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
Most of the regiments had good bands, minstrel shows, and baseball
teams. The 807th Pioneer Infantry Band of fifty-two pieces was removed
from its organization for several months and stationed with General
Liggett of the First Army Corps, being called the First Army Post
Band. The 806th Pioneer Infantry Band played at the Columbus Stadium
in Paris, giving daily concerts during the A. E. F. try-outs for the
inter-allied meet. The baseball team of the 809th was the most notable
Negro team in France. It won the championship of the St. Nazaire base
and finished third in the A. E. F. league. The umpires in the league
were fair in all the games.
The Pioneer Infantry organizations proved a disappointment to many of
the soldiers in them because, as one officer said, “they did everything
the infantry was too proud to do and the engineers too lazy to do.”
However, they did splendid work and returned to America with a record
of honorable achievement.
CHAPTER VIII
THE NINETY-SECOND DIVISION
The Ninety-second Division gave to the Negroes of the United States
the opportunity which they had long desired, namely, organization into
fighting units commanded largely by Negro men. In its creation Negroes
were drafted from all sections of the country and from all walks of
life. The largest group of Negro officers ever commissioned served with
this division, which was not trained in one camp, as was true with
other divisions in the National Army, but whose various units were
distributed among seven camps, extending from Camp Funston, Kan., to
Camp Upton, N. Y. The units were stationed as follows:
Division Headquarters }
Headquarters Troops } Camp Funston
Divisional Trains }
365th Infantry Camp Grant
366th Infantry Camp Dodge
367th Infantry Camp Upton
368th Infantry Camp Meade
349th Field Artillery } Camp Dix
350th Field Artillery }
351st Field Artillery Camp Meade
349th Machine-Gun Battalion Camp Funston
350th Machine-Gun Battalion Camp Grant
351st Machine-Gun Battalion Camp Upton
317th Engineers Regiment }
317th Engineers Train } Camp Sherman
325th Signal Corps }
317th Trench Mortar Battery Camp Dix
As the headquarters troops, the military police, the 317th ammunition,
sanitary, and supply trains were all organized and trained with
the headquarters of the Division at Camp Funston, there was great
enthusiasm for achievement among these troops, and an earnest effort
was made to have them attain the highest possible efficiency. Being
close to the inspiration and brains of the Division, they set the
standard for the other units. By their wonderful progress moreover
they changed the attitude of the camp in regard to Negro soldiers
and developed in themselves and in their commanding officers greater
confidence in their ability.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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