Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-08-10
NEGRO SOLDIERS.
Nearly 10000 CoIored Men Will Soor
Have Seen Mustered into the Army.

When the mastering in of uew oTgdn.-
cations under the second call is c1t1pict-
ed the volunteer army Will include lt-
tween 5000 and 10000 negro sollicvs, AN
more negro officers han ever bcf1~e were
in the service of the United States.
Under the first volunteer call lew CO..
Orcd troops were offered by The states,
the restriction of the cali To the Nit anu
Guard having a tendency to shut l}lt .bC
Colorod men. When The soco7t ct!l WIS
issued the President let it be kno~7 hat
he would like to have an opnor-u'';y
given to negro volunteers 10 enlist Wnen
new organizations were tp Ac taken in.
In response to his suggestion seven
companies of colorcd troops are Ia he
mustered IN in North Carolina, which,,
added to the three c0iored companies al
ready in service from that state. Aiil
make a ten-company regiment "f - NO
thing more than 1000 men. In Alabama a
battalion of negro troops was tak"1 N
under the first call. Two bait aims Will
be accepted under the second - As TO
make a full colored regiment from ="
state. Two battalions of negro troops
Will he accepted from Virginia IN ier TIE
second call.
There is now at Camp Alger a colored
battalion from Ohio, and one of the
Massachusetts regiments includes some
negro privateS. In addition to these
volunteers raised under the regular lev
les. four of the so-callcd immune regi-
ments-the seventh, eighth, ninth and
tenth-will he composed of negroes.
In furnishing officers for these colored
commands the war department has had d
serious problem to lcal with. 1t is the
Presidents desire to give the negroes a
representation as officers In the last
war. when there We're 81 lSa negro troops
--three-year men-in the Federal army.
the officers were white men. When me
proposition was made to place negro
officers over some of the colored com
mands now being raised the question how
the officers mess would be arranged
when there We're white and colored Off
GERS in the same regiment came up
That question remains to be settled.
The experiment of a negro regiment
wholly differed by negroes is to be trled
in the ease of the North Carolina resl7
ment, whose colonel will be n colorcd
man. In the Alabama regiment the OIL
GERS will be white men In the immune
negro regiments there will he mixture
the colonies and other fell officers and
the captains being white and the l:euteh-
ants and other lesser officers colored.
1t is in this combination of white ana
colored officers that the color line is eX-
pected to cause trouble regular army
lieutenant who is engaged in muStertnS
in negro companies for one OF the I'M
mune regiments said the men promised
to make good soldiers.
."rhey are all right physically" ne said
"Of course most of them are illiterate
and know nothing about military tactics
but with good officers and careful tram
ing they ought to fight well.
Army experts regard the differing OF
negro regiments with negroes as an eN-
pertinent which may or may not turn out
we'll The negro needs to be led Wen.
they say, to make a good fighter. and
there is some DOUBT whether colored
troops will follow one Of their own race
as well as they would white officer.