of the Area. We met them again at Romagne
when, with the band of the 816th Pioneer Regiment,
they were playing daily to counteract the depressing influences of their surroundings. We stood nearthem and watched with tear-filled eyes as they paid
their humble homage on that memorable thirtiethof May when General Pershing had come to dediWe werecate that largest military cemetery.
with them again at the Port of Brest where, with
their wonderfully stirring music they, too, foughtin that battle for morale.
learned to knowWethem wellthose

California

lads

and

to

love

them.

No finer men went to France than the men who
composed the 802nd Pioneer Infantry, and that
may account for the really high quality of the workof its band.
No band seemed to adhere quite sotoclassical
selections, and they would mostcloselydraw
theFrench to their feet whenevernaturally221

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE A.

E.

F.

and wherever they played. While resting in the
Leave Area, they graciously gave us several concerts.

We followed the history of the St. Nazaire Band
with a certain pride and interest because, in theearly days when we entered that town it was asmall struggling group with but few instruments,
the sounds from which can be but faintly describedby the word horrible. It was encouraged by theYoung Men's Christian Association, who gave ita thousand dollars for instruments and music. We
watched this band grow and lose its crudeness withalmost incredible rapidity, until a year later, when
it visited the Leave Area, it was our joy and pride.
It is sad to record that at the very zenith of popularity,its

history

was saddened by the sudden andtragic death of Sergeant Stevenson, the assistantbandmaster, who fell from a pole at Chambery.
Again the beautiful French spirit was demonstrated
by the populace of the town in a mass of floral
offerings at the funeral of this soldier.
Alwayswith the French it was "Wos fleurs et nos coeurs."
The writer shall always have a peculiar remembrance of the St. Nazaire band, for at the time ofthe signing of the armistice she had succumbed toa serious illness as a result of overexertion. For a
day or two the outer world was rather vague toher consciousness, but she was brought back when
the band passed the house playing with full tone
and complete abandon "Over There." Looking
into the face of her associate she learned that thearmistice had been signed and that this playing
222

1.

Bugler Hamilton White. 2. Band Leader Wm. Bailey. 3. Sgt. Jefferson,
4. St. Nazaire Band.
5. Band of the 802d Pioneer Infantry.
6.
Band of the 803d Pioneer Infantry.

Saxaphonist.

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

A.

E.

F.

was but an incident of the jubilation that had beenin progress for several hours.

The Regimental Band of the 805th Pioneer Infantry was organized very late, but it becamefamous overnight, especially at Chateau Chehery,near Grand Pre. The Regimental Headquarters
were in the famous and beautiful Chateau deChehery, and there the band entertained the French,
British and Americans of high rank who were constant visitors.

The story of the 808th band who had the honorof playing for President Wilson as he sailed homefrom Brest in June, is best told by one of its members

who wrote

Francethisletterwhile they were in:"When they left Camp Meade the watchword was 'Over
There,' and as the band of the dashing 808th Pioneer Infantry played that tuneful strain upon leaving the goodold United States of America, they gave courage and cheer
to the three thousand boys in line, and filled the heartsof wives, sweethearts, mothers and friends with that kindof spirit which wins wars
an unbreakable faith. But
I am to tell you of these boys 'Over There' and I am to
get my story from the spontaneous expression of boys
who just needed a strain of some good old 'rag' orquaint Irish ballad to spur them on to the next town
or a beautiful symphony to lull them off to sleep asthey lay in pain on their cots.
"This band of colored musicians has indeed upheld
the tradition of its race, for their music contributes muchto make the name of the 808th Pioneer Infantry popular
at the front.
To begin with, they are right at the front
few
kilometers behind the line, and althoughabeing onlyin danger of attracting the attention of hostile forces,
15

223

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE A.

E.

F.

they realize that the spirit of the boys must be kept
cheerful and refreshed.
So, often they assemble in awell protected spot and play for the constant line ofkhaki as it moves along the road toward the enemy. And
how those boys enjoy the music only they can tell. But
from the quickened step, the straightened shoulders andthe whistling and singing, one can really feel the refreshing and satisfying effects of the band. When theband stops playing, however, there is no question as tothe appreciation of the music, for from hundreds ofthroats comes the cry, 'Carry On!'

"There is small wonder, though, that these boys havedeveloped into such a well-balanced band, for when one
meets the 'Chief,' as he is familiarly known among his
fellow officers, the reason is easily explained.
With anatural talent for music, the 'Chief combines years of
It was he, Lieutentraining as bandmaster and leader.
ant James E. Wheelock, who brought to the Carlisle
Indian School athletic prowess which struck terror in
the hearts of all followers of the pigskin in the East,and he also developed the Carlisle Indian School band
into one of national repute, so now it is he, realizing thepower of music, who adds his talent and leadership to
the one great end. I must not fail, however, to give due
credit to the boys under his brilliant instruction. Naturally gifted as musicians' and with deep love for it, thesecolored boys have developed into a respected organization, and with a realization of their power, they have unhesitatingly given their services where they might cheersome homesick boy or ease the pain of those sufferingfrom wounds of battle. Transported in trucks throughmud and rain, they have gone miles to play in hospitals
and rest camps, and have brought to our nurses somelittle respite from the constant cry of pain.
"These boys have also developed other features which
bid fair to permit them always to retain a warm spot in
the hearts of the boys of the American Expeditionary
224

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE
Forces.

A.

E.

F.

Could you but hear Terry and Bloxson pull off

their skit entitled 'Sick Call in the

Army' in that dis-

mantled stable which the fellows have the nerve to calla theatre, or could you hear the melodious string quaror a beautiful saxophone solo, or the sweet voicesof the band, you, too, would do as the hundreds of boys
tette,

do who crowd that place every Monday jump to yourLet us thank these boys andfeet crying 'Carry On!'
Lieutenant Wheelock for their unselfish spirit."

Other regiments, combatant and non-combatant,
had their bands that won honor and praise in thesame way as the few did with whom we had personal touch, and then there were great numbers of
In any camp an impromptusingers and shows.
musical program was not far to seek.
But everywhere the music of the colored soldier
was a faithful index of the spirit behind the song.
There might be heard painfully monotonous or
sombre chords but wait a little and the atmosphere would change. There would come creeping
into the music aspiration and elevation.
Alwaysthe psychologist could discern the sorrow, pain andrebellion of souls that suffered unjustly, but always

he would also discern through the exaltation andnobility of the music that its fundamental basis wasfaith and vision.

225

Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of theworld. Matthew 28:20.

226

Religious

Life

Among

the

TroopsA LTHOUGH the church as an organization and-* as the most direct exponent of the Prince ofPeace, had no part in the welfare work during thewar, yet it was the contributing and inspirational
force behind the organizations and individuals whoplayed such an important part in the developing
and the maintaining of the morale of the soldiersof the American Expeditionary Forces. The chaplains were direct, but not official representatives of
the church, while the Y. M. C. A., the Y. W. C. A.,
the Knights of Columbus, the Salvation Army,and the Jewish Welfare Board were direct outgrowths of the church or religious spirit in America and while the great war was apparently a complete and tangible evidence of the failure of Christianity among Christian nations, still there wasabundant manifestation everywhere that within thehearts of men there was a deep and abiding faith in
the great Ruler of the Universe, and a certain conviction that the great world cataclysm was a resultof the dogged and persistent determination of the;peoples engaged therein to ignore the principles
in practice that they had so loudly preached to theworld.

