THE NEGRO H8 HSOLD ERWR I T T E N B'

Christian A . Fleetwood ,

L a te S ergea nt-Maj or U. S . C olored T roop s ,

T H E N E GR O CO N GR E S S ,A T T H E

Cotton S tates and International Exposition,

Atlanta,G a.

,

N ovember 1 1 to N ovember 23 , 1 8 95 .

PUBL I S H E D B' PR O F . G E O . WM. C O O '.

WA S H I N G T O N , D . C .

H O WA R D UN I V E R S I T ' PR I N T .

l 8 gs . .

C OTTO N S TATE S A N D I N TE R N ATIO N AL E 'PO S IT ION ,

Atl an ta ,G a . , 18 95 .

C OMMI S S IO N F O R T H E D IS TR ICT O F C O L UMB IA C O L OR E D E 'H IB IT .

Jes s e Laws on , Ch ie f Comm is s ione r .

E dward E . Coope r , Vice Cha i rm an ,

Thomas L . Jones ,W. S . Mon tgomery,James H . Meriwet he r ,

Mrs . B . '. Bruce , Pres id ent ,Mrs . J . T . La yton , I s t Vice Pres

Jos eph H Stewart Mrs . A . F . H i lye r , 2d Vice Pres ,

H en ry E . Bake r , Treas u rer , Mrs . Jes s e Laws on ,Secre tary.

A . p . H i lye r , Mrs . Charle s R . D ouglas s , T reas .

G eo . Wm . Coo k ,C o l . Na than Toome r

,

J . E . Joh ns on , Secre ta ry . D a v id A . Clark , Ch a irman ,

Men’

s A uxi l ia ry Commi t tee .

O F F IC E O F T H E C OMMIS S ION ,

R oom 4 , 609 F Stree t , No rt hwes t ,Was hington ,

D . C . Augu s t 5 , 18 95 .

Majo r C . A . F L E E TWOO D .

D ca r Si r t—A t a mee ting o f t h e Comm i t tee for th e D is trict o f Co lumb iaon Nat ional Negro Congres s es at t h e Atl an t a E xpo s i tion , he ld t his d ay, you

we re appo inted a s pe ake r“ to repres en t th e D is t ric t on t h e s u bject , “M i l iwry .

'

Wi l l you k ind ly fa vo r us wi th a n ear ly no t ice of your accep tance'Ve ry res pectfu l ly ,

WAL TE R H . BR OO'S . Cha irmanW. J . H OWAR D ,

E D WAR D H . L I Ps com a , S ec .

T H E N E G R O A S A S O L D IE R .

IN TH E WA R O F T H E R E VOLUT ION .

F or si x teen h und red y ears pri or to the wa r be tween G reat B ri ta i nand the Colon i e s

,the page s of hi story bear n o record of the Negro

as a sold i e r . Tracing h is separate h is tory i n th e Revoluti onaryWa r

,i s a task of much d ifficu l ty

,for th e reason that whil e i nd iv i dual

i nstanc es of valor and patri otism abound there were so few se paratebodi es of Negro troops , th at no separa te record appears to have be e nmade . The simple fac t i s tha t the fa th e rs as a rul e enl i sted men

both for the Army and Navy ,j ust a s now ,

i s only continued by theNavy

,that i s to say

,they were assigned whereve r n eed ed , wi thout

regard to race or color . Va irner’

s Rhod e Is land B attal i on appearsto have been the only large aggregati on O f Negroes in this war

,

though Conne c ti cut,N ew'ork

,and N ew H ampshire each fu rn ished

one se para te company i n add i ti on to i nd i v idua ls scatte red throughthe ir othe r organi zati ons

,s o that ere the c l ose of the war

,there

we re v e ry few brigades , regiments , or compani es i n which th e Negrowa s no t in evid ence .

The fre e Negro appears to have gone i n from the beginning w i thout attract ing or cal l i ng out spec i a l comment . Late r

,as men grew

sca rce r and necessi ty more pressing,sla ves we re taken in also

,and

then the troub le b egan . Those wh o he ld sl aves d i d not care to l osethem in thi s way . O th e rs wh o had not , d id no t think i t j ust th e th ingi n a war for avowed freedom to place an actual slav e i n the ranks tofight . Some d id not want the Neg ro

,bond or free , to take part as

a sold i e r i n the strugg l e .

- S o that i n M ay,I 7 7 5 , the M as sachuse tts

Commi tte e of Sa fe ty voted that there a fter only free men shoul d beenl i sted . In July , Ge n . Gates i ssued an order proh ib i ti ng furthe renl istments of Negroes

,but sayi ng nothing of those al ready i n the

se rv ice .

