Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1870-07-26
THECoLoRED BOY at WEST POINT


The following letter from J. W..
Smith, the colored cadet at West
Point, to his home folks at Hartford,
certainly makes out pretty hard
times for that young pioneer:
WEST POINT, June %, 1870.-Dear
Frjend.-Your kind letter should
have been answered long ere this,
but really / have been SO harassed
with examination and the insults and
ill-treatment Of these cadets, that /
could not write or do snything else
scarcely. / passed the examination
all right and got in, but my compan-
ion Howard failed and was rejected.
Since he went away | have been
lonely indeed. And now these fell
lows appear to be trying their utmost
to run me of, and ] fear they will
succeed if they continue as they have
begun. We went into camp yester-
day, and not q moment has passed
since then but some Of them has been
cursing and abusing me. All night
they were around my tent, cursing
and swearing at me 80 that | did not
sleep two hours all night. IL is just
the same at the table, and what get
to eat / must snatch for like dog.
! don't like to resign if / cen get
along at all but | don't think it will
be best for me to stay and take all
the abuses and insults that are heap
ed upon me. The examination was
very hard this year-harder than
ever beforehand since / have been
successful in getting in 1 will stay as
long as l possibly can. One OF the
cadets refused to drill the squad be-
cause l was in it, and they reduced
him from corporal to private for
disobedience of orders, and they are
all mad about that. The one who
drills the squad now is the meanest
specimen of humanity | ever saw.
After marching us out to the drill
ground this morning he said to me,
"Stand off one side from the line, you
4 id black son of q -. You are
teo near that white man. | want
/ you to remember you are not on an
equal footing with the white men in
your class, and what you learn here
you will have to pick up, for won't
teach you id thing" And thus
he kept me standing until the cap
tain came around Inspecting when he
pretended that he put me there to
teach me new movement which ]
had never practiced sS4tore. ANA l
could say nothing at all, or woalo
have been locked up for disobedie.. &c
OF orders or disrespect to superior
officers" If it ever happens again I
shall deny it TO his face and then re-
sign.
II complain of their conduct to
the commandment / must prove the
charges or nothing can be done: and
where am L to find one in SO many
to testify in my behalf! If this az
ternoon's drill is conducted as this
mornings was, you need not be as
tonished at hearing that [ have re-
signed. | have borne insult upon
insult until | am completely worn
out. | have written II plenty of bad
news, and | wish | had some good
news for you, but alas it seems to be
getting worse and worse. forgot
to tell you that out of eighty-six
appolntees only thirty-nine passed
the examination. They had prepar-
ed it to fix the colored candidates
but it proved most disastrous to the |
whites. ! hope you are all we'll at
homo. saw o very fine article re-
lating 20 me in the Hartford Courant
and feel very grateful tie Mr.. Cap |
ron for his kind words CONCERNING
me. | hope my brightest hopes will |
be realized, but doubt if they ever
will be here.
Give my kind regards to all, and
write soon to your much benefited
and thankful servant,
j. w. SMITH.
p. S.-There were ninety-one ap-
pointees; five failed physically, forty |
seven failed mentally, leaving thirty
nine admitted.