Although to some it was tremendously puzzlingthat a great human machine that had been built up

for the purpose of killing men, should at the sametime set agencies into operation to teach and preachthe doctrines of Christ, yet they were willing to
227

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

A.

E.

F.

overlook the seeming paradox and gather in large
numbers to hear the gospel, to study the Word
itself, to pray, and not least of all, to sing as only
dark-skinned Americans can sing, either the wonderful spirituals that were born of the travail of an
oppressed and bleeding people, or the more stately
hymns and songs that were published in a million
gospel song books that were distributed throughout
the American Expeditionary Forces.

The Y. M. C. A. had a regularly organized reprogram which it put into operation withmore or less success; it secured the services ofligiousDr. Henry Churchill King, President of OberlinCollege, as Director of the Religious Department inFrance. He had offices in Paris, and a large fieldforce to put into operation his plan of carrying thegospel to the soldiers.
Evangelistic singers andtraveledfromspeakers
place to place talking andtothesoldiersassingingthey congregated in theY. M. C. A. huts. There was a religious director
also for every region, who kept in direct touch withthe work of religious secretaries who were supposed
to be stationed at each hut.
The personnel of thewelfarecoloredworkers, however, was so limited

number that there were not enough religious
demand; and there were
only about 50 colored chaplains in the entire
A. E. F.; as a result, all who would were invited
to help in this all-important work of the Y. M. C. A.
insecretaries to supply the

Many of the soldiers were always willing andanxious to assist in every possible way, while someof the Y women gave much time to this phase of228

GROUP OF RELIGIOUS WORKERS
Chaplain R. A. McAllister and Orderly at Camp Pontanezen, Brest.
2. Chaplain M. M. Jefferson, atCamp Lusitania, St. Nazaire. 3. Secretary B. F. Selden and Chaplain George Shippen Stark, on Vosges
Front.
4. Chaplains Wallace and Robeson with 369th
Infantry.
1.

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

A.

E.

F.

welfare work; the writer, with the assistance ofinterested soldiers, organized a Bible class in a hut

where there hitherto had been only one religious
service a week, attended by from 60 to 100 men
out of a camp of 3,500. The Bible class grew andgathered strength until a colored chaplain was
finally stationed at Camp Lusitania, which by thattime had grown to a camp of 9,000.

Some hut secretaries were especially fitted forreligious work, and filled the place of a religious
worker in a splendid manner. Such a man was
Mr. William Stevenson, who initiated and built
the work at Camp Montoir.
Rev. T. A. Griffith,
hut secretary at Camp Guthrie, near St. Nazaire,
was another such messenger of the gospel, and during three months of service had 300 ^accessions tothe church; the names of all such men were enrolled on special blanks supplied by the Y. M.
C. A., and sent to the churches at home of which
they desired to become members. Of course thiswas work such as was to be expected of any minister, but nevertheless there were some who did notavail themselves of the opportunity. Another such
Y. M. C. A. secretary was Mr. E. T. Banks, ofHundreds would go into battle
Dayton, Ohio.

after having followed

him in silent prayer, withknees bent and faces lifted toward heaven, in theland where now "The poppies blow, between therow on row," and where many of them atmoment "Rest sweet and deep, in Flanders

crosses,
thisFields."229

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

A.

E.

F.

In addition to the work done through the Y. M.
C. A. religious workers and chaplains, thousandsof pieces of religious literature were distributed,

including pocket editions of the New Testament,
Psalms, and Gospels. These were placed in literature cases so that the men could select those whichinterested them most, and always the New Testament or small extracts from the Bible would havethe largest circulation.
To those of us who went over to cast our lotswith the boys in khaki, nothing was quite so inspiring and so helpful as to hear them tell of their faithin God, or to give utterance to a prayer that bespoke
the upward groping of a soul, or to hear a thousand
voices, deep and rich and rhythmic, bring heaven
into a sacred and almost visible nearness, with sing-ing that seemed nothing less than a special benediction to a peculiar people. This was a priceless
gift, ina country where all the people spoke a dif-ferent tongue, and where the great organs in thecathedrals welled forth the only language thatbrought forth a gospel message to a stranger in a
strange land.
In the midst of oppression, circumscription,in-trigue, and false and wicked propaganda spreadagainst them by their own countrymen, these colored soldiers fought as bravely as any Americans
overseas, and worked with a greater will; and as
you saw them going to and from their long hoursof labor with a song upon their lips, you became
convinced that these men had unconquerable souls;
and the tramp, tramp, tramp of their marching230

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE A.

E.

F.

feet madeyou feel that surely they were walking
side by side with the Master, who had said unto
them: Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the endof the world.

231

They are embosomed in the sod,
In still and tranquil leisure,Theirlives, they've cast, like trifles

down

To serve their country's pleasure.
Nor bugle call, nor mother's voice,
Nor moody mob's unreason,
Shall break their solace and repose,swiftly changing season.

Throughgraves of men who lived and died
Afar from life's high pleasures,
Fold them in tenderly and warm
With manifold fond measures.

GEORGIA DOUGLAS JOHNSON.

232

Reburying the Dead

CPRINGTIME had come again, but so different
from the spring of that other year. Then thevoices of spring had been deadened by the thunderk./ous guns around Verdun, Soissons, and Chateau
Then those guns with their deep andominous challenge were holding the whole worldin tense and fearful waiting.
Women of every
land were listening with tender yearning and burning anxiety for a word from their heroes on thefields of France.
Men of mature years who had
been a part of the conflicts of other days could
scarce conceal their eagerness for the fray as theyThierry.

gently encouraged

those

anguished

women andcommended their wonderfuland patriotism.

spirit of endurance
It was springtime, but the Crown

Prince still hammered on Verdun, the Hindenburgline was still unbroken and the foe was not yet
hurled back from the Marne in sure defeat. It was
the springtime when late, but with grim determination to win or die, the American Forces had at lasttaken their place in the World Conflict.

was now a part of the past andhad
comeonce again in France. Meanspringtime
time a spirit of change had crept over all the land.
After one tremendous shout for victory the world
had fallen into the silence that follows a supremeBut

all that

the silence of exhaustion, the silence ofstruggledeath.
Many of the thousands who had pressed
233

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE A.

E.

F.

forward in those terrific battles crying "Victory!"
had fallen and lain together under the bleak, dark
It was a period, too, ofof the price paid. But
andrealization
reckoninghad
comeagain in France with its
springtime
andblood-redsong-birds
poppies, and with it thethedead lying en-massequick consciousness thaton the battlefields must be given resting places be-

winter skies of France.

fitting heroes.

Here was a tremendous task for the surviving
American soldiers, but far more sacred than tremendous. Whose would be the hands to gather asbest they could and place beneath the white crossesof honor the remains of those who had sanctified
their spirits through the gift of their lifeblood?

