Omaha daily bee., 1902-11-24
HARD ON NEGRO REGIMENTS
order for Reduction of Numerical
Strength Sacrifices Good Soldiers
Reluctant to Retire.

Within the next week there will be more
men discharged from the army Of the
United States stationed in the Department
OF the Missouri than ever before have been
discharged from the regular army in this
department in the same length of time.
Two regiments will be affected by these
discharges, the Tenth cavalry and the
Twenty-ifth infantry, the latter organiza-
ton losing more than the former.
The discharges are the result Of the or
der from the War department reducing the
total number of enlisted men in all
branches Of the service to so, $3.50, including
staf departments, etc. The regiments
from which the discharges will be made
are composed of negroes. At the time the
order was issued reducing the companies
OF infantry and cavalry to sixty-fve en-
listed men the white regiments were not
full and the discharges from them have
not been marked, the men dropping out
generally as their terms Of enlistment ex-
pired. With the colored regiments 1t was
different. AS there are only four regi-
ments in the service in which negroes can
enlist there are always more men willing
to join than can be used, so the army gets
the pick OF those who volunteer. After a
man has become connected with these reg
iments he must conduct himself in an ex-
cellent manner or he will be dropped. The
result is that the men enlisted in the COL
ored regiments do not want to leave the
service, and where the white regiments
were reduced by expiration of terms the
colored regiments had to be reduced by
enforced discharges. Company command
ers were asked to report to regimental
commanders the names OF those enlisted
men who should be discharged. For the pur-
pose OF reduction the men to be discharged
were divided into three classes, those to
be discharged for the good of the service.
those unified for the service and those
whose services were no longer required.
In the hrst class were those whose con-
duct was not what 1t should be, yet had
not been guilty Of offenses which would
cause their discharge by court martial; in
the second class are men who are physi-
cally or mentally unsuited for the work,
and In the last class are those who were
willing to accept discharges. The nrst and
second classes were exhausted before the
third class was approached, and where.
from the first and second classes the dis
charges would reduce the company to the
minimum strength, there were none whose
services were not needed. This action on
the part OF company and regimental COM
manders has resulted in the discharge Of
a total of 449 men from the two regiments
mentioned. At Fort Reno about 1888 men
OF the Twenty-hfth infantry will be dis
charged. and from the same organization
2SS VIII be discharged at Fort Niobrara.
OF the Tenth cavalry thirty-hve men will
be discharged at Fort Sill and thirty-eight
at Fort Robinson.
The payment Of these discharged men is
under the control Of Major Muhlenburg,
chief paymaster Of the department. AS
Captain Lynch has been ordered tempor-
arily to the Department OF the Dakota,
Major Candy has been ordered from st.
Louis to pay these men at the posts.