The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-09-03
POPULAR NEGRO SOLDIERS.
Stories of Their Bravery MT San Juan
Told in Camp WiI<Oh.
Errorn the Mn Ynrlr Sim

From the New York Sun.
Camp Wikon, Aug. 29.-No regiments
here encamped are more popular among
the soldiers than the two colored cavalry
regiments, the Ninth and Tenth Regulars.
They are quiet, well-mannered, cheerful
fellows, these negro troopers, and far
sooner than any of the other Cuban vet
Grams they have recovered their spirits
and vitality after the campaign. In an
encampment made up chiefly of the sick
and half-sick, it is inspiriting to meet
on the road a group of these soldiers Jog
ging along in the lively conversation, their
white teeth cleaning in smiles. AS to their
abilities in battle but one opinion is ex-
pressed here, and almost invariably in the
same words:
Those colored chaps fought like dew
lis"
Many are the stories of their prowess,
told by the men of the other regiments A
company of the Tenth went into action
singing Two men of another company en-
hvened their comrades during a very try
ing halt under fire by executing a double
flop dance, to which the whole company
began presently to clap out the time; their
officers, meanwhile, being wisely blind and
deaf to these rather unusual tactics. The
Rough Riders are enthusiastic over the
Ninth Regiment. When Roosevelt's men
had made their rush up San Juan hill
they found themselves in a very bad posi-
ton, pressed by a superior force of the
enemy on both tanks and in front. 1t is
generally admitted that they could not
have held their position but for the SPLEEN
did charge of the black men to their sup
port. After the worst of the fighting was
over, Rough Rider finding himself near
one of the colored troopers, walked up and
grasped his hand, saying:
We've got YOU fellows to thank for get
ting us out of a bad hole"
Oats all right, boss" said the negro.
with broad grin. Oats all right. It's
all in de fam ~. We cal ouahselVes de
Colored Rough Riders"
1T was a matter of considerable doubt"
an officer of the regular infantry says,
whether the colored troops would acIuit
themselves well We of the army knew
them to be good Indian fighters, but this
Cuban business was no more like Indian
fighting than game of marbles is like
billiards. Probably it was because I'm
from the South that I didn't think much
of the colored regiments, but having seen
those fellows IN action I've changed my
mind completely They were the best,
the readiest, the most cheerful, and, be-
lieve, the deadliest fighters in the war.
In the charge up the hill a volunteer who
had got separa ted from his company and
who looked pretty badly ratified got caught
III the rush ana carried along. A big
fellow behind him kept squirting him on
and trying to encourage him, but the man
was badly ratified and tried to get away
That settled him with the troopers, who
began to guy him, asking his name and
address for purposes of identification, and
assuring him that he would be readily
distinguished among the other dead on ac-
count of his color. Presently a Mauser
bullet clipped the sleeve of the man next
to him. The trooper turned to the volun-
teer
Honey dat bullet was a-caIlin' youah
name, shuah,' he said.
'They tell me that the volunteer finally
plucked up his spirits and fought so well
that the negroes assured him that in the
next battle he'd be an honor to any regi-
ment. One thing l noticed about the negro
troopers was that they evinced less incllna-
ton TO duck when the bullets wnistled
over them than the other soldiers showed.
A sergeant explained it to me this way:
"Wen de bullet go along il say, "Pi-yj-
vi! Pi-yi-yi" Nobody ain goin' to min
dat But de shrapnel, OATS different. Dat
say, "Oo-oo-oo-oo; 1 want yeh, I want
yeh, I want yeh, nah honeyp OATS wat
makes mans head kindah shrink like
between his shoudahs.'
However. 1 didn't see any shrinking
that could be identified as such among
those men. There wasn't an instant dur
ing the fighting that they didn't look as
if they were in the very place of all places
on earth where they most wished to be-"