Itwould be a gruesome, repulsive and unhealthfultask, requiring weeks of incessant toil during thelong heavy days of summer. It also meant isolation, for these cemeteries for the American deadwould be erected on or near the battlefields where
the men had fallen. But it would be a wonderfulprivilege the beauty and glory of which would
reveal itself more and more as the facts of the war
should become crystallized into history.
Strange that the value of such a task did notgather full significance in the minds of all American soldiers.
Strange that when other hands refused it, swarthy hands received it! Yet, perhaps,
not so strange, for Providence hath its own way,
and in those American cemeteries in France wehave strong and indisputable evidence of the wonderful devotion and loyalty and the matchless
234

1.

Burial at Sea.
2. Writer's Tent at Romagne Cemetery.
the Ruins of Dunn-sur-Meuse. 4. Belleau Woods.

3.

Among

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

A.

E.

F.

patience and endurance of the colored soldier.
The placing of this task the most sacred of thewhole war in his hands may have been providentiallyplanned.

It

may have been just anothermeans, as against the force of arms, to hasten here
at home the recognition and enforcement of thosefundamental principles that for four long years
had held the world in deadly struggle.
We looked upon these soldiers of ours the
splendid 813th, 815th and 816th Pioneer Regiments and the numerous fine labor battalions as
they constructed the cemeteries at Romagne, Beaumont, Thiencourt, Belleau Woods, Fere-en-TarWe watched them as theydenois and Soissons.

day and night, week after week, throughdrenching rain and parching heat. And yet these
physical ills were as naught compared with thetrials of discriminations and injustices that seared
their souls like hot iron, inflicted as they were ata time when these soldiers were rendering theAmerican army and nation a sacred service.
Always in those days there was fear of mutiny or
rumors of mutiny. We felt most of the time that
we were living close to the edge of a smoldering
crater.
At Belleau Woods the soldiers en-masse
banished some who mistreated them. We recall an
incident at Romagne. Even though it was May thenights were winter cold, so that when one snuggled
toiledbetween army blankets in the tent, it required aThis particular night
we had just retired when shots were heard, fired in
rapid succession. Without thought of the cold we

bit of heroism to crawl out.

235

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

A.

E.

F.

began dressing and were sitting wrapped in cloak
thinking rapidly about what was happening
when someone called, "It is only a fire!" What arelief it was!
What did it matter if the wholeburnedincamp
comparison with our boys being
goaded by prejudice beyond reason! Rations were
often scarce and poor at Romagne because we wereso far from supplies, hence we prepared and served
food for the soldiers all day long. But this was
but a small task compared with that of keeping themen in good spirits and reminding them again andagain of the glory of the work they had in hand.
Always, whether in the little corner set aside in
the Y barracks as our reception room, or among
the books they liked so well to read, whether by
the side of the piano or over the canteen, we were
trying to love them as a mother or a dear one

would into a fuller knowledge and appreciation ofthemselves, their task and the value of forbearance.
We had gone from Romagne women of finespirit had taken our place and were lovingly ministering to the needs of these soldiers, when things
happened too grievous to be calmly borne. At

one stroke down came tents of discrimination andinjustice, but the work there went on and the soldiers completed the difficult task assigned them.
For weeks at Romagne we watched thesemen fare forth with the dawn to find the deadon the 480 square miles of battlefield of the Meuse-At eventide we would see them returnand reverently remove the boxes from the long linesof trucks and place them on the hillside beside the
Argonne.

236

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

A.

E.

F.

waiting trenches that other soldiers had been digging all the long busy day. Far into the night wewould sit in our darkened tent looking out on theelectric-lighted cemetery, watching the men as
Somethey lowered the boxes into the trenches.

times we could hear only a low murmur of voices,and sometimes again there would come to us aplaintive melody in keeping with the night hourand its peculiar task.
Mr. William G. Shepherd, in the

New York

Evening Post, gives the following picture:"As we moved about the battlefield later, we saw inon hillsides, and even in the yards ofwhat had been the houses of French villages, groups offields, in groves,

Negro soldiers at their worthy but infinitely slow taskof calling the roll of our American dead and gathering
them together at the hillside rendezvous of Romagne.

"One of the burning pictures of all this war to me
was a view of these Negro sexton-soldiers working ona hilltop one rainy evening at dusk. They were outlined
gloomy sky. Their huge motor-truck stoodnear by, ready to carry their burden to Romagne.
I
of
the
home
back
in
the
UnitedStateswhere
thisthought
one doughboy's empty chair held its sacred place; of
how the 'home fires,' of which our doughboys had so
often sung, had been kept burning for him.
I thought
against theof

how the heart-love in that home would flash acrossthe Atlantic to this bleak French hilltop faster thanwireless message
"It

if

any

the homefolk only knew.

was good to know that he was being taken fromhis solitary bed, in the midst of the battlefield's desolation, back to the crowd of his buddies at Romagne. This,I saw on the sky-line, was his second mobilization.
Not this time will he sing and romp and play and joke

that

237

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE
and fight;

after his second mobilization at

A.

E.

F.

Romagne hewill just lie still and rest with all the other thousands of
his fellow soldiers, his job well done, until
for us he saved to take him back home."

it

is

time

We have yet another picture. It was the day
before the 30th of May, 1919. Every soldier was
helping to put the Romagne cemetery in readinessfor its dedication by General Pershing on the nextday. Looking out from our little kitchen windowof thebarrack, we saw what seemed to us aYwonderful sight. Two long lines of soldiers were
before us
one moving slowly over the hill andthe other coming up the main roadeach man bearon
his
white
cross
that would
shoulderaingsinglerest above the grave of a fellow-hero.
Quickly
our mind traveled back over the centuries to Him
who had borne the cross toward Golgotha, and we

saw in these dark-skinned sons of America bearing
those white crosses, something of the same humility
and something of the same sorrow that characterized the Master, but we also beheld in them theChrist spirit grown large, beautiful and eternalwith the ages. Behind the vivid picture drawn by
Mr. Shepherd and behind this other picture, one
sees not only the twenty-two thousand homes represented by these crosses at Romagne, but the ten
thousand real Americans, colored men of the Pion-

eer Infantries and labor battalions, who, throughthe sweat of toil, linked that place of sainted pil-grimage on the Western Front with those American
homes.
238

1.

Military Cemetery at Romagne.
2. Bearing the Cross.

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

A.

E.

F.

Our outstanding impression of those faithful
ones who wore the insignia of Alsace-Lorraine istheir strict allegiance to the trust imposed uponthem, with heart and purpose fixed to pay the priceentailed in the completion of their severe task.

Whether they sought their comrades by thewinding Meuse or on the battle-seamed heights of"No Man's Land;" whether they found theirbodies in the shadows of the ruined cathedrals of
Rheims, Soissons or Ypres, always they were making an unconscious challenge to the very heart of
the United States for the rights of the twelve millions of its citizens whose loyalty had thus endured

the test.

May we not hope that as the heart of this homeland finds

its

way to those American shrines inFrance, a real peace, born of knowledge and gratitude, shall descend upon us, blotting out hate andits train of social and civil injustices?
Then shall

we realize the value and meaning of the pain andsacrifice of these16

dark-browned heroes of ours.

239

What are the things that make life bright?

A star gleam in the night.
What hearts us for the coming fray?
The dawn tints of the day.
What helps to speed the weary mile?

A brother's friendly smile.
What turns to gold the evening gray?

A flower beside the way.
PAUL LAURENCE DUNBAR.

