Arizona republican., 1898-09-06
THE BLACK TROOPERS.
Ttev would Do Credit 10 Any Army
 i1 the World.

No regiment here encamped are more popular among the soldiers than the two colored cavalry regiments, the Ninth and Tenth regulars. They are quiet, Weii- hammered, cheerful fellows. these negro troopers, and far sooner than any of the other Cuban veterans they have recov- cred their spirits and vitality after the campaign. In an encampment made up chiefly of the sick and half sick, 1t IS ln- spring to meet on the road group oI these soldiers jogging along in lively con- rersation, their white teeth gleaming in smiles. As to their abilities in battle but ore opinion is expressed here, and almost invariably it is in the same words:
 Those colored chaps fought like dev- ils.'
 Many are the stories of their prowess told by the men of the other regiments. A company of the Tenth went into ac- ton singing. Two men of another com pany enlivened their comrades during q very trying halt under fire l.y executing 2 doubie-ffop dance to which the whole company began presently to clap out the time: their officers, meanwhile. being wisely blind and deaf to these rather un- usual tactics. The Rough Riders are en : thusiastic over the Ninth Regiment When RooseveltS men had made their rush up San Juan Hill they found them selves in a very bad position, pressed by a superior force of the enemy on both Hanks and in front. It is generally ad- mitted that they could not have held their position but for the splendid charge of the black men to their support. After the worst of the fighting over, a Rough Rider. finding himself near one of the colored troopers. walked up and took his hand saying:
 We've got you fellows to thank for getting us out of a bad hole
 Oats all right boss said the negro with 9 broad grin. Oats all right. It's all in de family. We call ouahselves de coiored Rough Riders
 1t was q matter of considerable doubt,' an officer of the regular infantry says. whether the colored troops would acquit themselves well. We Of the army knew them to be good Indian fighters, but this Cuban business was no more like Indian fighting than a game of mar bles is like billiards. Probably it was be- cause I'm from the south that I didn't think much of the colored regiments, but having seen those fellows in action I've charged my mind completely. They were sthe best, the steadest, the most cheer ful and, I believe the deadliest fighters in the war. In the charge up the hill a volunteer who had got separated from his company and who looked pretty badly rattled got caught in the rush and car ried along. A big fellow behind him kept spurring him on and trying to encourage him. but the man was badly rattled and tried to get away. That settled him with the troopers, who began to guy him, ask ing his name and address for purposes of Identification and assuring him that he would be readily distinguished among the other dead on account of his color. Pres ently Mauser bullet clipped the sleeve of the man next to him. The trooper turned to the volunteer.
 Honey, dat bullet was a-calln' 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 Eext battle he'd be an honor to any regi- ment. One thing I noticed about the ne- ' gro troopers was that they evinced less inclination to duck when the bullets whistled over them than the other sol diers showed. A sergeant explained it to in this way:
 '''W'en de bullet go along it say: 'Pi- yi-yi. Pi-yi-yi. Nobody ain goin' to min dat. But de shrapnel, dats different; dat say: 'Oo-oo oo-oo; I want yeh I want yeh. want yeh, nah honey- Oats wat makes a mans head kindah shrink like between his shoulders
 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.'-Camp Wikoff Letter to the New York S,In