I n Octobe r,a counc i l o f war

,presided over by Gen . Wash ington

,

compri sing three M aj or G ene ral s and s ix Brigad ier Genera ls,voted

unanimously aga i nst the enl i stment of sl aves,and by a dec i ded ma

jori ty against further enl i stments ofNegroes . Ten days la ter i n a confe rence he ld a t Camb ri dge

,Mass

,partic i pated in by Gen .Wash ing

T H E N E G R O'

A S A SOLD I E R .

ton,Benj . Frankl in ,

B enj . H arri son,Thos . Lynch ,

and th e d eputygove rnors o f Connec t icut and Rhod e Isl and

,th e same action wa s

taken .

On the 7 th November , 1 7 75 , E arl Dundore ,command i ng the forces

o fHis M aj esty the King,i ssued a proc l amation offe ri ng freedom and

equal pay to al l sl ave s wh o would j oi n h is armi es as sold iers . I t d id

not tak e the the coloni sts long to find out the ir mistak e,al though Gen .

Wash ington,i n accordance w i th the ex pressed w i l l of h is officers and

o f th e Commi ttee of Safe ty,did on the 1 7 th Nov . , 1 7 75 , i ssue a proc

lama t ion forb i dd ing the furthe r enl is tment of Negroes . Le ss than two

months l ater,that is to say on the 3 oth Dec .

,1 7 7 5 , he issued a second

proc l amat i on agai n au thori z ing th e enl istmen t of free Negroes Headv ised Congres s of h is ac tion , and sta ted tha t he would re ca l l i t i fs o d i rec ted . But he wa s not . T h e Splend id se rv ice rend ered bythe Negro and th e grea t and press ing ne ed of men we re such ,

that

a l though th e opposi ti on conti nued from some sec t i ons,i t wa s not

the reafter strong enough to getirecognit ion . So the Negroes wen t

and came muc h as di d other men.

I n al l the e vents o f the war, from Bunke r H i l l to 'orktown,

they bore an honorab le part . The h is tory of the doings of thea rmi es i s the i r h i story , as in eve rything they took part and did

t he i r share . The i r tota l enli stment wa s about men . A ve ryfai r percentage for the then popul a t ion . I might i nstance theki l l i ng o f M aj or P i tca irn ,

at Bunke r H i l l,by Pe ter Salem

,and of

Maj or Montgomery at Fort Gri swold by Jordan Freeman . The partthey took i n the capture of Maj or - General Prescott at Newport'it h e ir gal lant de fense of Colone l G re ene ,

the i r be loved commande r,

when he wa s surpri sed and murdered a t Cro ton R i ve r , M ay I 3 ,1 7 8 I ,

w hen i t wa s only afte r the l as t of h i s fa i th ful guard s had been shota nd cu t down tha t hewa s re ached'or at the bat tl e of Rhod e Island ,

when a batta l ion o f400 Negroe swi th s tood‘

th ree separate and d i s tinc tC harges from I

, 500 Hessi ans under Count Donop , and be at them backwi th such t remendous loss that Coun t Donop at once applied for ane xchange

,fea ri ng that h is men woul d k il l h im i f he went i nto battle

w i th them again , for hav ing exposed them to such slaugh te r'andmany othe r i nstances tha t are of record . The le tter foll owi ng , wr i t

ten Dec , 5 , 1 7 75 , ex p l a ins i tse l f'

T o t lze H onora ole G enera l C ourt of t/ze Ma s s a chus ett s B ay .

The subscribers beg leave to report to your Honorab le House

'which we do in jus ti ce to the chara c ter of so brave a man', that

T H E NEGRO A S A SOLD IE R .

unde r our own obse rvati on we dec lare that a Negro Man namedSa l em Poor

,O f

'

C O l . Frye ’s Regimen t,Cap . Arnes ’ Company , i n the

l a te ba ttle a t Charleston,behav ed l ike an experi enced office r as

we l l as an e x ce l l en t sold i e r . T O se t forth parti cul ars of h is conduc twould b e ted i ous . We would only beg to s ay , i n the pe rson of th i s

Negro ce nte rs a brave and gal l ant sold i e r . The reward due to s o

grea t and d is t inguished a cha rac ter , we submi t to Congress .

JONA . BREWER , C 01. WM. PRE SC O T T , C o l .

THOMA S N I'ON , Lt . C o l . E PR M. C O RE', Lieu t .JOSEPH BA'ER , L ieu t . JO S H UA R ow , Lieu t .JO N A S R IC HA R D SON , Capt . E L I PH A L E T T BO D WE L L , Se rgt .E BEN E 'ER VA RNUM, 2 Lt . VVM. H UD SON BA L L A RD , Capt .WI L L IAM SMITH Cap t . JOHN MORTON , Se rgt .