240

Stray Days
wereof travelfrom one

of

days
post
THERE
duty to another, and days of recreation thattook us away from the camp for a little but seldomaway from the soldiers themselves. Army restrictions were as numerous and as intricate as thebarbed wire entanglement of the front.
But inspite of limitations, and in some instances becauseof them, we had many novel and interesting experi-

ences in what we called Stray Days.

Waiting, as simple as it seems, could sometimes
be one of the most trying ordeals of a soldier's
life.
This was true of those who reached France inthe heat of the conflict to become in some small way

Arriving in Paris and finding it sorely
thefoe, one immediately became a partpressed bya part of it.

of the anxious throng within

itsgates, with scantdesire for sight-seeing or visits to places of interest during those tense days.
This was especially
if one had known that city when it was all
and light, before the pall of suffering anddread had fallen over it.
Now one preferred to sit in the Garden of theTuilleries, if the bomb and shell of the enemy permitted it. Looking out upon the huge dark formof the Louvre or letting the eyes wander past theremains of the palace to the Place de la Concorde,
it would be most natural that thethoughts or conversation would turn to the long struggle of France
for the attainment of an ideal democracy. Usually

true
life

241

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE A.

E.

F.

the conversation would be with a wounded soldieror sad old civilian of the French who would add
much to our knowledge of his people and theirOr, in those same oppressive days, we
history.

would ride past the palatial residences with theirfast-closed windows, on the Champs Elysees, out tothe Bois de Bologne. Sitting there with face toward
Napoleon's Arc de Triomphe, one would come tounderstand that kingdoms and principalities,builded by selfishness and tyranny, survive but a

Through the gruesome crucible of the Bastilleand guillotine, France had won the democracy that
she was now battling to preserve. The grim insist-day.

ence of this determination could be seen in thewounded men that were ever near us.

But when the French had finally won, life andlight once again filled Paris, and with it the urge
and joy of long days of sight-seeing for the Americans.
Soldiers "on three days' leave" wanted tosee luxurious Versailles whatever else was omitted.
Others preferred Fontainebleau with its stately
palace, or St. Denis with its hundreds of royal
tombs. All wanted to go to the tombs of Lafayette
and Napoleon. One would find the Chapel of theInvalides crowded with soldiers looking down upon
the great sarcophagus of the Emperor, while aman related the history. Now and then as weYlistened, we felt that the shade of the great warrior

might be protestingall

unseen against some ofthese original interpretations of his life.

Aside from the best-known places of interest, one
liked to go out to Pere la Chaise with a group of242

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

A.

E.

F.

men and show them its wonderful beauty, evenshow them the graves of great
scholars and artists of France, even those of its
great lovers like Heloise and Abelard. Often thethough a cemeteryday would be closed with a restful ride on the
Seine, where, somehow, one came into more intimate touch with historical Paris and a keener
understanding of it than from any other point. Thelong dark form of the Louvre; the beautiful Notre
Dame with the nearby Hotel de Ville, and the gold-

domed Hotel des Invalides are among the dominating views of the famous little Seine, and in themis summed up much of the death and resurrectionof a nation. But outside of Paris the footsteps of
the world seemed to turn toward Rheims. Rheims

with

its

far-famed cathedral,allwar-despoiled,became a place of pilgrimage not only for the devoted French, but for the thousands of foreigners

on their soil.

Towering above the ruined city, thecathedral, so rich in artistic value and historicalassociations, stands all shattered and torn. Thirty

Somehow as
years to restore, they told us there!
we looked upon it, standing proudly erect in spiteof its ghastly wounds and piles of wreckage heapedhigh about, it seemed strongly emblematic of its
wonderful people, who even then had begun theherculean task of restoring their villages and towns.
Aside from walking through the ruins to reachthe cathedral and our ride to the fort and battlefield with its never-ending trenches, we have two
distinct memories of our visit to Rheims.
First, it
243

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

A.

E.

F.

was a wonderful way to celebrate the birthday of
one of us; and second, a secret service man, posing
as a Frenchman, completely won our confidence.
Once before in Paris when one of our number hada dinner in honor of the Liberian delegates to thePeace Conference, we found close at our side an
American in faultless evening dress. He quite
amused us by the way he pretended to be engrossedin his dinner and book, while he really gave himA little diplomacy, and his callself to listening.
But at Rheims it was all
ing was discovered.
different.
Sprawled on a bench in real French
attire with wine bottle in hand, this man spoke
It was the hottest day we had
perfect French.
ever experienced in France, so he opened the conversation with questions about the weather in different sections of the United States, thus locating

Then came other questions about coloredpeople, their relations and feelings to their coun-us.

After a while our little party went to purchasepostcards, and when we returned our erstwhile
Frenchman had become an unmistakable American.
He laughingly revealed his identity. Now, per-try.

haps it was the environment, but, at any rate, we
had all stood the test that day of being rather good
Americans; even the "buck" private who accompanied us seemed to have forgotten the many grievances of his kind and spoke with a kind of glow

upon his face of his home in Baltimore. Ourservice man was well pleased with oursecretAmericanism, but we felt rather chagrined that we
had missed so splendid an opportunity to share with244

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

A.

E.

F.

him certain truths about colored folk at home thathe probably had not learned.
Seeing Rheims, one also wished to see the city
by and so closely linked to it for all the
But we had seen Chateau Thierry first. One
Saturday afternoon the two writers were started

so closewar.

from Verdun with "movement orders" for Paris.
But the spirit of adventure was very strong in them.
They were in a region that within a year hadchanged the map of the world and added miraculous pages to history. They were in a sector where
their own men, side by side with the French, had
fought bravely to victory, so that to see it only fromAt
the fast moving train was hardly possible.
Chalons they descended, and so full of their adventure were they that the difficulty of securing suitable lodgings in that city, overcrowded with Amer-ican officers and soldiers, did not disturb them.

Two Frenchmen carrying their baggage, contentedly jogged along with them, now and then offering
The old cathedral, one of the finest
and the old buildings of the city werea suggestion.
in France,well worth the time spent in hunting a place to
Next morning they hurried over to thesleep.

ruined city of Chateau Thierry with its little Marnethat had twice held the world in breathless anxiety.

How glad they were to join there two other Y

women and a Y man who were also out for a dayof recreation!

Already they had found the head-quarters' company of the "813th," and the colonelof that regiment granted the use of two camionsor wagonettes in which they all raced to Belleau
245

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

A.

E.

F.

Woods. There Messrs. Kindal and Parks, with Miss
Thomas and Mrs. Williamson were faithfully serving those companies of the "813th" that werebuilding the cemetery there and of whom we have
There, too, we found Dr. Wilberforce
spoken.
Williams helping the regular staff. Never was adinner served in the properly appointed way eaten
more joyously than the one to which those ten
secretaries sat down that Sunday in Belleau Woods.
It had been gathered from devious sources by thesoldiers of theregiment and brought to theYhut, so that the courses would not have pleased an

However, there were few fragepicurean taste.
ments left from that meal.

We have told about the soldiers at Chateau
Thierry and Fere-en-Tardenois, but we have nottold about our race from one place to the other,about thirty miles, with stops here and there tofind our way, pick up hats and caps blown away,
and to repair the camions.

