How shall we describe their chronology or write their log? They were everywhere in France where they were needed. As one officer expressed it, at one time it looked as though they would chop down all the trees in that country. Their units and designations were changed. They were shifted from place to place so often and given such a variety of duties it would take a most active historian to follow them. In the maze of data in the War Department at Washington, it would take months to separate and give an adequate account of their operations. [Illustration: BACK WITH THE HEROIC 15TH (369TH INFANTRY). LIEUT. JAMES REESE EUROPE'S FAMOUS BAND PARADING UP LENOX AVENUE, HARLEM, NEW YORK CITY. LIEUT. EUROPE SPECIALLY ENLARGED IN LEFT FOREGROUND.] [Illustration: SERGEANT HENRY JOHNSON (STANDING WITH FLOWERS), NEGRO HERO OF 369TH INFANTRY. IN NEW YORK PARADE. HE WAS THE FIRST SOLDIER OF ANY RACE IN THE AMERICAN ARMY TO RECEIVE THE CROIX DE GUERRE WITH PALM. NEEDHAM ROBERTS, HIS FIGHTING COMPANION, IN INSET.] [Illustration: RETURNING FROM THE WAR. MUSICIANS OF 365TH INFANTRY LEADING PARADE OF THE REGIMENT IN MICHIGAN BOULEVARD. CHICAGO.] [Illustration: SOLDIERS OF 365TH INFANTRY MARCHING DOWN MICHIGAN BOULEVARD. CHICAGO. THIS REGIMENT WAS PART OF THE CELEBRATED 92ND DIVISION OF SELECTIVE DRAFT MEN.] [Illustration: THE SEVEN AGES OF MEN. CURBSTONE GROUPS IN NEW YORK LINED UP TO GIVE THE HEROES WELCOME. THE SCENES WERE TYPICAL OF MANY IN CITIES AND TOWNS ALL OVER THE COUNTRY.] [Illustration: COLONEL FRANKLIN A. DENISON, FORMER COMMANDER OF 8TH ILLINOIS (370TH INFANTRY), INVALIDED HOME FROM FRANCE JULY 12, 1918.] [Illustration: FIRST COMMANDER OF THE 8TH ILLINOIS INFANTRY, COLONEL JOHN R. MARSHALL, WHO INCREASED THE ORGANIZATION FROM A BATTALION TO A REGIMENT, EVERY OFFICER AND MAN A NEGRO. UNDER COL. MARSHALL THE REGIMENT SAW DISTINGUISHED SERVICE IN THE SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR.] [Illustration: FORMER OFFICERS OF 370TH INFANTRY (OLD 8TH). LEFT, COLONEL FRANKLIN A. DENISON, COMMANDER UNTIL JULY, 1918; CENTER, COLONEL T.A. ROBERTS (WHITE). SUCCEEDING COMMANDER; RIGHT, LIEUT. COLONEL OTIS B. DUNCAN. APPOINTED COLONEL TO SUCCEED COLONEL T.A. ROBERTS.] [Illustration: CROWD ON THE LAKE FRONT IN CHICAGO ALMOST SMOTHERS RETURNING SOLDIERS OF "FIGHTING 8TH" (370TH INFANTRY).] It is known that a contingent of them accompanied the very first forces that went abroad from this country. In fact, it may be said, that the feet of American Negroes were among the first in our forces to touch the soil of France. It is known that they numbered at least 136 different companies, battalions and regiments in France. If there were more, the records at Washington had not sufficiently catalogued them up to the early part of 1919 to say who they were.