The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-11-23

Gen c. G. Andrews was the chief
speaker at well attended meeting of
the Young Mems Sunday Club of Pill
grim Baptist Church yesterday after
noon at O'clock.
Gen. Andrews topic was, '"The Ne
gro as a Soldier ~ and in the intro
ductory portion of his address he re-
verified briefly to ancient history to re-
call TO tie minds of his hearers the
fact, that the negro. served in the
Egyptian army of the early ages. He
spoke also of the 1000 negro soldiers
in Washingtons army in the Revolu-
ton. Further, he said in part:
MY personal knowledge of colored
troops was in Arkansas and in the De-
partment of the Gulf from the begin
ming of 1864 to the close of the war. 1
earnestly favored the organization of
colored troops, and, as commander of
the post of Little Rock, Ark, under
Gen. Frederick Steele, had opportuni-
ties to be of service to those who were
engaged in the. work. As my regiment,
the Third Minnesota infantry, was re-
garded as particularly well drilled
and disciplined regiment, early in 1864
l made list of officers, commits
stoned officers and priVateS of my Fegi-
ment who were DESTROYS of accepting
commissions in a colored regiment and
undertake the work of recruiting it,
and took it to Gen. Steele with recon-
mendation that he authorize a colored
regiment to be organized. He looked
over the list and said: This is giving
one regiment a good many commits
sions l replied that such objection
had not occurred to me; that my idea
had been that it would give a colored
regiment prestige to; be recruited, in
Structed and Differed by men from a
model Instrumentation. Steele then said:
I will give half the commissions to
Your regiment and the other half to
the I'Wenty-ninth= Iowa, which, as you
know, is "a, fine, regiment I replied
that that would be entirely satisfactory
to me. The detail was made and the
organization of eolered troops began,
which. resulted finally in two regi-
ments, the One Hundred and Twelfth
and One Hundred and Thirteenth
United. States, colored.
The Fifty seventh colored regi-
ment was attached for a while to my
command. l remember with pleasure
the CHEEKY appearance and willing
spirit of those men, and I recall with
satisfaction that it's Officers and men
regarded me as their friend at time
when in some circles colored troops
and their officers We're looked down
upon. During the spring and summer
of 1854 my scouts, as incident to their
march brought in many freedmen who
proved good soldiers.
Fought Calamity at Jenkins Ferry.
In the, spring of 1854 Gen. Steele
marched from Little Rock south to
! Cooperate, with Gen. Banks, but the
ilatter's reverse on the Red river caused
Steele to return. I had been sent with
supplies to meet him at Camden, and
had got as far as Pine Bluff when 1
heard of his battle on the Saline at
Jenkins Ferry, and as my short re-
port of his battle was telegraphed to
and read by Gen. Sherman at Nash
vile, and as it makes mention of col
ored troops which I have nowhere else
seen in any of our histories, 1 will here
read it:
'''-Pine Bluff, Ark, May 1, 1864.
The scout commanded by Capt.
Toppas, Seventh Missouri cavalry,
which sent to Gen. Steele yesterday
morning, has returned, having marched
sixty-fiEe miles in nine and one-half
hours. Gen. Steele evacuated Camden
the 18th of April; arrived on the Sa-
line at Jenkins Ferry the 18th at 1
p. M, and yesterday. Saturday morn
ing,a was attacked by the combined