R IC H A R D WE L SH , Lieu t .

Thi s i s a Spl end id and we l l a t teste d tribu te to a gal l ant and worth yNegro . The re we re many such , bu t , b eyond rece i v ing and reading no ac ti on wa s tak en thereon by Congress . There i s n o l ack ofi nc idents and the temptati on to quote many of them is grea t

,but the

time al l otted me i s too br i e f for extended menti on and I must bringth i s b ranch O f my subj ec t to a c lose . I t i s i n evidence tha t whi l es o many Negroes were Offe ri ng the i r l i ves a wi l l i ng sacrifice for thecoun try

,i n some sect ions the Office rs of th e Continental Forces re

ce ived the ir bounty and pay i n Negroes , grown ' and “small,

'in

ste ad O f “doll ars and “cents . F igh ting for L i berty and taking

pay in S lam s '

When the war wa s ove r the free m en re turned to mee t the i r samed ifficul ti e s 'the sl aves were caught when poss ib l e and reensl av ed bythe i r former maste rs . I n Boston a few years la te r we find a party of

b l ack patri ots o f the Revoluti on mobbe d on Boston Common whilece l ebrating the anni versary of the abol i ti on of the slave trade .

The capta in of a vessel t rad i ng along t h e coast te l l s of a Negrowh o had fough t i n the war and be en d isti nguished for b raverv andsold i erly conduc t . He wa s recl a imed and re enslaved by h is maste rafte r the wa r

,and served him fai th ful ly unti l old age rend e re d h im

use l ess . The master then brough t th e poor o ld Sl ave to th i s ca pta in and aske d him to take him along on hi s tri p and try to se l l h im .

The captai n ha ted to se l l a man wh o had fough t for h i s coun try,

bu t final ly agre ed , took th e poor O l d man to M ob i le , and sold h im‘

for S ro o to a man wh o put h im to atte nd ing a ch icken coop . H i sformer maste r continued to draw the Old sl ave ’s pension a s a sold i eri n the Revolu ti on

,unti l h e d i ed .

4 T H E N E G RO A S A SOLD IE R .

T H E WA R O F I S I 2 .

The wa r of 1 8 1 2 wa s mai nly fough t upon th e wate r,and in the

Ame ri can na vy at tha t time the Neg ro stood i n the rati o of about

one to s ix. We find record of compla in t by Commodore Pe rry atthe beginning because of th e l arge numbe r of Negroes sent h im

,

but l a ter the highest tribute to the i r bravery and effic iency . Capt .

Shale r , of the armed brig G eneral Thompson ,w ri ti ng of an engage

men t be tween hi s vesse l and a Br i t i sh frigate,sa ys

“The name of one o f my poor fe l lows, wh o wa s k i l led ,

ought to

to be reg istere d i n the book of fame,and remembered as l ong as

b rave ry i s a v i rtue . He wa s a b l ack man ,by name John Johnson .

A twentv - four pound shot struck him in the h ip,and took away al l

the l ower part of h is body . I n th is s tate the poor b rave fe ll ow l ayon the deck , and s evera l times exc l aimed to h is sh ipmates ' ‘F i reaway

,my boys'no haul a color down ' Anothe r b l ack man

,by

the nam e of John Davis wh o wa s struck in much the same manner ,repe atedly requested to be thrown ov erbo ard ,

saying tha t h e wa sonly i n the way of others .

'

I know o f nothi ng finer In hi story than these .

As be fore , the Negro wa s not un i ve rsal ly we lcomed to the ranks

of t h e Am e ri can army'but la ter continued reverses and a l ack of

enthusiasm in enl istments made i t necessary to seek h is aid , and

from M ob i l e,Ala .

,on Septembe r 2 1 , 1 8 14 ,

General Jackson i ss ueda sti rri ng ca l l to the free colored people Of Lou is iana for aid . I tbegan thus'

Through a mistaken pol icy you have here tofore been d epri vedof a partic ipation i n th e glorious struggle for national righ ts i n whi chour coun try i s engaged . Thi s no longe r shal l ex ist .

'

I n a remarkabl y Short peri od,two ba ttal i ons were ra ised ,

und erMaj ors L a C a s te and S avary , which d id splendid se rv ice i n theba t t le of N ew Orleans. N ew 'ork enrol led two ba ttal i ons , andsent them t o S acke tts H arbor . Pennsyl vani a enrol led twenty - four

hundred,and sent them to Gray ’s Fe rry a t the capture of Wash

ton,to pre pare for the i nvad ing column . Anothe r battal i on also

wa s ra ised,armed

,equ i pp ed and ready to start to the front , when

p e ace wa s d ec l ared .