That night we slept at Epernay and that is still
There, too, we found the city
story.
crowded by Americans. We thought we would sit
in the depot all night, but the sleeping crowd andsteamy atmosphere drove us forth into the clean
We were just endeavoring to drive anight air.
bargain with the owner of a voiture for its use asa sleeping carriage, when a tiny French lady involuminous black bombazine swept us away toanotherher small apartment with its big feather bed. The
next day, having satisfied for the time our desire
246

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

A.

E.

F.

sight-seeing, we most demurely handed in"movement orders" at the Paris office.
During the war Epernay, like Bar-le-Duc andChalons, was always just on the rim of that gulfof fire and smoke that swept Eastern France. Forforthe most part these cities escaped with only anugly scar here and there. Verdun saved them, forcould the Crown. Prince but have realized his

dream, they, too, would have been as Soissons,Rheims and Chateau Thierry, mere heaps of ruins.
There were other trips over battlefields andthrough their tunnels that most of those who went
But it wasaway from the beaten paths of travelers, and especially along the west coast of France, that these
Stray Days afforded us the greatest pleasure. At
St. Nazaire there were days when we would leave
to France had the privilege of making.

the noise of the camp and wander down long shadyroads, by high stone walls that hid from view beautiful cottages and gardens, down steep inclines tothe sea, stepping from boulder to boulder till wewould be far out. Then we would rest with thebreeze full of the salt of the sea blowing about us.
Sometimes we would talk of home and loved ones

over there in the west, sometimes of our work, but
oftener we would be silent.

Looking up we mightsee a khaki-clad form high above that would comedown to us at a frightfully rapid pace. There
were lovely moonlight nights when we would standby the sea-wall on the ocean boulevard and watch
the transports that so often filled the harbor, rest-

ing on the glistening waves.
247

But there were otherTWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

A.

E.

F.

nights when, clad in storm raiment, we enjoyedequally as well seeing the great waves dash over

the walland across the boulevardin turbulent

anger.

Now and then there would be a whole day inwhich we could leave the camp entirely. Then we
could go to one of the many little seaside resorts
about usPornichet, for instance, with its great
stretch of white beach, quaint and quiet inns andtempting sea food. There one would go to sleep
with the roar of the waves in the ears and the saltof the sea filling the atmosphere.

Now and then there would be need of supplies
for our hut that the local magasins or shops could
not supply, and it would afford a chance for a shop-

ping expedition to the quaint and historical old
Once there we would spend mostcity, of Nantes.
of the day in the crowded but wonderfully attractive shops. Then we would seek for a voiture witha versatile and talkative owner who would show
us the points of interest in the old town that had
known so much of persecution and despotism. The
river Loire, now filled with supplies for the army,
was once filled with barges in which hundreds ofhuman souls were drowned. Nantes was one of theimportant war bases, and was always crowded byAmericans.
Another outing took us to Vannes on the Brittany
coast, one of the oldest towns of France. In Celtic
times it was the capital of Venetis and it takes thehonor of giving Venice its name as well as colonizBecause its inhabitants resisted
ing the Adriatic.
248

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

A.

E.

F.

Caesar with so much vigor he said of them "theyhave bodies of iron and hearts of steel." Looking
at the every-day life of those inhabitants of the
Brittany coast, one feels that time has brought few

changes in conditions and customs. The men driving their cows and sheep on market day, the womenand children riding in the carts or walking about
the towns, all in the native costume of their class,close the door on the present and, for a time, makeone a part of the past. Its old stone gateways andits old squares and old passages and morethan all else, its old men and women with theirclattering wooden shoes, reveal how little the outerworld has penetrated to that ancient spot.
A half day only left for Vannes, and Carnac

courts,with its Druid Stones almost thirty kilometres away!
How was it to be done? We could not miss seeing
such a wonder. There was but one way, and wellfor us that we did not know then all the army regulations or we would have missed this place now

engraven in our memory. But we did not know,
so we did the one thing possible, hired an automobile with chauffeur both French and sped to
Carnac. It is neither beautiful nor ugly, but it iswonderful to see hundreds of gray stones risingSo
skyward out of the heather-covered fields.
regular the rows, so silent the surroundings that
one can almost believe the legend that makes theman army turned to stone. There is much of tradition and history in all of this part of Brittany.

Finnistere offered many advantages for outings
with the great military port of Brest as the starting249

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

A.

E.

F.

To be in Brest in winter was to feel the

point.

gloom andchill

penetratingof

England withthe addition during the war period of mud every-

where earth ground into sinking mire such as
only vast and constant movements of men andmachinery could produce. It was the greatest portof the war, and men were always there by thethousands. We climbed high above the city one
winter evening to visit the men at Camp Lincoln.
night we saw
shadows made by
the flickering candles.
Months later we spokebutinaagain,
well-lighted auditorium that
had been built for the men as the result of thepersistent and successful efforts of Secretary
Cansler and his associates. Brest itself is full ofhistoric interest, beginning with the sombre Chateau
and its dungeons. But all around it are picturesquespots that lure one away from the town in summer
One Saturday four Y women and twelvedays.
soldiers went by automobile north from Brest about
twelve miles and reached the remote village of St.
Mathieu.
They were then at the most westerlyontheContinent, named by the natives "Locpoint
Mazi pen ar Bed," or the cell of St. Mathieu at theend of the earth. But the most important thing

As

their

we

to

spoke

faces

out

them

of

that

the

there is the ruins of a great monastery constructedin the sixth century. It was bombarded first by the

English and again during the French Revolution.
On all the Continent we had seen nothing morepicturesque than that great roofless monastery with
Coveredits cloisters and pretty Gothic windows.
250

1.

Down by the

house

off

Chamonix.

the6.

Sea in France.
Coast of Brittany.

An

old

gateway

Yerdu:;.

9.

Devastated Rheims.
3. A LightThe Druid Stones at Carnac. 5.
Verdun.
7.
Chateau Thierry.
8.
Ancient Yannes.
2.

4.

at

.

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

A.

E.

F.

with moss and ivy, it stood a monument to themonastic order of its day.
Nearby was a lighthouse and all about us were mines, for the village
held a strategic position at the entrance to theEnglish Channel. Beneath the sea-wall was a submarine passage that had had its uses in other wars

From there we rode on
Conquet, a typical little fishing village of thenorth coast. We ate dinner in a big old room jutting far out on the sea, where the mist fell about
us like rain.
as well as in the last one.

to

How in the memory of thousands of doughboys
and welfare workers lingers the picture of Lyons!
With its lovely bridges, parks and boulevards, withits

great Cathedrale de Fourviere perched highit, more than any other place it was theabove"City Beautiful" for the men who rested there enroute to southern France.
It was with Dijon,
beautifulcampinbeyond compare, after the barren oflife.

There were days in Southern France where,
addition to the interesting outings that wereever a part of the regular program, we made otherjourneys. Some of our number traveled to Grenoble
and to beautiful Nice on the Mediterranean, others

went over those picturesque parts that border Spainand some stood by Lake Geneva and spent a nightat lovely Chamonix under the shadow of Mont
Blanc, marveling at its stupendous beauty. There
were vales and grottoes, lakes and mountains towhich we went, but there was always the soldier
251

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

A.

E.

