It was not Spanish shot and shell that sent many Americans to their graves, but the hot climate of Cuba and its fevers; in some camps the sick and dying were found in every tent and the dead march was heard at every mess call. Yet when the men of the 8th were asked to go to Cuba to relieve the 1st Illinois whose men were dying daily, they readily said “Let’s go”; and their volunteering under the circumstances was especially commended by President McKinley. On August 14, 1898, the regiment arrived in Cuba and immediately it attracted attention by its military precision. Some very efficient men were officers, among them Major Franklin A. Dennison, who served as judge of claims in Santiago. When the regiment returned on March 17, 1900, and marched down Michigan Avenue, it was given a great ovation by the citizens of Chicago. Much of its success had been due to the hard work of Colonel Marshall, who served until January 1, 1914. He was succeeded by Major Dennison, who took command January 12. During the next year the state legislature appropriated money for the erection of a new armory. The corner-stone of this was laid in 1915, and it was the first building of its kind for Negroes in America. In the course of the trouble with Mexico the 8th was sent to the border. When war was declared against Germany, April 6, 1917, the regiment was sent to Texas for preparation. It was in Houston during the riots between the citizens and the soldiers of the 25th Infantry, but its record for discipline was upheld. For a while after the riots it was not thought safe for it to remain at Camp Logan, but the soldierly bearing of its officers and men demonstrated that such fears were unwarranted; and when the regiment left Texas for Newport News the citizens of Houston turned out to do it honor. Its arrival at Newport News, with a Negro colonel who placed Negro military police on the streets, created something of a sensation. On Washington’s Birthday, 1918, three companies, led by Colonel Dennison and the regimental band, went to Norfolk to take part in a demonstration to stimulate interest in the sale of war stamps, and for the first time in the history of the city Negro troops marched at the head of a procession of several thousand American soldiers, sailors, and marines. The regiment did intensive training at Newport News until it sailed for France. It arrived in Brest April 22, 1918, spent two days in the barracks at Pontenazen, and then journeyed for three days to Grandvillars, a village near the town of Belfort and within three miles of the Swiss border. Here it received intensive training under French officers for six weeks. The regiment made excellent progress and was complimented on numerous occasions. It was supplied with French equipment, and during the training period and the time spent in quiet sectors it was attached to four different French divisions.