The Wisconsin weekly blade. [volume] (Madison, Wis.) 1916-1925, 1918-11-14
With the American Armies in

France.-Colored troops from
America already have established
themselves in Europe as being cool
and reliable fighters in the front
line. Both American and French
commands say so, and if the Ger
mans ever discovered who it was
that held part of the line thro dgh
Argonne forest when the boches
failed to get through some time
ago, the German command has a
decidedly high respect for Ameri-
can colored infantry.
Up and down the line, after the
test of a years service, you hear
no doubts expressed regarding the
colored infantry. The colored
doughboys have made good in the
line as we'll as behind. They have
proven themselves cool and brave
soldiers in the trenches, and gem
tlemen when back at rest in
French towns. You are continu-
ally running into units of these
colored chaps as you travel up and
down the line from Switzerland to
Flanders.
Pull Off Some Snappy Drilling
Down in little town some miles
back of Verdun the correspondent
encountered a large unit of these
colored chaps, all from Chicago or
thereabouts. They had just come
back to rest. after a long period in
the ArgOnne forest trenches. Like
their predecessors, a Negro unit
from New York, they had made a
great hit with the French officers
in high command of the sector.
Unlike the New York Negroes.
these Chicago boys had encounter
ed no big fighting. and they were
disappointed at being taken from
the trenches before doing big
fighting.
The French officers explained
that good soldiers can be recog-
nized just as we'll when they are
holding the line as when they are
fighting, but the colored dough-
boys were still disappointed. Fl
nally the French general of the
army came down to review the Ne
gro outfit. Down by the creek
they went through some of the
snappiest exercise ever seen. and
the French general was delighted
When the review as it had been
planned was finished the general
turned to the American colonel.
''If I were an American general
what would / do now?" asked the
F'renchman.
"Most anything replied the
colonel. "These boys will do any
thing you wish"
"Well, suppose the Germans
were across the creek replied
the the general, "I'd like to have
this nearest company attack
them. F."
Difficult Field Maneuver Skillfully
Executed.
The captain of the nearest COM
panv was given the order, and he
marched his men across the mead
ow, where they suddenly disap-
peared. Pretty soon a whistle
sounded, and the company was up
and running toward the creek.
Only a minute, and then they
dropped, waiting, then running,
always skirmishing in the latest
approved French fashion.
When they dropped ii was with
two skirmish lines in advance and
two support lines leading off to
the rear, with each man dropping
over the legs Of the chap in front
of him. Tin derbies and packs
covered the upper portions of
their bodies.
After bit Of flank movement
by couple platoons, the supposed
German positions along the creek
were stormed and taken. The
French general was delighted be-
yond words for moment. Fl
nally he said, "My Oldest veter-
ans could do it no better, even if
they were warned it was on the
program. and your boys did that
extemporaneously." The general |
remember / the review, and few
DAYS later these colored chaps |
from Chicago received a fine let
ter from him, congratulating
them on their spirit de corps and |
their work.
French Like Colored Americans
If was interesting to see how
these colored boys mixed with the
French inhabitants of the village,