Le t us h ear the tes timony of that original d emocrat , GeneralJ ackson . Under the da te o f Dec . 1 8

,1 8 14 , he wri te s as follows '

“To the men of color,sold iers ' From the shores of M ob i l e I

call ed you to arms . I i nv i ted you to share i n the pe ri l s and to

THE NEGRO A S A SOLD I E R .

d i v id e the glory of your whi te coun trym en . I e xpec ted muchfrom you'for I wa s no t uni n formed o f those qual i ti e s wh ich must

rend e r you s o form id abl e to an i nv ad ing foe . I knew you couldendure hunge r and th i rst

,and al l th e hard s h i ps o fw ar. I knew tha t

you loved the l a nd of your nativi ty ,and tha t

,l ik e ours e l ves

, y ou

h ad to d e fend al l that i s most dear to man . But you surpa ss myhopes . I have found i n vou ,

uni te d to those qual i t i e s,tha t nob l e

en thusi asm tha t impe ls to gre at d e ed s .

“Sold i e rs The Presiden t of the Uni ted S tates sha l l b e in formedo f your conduc t on the prese nt occa si on ,

and the voi ce of the re p re

s en t a t ive s of the Ameri can nati on sh al l applaud your val or,a s your

gene ra l now pra i se s your ardor . The enemy is nea r . H is sai l s

cover the l ak es,bu t the brave are uni ted

,and i f h e finds us con

te nd ing among ourse l v es,i t w i l l be for th e pri ze of valor

,and fam e

i t s nob lest reward .

'

In on e Of the actions of thi s wa r,a charging column of th e Amer

i can army wa s re pulsed and thrown into grea t d i sorde r . A Negropri va te

,se e ing the d isaster

,sprang upon a horse

,and by he roi c

effort ra ll ied the troops,l e d them b ack upon a second charge

,and

comple te ly routed the enemy . H e wa s rewarded by G ene ral Jackson wi th the honorary ti tl e O f M aj or . Und er the l aws he co uld no t

commi ssion h im .

When the war wa s over,th i s gal l an t man re turned to h i s hom e

i n Nashvi l le , Tenn .,whe re h e l i ve d for years afte rward

,highly

respec te d by i ts c i t i zens of al l races .

At th e age of se ven ty ye ars , th i s black hero wa s obl iged,in s elf

d ef ens e , to strike a whi te ruffian,wh o had assaul ted h im . Under

th e l aws o f the State he wa s arre s ted and g i ven ni ne and th i rty

lashes on hi s bare back . I t b rok e h is he ar t,and M aj or J effreys

d i ed .

T H E . VVA R F O R TH E UN ION .

I t se ems a l i t t l e singul ar that in the tremendous struggle be twe e nth e Sta tes i n 1 8 6 1—1 8 65 , th e south s h ould have be e n the first to tak este ps toward the en l i stment ofNegroe s . 'e t such is th e fac t . T wo

weeks afte r the fal l of Fort Sumte r,th e “Charle ston M e rcury '

record s the pass ing through Augusta of se veral compani es of th e

th e 3rd and 4 th G eorgi a R egt .

,and of s ixte e n we l l - dri l l e d com

p anies a nd one [Vegro comp a ny from Nashvi l l e,Tenn .

“The M emphi s Avalanche ' and “The M emph i s Appea l of

6 T H E NEGRO A S A SOLD I E R .

M ay 9 , 10 , and I I , I S O I, give notice of the appo i n tme nt by the

“Commi ttee of S a fe ty 'of a commi ttee of three persons “ to organ

i ze a voluntee r company composed o f our patri oti c fre emen of colorof the c i ty o f M emphi s

,for the se rv ic e of our common d e fense .

A telegram from N ew Orleans d ated Novembe r 2 3 ,1 8 6 1 , notes

the review by G O V . M oore of ove r troops,and tha t one regi

m ent compri sed colored men .

' “The N ew Orleans Pic ayune ,

' re ferring to a rev iew he ld February 9 ,1 8 62

,says We

must al so pay a d eserved compl ime nt to the compan i es of fre ecolored men

,al l very we l l d ri l le d and comfortab ly equi ppe d .

I t i s a l i ttle Odd,too

,tha t in the e vacuation of N ew O rl e ans a

l i ttl e l a ter,i n Apri l

,1 8 62

,a l l O f th e troops succe eded i n ge tti ng

away exc ept the Negroe s . They “got l e ft .

