Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-03-07


Fighting for thethrst time on the soil
of the worlds most famous battlefields
Europe and for the first time
brought into direct comparison with
the best oldiers of Germany. Great
Britain, and France. they showed
themselves able to hold their own
where the tests of courage. endurance
and aggressiveness were most Sc
we're.
Colored troops fought yaliantly at
Nesle, in Champagne, in the Argonne,
and in the final attacks in the Metz
region. The entire first battalion OF
the S67th Infantry-"Buffaloes was
awarded the CroiX de Guerre for hero
ism in the orive on Metz. Most re-
markable of all, they received their
the start they won honors which vet
Grams of many conflicts nave lalied TO
capture.
in previous engagements of the
war. for distinguished service, three
colored regiment as units were award
ed the CroiX de Guerre, which bestowS
on each member the right to wear
the coveted badge. When the hghtins
stopped the negro troops were nearest
the Rhine.
Not until now has the story as
whole of the part played by our negro
troops in France been available. The
total number of negro combat troops
was $4,000. These consisted OF the 92d
Division, commanded by Major GEN
eral Charles G. Ballou, and four regi-
ments Of the Provisional 9Sd Division.
To describe the colored man as
tighter in a war which. because. OF tne
terrible weapons used, called Tor more
pure nerve than any other war three
ways present themselves; 10 snow lhe
negro in individual exploits then IN a
white troops, and finally, to SHOW MIN
in a battle in a division entirely COM
posed of men Of his own - rae.
Negro as Individual fiEhter
IND y
The S6Sth Infantry, coloreo' lousnt
in the Argoone. 1t became I, 80 -,
10 send runner with messass
the left flank of an American hi15 nS5
line The way was across an oPcH
field swept by heavy enemy maehihe
gun fire. s priva+e
Edward Saunders of Company ! re
sponded. Before he had gone Ia IaF d
she'll cut him down. AS he tell he
cried to his comradeS' et this mes
some one come ana get inns
sage, i am wounded c,,o,, of
lieutenant Robert L. Camppell OF
the same company sprang 70 the Iii
cue, He dashed across the sndtaI ndnd
sweept space, picked up the wouhuSu
privhte. and with the Germans fairy
hailfng bullets around him, carried MS
man hack to the American lines.
For the valor shown both were clteu
for the Distinguished Service cross
and Lieutenant Campbell. in adoltloh'
was recommended Tor a eaPta,n'f tpiEan from
this same company: ..o,5
John Baker having volunteered,
was taking a message through heaS
shell fire to another part OF ms tlne:
4 she'll struck his hand. tearing aWay
part of it, but the negro, unlalterlhS'
delivered the message.
He was asked why he did not seeh
aid for his wounds before completing
Il thought the message might con.
tain information that Wouiu
ha a
ITnder fhe same lieutenant Robert
/. Campbell few colored soldlers'
armed only with their rlnes' trshSn l.,, !,
= knives. and hand grenades' picked up
from shell holes along the way, were
moving over road in the Chateau-
Thierry sector. Suddenly their course
machine gun. They tried to locate il
NV the direction of the bullets bnt
could not. To their rrs2t lttle
ahead, lay space covered S<itn th'on 9 X
1lnderbrush; just back of itswas an
lieutenant Campbell. who knew by
the direction of the bullets that ms
party had not been seen by the ser
mans. ordered. one of his men. with
rope which they happened to nave, 20
crawl to the thick underbrush and
brush: then to withdraw as far as
possible and pull the rope. making the
bush shake as though men were
crawling through 1t. Inc phrpose % W. W.
gun. and, by watching, locate It's po-
The ruse worked. Lieutenant
Campbell then ordered three OF his
men to steal out and flank the ma
chine gun on one side, while he and
two others moved up and hanked IL
or the other side. ~
u bv the secret rope. The Germans
their ewes focused on the brush. pour
ed a hail of bullets into it. Lieutenant
-. III l,n 10 n
ing party dashed up: with their hand
Crenades they killed four OF the
Roches and captured the remaining
three---also the maehine gun. o.a
troops. from the regiment To the di-
vision. the participation OF the negro
soldiers naturally divides itself into
two parts on account OF the way, ,.they
were sent over. The negro division
composed of drafted men, did not get
into action until right at the last, but
individual regiments did; Lhe Tour
colnposed of old National Guard units
recFuited up to the REQUIRED quota
These were the 36sth. 3lOth. 3I1st and
orgarized into the Provisional sSd Di-
vision. Until Just before the last davs
Of. tho lighting. however. they were
trisaded separetely with, with FL tgeHsh fSh
"Gath. tho 371st. and the SGD. have
received the high honor of the CroiX
de Guerre from the French GoVern-
nent Cor distini Guished service. sixty
enc officers end men OF the 3IOth have
feen similarly decorated.
Fighting beside the French
Here is the lighting record of one
~ those regiments sandwiched among
rho French forces-the 372. It was
the 0rst 10 go over. Practically all
its line officers. well as privatcs
we've coloTed.
They arrived in France on April
l, and went into training with the
T-nnch on ADril 2S. On June the
2-2d was sent to the trenches west
ri Verdun. occuuving the famous
rattIe-swept and Nauduois. On Hill
?h+ thousands Of French and German
soldiers had fallen as, ,the battleline
swung hack and forward. and that
this hi'1 was given to the negroes to
hold shows that as soldiers thew had
sIreadv won the confidence of the
French.
The regiments first engagement
was in the Champagne sector. with
HTontoir as its objective. Here came
the real test; the colored men were
eaeer 10 get into the fight. They
chcered and sang when the announce
r,ent came that their chance had ar-
rived-but the question, was: back of
frafr erthusiasr, had they the stay
ing qualities drilled into European
. troons through centuries of training
in the science of warfare?
The answer was that some Of the
Laayiest and most effective fighting OF
the day was done by the negro regl-
~ NArr a1xaE- 4 n