Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1917-11-10
COIORED TROOPS ARE TO FORM
~ ARMY GROUPS.
Onc-clcvcnth of American Army VIII
BE Composed OF Colorcd Men.


Washington, ID. c., October 30.
When. the full strength of Americas
new army Is ranged on the battlefront
OF France. Negro troops will make UP
approximately one-eleventh OF, the men
under the Stars and Stripes. Although
Negro soldiers from Africa, the W. In
dies have fought in many European
struggles, and followed some of the
greatest commanders, from Hannibal
to Napoleon, the American contingent
is by far the largest Negro army ever
mustered on European soil.
Since the beginning of the war both
France and Britain have employed
African troops on the western front
Their fighting record has been bril-
liant, especially that of the French
Senegalcse While the new American
Negro units will be commanded to a
greater degree than ever before by
men of their own race, the bulk If
the officers will be white men.
This IS a'so true Of the Frenth ami
British and Italian Negro battalions
Uncle Sam has in the regular army
four Negro regiments which have
number close TO 1000 men Two are
cavalry and two are infantry.
Cavalry commands are the eleventh
of Carrzal fame, and the ninth Of
which an American general once said
after seeing the famous French cuiras
siers. supposed to be the crack regi.
mcnt Of the world, If ] had to go
1000 yards through hell, would
rather have the ninth cavalry back
of me than anything | ever saw" The
regular army Negro regiments are Of.
ficered exclusively by white West
Pointers
Following are the Negro national
guard units now in the federal scrv
ice and Differed exclusively by color
cd Officers: First separate Connect;
cut company, 80 men. | officer: frs;
separate District of Columbia battal-
ion, sos men. II officers: Eight H.
linois regiment. 1856 men, rs officers
first separate Maryland company, $50
mon, officers; Fifteenth New York
Infantry regiment. 2,O53 men, 54 Off.
GERS; Ohio ninth separate battalion.
1882 men, As officers: first separate
Tennessee company, 112 men 3 Officers
First separate Massachusetts com
pany. $50 men, 3 officers Total 6,64l.
201 officers.
There have just been commissioned
from the training camp for Negro
officers at Des Moines, Ia, total Of
625 officcrs-l06 captains, 800 frs,
licutenants, 1870 second licutenants
This total of training camp and ma.
tional guard officers-S26-cCns
tutes the present visible supply CT
colored officers--exccpt few holding
minor staff positions in the regular
army.
TO officer the Negro troop rails
ed under the selected service law
will be required thousands Of officer
of all grades, so about nine-tenths C
the officers will be white. This l.:
not the result Of discrimination, but
of lack OF material. The young col
Ored men commissioned at Des Moin.
es have won high praise from their
instructors and are first-class mater..
al az
ISL Every Gtstesin the Union was repre-
scented at the camp, a large number
coming from the southern states. The
Negro troops drawn for service are
being trained at all the sixteen nation
al army cantonmcnts-in separate baf
talions and regiments. When the trair
Ing Is complete one and probably two
or three, divisions of Negro troops e.
clusively will be formed. and one OF
these will be among the first na;ior
al army units sent to France.
Negroes have fought In all Amer
can wars. from the revolution to tn"
brush at CarriZal. In the civil wa
hundreds OF thousands were raise
and did fine fighting. There were .
few commissioned as officers. bu'
hcthing like the number now give
commands.