Cayton's weekly. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1916-1921, 1919-01-25
CROIX DE GUERRE AND RARE PRAISE
FOR AMERICAN NEGRO TROOPS


have found their way into the Digest office
as to what the colored man has been doing
for his country cover There'' The regi-
ment cited, the 365th Infantry of the 93rd
Division which is the old 10Th Infantry of
the National Guard of New York, is praised
in these words by the French War Depart
ment:
Under command of Colonel Hayward, who,
tho wounded, insisted on leading his regi-
ment in battle; of Lieutenant colonel Pick
ering admirably cool and brave; Of Major
Cobb (killed), of Ma or Spencer (severely
Wounded) of Major Little, a true leader of
men, the Booth Reserve Infantry, L. S. A.,
engaging in an offensive for the first time
in the drive Of September, 1913, stormed
powerful enemy positions, energetically de-
Tended, too, after heavy fighting the town
OF $, captured prisoners, and brought
back six cannons and great number Of
machine guns.
Exceptional tho the award of the coveted
French War Cross may be- the deeds Of
valor by which this Negro regiment won it
are less exceptional than typical Of the way
in which all our colored troops measured
up to the demands of the war This is the
verdict Of newspaper correspondents and Of
soldiers invalided home from the Western
Front Survivors Of the fighting now arriv-
ing in New York have nothing but praise
for the colored troops,' writes reporter
in the New York Evening Sun. ''They
proved their vaor on countless occasions,
and it was one of the common stories that
Jerry feared the 'Smoked Yankees more
than any other troops he met" The report
continues:
The Negroes We're perhaps, the most pro-
Ia, >,xy, f<,l,+
Army. They simply dotted on the cold steel
and their natural agility, improved by in
tensive training, made them troops to be
feared at close quarters. 1t was not long
before the fame Of the Negro bayonet-wield-
ers spread among the Huns and it was sell
dom the German troops would hold out
when the yelling, sweating Negroes jumped
into their trenches.
Not even liqud-fire could break the morale
of the Negro troops. There is story told
of one wounded soldier who leapt up and,
dragging useless foot after him. rushed
into the trenches when he saw an airplane
spray the wounded Yankees with burning
oil. He was killed in his mad attempt to
take revenge, but he got at least one Hun
with good old Southern shaving nipple
ment pressed into service for the occasion.
The terrors of shrapnel, gas, and high
explosives, the grim life in the trench, were
made bearable by the unfaiing good nature
of the Negroes. When permissible they
organized their quartets and sang planta-
ton songs Frank Washington, wounded
Negro from South Carolina, told the story
of how quartet harmonized on "Massa' s
in de Cold Cold Ground" and when the
singing was over said in unison, land we
all gwine be with him tonight' They
were awaiting orders to go over the top at
the time
That peculiar regard by the foe for the
rules Of civilized warfare which included the
use of explosive bullets, among other atroci-
ties, was experienced by the Negro soldiers.
TO the certain knowledge of some Of the
Negroes at Debarkation Hospital No. 3, doz-
ems Of these men were torn to bits by ex-
plosive bullets Their wounded were sprayed
with liquid fire by the Huns during the
fighting on the Champagne front.
James P Mckinney, of Greenville, S. c.,
attached TO the HEADQUARTERS COMPANY of