The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1919-12-31
THE NEGRO SOLDIER
What Col. George Harvey Says
on the Subject
(From Harvey's W-eekly.)

/ the basis for a system OIL unlVefSai
military training contains the war de-
! partment's estimate that approximate
ly 69s,0O0 boys will be available for
j instruction annually. At least 10 per
cent Of this number are negroes. SO
far as we have been Informed, the ad--
visibility Of training the negroes as
combat troops has not been questioned
at the war department. or at the capl-
toll Secretary Eaker has said moth
ing on The spbjcct. Nor have Gen.
March onG his advisers al the war
department. Consideration Of the leg
islalion is proceeding upon the as
sumption that no reason exists 1or
differentiating between the races.
Mach has been said and much has
been written in praise OF the exploits
of our negro troops IN France. News
paper and magazine writers have
found in Young Black joe q ready
vehicle for exploitation. Race propa-
lgandists' with purpose) featured
him. Estimable ladies and gentlemen.
inbued with a praiseworthy desire to
minimize racial antipathies, haze
found in his patriotism the base for
many heroic stories.
We wish these reports and stories
were accurate. We wish there We're
no compelling reasons for revealing
the truth But there is. Distasteful
as the task may be, it is essential that
the facts be presented. Legislation
based upon the hypocritical unwil-
lingness of assessing the true value OF
the negro as a fighting man, must in
levitably lead to waste of great sums
Of government money in training men
whose record proves them incapable
Of meeting the demands of modern
warfare.
The Ninety second division was or
ganized in November, 1917, and was
composed of the best negroes drafted.
1t was the only negro division sent
TO France. Originally all company Of
fcers were negroes. The commanding;
officer and the field officers were reg:
ulars, assigned to the division b>causei
they had seen service With regular
negro regiments. AS the training pro-
ceeded, the negro officers In the ar
tiaery and engineer. regiments were
:relieyd by white officers, because OF
,ineHeieiIcy.
The average period allotted for:
training white troops in France was.
four weeks. The ,Ninety-second was
kept in; the training area seven aweeSs.
On August 20 or thereabout, the diyl-'
sion, minus its artillery, was { 1ered
20 a ouiet sector in the Vosges, where
it remained one month, and then NOV
ed on to the Arsonne as part OF the
great concentration preparatory TO
the last major action Of the war.
With the exception OF the 36oth reg
i,ment, which vas ordered to the 'front.'
line, the division was held IN reserve
withr.the First corps. The ,36Sth was
assigned to the ,Thirty,eignth. French
corps, and, directly hankeds the Sey-
erty-seventh American division. When
the advance was ordered, the French
and the Seventy-Seyenth moved for
ward on schedule. The 36Sth broke.
The French commander and the COM
mander of the. SeNenty-seventh re-
aorted that their forces we've being at
tackled on the tanks because the ne
groes did not go forward. !:
The negroes refused TO obey orders,
but in several instances the wnlte Eel2
officers, forced small groups OF them
TO go forward. AS a result Of this ac-
ticn. 11irty-one negro company 9th
GERS ere immediately removed for
cowardice and ineGiciencS. Five OF
them were tried Tor cowardice, and.
while the decisiop,/of the court is not
available, it is understood that they
We're sentenced to be shot.
The rcgnnentaL commander report.
ed as follows:
I'm general, the Second and Third
battalions disintegratea without rea-
son, and failed to so forward. The Oh
iicers {negroes) and men. With eNceD-
tons as noted, fed TO the rear IN
.disorsanizetl mass. No Aesro officer Or
non commissioned office exercised
any command at the time. ai7''
could Tot be distinguished from TIC
enlisted men
The commanding officer OF tiae.
First battalion reported:
y have worked night and day to
the very best of my ability since the
time took over the battalion on the
18th Of July. and I have consclen-
t;oUsly tried to MAKE a real battalion.
an u,,erly discouraged 1T The re-
suits Not Il single negro officer has
shown aay desire to get At close quar-
tels with the Germans. IT is my SIN
cere c1,i..ion that only with white Of
ticers in command Of every. platoon
car any sort OF an organization be
made, ana I am equally of the opin-
ion that the co!ored troops will nev-
er be Of anS fighting value. / should
dread 20 have 70 advance under really
heavy fire with the expectation Of hav-
ing a colored battalion, even under
white officers. follow me. The fight
ing spirit does not exist among the
men: they arc rank towards; there
IS no other word for it."
The commander Of the Second bat
talon reportcG:
''The condition Of the individual sol
dicrs mentally during this ;imc vas
awcul On several occ2sionS when !
L.