The National tribune., 1906-11-01
THE CoLoRED TROOPS.
The Brunei Comrades Did Well After
They Got n Chance.

SSlOfAED lnooIo.
The Brunet Comrades Did Well After
They Got n Chance.
Editor National Tribune: The col
ored troops fought well during the civil
war, and as l was one of them can
testify to many acts of valor on their
part / was born in 1888, in North
Carolina, but when seven years old went
with my parents to Ross County, o.,
where / have since lived. Some years
ago / was one of the prize winners of
The National Tribune-perhaps the
only one of the colored troops ever a
winner in its conteStS-and it made me
feel considerably more cheerful in my
old days Well, when the war did
break out i, good earnest was among
the first who wanted to CO. but We were
told no colored troops were wanted, as
It was only going to be breakfast
SPELL" anyway. But jimmy went out
and blew the horn for dinner and the
boys could not come-there was too
much doing-the Johnnies were giving
them all sorts of stuff for breakfast
and dinner, too. Well. the time came
when the ccIored boys were accepted
and needed 10 help the white boys put
down the Shareholders rebellion, and
they went with shout, glad to help
the white boys. Massachusetts, was the
first State to open her doors to the col
OTeQ enRSleT ana Iney pDuTeu III tHeIe
from all quarters, raising the 54th and
55th Mass. I had brother in the
55th, and Ills regiment was the first to
go to that "hotbed of secession,
Charleston, S. C. Ohio then opened
her door to the colored volunteer, and
formed a camp at Delaware, O., and
there the boys went with a shout and
much rejoicing, SO eager were they to
help Uncle Sam. ! always felt we col
ored boys 5ad more to fight for than
you white boys. l got in under the
call of May or June. 1864, for 100000
for one year. / enlisted in August of
that year, and was assigned to CO. c,
4th U. S. C. T.. and my regiment was
standing in line of battle when we
Joined it at Chaffin's Farm, Va. 1t had
fought the day before, Sept. 20. We
arrived at Bermuda Hundred and Deep
Bottom about o'clock on the 29th, but
did not reach our regiment till the next
morning. There were some 400 of US
recruits with the regiment, and we
were real raw recruits, too; knew moth
ing of the manual Or arms. nothing at
all. After landing and going to the
front We soon saw signs of the fighting
of the day Eefore, for here lay dead
horse all swollen up, there bridges and
broken muskets. and further on some
dead soldiers all swollen up and COW
cred with green flies-an awful sight
to raw recruits. Soon we had orders
to unsling and pile knapsacks; We could
all see there was something more ahead
of us. Presently we found the old 4th
on the left of the 5th. The officers
saw We were very green, so one OF
them took us from the regiment to drill
us some before our time came round.
We were not at it long when here
comes a big shell from a rebel ram in
the river. 1t looked as big as a flour
barrel TO us. These shells would pass
over our heads and strike the red and
yellow clay, throwing up carloads of
the earth. This distracted our atten-
ton, of course, and the officer drilling
us would say. Let that shell go to -,
and pay attention to me. If you don't
you viii be cut up like sheep before
night"
Well. we came out of that fight all
right, and got our knapsacks once more.
The next day we went to Dutch Gap,
Va, to work and fight day and night
for nearly two months. 1t was trying
experience for us raw recruits, for We
were under fire all the time. The latter
part of November we were ordered to
Fort Fisher. At Dutch Gap we were
on the front close to the rebs, SO We
much of move. / had never heard
of Fort Fisher. The regiment got in
ehape to move, and caught on that
we were going to some hot place. Our
commander was a German, Augustus
Roernsteim, then Major. Whenever
the regiment was ordered to a bad
place he would talk 1t over with the
officers and men, so to the Lieutenants
and Captains he said, Il don't want n
man of you - show the white feather"
and to the rank and file he said, Il
don't want man of you to attempt to
go IL you can't march and fight two
days and nights without eating"
10 hot fal1
out, and went where the other sick
ones were, to Point Of Rocks Hospital,
Va / was on detached service at Point
of Rocks when Petersburg and Rich
mond We're taken. Before ! left home
the boys in blue had taken several very
strong places down in Dixie Land, and
I heard the old Butternuts and Copper
heads say, well, when the Yanks take
old Richmond and Petersburg the
blood will flow knee deep" ] was all
about the vicinity of Richmond in
April, 1865. The second day of April,
1866, fell on a Sunday. and jeff Davis
was at church, sitting in his cushioned
pew, when Gen. Lee sent word to him
TO get cut as quick as he could. never
did nor never will see again such
works as the rebs put up to keep the
yanks from taking Richmond and
Petersburg. Old Gen. Lee said when
he surrendered that he wouldn't have
minded nearly SO Hluch II there
hadn't been SO many colored troops
that helped make the Gordon which
prevented his escape / was discharged
at Newbern, n. c., Sept. 5, 1865, on
expiration of term of service and paid
in full. We We're provost guards at
Newbern. Ny Lieutenant-ColoneI was
Provost Marshal of the District. and /
was his orderly. ] receive a pension
of IS a m onth.-J. d. Richardson,
Greenfield, o.