Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-08-26
ARE GOOD SOLDIERS.
Captain CIoman Thinks the Negro
Troops Are All Right.
Are UnexceIIed for Dash, Courage and
Other SoIdierIy Qualities.

Capt. Sydney A. ClOman, 23d U. >.
Infantry. who was on duty at Camp
Hill during the recent incampment as
INSPECTOR and instructor entertainS a
high opinion of the negro troops in
Uncle Sans army and under the lead
ership of American officers he says they
are unexcelled for dash. courage, clean
illness and all other soldierly qualities
by any troops in the world, our own
white soldiers not excluded.
Perhaps they are a little eXcitable. ,
said Capt. Cloman the other night at
Camp Hill. but l had an experience
with them once which would probably
have meant sure death had they been
| ordinary troops. 1t wouldn't have been
strange if myself and the Indian scouts
who were with me had been riddled
with bullets but, strange to say, not a
shot was fired. Just why I have never
been able to satisfactorily explain, even
| TO myself.
1T was out in Dakota quite num-
ber. of years ago" continued Capt. Clio
man, when the Tenth cavalry, which
is made up of colOred troops, was
camped near the Rosebud agency.
Gen. Dickinson, a paymaster, wanted
| to go down to their camp one night to
pay them off He put his money in an
ambulance and with a score of Indian
scouts under my command as an escort,
he started.
The paymaSter was anxious to finish
| up mis- work of paying off the regiment
| before midnight if possible and he ask
| ed me to take up pretty lively pace.
You staIt your ambulance ahead
| just as fast as you want to, general, /
told him, and when you get to the
camp you'll find the escort beside of
YOU
We'll, the general started. The am
bulanoe had six mules attached to it
and the way they let out was a caution.
My Sioux bucks let their ponies out,
| too, and the whole outfit was climbing
| over the ground at a pretty good stick.
| The Tenth cavalry was camped just
underneath the brow of hill and when
| we swung over it and down into the
midst of their tents, with our ponies
bellies nearly touching the ground. the
Indian scouts set up a regular Sioux
yell. 1t was something fierce.
| I'VE stopped almost in the middle of
| the camp with the ambulance in the
center and the bucks around it, still
yelling. | never saw such an excited
set of coons in my life. They had all
been asleep and when they heard my
men yell they must have thought that
| they were being attacked. They came
| tumbling out of their tents with their
| carbines and revolvers in their hands
and their cartridge belts in their teeth.
| Why they didn't riddle us with bullets
| I could never quiet make out. At last
| | managed to quiet things down and
! the paymaster commenced with the
| men. He finished at midnight, all
right. but i couldn't help thinking how
near he came to never finishing at ALL
Capt. Cloman says that many army
officers would prefer to serve with the
| negro troops if they only got a fair
show. AS it is the negroes are usually
given the more undesirable posts on the
| frontier while the desirable stations in
| the vicinity of the big cities are oc-
| cupied by their white comrades in
arms.