I t i s not i n th e l i ne o f th i s pape r to specul ate upon wha t wouldhave bee n th e resul t o f the war had the S ou th kep t up th is pol icy ,enl i sted th e fre-emen

,and emanc ipated the en l i sting sl ave s and

the i r famil ies . The immense add i ti on to the i r fighting force,th e

quick recogni tion of th em by G rea t B ri ta in,to which slavery wa s

th e grea test bar,and the fac t that the heart O f the Negro wa s w i th

the S outh bu t for sl avery,and the case stands c lear . But the

primary successes of the S outh c losed i ts eyes to i ts onl y chance ofsal vat ion , whi le a t the same t ime the eyes of the North were Opened .

I n 1 8 65 , the South s aw,and endeavored to remedy i ts error . On

March 9 , 1 8 65 , the Confede rate Congress passed a b i ll , recommend edby Gen . Lee

,au thori zi ng the enl i stmen t o f Negroes'but i t

wa s then too l a te .

The North came slowl y and re luc tan tly to recogni ze th e Negro asa fac to r for good i n the war.

“This i s a wh i te man ’s war,' met th e

Negroes at every s tep of th e i r firs t efforts to gain admiss ion to thea rmies o f the Union .

To Gene ra l David Hunte r more than to any othe r one man,i s d ue

the cred i t for the success fu l entry upon the stage of the Negro as asold ie r i n thi s war.

In the spri ng of 1 8 62 ,he raise d and equipped a regiment o f

Negroes i n S outh Carol ina,and when the fac t became known in

Wash ington and throughout th e country,such a storm wa s ra i sed

about the ears of th e administra tion tha t they grac eful l y stood

asid e and le ft th e brave general to figh t h is enemies i n the fron t andrear as best he migh t . He wa s qui te capab le to do both , as i t

proved .

TH E NEGRO A S A SOLD I E R .

On the 9 th of June,1 8 62

,M r . o f Kentucky ,

i n t roduce da re s olu t i on i n the H ouse of Repre s en ta ti ve s

,which wa s passed ,

cal l ing upon the Sec re tary of War for i n fo rma t i on a s to the fact ofthe s e enl is tmen ts and h v wha t author i ty th i s matte r wa s done .

The Se c re ta ry o f re pl i ed und e r da te J une 14 ,1 8 62

,d i s avow

i ng a uv O ffici a l knowl edge of such a regiment and d enyi ng tha t anyau th ori t v h a d been g i ve n the re for . He re fe rred the re soluti on to

G en . Hunte r ’

H is re p lv i s one of the best thi ngs of the wa r I

quote i t en t i re .

He adquarters,De par tm en t o f the Sou th

,

Po r t Roy al,S . C . , June 2 3 , 1 8 62 .

H on . Edwi n M . Sta nton,Secre tary of wa r,

Wash ington .

S I R I have the honor t o acknow l edge the rece i pt of a communicatio n from the Adj utan t - G ene ra l of th e Army

,d ated June 16

,1 8 62

,

request ing m e to furni sh vou wi th the i nforma ti on necessary to

answe r ce r tain re solu t i ons Introduce d i n the Hous e of Re presen tat ive s June 9 , 1 8 62

, on moti on o f th e H on . M r . Wickl iffe , o f Ken

tucky,the i r substance be ing to i nqu ire ' F irst

, whether I hadorga ni zed

, or wa s organi z ing ,a reg imen t o f fugi ti v e sl av es i n th i s

d e partment' Second, whe the r any authori ty h a d be en given to me

from the Wa r Departmen t for such organi zati on'and Third .

whe ther I h ad be en furn ished by ord e r of the 'Var De partmen twi th clothi ng , uni forms , arms , equi pmen ts , e tc .

,for such a force .

Only hav ing rece i ved the l e tter conv ey ing the i nqu i ri es a t a la tehour on Saturday n igh t

,I urge forward my answe r i n t ime for the

s te amer sa i l ing to - d ay 'Monday', thi s haste preventing me fromen tering a s m inu te ly a s I could w i sh upon many poin ts of de ta i l

,

such a s the paramoun t importance o f the subj ec t ca ll s for. Bu t inv iew of th e ne a r te rmina tion of the present sessi on of Congress ,and the w id espread i n te re st which must have been awak ene d byM r . Wickl iffe ’

s re solu ti on,I pre fe r send ing even th i s imperfe c t

answe r to wa i ti ng th e pe riod necessary for the col l e cti on of fu l lerand more compreh ensiv e da ta .

To the first quest i on,there fore

,I reply that no regimen t of“ fugi

t i v e Sl av es ' h a s be en or is organi zed i n th i s d epartment . The re i s,

howev er,a fine regiment O f persons whose la te maste rs are “ fugi

ti ve rebe ls,men wh o everywhere fly be fore the appearance of the

national fl ag,leav ing the i r se rvan ts behind them to sh i ft as best

they can for themse lv es . S o far,i ndeed

,are the loyal persons

8 T H E N E GRO A S A SOLD I ER .

composing thi s regiment from seeking to avoi d the presence of

the i r l ate owne rs that they are now, one and a l l

,work ing w i th

rem ark able industry to place th emse l ve s i n a posi tion to go in ful l

and effec ti v e pursui t of the i r fugac ious and tra i torous propr ie tors .

