Franklin's paper the statesman., 1911-04-22
THE NEGRO SOLDIER.

No. IL
The actual number OF negroes who
served In the armies of the United
States from 1863 to the close OF the
war OF rebellion was lIs.sI5. These
were commanded by 1.122 officers. The
number OF battles in which they par.
ticipated was 252. and in each one OF
them they gave good account OF
themselves Perhaps the bloodiest
and hardest fought OF all the battles
In which they engaged WAS that OF
Fort Pillow. April 12. 1864. The brt-
taIity OF the Confederate soldiers In
that engagement beggars description.
II Is one Of the bioodiest pages OF the
history OF that ensAnguined struggle.
and the conduct Of the. Conlederates
toward the black men who fell pris-
oners In their hands WAS character
istic OF the wild savages. which their
conduct showed them 10 be.
Equally bloody was the death strug-
gle between white and black men at
the Crater. but when that battle WAS
over the flower of the Confederacy"
realized that there had been a battle
royal and that the honors were not
all on one side. In 1864 General Fitz-
hugh Lee, with a force OF cavalry and
wagon load OF handouts. made an
attack upon the first United States
coiored troops then stationed in the
fort at Wilson's Landing in Virginia.
after first demanding their uncondi-
tional surrender. The white officer
in command OF these soldiers sent
General Lee word that his men were
soldiers. and that they were there to
defend that place; they could fight.
but never surrender. and IL the gen
eral thought he could take 1t he might
try II. There were only 600 men at
the Landing. with their officers. but
they were resolute and determined at
all hazards to defend that fort. The
attack began after the return of the
bearer OF General Lees message. and
ragged for three hours.
A correspondent of the New York
Herald. writing under date OF May
"a. 1864, said.
THE conduct of the colored troops.
by the way. In the actions OF the last
few days, Ia described AZ superb. An
Ohio soldier said to me today:
never saw men fight with such des-
perate gallantry as those negroes did
They advanced as grim and stern as
death, and when within reach of the
enemy. struck about them with pitt
less vigor that was almost fearful
Another said to me: These negroes
never shrink nor hold back. no matter
what the order" A war correspondent
who was present while this battle
raged thus described what happened
to General Lees cavalry and his hand
cuffs (the word had been passed that
these negroes were to be taken. hand
cufyed and sent TO Richmond to be
solt). He said: THE chivalry o
Fitzhugh Lee and his cavalry division
was badly worsted in the contest last
Tuesday with negro troops composing
the garrison at Wilson Landing. The
battle began at 12 p. N. and ended at
6 o'clock" Here follows q graphic
account OF the rout-too big for inser-
ton herewith list of killed and
wounded, etc. The wagon OF hand
cuffs was emptied, and transformed
into an ambulance for the use of the
dead and dying of Lees cavalry.
These 500 negroes. commanded by
[, eneral Wilde, proved to General Lee
that they could hght General Adam
Bodeau OF General Grants stan. In
his military history OF Grant, speaking
OF the heroic conduct of the negro
troops who had recaptured from the
rebels a federal supply train en- route
to Grants army, before the rebels had
time to sample the good things 1t con-
tained. says: ut was the hrst time
at the East when colored troops had
been engaged In any important battle
and the display Of soldieriy qualities
was a frank acknowledgment OF both
troops aud commanders. not all OF
whom had before been willing to iook
upon negroes ~ comrades. But after
that time white soldiers In the army
"A - "a 3 1a y