Evening star., 1919-03-01
|COLORED SOLDIERS HONORED
FOR BRAVERY AT WAR FRONT
Corp. Stewart, One of Three D. C.. Heroes
All Wounded, Tells Thrilling Story of
Adventures In No Man Land
From a staff Correspondent.

5000 troops aboard the gigantic steam
ship Aquitania, which docked here late
y Yesterday, were three coiored soldiers
from the District of Columbia-Sergt.
Charles E. Porter, Corp Edward j.
| Stewart and Private Benjamin Lott.
The last two were members of WASH
ingtons old 1st Separate Battalion of
the National Guard. All three were
wounded one or more times and gassed.
They were with the 372d Infantry of the
Esd Division in France, which achieved
distinction and glory during the second
battle of the Marine and during the
offensive at Champaign, They have
been in hospitals during the last two or
three months and returned today as
casuals They went directly to Camp
Upton, Yaphank. n. Y, where they Will
await rehabilitation orders.
With The exception of possibly 500, the
troops brought from overseas py Tue
Aquitania were colored. the ma a.oI..s ts
of them being members OF the ooo'H
Infantry Nearly all of them had been
aft the front and many of them had been
wounded or gassed. but there was prop
ably no soldier among them VINO is
coming back home with any better rec
ord or more glory than Corp bugler
Ed Stewart, whose home IN washington
is at 1919 Wylie street northeast
They all saw modern warfare in its
stern, grim reality, and each one mas
many an interesting story OF personal
experiences and observations, put no
one of them has a story more intense
Iy interesting or thrilling than the
actual experiences of Corp. Stewart.
Gets Honors for Bravery.
Not yet twenty-five years old, this
former Washington guardsman mas
been decorated with the French, mill
tary medal and the croix de guerre
He fought the enemy on that historic
and bloody battle-ground renowned as
Dead Mans Hill' and on Hill oo4;
he was captured by the Huns and was
a prisoner for four months. when ne
escaped and brought back four Ger
man prisoners with him. He engaged
in a hand hand fight with two
Prussian guards during the black OF
night right out in the middle OF no
mans land. and killed both.
One Of the relics of the war brought
back by him is a photograph OF one
of the Germans killed by him during
this encounter. 1t was taken by Stew
art from the pocket of his VICTIM
Stewart also was a member of a raid
ing party which si1enced nest OF
machine guns which were playing
havoc with one point of the 312d's
front line.
He was twice wounded. once In the
right leg and once in the left wrist.
fSeither injury is now troublesome.
He was gassed twice. and ne mas not
yet fully recovered from the last: II
was a little bit of mustard" stew
art explains, and it will take some
weeks yet before he Will be Wen
again.
Like all those other heroes of the
old LIST Separate Battalion who fonght
in the 93d. and who have returned
from France. this young bugler cor
poral Is extremely modest. he seem
ed far more eager to ask about things
in Washington and about the men OF
the old 1st Separate Battalion. from
which he has been separated since ne
was wounded a few days before the
:.rrnistice was signed, than to tell
about his own exploits.
Again like the others OF the old bat
talon, Stewart is proud of the MIS-
tory and honor of the organizations
After talking about himself and his
decorations today with a representa-
tive of The Star, he pulled solied
and wrinkled paper from his wallet
and said: Here is som methins, l am as
proud Of as / am of the honors "nich
have been awarded me.
The paper contained typewriter
copy of a coYnmendation from the
French general commanding the d.
vision, to Col. Taub, commanding the
372d Infantry. In 1t the former AT
much length 1auded the valor ana
courage of these coiored nghters.
nearly half of whom were members
of the old. Separate Battalion. the
regiment was later officially cited for
yaIor. and just before leaving Brest to
return to America the entire regi-
ment was -ored by having a ero1x
de guerre p.nned upon its regimentai
coIors.
"A fellow couldn't help doing some
real soldering and real fighting after
belonging to that outfit. said the
former corporal.
Experiences in No Mans Land.
In answer to a request for an ex-
pIanation of his capture by the Ger
MANS Stewart gave an interesting ae-
count of the sensations out on no.
mans land at night.
Don't think hard of any soldier,
he explained, "who admits that he
was scared while out there for the
first time nor the second or third time.
1t sure is one creepy place. Every
going somewhere, but you don't know
where it is, nor what you are going to
find., but you know you are going to
find trouble sooner or later. You go
on Just the same. and all the Wnfie
you get to wondering and thinking
about things such as they say drown
ing folks think of just before sink
ing. And then you get to thinking
about home and your kin. thought
how nice and quiet and pleasant
things were along Pennsylvania ave-
nue. just about that time-yes. did,
right out there on that no mans land.
but I kept creeping along with the
rest of them, trying all the time to
penetrate something like Hun
through the darkness.
Suddenly there was splitting of fire
ahead of me and for a few moments
things were exciting and all of a sud-
den the sichly. scary feeling left me
and I felt then like a real veteran
Our patrol lost one man, but we
brought back Fritzie and I under
stand from the officers that he after
ward proved very valuable Is a source
of information.
at was several hours before dawn
one hot sultry July morning that
small patrol party of which I was a
m ember and which was led by Capt
McGann. who has married sister liv-