The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1919-12-30
THE NEGRO SOLDIER
What Col. George Harvey, Says on
the subject.
Hafvey's Weekly.

v
: os:n?aLciy 10000 bcVs VIII oe
available ior instruction annually.
At least 10 per cent Of this number
are negroes. So Tar as we have been
inrormed, the advisability of training
.:le &c IS - tv.av<t -oo.eS h.. no
heen questioned at the War Depart
Inent or at the Capitol. Secretary
Baker has said nothing on the suoject.
Nor have Gen. March and his advisers
at the War Department. CoEsldera-
zion of the legislation is proceeding
.upon the assumption that no reason
exists for differentiating between the
races.
Much has been said and much has
been written in praise of the exploits
of our negro troops in France. News,
paper magazine writer's have found
n Young Black joe ready We
hicle for exploitation. Race pfopa--
racdists with purposey featured
him. Estimable ladies and gentie-
men, imbued with pra'seWorthy oe-
sire to minimize racial antlpaenies'
have found in his patriotism the base
fey many heroic stories.
We wish these reports and stores
were accurate. We wish there We're
no compiling reason for revealing the
ruth. But there is. Distastefu! as
the task may be, it is essential that
the facts be presented. Legislation
based upon the hypocritical unwill.
ingness Of assessing the true value OF
the negroias a fighting man, must m
eyitably lead to waste Of greaf sums
of government money in training men
whose record proves taem i2c&laole
af meeting. the demands OF modern
warfare.
The N:nety-second division was
: organized in November, 1917, and
was composed OF the best negroes
drafted. It was the only negro al,
vision sent to France. Originally all
company officers were negroes. me
commanding officer ard the heid
officers were regulars, assigned TO the
division because they had seen ser
vice with regular negro regiments.
AS the training proceeded, the
negro officers in the artillery and
engineer regiments were relleVd by
white officers, because of inefh-
,ciency.
The average period allotted for
training white troops in France was
four weeks. The Ninety-second was
kept in the training area seven weeks.
On August 20 or thereabout, the d.vl-
sion, minus it's artillery, was order
ed to a quiet sector in the vosges,
where it remained one month, and
then moved on to the Argonne as
mart of the great concentration pre-
paratory to the last major acton OF
the war.
With the exception of the S68th
regiment, which was ordered to the
froEt line, the division was held IN
reserve with the First corps. The
368th was assigned to the Thirty
eighth French corps, and directly
fianked the Sevenry-seventh Amefl-
can division. When the advance was
.a.;.ei ed, the French and the Seven
.ty-seyenth moved forward on sched-
,ula. The s6Ssh broke. The French
teommander ard the commander OF
the Seventy-seventh reported that
their forces were being attacked on
the tanks because the negroes oid
not go forward.
The negroes refused to obey or
tders. hut in several instances the
white field officers forced small groups
.of them to 90 toward. AS result
,of this action, thrty-one negro con-
tpany officers We're Immediately re-
rcved for cowardice and lnefflclency.
Five OF them were tried for coward
ice and, while the decision OF the
court is not ,availa BILE, it is understood
that they were sentenced to be shot.
The regimental commander report
ed as fellows:
'In ge--.c--;1.l, the Second and Third
battal;ors dismtegrated without rea-
So. ard failed to go forward. The
otncers {.egroesp and men, with ex-
cepticns as noted, fed 10 the rear IN
a GlsorganiZed mass. NO negro oHi-
Ger or non-commissioned otilcer eX-
ercised any command at the time, and
could not be distinguished from the
6..-s.--. N.I.-.
The commanding officer of the First
2bastalion reported:
81 have worked night and day to
the very best Of my ability since the
time | took over the battalion on
the 29th of July, and | have con-
scientiously tried to make real
battalion. l am utterly discouraged
at the results. Not single negro
officer has shown any desire to get
at close quarters with the Germans.
It is my sincere opinion that only
with white officers in command OF
.ex--v ria cor can any sort OF an or
.ganrzation be made. and am equal,
" Of the opinion that the colcred
troops will never be of any fighting
value. / should dread to have to
advance under really heavy fire with
the expectation of having a colored
battalion even under white officers.
follow me. The fighting spirit does
not exist among the men; they are
rank ccwards; there is no other word
for it..
The commander of the Second bat
talon reported:
'The condition of the individual
soldiers mentally during this time was