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History of the American Negro in the Great World War: His Splendid Record in the Battle Zones of Europe; Including a Resume of His Past Services to his Country in the Wars of the Revolution, of 1812, the War of Rebellion, the Indian Wars on the Frontier, the Spanish-American War, and the Late Imbroglio With MexicoSweeney, William Allison

History

History of the American Negro in the Great World War: His Splendid Record in the Battle Zones of Europe; Including a Resume of His Past Services to his Country in the Wars of the Revolution, of 1812, the War of Rebellion, the Indian Wars on the Frontier, the Spanish-American War, and the Late Imbroglio With Mexico

Name: History of the American Negro in the Great World War: His Splendid Record in the Battle Zones of Europe; Including a Resume of His Past Services to his Country in the Wars of the Revolution, of 1812, the War of Rebellion, the Indian Wars on the Frontier, the Spanish-American War, and the Late Imbroglio With Mexico
Author: Sweeney, William Allison

Sweeney, William Allison

African American soldiers; African Americans -- History -- 1877-1964; World War, 1914-1918 -- Participation, African American

"Being a foot messenger I had some time ducking those German
     bullets. Those bullets seemed very sociable but I didn't care to
     meet up with any of them, so I kept on traveling on high gear. None
     touched my skin, though some skinned pretty close.

     "On the way back it seemed the whole war was turned on me. One
     bullet passed through my trousers and it made me hop, skip and
     jump. I saw a shell hole six feet deep. Take it from me I dented it
     another six feet when I plunged into it. In my fist I held the
     captain's can of coffee.

     "When I climbed out of the hole and started running again a bullet
     clipped a hole in the can and the coffee started to run out. But I
     turned around stopped a second, looked the Kaiser in the face and
     held up the can of coffee with my finger plugging up the hole to
     show the Germans they were fooled. Just then another bullet hit the
     can and another finger had to act as a stopper. I pulled out an old
     rabbit's foot that my girl had given me and rubbed it so hard the
     hair almost came off.

     "It must have been the good luck thing that saved my life because
     the bullets were picking at my clothes and so many hit the can that
     at the end all my fingers were in use to keep the coffee in. I
     jumped into shell holes and wriggled along the ground and got back
     safely. And what do you think? When I got back into our own
     trenches I stumbled and spilled the coffee."

Not only did Lieutenant George Miller, battalion adjutant, confirm the
story, but he added:

     "When that boy came back with the coffee his clothes were riddled
     with bullets. Yet half an hour later he went out into no man's land
     and brought back a number of wounded until he was badly gassed.
     Even then he refused to go to the rear and went out again for a
     wounded soldier. All this under fire. That's the reason he got the
     D.S.C."

Corporal Elmer Earl, also of Company K, living in Middletown, N.Y., won
the D.S.C. He explained:

     "We had taken a hill Sept. 26 in the Argonne. We came to the edge
     of a swamp when the enemy machine guns opened fire. It was so bad
     that of the 58 of us who went into a particular strip, only 8 came
     out without being killed or wounded. I made a number of trips out
     there and brought back about a dozen wounded men."

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