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
Sweeney, William Allison
African American soldiers; African Americans -- History -- 1877-1964; World War, 1914-1918 -- Participation, African American
Their record was remarkable considering the brief time in which they had
to distinguish themselves, and had the war continued, they would surely
have gained added glory; General Pershing in the review at Le Mans
complimenting them particularly, stating that when the armistice came he
was planning important work for them. Following are the general's words
which brought much pride to the organization:
"Permit me to extend to the officers and men of the 167th Field
Artillery Brigade, especially the 351st regiment, my
congratulations for the excellent manner in which they conducted
themselves during the twelve days they were on the front. The work
of the unit was so meritorious that after the accomplishments of
the brigade were brought to my attention I was preparing to assign
the unit to very important work in the second offensive. You men
acted like veterans, never failing to reach your objective, once
orders had been given you. I wish to thank you for your work."
The unit was organized largely from men of Western Pennsylvania, the
District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia. Camp Meade, near
Washington, D.C., was their principal training point from the fall of
1917 until June, 1918, when they went abroad.
To the brigade belongs the additional distinction of being the first in
the service to be motorized. Tractors hauled the big guns along the
front at a rate of twelve miles an hour, much better than could have
been done with horses or mules.
Brigadier General W.E. Cole commanded the unit until about the middle of
September, 1918, when he was elevated to a major generalship and the
command of the 167th passed to Brigadier General John H. Sherburne. In a
General Order issued by the latter shortly before he left the unit, he
said:
"I will ever cherish the words of the Commander in Chief, the
compliment he paid, in all sincerity to this brigade, when he
watched it pass in review. I wish the brigade to understand that
those words of appreciation were evoked only because each man had
worked conscientiously and unflaggingly to make the organization a
success. The men went into the line in a manner to win the praise
of all."
The history of the brigade from the time it left Camp Meade until the
end of the war may be summarized as follows:
June 27--Disembarked from ship at Brest, France.
July 2--Started for the training area, reaching there July 4.
July 5--Began a period of six weeks training at Lathus in the
Montmorillion section.
August 20--Went to La Courtine and remained until September 16th,
practicing at target range. Its gun squads excelled in target work and
the brigade, especially the 351st regiment, won distinction there.
October 4--Finished training at La Courtine and moved into a sector
directly in front of Metz, where about three weeks were spent in
obtaining the tractors and motor vehicles necessary for a completely
motorized artillery outfit.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account