To the se cond que stion,I have the honor to answe r , that th e

instruc tions g i ven to Brig - General W. T . Sherman by the H on .

Simon Cameron , l a te Secre tary of and turned o v e r to me bysucce ssion for my guid ance

,do d is tinc tly au thori z e me to employ al l

loyal pe rsons offe ring the i r se rv ice s in d e fense o f the Uni on and forth e suppression of thi s reb e l l ion in any manne r I might se e fit

,or

tha t the c ircumstances might ca l l for . There i s no restri cti on a s tothe charac ter or color of the pe rsons wh o migh t b e employed ,

or thena ture of the employmen t'whe the r c i v i l or mi l i tary ,

i n which the i rse rvices Should be use d . I conc lud e there fore

,that I h av e been

authorized to e nl i st “ fugi t i v e slaves as sold i ers,could any be found

i n thi s department .

No such charac ters have,however

,ye t appeared w i th i n our most

advanced picke ts,the loyal slaves e ve rywhe re remai ning on the i r

planta tions to we l come us,and supply us w i th food

,l abor and infor

mation . I t i s the maste rs wh o have,i n eve ry i nstance

,been the

“ fugi ti ves ' —runni ng away from loya l sl aves as we l l as l oyal s ol

d ie rs , and whom we have only parti a l ly been ab l e to se e— ch iefly

the i r he ad s over ramparts,or, r ifle i n hand ,

d odging behind tre e s,

i n the ex treme d i stance . In th e abse nce of any “ fugi ti ve maste r '

l aw,the d ese rted sla v e s would be whol ly w i thou t remedy ,

had not

th e crime of tre ason g i ven them th e right to pursue , capture , and

b ri ng back those pers ons of whose pro te cti on they 'have be en thussuddenl y bere ft .

To the thi rd inte rroga tory,i t i s my painful duty to reply

,that I

never hav e rece i ved any specific authori ty for i ssues o f clothing,

uni forms,arms

,equi pments

,e tc .

,to th e troops in question . M y

general instruc ti ons from M r . Cameron , to employ them in any manner I might find necessary

,and the mil i tary exigenc ies of the

d epartment and the country be ing my only,but

,i n my j udgmen t

,

Suffic ient j ustification . Nei ther have I had any specific authori tyfor supply ing these persons wi th shove ls

,Spades and pi ckaxe s

when employing them as laborers , norwi th boats and oars when usi ngthem as l ightermen'bu t these are not poi nts i nclud ed i n M r . Wi ckl iffe

’

s resolu tion . T o m e i t seemed that l iberty to employ men i n

any particul ar capac i ty impl i ed wi th i t l ibe rty also to s upply them

T H E N EGRO A S A SOLD I E R . 9

wi th the nece s sary tool s'and a cting und er th i s fa i th I have clothed ,

equi pped and armed the only loy a l regiment ye t ra i sed i n S outh

Carol ina .

I mu s t s a v i n v ind i cati on of my conduc t tha t h ad i t no t b e en for

the many other d i ve rsified and imperati ve cla ims on my tim e,a .

much more s a ti sfactory re s u l t migh t have be en hope d for'a nd that ,i n place o f only one

,a s a t pre sent

,a t le a s t five or s ix we l l - d ri l led

,

brave,and thoroughly accl imated regimen ts should by thi s t ime

have been added t o th e loy a l force s of the Union .

The e xperiment of arming the black s , s o far a s I have m a d e i thas been a comple te and e ven mar v e l l ous succe s s . They a re sobe r

,

doci le , atten ti v e , and en thus i a s tic ,d i splay ing grea t na tural ca pac i

ti e s for acquiring the duti e s of a s old i e r . They are eage r beyondal l th ings t o take the fie ld and be l ed i n to ac tion'and i t is th eunanimous Opinion of the Office rs wh o have had ch arge of them

,tha t

In the pecul i ari t i es of thi s c l imate and coun try,they w i l l p rove

i nvaluab le aux i l i ari es,ful ly equal to the simi l ar regimen ts s o l ong

and successful ly used by the B ri ti sh au thori ti e s i n the West Ind i e s .

In conclusion I would say i t is my h O p e ,the re appe aring to be no

pos sib i l i ty of other re i n forcements owi ng to the ex igenc ies of thecampaign i n the peninsular

,to have organi zed by the end of nex t

fal l and to be ab l e to prese nt to th e Governmen t from forty - e igh t

to fifty thousand of these hardy and de vote d sold iers .