F.

and one used these Stray Days largely to gather
new strength, new vigor for the important task backin the Y hut. One might go many miles away fromcamp life, but the vision of those thousands ofvirile lads with soul and body steeled for the hour

could not be lost and always sent one back to themwith an eager longing to serve better than before.

252

Afterthought
adherence

WE

verilythe rockupon which the colored people of Amer-

believethat

consistent

to the teachings of the Prince of Peace,

ica

is

must build the superstructure of their civiliza-tion for all their future.

It offers

the only suresolution for their many difficulties, although it mustbe accompanied by righteous and indignant protest

against injustice.

Some were not anxious for the colored soldier
to take a part in the great World War.
They feltthat it would be a needless sacrifice for somethingthatwould bring no tangible

results

by way ofalleviating his present condition; others felt that
if he offered his life upon the altar for the principles of a new freedom, the remaining shackles
that have so long bound him would be wholly

broken.
Neither were correct; for while the shackles havenot been wholly removed from his body there havebeen wonderful results accomplished that have insome measure removed the fetters from his soul.

Approximately 150,000

soldiers,

officers

andmen went to France to represent the colored race inMany of them were brigaded with the
French, while other thousands had a contact andassociation with this people which resulted in bringing for the entire number a broader view of life;
they caught the vision of a freedom that gave themnew hope and a new inspiration.
America.

253

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE
Some of them

A.

E.

F.

received the rudiments of an

education through direct instruction; a thing thatwould not have come to them in all the years of alifetime at home, while many hundreds had theopportunity of traveling through the flowering
fields of acountry long famed for its love of thebeautiful, and seeing

its

wonderful monuments,

cathedrals, art galleries, palaces, chateaux, etc.,that represent the highest attainment in the world ofarchitecture and art.

They looked upon the relics

left by a people long gone, and saw the picturesque-ness of a great and wonderful country, as they took
their

way from the port cities to the front line

trenches, or to the towering Alps, or through thefarms and villages of a quaint and thrifty people.

And while they traveled they learned that there
is a fair-skinned people in the world who believein the equality of races, and who practice what they
believe.

In addition to this they had an opportunity ofmaking a record for themselves that will be in nowise hidden from the generations of the future; aproud record of which the Frenchman took note,and for which he will give them due credit in thetrue history of the Great World War.

They also had an opportunity to give the trutha hearing before the Court of Justice of the civilized world; the truth with regard to their conduct,
their mental capacity, their God-given talents, andtheir ability for the leadership of men and theaccomplishment of results that were a credit to254

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE

A.

E.

F.

themselves and to the nation which they represented.

All of these things were quite enough to offset

whatever came to them of hardship and sacrifice,of war and suffering, of mean prejudice and subtle
propaganda, of misrepresentation and glaring injustice.

They have a right to have a wonderful hope for
Nothing but the Hand of Providence
could have guided them into a great world maelstrom and brought them out with such wonderful
Their future endeavorand satisfying results.
should be to a greater extent than ever before along
the line of demonstrating to the world their ability
to follow that Providence more closely and witha greater faith; to become to the world a living
example that the principles of Christianity can beapplied with greater and increasing success toevery-day life; and to blaze a pathway for themselves whose brightness and beauty will make aplea so eloquent that the ancient doctrine of theBrotherhood of Man will finally become the chief
cornerstone of our Democracy.
the future.

1.

NOTES AND EXPLANATIONS
A riot between colored troops and the citizens of

Houston resulted in 13 colored soldiers being condemnedto death.
As a consequence the Des Moines Officers'
Training School had its term lengthened by one month,making the necessary time for obtaining a commission,
four months instead of three; believing they were to be
17

255

TWO COLORED WOMEN WITH THE
denied commissions altogether,went home.
2.

City,
3.

A.

E.

F.

many of the candidates

See Crisis Magazine, 70 Fifth Avenue,
Page 19, issue of May, 1919.

New York

From official record taken by soldier who was in

Brest at the time.
4.

See Crisis, May, 1919, Pages 16 and 17.

5.

A term of contempt used in referring to the Frenchpeople.
6.

From report of supervisor of instruction for coloredsoldiers in France.

ABBREVIATIONS.
S. 0. S.

gaged

Service of Supplies.

Referred tomen en-in getting supplies of food and ammunition to thetroops.
A. P. 0.

Army Post Office. The post offices were
known by numbers so that names of towns giving location of troops would not be placed on paper.

A. E. F. American Expeditionary Force or Forces.
Both terms were used, and referred to troops, welfare
workers, etc., serving overseas.
Orders issued from general
G. 0. General Orders.
army headquarters.
Del.
Detached.

M. P.
F. A.

Military Police.
Field Artillery.

C. 0.

Commanding Officer.

t).

I.

Divisional Infantry.

R.

I.

U.

S.

I.

D.

Infantry Division.

Reserved Infantry United States.

256

INDEX
A. and M. College, Tallahassee,
205
Fla
A. and T. College, Greensboro,
205
N. C
Aix-les-Bains
20, 159, 162, 164
84
Alexander, Capt
84
Allen, Capt
Allied Women, Conference of.. 219
84
Alston, Elaine, Lieut
American Library Association.. 213.Opp. 84
Andrews, William, Lieut
179
Anderson, William
Antioch Farm
80,83
Forest25,90,109
ArgonneEmmett, Sgt.
Armistead,
J.
127
Maj
106
Armstrong, Sgt
212
Candidate
SchoolArmy.

Artillery

149

Officers ofRegiments, 167thAtlanta University

62,63,212

Brown, N. Fairfax, Phr.D...152, 154
Browning, Osceola A., Lieut. .83, 84
Bullock, Mr.,23, 25, Opp. 26,169,179

Camps, American
Des Moines
FunstonJackson ..'.
StuartTaylorCamps, French
Ancona, See Bbrdeaux
Guthrie, See St. Nazaire
Lincoln, See Brest
Montoir, See St. Nazaire
One, see St. Nazaire
Pontanezen, See Brest
Romagne ..131,153,218,214,221
Carlisle

Carnac.

Bordeaux

15,97,100,137
208
Camp Ancona
Bordeaux, University of... 211, 212
Boutte, Matthew, Capt.
57, 58, 59, 60, 61, Opp. 58
Brest20, 97, 98, 99, 100, 138, 155, 182,
209, 214, 219, 221, 223, 250.

Camp Lincoln
Camp Pontanezen,

35,219,250

22, 35, 38, 52, 128, 155, 192, 214
Brewington, Everett, Sgt.,
130, Opp. 210, 211

44112,116
88
116
90
128

Sherman145

219
Europe's BandSaint Nazaire Band... .Of p. 222
802 P. I. Reg. Band... .Opp. 222
803 P. I. Reg. Band... .Opp. 222
805 P. I. Reg. Band... .Opp. 223
808 P. I. Reg. Band... .Opp. 223
815 P. I. Reg. Band... .Opp. 218
106
Banks, Sgt
Banks, E. T
Opp. 25, 26, 229
Barnett, Leonard, Sgt.,
116, Opp. 210, 211
Bayles, Sgt
Opp. 122
115
Beall, Jeremiah, Lieut.-Col
83
Belgian Border
Belleau Woods
153,246
Beaune, University of .205, 206, 210
Black Madonna
178
Black Regiment75
Blackwell, Sgt
Opp. 128
Blodelsheim
73
217"Blues"106
Blue, Sgt
Bois de Mortier
80,81,82
81
Bois d'Oiry
75
Boker, George Henry

125

Sgt

Burwell,

221
Bailey, Sgt. Maj
Bailey, Wm., Band Leader. Opp. 222
45
Ballou, Maj. Gen.

Bands

152

Miss

Bruce,

Carr,

IndianSchool

Sgt

232
249
Opp. 122

Cemeteries

235
235
235
235
235
Thiencourt
235
Romagne
Challes-les-Eaux.152, 162, 167, 214
152,162,166
Chambery
26,89,90
Champagne Offensive
82
Chantmd Farm
Opp. 128
Chapman, Sgt
223
Chateau Chehery
Chateau Thierry
108,153,245
Chaumont
152,154,162
85
Cheatham, Lieut
Cherry, D. K., Capt. .Opp. 206, 211
152,154
Childs, Mrs
Chisholm, Frank L., Lieut... Opp. 58

Beaumont

Belleau Woods
Fere-en-Tardenois
Soissons.

