The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-07-03
THE NEGRO REGIMENTS.
SOLDIERS OF THE VERY FIRST
Glass FOUND IN THEM.

N"hiNiee OF the Negro Troops Proved In
Hnttlos with Indihns-Fiercn YeiIs and RHu-
e'eal Cnlls-The Negro Soldiers Mt the Pests.
WASHINGTON, July o.-The four black resi.
ments In the United StAtos Army are the
Twenty fourth and Twenty. fifth Infantry and
tho Ninth and Tenth Cavalry, and they are In
the main composed Of soldiers Of the very FIRST
GLASS. All four have been in the thick of the
worst OF the lndiancampaigns for more than two
decades, and they have all been under savage
fre time and time again. Not a man of them,
horse or foot, has over been known to finch
under the most calling fire. No colored soldier
has been court.nartialled for cowardice since
tho black regiments were mustered in, and tho
war department records show many acts Of re.
markable nerve, courage, and quick thinking
on the part OF individual soldiers OF the black
outfits in tight places. Tho colored soldier
rarely deserts. Tho proportionate number OF
assertions is only about onc.half as great among
the black as among the white soldiers. More.
over, when n black soldier does make mp his
mind to desert, he does the job in style. 1t was a
black regular army soldier who jumped his out.
fit in heavy marching order shortly after re.
treat. He walked cut of the gate with his over
coat, blanket. havcrsack, knNpsack, tin cup,
knife, fork, md plate, and his carbino, revolver,
sabre. and belt, and he may be going yet for all
anybody knows TO the contrary.
In action the black soldiers are surely most
efficient. The Sioux Indians perhaps apprc-
ciate this fact better than any other enemy tho
colorcd troops have fought against. Tho
charge made by half II dozen, troops, Of colorcd
cavalry during the Pine Ridge row is talked
about by the OgalallR bucks yet. The Indians
on this occasion were drawn up In n solid fight
ing phalanx, armed to the limit, and spelling for
fight. Their attitude was practically IA challenge
to the whole United States Army to come on and
rOuf them The hlarl. sol6iera nbOuf 2OO In
number, were chosen to make the initial charge
upon the painted braves, and when they got
within 200 yards OF tho Indians the bucks be.
gan to mako cracks in the atmosphere with
their shouts Of dismay. They turned tail and
scampered like 30 many jackrabbits before tho
black troopers had SO much as fired n blank
from II carbinc. II was the terrific whooping
Of the black troopers that scared those Sioux.
From the very trumpet call to charge, a mile
away from the drawn-up body of braves, tho
colored troopers began their shouts. ANY man
who has ever heard even twenty black soldiers
whooping in chorus can readily imagine the
effect produced by the united yelplng Of 300 of
them together.
A white officer VINO was in that cha rye said
afterward that he wouldn't care to hear such
yelping again. 1t was too savage and hair
raising for comfort. He feared at first that
the blacks had become insane in q bunch under
the strain OF Une SITUATION and that they might
gallop amuck before the Indians phalanx was
reached and begin to hack away at one an.
other and their officers. But they weren't in
sane, and they were not running amuck. When
they saw the Indians starting TO take to their
heels tho black troopers drew up quickly,
dropped their brides, and roared with laughter.
They held their sides and howled with delight.
Some of them were so ticklcd that they rolled
off their horses and wallowed in mirth on the
plain. To yell like iiends is just u little way
black soldiers have when they go into action,
and the effect Of this yelling upon savage enc
mics has always been extraordinary.
An Indian takes 1t that a black man is a sort
OF devil, anyhow, and 1t Is q well-known fact
of a black soldier. 1t is for this reason that the
colored troops, are SO often selected to guard
blacks have a direct, out.of- hand fashion of
handling the Indians that produces results.
much tirmer a hold the colored soldiers have
over Indians than the white soldiers, When
the Sez Perez: tribe was rounded up back of
tire United States Army to accomplish the job
the bucks were, moro than ordinarily ugly, and
they treated the commands of tho white en-.
listed men and OF the officers, too, with silent
contempt, Then a couple Of companies of
way the black douRhhoys made the big Nez
pcrcc bucks. hump themselves was genuinely
funny. a big minor chief was sitting outside
his tcpee one afternoon, enjoying the autumn
sunshine. stretched out. a picture of laziness.
His squaw came out of the tepee, and the In:
dian gruntcd at her. mOtiopcd with his head
toward an empty water bucket lying near by
and @, thus nw STdS SmS III ffr tho to % T,Tas to a sPhEfi hHf half half
cicr. off duty: happened to pass the topee. and
he saw this bit OF p%antomimc. He walked over
the Indian needed II very badly. and said:
Go on 70 all no,coYnti good. TO- nuthin'.
wattuh yo'sef. Yo' ahn't no bettuh to tote
wattuh dan Al am, yo' heah mel"
The big Indian went after the water ~a-loping.
The black men are mighty fine garrison SOL
diers, too. They do their work up to ihc handle
quarters is something to which ali COMMANDING
officers who have had black soldiers In their
ored soldier is forever polishing, his accoutre:
ments and arranging his gear. lie is proud Of
his uniform, and ho never turns out for drill.
guard or any, other duty not perfectly correct
That is, where black soldiers ars stationed along
side white men, the whites have to buckle down
to 1t to keep the colorcd men from grabbing the
commanding. officers orderly billet at every
newly mounted guard is picked out for com
manding officers orderly by he ALjutant, and
the ,~trlggest Of the coIored soldiers are forever
working for this daily prize, and they get it
The coiored soldiers nre perhaps a trlhe less
quRrrelsomc among themselves in quarters than
wordy wars, but they don't like EunTdhOGss
anothcr,s heads as their white companions in
arms; When 4 black regular army soldier gets
iHlu III EuhTulONSt II Is ldTcly lot Neglect OF
duty or for fighting, but II is generally because
he has yielded TO the pay day al!urements of gin
and craps. They are perpetual gamblers, the
black soldiers, and around pay day, or, rather,
Tor a few DAYS after pay day. heir ears, no
matter what they may be doing in tho way of
duty, seem TO bo attuned To tho clatter OF the
bones, to judge from the far.awRy expressions
on their countenancCs. Regularly, after every
pay day, there is II roundup OF the crap shoot
ers. 4 fly yellow youth from Cincinnati, who
was a~fterward found QUO to be II professional
CAKE walker and ''lumpy" dice thrOwer by pro-
fesslon, enlisted in the Tenth Cavalry n few
years ago. and what he did TO i've troops, or
about 200 men, of that outfit in the way OF get
ting their savings away from them by means of
'phony," card playing and lop.sided dico was
certainly quito sufficient. The cake walker dc.
serted after he had made his killing. and ne
may be np around sixth avenue ana rhirty-scc.
ond street nj this minute for all his CN-bruIhcrs
in arms know.
When black. and white soldiers of the regular
army are soldering alongside each other Ia lhu
same post, there is u sort OF understanding he.
tween the men Of the Two races To hold alOof
from each other. The white privates rarely
Invade the quarters uf the blacks. unless during
the mellow period Immediately following puy
day, and only, the ion-CommIssiOned officers