Trusting tha t this le tte r may form part o f your answer to M r .

Wickl ifie ’

s resoluti on .

I have the honor to be,mos t re spe ctful ly ,

your obed i en t se rv ant,

D . HUNTER,

Al a/or G e 71era C omma rid i ng .

The read i ng of th i s famou s document i n the House brough t ou tsuch a storm of laughte r

,from both fri end s and foes that further a c

t i on wa s im possibl e . T h e H on . Sunse t C ox Speak ing of the ma t te rsome ye ars l a te r said “ I te l l you tha t le t te r from Hunter spoi ledth e pre tti e s t spe ech I had e ver though t o fm ak i ng . I had be en d el igh ted w i th moti on

,a nd thought the re ply to i t would

fu rni s h u s w i th firs t —ra te d em ocra t i c thunder for the ne x t e l e cti on .

I made up my mind to sa i l in on Hun te r ’

s an s we r no matte r wh a t

i t wa s — t h e mom en t i t came,and to be e v en more h umorous lv s uc

ce s s ful i n i t s de l i v e ry and recepti on than I wa s i n my s pe e ch

against wa r- horse Gurl e y o f Ohio . We l l you s ee,m an proposes ,

but Prov id ence Ord e rs otherwi se . When the cle rk announce d the

[0 THE N EG RO A S A SOLD IER

re ce i pt O f the l e tte r , and that he wa s about to re a d i t , I caught th eSpeake r ’s ey e

,and wa s booked for. the fi rst s peech aga inst your

Negro expe r im en t . The first sentence be ing formal and officia l

wa s ve rv we l l but at the second th e House began t o grin ,and a t the

thi rd,the re wa s not a man on the floor

,e xce pt Fathe r of

Kentucky , pe rh aps , wh o wa s no t convulse d wi th l augh ter . E v enmy own ris ib le s I found to be affected

,and be fo re the docum ent

wa s conc lud ed,I motioned to the Spe ak e r tha t h e migh t gi ve the

fl oor to whom b e ple ased,a s mv d esi re to d i s tingu ish myse l f in

i n tha t pa r ti cula r t il t wa s ove r .

The beg inn ing o f 1 8 63 ,s aw the Opening of the doors to the N e

gro i n e v e ry d i rec tion . G eneral Lorenz o Thomas we nt in pe rsonto the val l ey o f the M ississi p pi to supe rvise i t the re M assachuse ttswa s authori z ed to fil l i ts quota wi th Negroes . The S ta te s of M aryl and

,M issouri

,De l aware and T enne s e e we re thrown ope n by ord e r

o f the Wa r D epartmen t,and al l slaves enl is ting there from dec l ared

fre e Ohio , Conne c ticut , Pennsylvani a and N ew 'ork j o ined the

band and sen t the stalwart black boy i n b lue to th e front singing ,

G i v e us a flag,al l free

, wi thou t a slave .

'F or two years the

fierce and d e te rmined opposi tion had kep t them out,but now the

bars we re down and th ey c ame pouring in . Some one sa id he carednot wh o mad e the l aws o f a people i f he could make the i r s ongs . A

be tte r exemp l ifica t ion o f thi s would be d i fficul t to find than is thesong wri t te n by “ M i le s O ’

R e i l ly 'C o l . H alpine', of the Old ro th

Army Corps . I cannot res ist the temptation to quote i t he re .

Wi th Ge ne ral Hunter ’s le t te r and th is song to quote from , the e p i '

sode wa s c lose d'

Some S ay i t is a bu rn ing s hame to m a ke t h e N aygurs fight,A n

’ that th e trade 0’ be ing k i l t b e longs bu t to t h e white

But a s fo r m e , upon me s o wl , s o l i b e ral a re we he re ,

I’ l l l e t Sambo b e mu rthe red ,

in p l ace o f mes e l f, on e v e ry day o f th e ye ar .

O n e v e ry day o f t h e year,boys

, and e v e ry hou r in t h e day ,

T h e right to b e k i l t I ’ l l d i v ide w id h im ,a nd d ivi l a wo rd I ’l l s ay .

I n battle s wi ld commo tion I s hou ld n ’t a t al l objec t,I f Sam bo ’

s bo dy s hou l d s top a b al l that w as com ing for me direc t,A n ’

th e p rod o f a s ou the rn bayone t , s o l i b e ral a re we he re ,

I’l l res ign and l e t Sam b o take i t , on e v e ry d ay in t h e year,

O n e ve ry d ay in t h e yea r , boy s , an ’w id none o f your nas ty p rid e

,

Al l right in a s ou the rn bagne t p rod ,w id Sam bo I ’ l l di v ide .