Citations

80
72
4
73
89

Murphy, Lieut

Red HandDivision

White, Maj
369 Reg. Inf.
371 Reg. Inf
372 Reg. Inf
802 P. 1
805 P. 1
807 P. 1
Clark,

91
127
114
113,
120
106
145

Sgt

Clark University
Clayton, Thomas
205,208
134
Clifford, Mrs. Carrie
Clifford, J. Williams, Lieut. Opp. 58
Clifford, Maurice, Sgt.-Maj.... 123
19
Cockett, Dr
13
Coffin, Henry S., Dr
Coleman, Sgt
Opp. 122
35
Colored "Y" Huts, List of
Cook, H.
25, Opp. 26W

INDEX
219
Opp. 128
Opp. 26, 1 52
84

Cooper, Opal
Coverdale, Sgt.-Maj
Craigwell,Mrs

Crawford, Capt
Crawford, Miss
Croix de Guerre,

19

51, 54, 62, 71, 74, 80, 81, 83, 84,
93, 196.
J. C
Opp. 28, 33
Crutcher, W.
205, Opp. 206

Croom,

H

Curtis, Mrs. James L.,
136, 152, 153,154,161,162

Dabney, Lieut

54

Opp. 58

Daly, Victor R., LieutDavidson, LieutDavidson, Cornelius

54
123
90
62
124

Dead Man's Hill
Dean, Milton, Maj
Dickinson, Jay
Discrimination,
In America

Knights ofContinued
Opp. 122

Freeman, Sgt
French Hospitality
French Troops

85, 187, 197

9th Army Corps, 4th Army 89
13th French Army Corps.. 88, 90
90
35th French Division
63d French Division
90
68th French Division
88
157th French Division90
333d French Infantry
89
1
52
Miss
Garbon,German Propaganda
53
212
Clarence
Glead,
Godman, Leroy, Capt
48, 61
212
Gondrecourt
85
Gordon, Lieut
Gould, Ernest M., Lieut
Opp. 58

Gouraud, Gen
Gowdy, Sgt

71

Opp. 128, 129
82

Grandlup
42

Columbus

31

23, 29, 30, 43, 46, 55, 57, 59, 102,
185, 186, 188, 189.

Propaganda

103,125,185
26, 27, 28, 138

32

Distinguished Service Cross,83, 84, 196

DivisionsMM.
45, 48, 52, 61, 86, 112, 188, 211,
212.

93d
196
106
Dogan, Sgt
U.
S.
Sgt.-Maj.,
Donaldson,
128, Opp. 210, 211
209
Douglass, Dr. H. Paul
Drye, Frank L., Lieut
Opp. 58

Du Bois, W. E. B

136

Dunbar, Paul Lawrence. 95, 110, 240
Duncan, Lieut.-Col
80, 83, 84
106,179
Dunn, Henry, Sgt
Edwards, Miss
Opp. 26, 152, 154
128
Opp. 92
108
Engineers
109
37th
505th
108
546th
108,109
Epernay
246, 247
Europe, James Reese. 69, 74, 218, 220
Evans, Miss
152,154
209
Farmer's Institute106
Farrell, Sgt
Ferguson, Rev. D. Leroy.33, 139,203
Ferine la Riviere
80
Fields, Milton F.
Opp. 210, 212
Chas.
Filmore,W., Capt.,
69, Opp. 70, 74
Fisk University
58
Frederick Douglass Home
153
Eggleston, Sgt.-Maj
Ellis, Wadley, Sgt

Sgt
Rev. T.

129

A

D'Hossus
Gwynne, Capt
Hagan, Miss Helen.

29,229Cue,

Official,

Y. M. C. A
Y. W. C. A

Griffin,
Griffith,

Hall,

. .

Capt.
Institute

HamptonHardy, Sgt. Maj
Harris, Miss
HarrisonHaute Marne
Haute Soane
Hayward, Wm., Col

83
89.Opp. 26, 153
84
145
Opp. 128
20
129
184
52

69

Hill 304
Hill, Leslie

Pinckney
Hindenburg Line

90
216
81

203
89
112,145

Hodges, Chaplain
Holitz 1'Eveque
Howard University
Hubert, Benj. F.,

204, 205, 206, Opp. 206

113,115
Humphrey, C. B., Col
Hunton, Benjamin H.. .54, Opp. 58
85
Kurd, Lieut
200

Illiteracy

Influenza

150

Is-Sur-Tille
Jackson, First Lieut

208
85

Jackson, Second Lieut
Jackson, George W.,

85

205, 207, Opp. 206
129
James
94
Jamison, Roscoe C
Jefferson, Sgt, Saxaphonist,
Opp. 222\
Jefferson, M. M., Chaplain,203, Opp. 228
183
Jenkins, L. C., Rev
89
Jenkins, Matthew, Sgt
Jeton, Sgt
Opp. 128, 129

Jewish Welfare Board
Johnson, Charles A
Johnson, Georgia Douglass,

227
212

8,111,158,232

INDEX
Opp. 70, 71
Johnson, Henry
Johnson, James Weldon ....13,107
212
Johnson, Oscar S
123
Johnson, Warwick
106
Jones, Sgt
250
Kansler, Fritz
180,246
Kindal, Mr
228
King, Henry Churchill
22,31,227
Knights of Columbus
213
La Cortrine

Labor Battalions,97, 98, 99, 149, 155, 235105332d Labor Battalion
105
339th Labor Battalion
105
608th Labor Battalion
Lacy, George W., Lieut. .. 69, 74, 84
85
Laon
La Mans
152,154,155
Leave Area,
153, 154, 159, 162, 180, 1868536

Lee, Lieut
Lee, B. F., Jr

71

Legion d'Hqnneur
Lincoln University
Long, Sgt.-Maj

LorgnyMcAllister,

R.

A.,

123

Opp. 122
83
Chap.. .Opp. 228

McCook, Miss Martha
McCoomer, Rev
McKenzie, Mr

19

203
212

Marriott,Sgt.-Maj.,
116, Opp. 210, 212
Marseilles
97, 99, 100, 1 52
Marshall, Napoleon B'., Capt.,
69, Opp. 70, 74

19
Mead, Mrs. Elsie
Mead, Oliver, Band Master. Opp. 28

Medical Officers, 370th Inf.
Antoine, Geo. W., Lieut

83
83
Bacote, Ruf us, Lieut
Ballard, Claudius, Lieut. .83, 85
Dickinson, Spencer, Capt. ... 83.

