Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1899-03-11

During the civil war it was my for.
tune to serve in a corps where there was
a division of black troops, and it is un-
necessary tc go further than to say that
when / stepped into the camp of the
Tenth at rIontauk Point / had no very
high opinion of the soldier stuff in the
American negro. Invent into the Tenth
at the suggestion of an officer in q white
cavalry regiment who said that ! would
there see and hear things to surprise
me. And l did. After the officer who
acted as spokesman for the regiment
during the interview had told the story
Of the fighting he took me to the tent
Of the regimental sergeant major, really
the clerks Office, to get Some official
data. The sergeant major and all OF his
assistants were colored men. There was
no s~ubserviency in the manners OF the
negroes in the presence Of white officers,
none OF the man and master attitude.
The blacks kept on at work and when
asked for official data from the records
showed themselves posted in all the
technical details of their work. They
used good language, and had / not seen
their faces / would have supposed the in
formation given was from the heads OF
a corps of first class white army clerks.
These men were detailed from the ranks.
During a subsequent visit to the camp
Of the Tenth at a time when the COM
handing officer and the white adjutant
were officially engaged / was referred
L. A. o-,n+ x1uSrr for Coma o6d1-
tional data. I found the force steadily
at work over the books and papers and
Just as ready with their answers as
when the white officer was present.
Among others of the enlisted class l in
terviewed Sergeant Bivins, the head
noncommissioned officer of the detach-
ment Of blacks which handled the
Hotchkiss guns at Las Guasimas and
San Juan. He spoke for the white Off
Ger, who was not at the camp. / missed
nothing in not seeing the white officer
except the pleasure of talking with the
principal, for Sergeant Bivins gave me
a well connected. modest and soldierly
account, as though accustomed to max
ing Just such reports
He was a fine type of soldier and the
equal in intelligence of any white SER
geant l ever saw for all military pur-
poses. Sergeant Bivins told me the ex-
act location of the guns at the battle Of
San Juan, their distance from other
guns, from the river and from the Span
ish lines, all without referring to any
notes. He explained the effects of the
different shots from his section. for
which he fixed the elevations.
In the same company with this SER
geant / found a man who had kept a
diary throughout his service. and. being
able to add to it an account of the Sam
tiago campaign from personal expert
ence, he was negotiating with a pub
Usher to print it. The chevrons on the
arms of this literary soldier showed that
his scribbling habits didn't interfere
with martial duty.
The negroes of the Hotchkiss detach-
ment, as well as those of the first bat
TALON of the Tenth to be engaged in
Cuba, took their baptism of fire at Las
Guasimas. The battalion line, about
200 strong. charged forward beside the
white troopers of the First cavalry.
General Young declares that the charge
was most gallant from start to finish
The troops crossed a plain in open range
of the Spaniards posted behind stone
walls ON the ridge. With closed up
ranks they DETECTED to the right or left
to pass distractions, and maintained a
bold front until the ridge was cleared
of Spaniards. White officers fell. but
the negroes marched on to victory.
Meanwhile the Hotchkiss guns back
on the hither ridge fired over the heads
of the advancing column. making every
shot tell in the Spanish ranks. At n
time the fire was SO hot that General
Young ordered the guns under cover to
save them from destruction. AT the
right time they came out again, and
almost instantly a negro who was fix
ing the sight had his hand lacerated by
a Mauser bullet. Nothing daunted, he
worked at the sight with his wounded
fingers, and another negro pushed him
aside. saying: 'sGet away from here.
You can't do anything with that
hand.
The arm Of the newcomer was quickly
punctured. and General Young fixed
the sight himself. By that time there
were more black hands ready to take
the risk. and they fred the gun with
good effect until the affair was over.
From first to last / didn't hear a word
derogatory of the valor of the blacks in
action. Every white officer who saw
them on the field said that they were as
brave as the best. But that is not the
whole of soldering, speaking of the life
and stability of an army.
A fit companion piece to the many
tributes from white officers to negro
49, 4. 4hn aforxr &c Rnha1.t Edunrd