Sidelights on Negro SoldiersWilliams, Charles H. (Charles Halston)
History
Sidelights on Negro Soldiers
Williams, Charles H. (Charles Halston)
World War, 1914-1918 -- Participation, African American
The brush was shaken more violently by the rope, and the Germans,
with their eyes fixed upon it, poured a hail of bullets into it. Then
at a given signal the flanking party dashed up, and they killed four of
the Germans and captured the remaining three, also the machine-gun.
For such exploits Lieut. Campbell was held up to his organization
by the commanding general as an example of the soldier who combined
courage and initiative.
Lieut. Charles G. Young, of the 368th, while in command of a scout
platoon near Dinarville, September 27-28, 1918, was twice severely
wounded by shell fire, but refused attention and remained with his men,
helping to dress their wounds and to evacuate his own wounded during
the entire night, and holding firmly his exposed position covering
the right flank of his battalion. Private Bernard Lewis, also of the
368th, during an attack on Binarville September 30, volunteered to go
down the road that led to the village to rescue a wounded soldier of
his company. He was compelled to go under heavy machine-gun and shell
fire, but in total disregard of personal danger he brought his comrade
safely back to his lines. Private Robert M. Breckenridge, an automatic
rifleman, of Company B, 365th Infantry, at Ferne de Belwir on October
29, although severely wounded in the leg, continued in action, crawled
forward for a distance of a hundred yards, and assisted in preventing
any enemy party from taking a position on the company’s flank. In
spite of his wound, he continued to use his weapon with great courage
and skill until he was killed by machine-gun fire. Corporal Russell
Pollard, of Company H of the 365th, during the assault on Bois Frehaut
on November 10, skilfully conducted his squad until his rifle was
broken. He then used his wire-cutter with speed and skill under heavy
fire, and although wounded in his right arm, he continued to cut the
wire with his left, assisting his men in getting through, until for
the second time he was ordered to the dressing-station by his company
commander. Lieut. Thomas Edward Jones, of the Medical Corps of the
368th, went into an open area swept by fire to care for a wounded
soldier who was being carried by another officer. While he was dressing
the wounded runner, a bullet passed through his arm and his chest and
a man was killed within a few yards of him. Corporal Van Horton, of
Company E of the 366th, displayed extraordinary heroism near Lesseux on
September 4. “During a hostile attack, preceded by a heavy minenwerfer
barrage, the combat group to which this courageous soldier belonged was
attacked by about twenty of the enemy, using liquid fire. The sergeant
in charge of the group and four other men having been killed, Corporal
Horton fearlessly rushed to receive the attack, and the persistency
with which he fought resulted in stopping the attack and driving back
the enemy.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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