Lawson, James F., Lieut. ... 83
83
Lewis, Leonard W., Capt
83
Roe, Lieut
Lieut
83,84
Tancil,White, James R., Maj
83,84
Metz
90,99
212
Mitchell, J.
116
Mobilization, Rapid
Monroe, Charles F., Sgt
Opp. 92
R
135
Moore, Fred
180
Moore, Carrie W., Lieut
Moran, James L
Opp. 210, 212
93
Moreau, Vice- Admiral
Morehouse College
145
54
Morris, Capt
136
Morton, R. R., Mai
80
Murphy, G. M., Lieut
Nantes191
National Association of Colored
Women
153
National Guard Organization.
88
Nelson, William. .204, 211, Opp. 206

W.

Continued

Nichols,Franklin O.,

Opp. 28, 139, 204, 205, 20685
205

Norvell, Lieut
Oberlin College
Ohio University

Owens,

Mr

Pack,

Kenneth,127

Opp. 26
127
85

Sgt

Painter, Lieut
Patton, Capt
Paris
Parks, Mr
Pershing, Gen
Phelps, Miss
Pioneer Infantries
Poincare, Pres. and81,82,84
16, 17, 241, 242

180,246
55, 154, 221

Opp. 26, 1 52
155HMadam,
219,220

Powell, Electrician
Powers, Walter, Sgt.,

106

116, Opp. 210, 210

Prairie View Normal School... 112
85
Price, Lieut
Price, Walter
Opp. 28

Proctor, George F., Lieut. .Opp. 84
84
Prout, Capt.

Regiments
112
8th Illinois
15th New York96,112,221
301st
205
367th (Buffaloes) N. Y. ...96,52

368th
369th
370th,

25,48
25,69
111.,

96, 77, 78, 79, 83, 85, 86, 212

371st

112,25,88,90
112,88,90,93

372d

127

801st P. 1
802d P. 1
803d P. I,
804th P. 1
805th P. I.,

116, 126
127, 128

221

112,113,114, 115,116,222
806th P. 1
116,130,154
807th P. 1
149,218,219
808th P. 1
123,223809th P. 1
122,149
130
811th P. 1
813th P. I. 124, 132, 235, 245, 246
130814th P. 1
815th P. 1
116,132,221,235
816th P. 1
116,132,221,235
Reid, D. Lincoln, Lieut. .69, 74, 85
88
Rembercourt-aux-Port
243
Rheims20
Ridgewayt Susan
191
Rioting
Roach, Reese, Sgt
Opp. 128
Roberts, Maj
30, 36
Roberts, Needham
Opp. 70, 71
149
Roberts, Spencer, Sgt
80, 84Roberts, T. A., Col
226
Robeson, Chaplain
Opp.
85
Robinson, Lieut
Rochon, Miss
Opp. 26, 152, 15440
Roosevelt, Theodore.

INDEX

Continued
92d Division from Maj. -Gen.

Roosevelt, Mrs. Theodore, Jr.,

203
166
19

Sachs, Ella
Sadler, Mr
Saint Nazaire,

32,

146,

139,

152,162229

59th D i v
Vincendon,
French Army
371st and 372d Inf., from

148,

149,

200, 202,Saint PierremontSaint Sulpice
Salvation Army
Saunders, Chester,
Savoie

S.

O.

Shaw,

83
137
32, 227

Capt

Emmett81, 84160, 163

136
180
Opp. 228

Mr
F(Service of Supplies)
Sector 96, 99, 100

S.

20

Miss

85
237
Shepherd, Wm. G
211
Sheppard, J. Douglass. Opp. 210,64
Sherburne, Brig.-Gen
129
Sheridan179
Shockley, Mr
Sierre River
83
Signal Corps Battalion, 325th.. 212
19
Slade, Mrs. F. Louis12
Sloane,106
Smith, Henry
82,84
Smith, James H., Capt
Shelton,Col.

.

104, 138, 139, 146,205

Scroggins,
Selden, B.

Wm

Songs
Shovel Song109
There's a Long, Long Trail.. 218
114
Spalding, G. R., Col
180
Spingarn, Arthur, Capt
Stark, George Shippen, Chap.,
228
Opp.
State
College,Orangeburg,
S. C
204
Stevedores
97, 98, 99, 149
222
Stevenson, Sgt
Stevenson, Wm.,
Opp. 16, 34, 139, 168, 169, 179, 224
82
Stokes, Maj
203
Stokes, Pvt
58
Straight University
Suarez, Miss
Opp. 26, 152, 155

B

153

106
129
TaylorTestimonials
Colored Troops and Workers

from Mayor of
Eaux

and 372d
Gen. Goybet
Thomas, Miss
Tisdell, Lieut
Toney, Sgt
Turner, Miss
371st

86

from

Inf.,

92
152,153,24685
127Opp. 26, 1 52
Tuskegee Institute. 112, 145, 204, 205

W.

Tyler, Sgt.-Maj.,

VannesW

124

185,213,248
83

Yauxillion

Verdun90, 245

Verriere,
Virginia Union University,

....

89

123, 127, 145

218

Vodrey, Lieut
Vosges Mts
Wallace, Chaplain

90

Opp. 228
24,26

Wallace, W. S
Ward, Sgt
Ward, Joseph, Maj
Warfield, Lieut

106
62
85
84
129
179
128

Warner, CapL
Washington, Sgt

Watkins, Mr
Watkins, Sgt.-Maj
20,155
Watson, Miss
224
Wheelock, James E., LieutWhite, Hamilton, Bugler. .Opp. 222
White Soldiers
150,161,162
Whiting, Joseph L.205, 207, Opp. 206
101
Wilcox, Ella Wheeler
Wilkinson, Charles S
106,212
129
Williams
152
Williams, Mrs
124
Williams, Sgt.-Maj
Williams, Hugo A., Lieut.. .Opp. 84
Williams, Ray, Sgt
Opp. 92
212
Williams, Thomas
246
Williams, Dr. Wilberforce
Williamson, Mrs.
152,153,246
223
President
Wilson,192
Woolcott, Alexander
106
Wright, Charles
Wright, John C.,.

139, 140, 159,

149, 204, 205, 206,

Opp. 206.

Young, Charles, Col
Young, Ulysses, Sgt.,

43,44131, Opp. 210,212

Challes-les-Offerings frompeople of Chambery

Funeral85

91

Quillet

Lieut

Talbert, Mary
Tapscott, Sgt

65.

139, 149, 207, 229
Camp MontoirCamp One (Hut 5),

Scott,

68

from

Carpenter
370th Infantry from French
People370th
from Gen.
Infantry

203, 214.
.

from

Col.

70, 98, 100, 184, 191, 209, 214

Camp GuthrieCamp Lusitania,

68

Ballou167th Field Artillery
Brig.-Gen. Sherburne
351st
Field
Artillery

19,219,220
Rosenwald, Julius
Rousseau, Jean Jacques

173

Y. M. C. A. Headquarters,

222

Y.

the

W. C. A

Opp. 16,16.26
227A000 131 207