The Nashville globe. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1906-193?, 1917-11-23
ESPRIT DE CORPS AT FIT. DIES
MONIES.
BY LIST Lieut.. Jas. A. Kennedy, NJ. o.

BY LIST Lieut.. Jas. A. Kennedy, NJ. o.
e. $50. -. -. r. c. =.
From the first crack of the Revolu-
tionary War resulting in the fall of
Crispus Attacks upon the Commons
of old historic Boston to that recent
cruel bloody massacre of that famous
fighting Tenth Cavalry upon the hot /
sands and among the piercing cactus
OF old Mexico at CarriZal; constitutes
one immense drama of intermitten /
warfare, in which the colored Ameri- |
can has not only participated, but .
has brilliantly starred in every single /
act.
There is not a possible shadow of /
doubt in the massive mind of this /.
great Government regarding the
stand Of this most loyal race in this
stupendous crisis of this great World
War. For Just few months ago
when it was intimated that Col.
Roosevelt would lead a regiment into
the trenches of France more than ten
thousand colored Americans, the
flower of the race, filed their appli-
cations for enlistment.
They have blocked off the recruit
ing stations throughout the country
in which they live and have entered
every branch of the Government sery-
ice accessible to them. 1t was only
four months ago when our great War
Department issued an order for the
opening of an Officers Training Camp
at Fl. Des Moines for the training of
colored officers, that Geographic Or
der was scarcely dry before more
than two thousand Of Americas best
and most loyal citizens, representing
every profession of worth, rushed vol
unfairly to take advantage of this ex-
cellent opportunity to become Officers
in the U. S. Army in order that as a
race they might be able to strike
more effectively and decisively in
the defense of Old Glory. When we
Spangled symbol of perfect liberty,
exalted honor, and ecstatic love,
those crimson stripes remind us Of
that rich, red patriotic blood shed
I by our ancestors with which the fer
| tile soil of America was christened.
May she ever wave over the land of
| the free and the home of the brave.
These patriotic men have volun-
tarily left their homes and families
and have literally poured into FIT.
/ Des MOineS, from every point of the
Compass. 1t was on or about June
us, when they enlisted here under
/ the efficient command of Col. c. C.
| Ballou with Lieut.. Col. Charles w.
Castle as second in command and
/ head of a regular Army Staff of In
I structOrs, some of whom were the
best educated men from the four col
| ored Regiments of the U. S. Army.
! 1t was here these picked men begin
that awful grind from rockies to SOL
! ders and with clenched teeth, silent
tongue and eyes right they made a
sincere vow to Almighty God that by
his assistance they would make good.
They had the faith and confidence for
they had made good in civil life, the
entire quota consisting of Doctors,
Lawyers, Clergymen, Architects,
Civil Engineers, College students,
College graduates and College In
structors. They represent string
of Americas best Colleges from
Massachusetts to California. A
small percentage of this original
number was eliminated for minor
physical disabilities, which reduced
them to less than one thousand men,
and during the final examinations of
| August and the extension of the term
! from September 18th to October 18th
few more were eliminated; many
others far beyond tie draft age and
with large families, who were not
sure of their commission and to re-
main longer meant the loss of we'll
earned position in the faculty of var
ious colleges and High schools left
the camp with credit and honor.
The final results were that six
hundred and twenty-five men were
commissioned, one hundred and four
received the rank of Captain; the re-
mainder first and second Lieutenants,
the majority being first Lieutenants.
| have never on any occasion seen
a man express more pride and conf
dence and speak more complimentary
of a bunch of men than did Col. c. C..
Ballou in his long forceful and in
structive address the day these train
ed officers were commissioned; there
were many addresses made by the
various regular Army Officers pres
ent, but the climaxing feature was
the greetings of Secretary Baker,
through the Hon. Emmett j. Scott,
, who has been recently appointed Ad-
= visory to the great Secretary of War.
These U. S. Army Officers have been
, distributed throughout the country
) at the various Cantonments for the
purpose of training the drafted col
ored men of the National Army who
: will constitute the Colored Regiments
, and ultimately a colored division for
r France.
Last but by no means least | wish
, to call your attention to the Special
. Hospital Camps for the training OF
the Medical Reserve Corps men
which opened August 18th, it con.
sists Of the picked men of the Medi'
cal profession throughout the coun'
! try who were practicing physicians
voluntarily submitted to rigid Fed
eral examination, physical, menta
anu lltulCdl anu IhCSC OhO iiuuui SN
and fifty colored Medical Reserve
: Corps there, who have received suci
I valuable instructions from the Med
ical personnel here at FIT. Des Nome
and who have assisted in the instruc
4 ton of the more than one Thousand
men enlisted in the Medical section
I received their commission with tn
g rank of first Lieutenants as a result
9 Of their examinations and were or
: dered here by the Surgeon Genera
q of the U. S. Army. They represen
b every Medical College in the Ameri
!, can Medical Association from Han
ward to Lilan-Stanford
h The more than one thousand enlist
/, ed men previously referred of tn
!. Medical section many of whom hav
v been sent away to various cantor
. ments and elsewhere represent ever