T H E N EG RO A S A S O L D IER . I I

T h e men wh o o bje ct t o Sam b o , s ho u l d ta ke h i s p la ce a nd fi gh t ,A n

’ i t i s h e i the r t o ha v e a N a ygur’

s h ue . than a l i v e r that ’s w eak a n’

white ,

T ho ugh S a i nb o ‘s b l ack a s t h e a ce o f s pa d e s . h is finge r a t h ryge r can pu l l ,

A n’

h is c vc run s s t r aigh t o n t h e b arre l s ight from und e r i t s thatch o f woo l ,S o he ar m e a l l , b oy s . d arl in , d o n

’ t think I ‘m tipp ing yo u cha ff,

T h e right t o b e ki l t , I ’ l l d i v id e w i th h im . a n’

g i v e h im t h e l arges t hal f.

I t t ook th re e ve a rs of wa r t o pla ce the enl i sted Negro upon thesam e g round a s the enl i s ted whi te man a s to pay a nd emoluments'

s ix years ofwa r m igh t have gi ven h im should e r - straps,bu t

the wa r end ed w i thout autho r i z a tion o f law for th a t s te p . At first

t h e v we re rece i v ed,und e r an ac t of Congre s s tha t al lowe d each

o ne . w i thout rega rd to r ank,ten dol la rs pe r month

,th re e doll ars

thereof to be re ta ined for cloth ing and equi pments . I th ink i t wa si n M ay

,

’

64 ,when the ac t wa s pass ed equa l i z i ng th e pay

,but no t

O pening the door s t o promo ti on .

Und er an act o f th e Confed e rate Congress , mak i ng i t a crime puni s h ab le w i th de ath for any whi te pe rson to tra i n any Negro or mu

la tto to a rms,or aid them in any mi l i tary en terpri se

,and devoting

t h e Negro caught und e r arms to the te nd e r me rc ie s of the prese nt

o r future laws of the S ta te ' i n which caugh t , a l arge numbe r off romot ion s we re m ad e by the way of a rope and a tre e along the firsty ear o f the Negro ’s ser v i ce 'I can e ven recal l one i nstance as la tea s Apri l 1 8 65 ,

though i t had be en long be fore then genera l ly d i scontinued'.

the Negro d id,h ow he d id i t

,and whe re

,i t would take

volumes to properl y re cord,I can howe ve r gi v e bu t brie fe st m en

tion to a few of the many ev idenc es o f h i s fitness for th e duti es oft h e wa r, and hi s aid to the cause of th e Union .

The first fighting done by organi z ed Negro troops appears toha v e bee n done b y Company A

,First South Carol i na Negro Regi

m en t , at St . He lena Isl and,Novembe r 3—10 ,

1 8 62,whi l e partic i

p ati ng i n an e xped i tion a long the coast of G eorg ia and F lori d a und er L t .

- C o l . O . T . Be a rd,of the Forty - e ighth N ew 'ork

'

I nfantry,

wh o says in h is report'“The colored men fough t wi th aston i sh ing coolness and brave ry .

I found th em all I could desi re,more than I had hoped . They b e

haved gloriousl y,and de se rve al l pra i se .

'

The te s timony thus i naugurate d runs l ike a cord O f gold through

t h e web and woof of the h istory of the Negro as a sold ie r from tha t

d ate to the i r final charge,the l ast mad e at Clove r H i l l

, Va .,Ap ri l

9 , 1 8 65 .

THE N EGRO A S A SO LD IER .

Necessari ly the first acti on s i n whi ch the Negro bore a part command ed most atten ti on . Fri ends and enemies were look ing eagerl yto s ee h ow they would acqui t themsel v e s

,and so i t comes to pa ss

tha t th e names of Fort W'

agne r,O luste e

,M i l l ikens B end

,Port

Hud son and Fo r t P i ll ow are a s fam i l iar as Bul l Run,Antie tam

,Shi

loh and G e t tysburg . and whi l e those firs t experi ence s we re mostlyse ve re reve rses

,they we re by that v e ry fac t s plend id exemp l ifiers

of the tru th that the Negroes could be re l i e d upon t o figh t under

the most adverse ci rcum s tances,aga inst any odd s

,and could not be

d iscouraged .

Le t us glance for a momen t at Port H ud son,La .

,i n M ay

,18 63 ,

assaul ted by G enera l Banks wi th a force of wh ich th e F i rst and Second Regiments

,Loui s i ana Nati ve Guard s

,formed a part . When

starti ng upon the i r d esperate m issi on ,Colone l Stafford of the Fi rst

Regiment i n turning over the regimental,col ors to the color guard

,

made a brie f and pa tri o ti c add ress,closing i n the word s'

“Color Guard ' Protec t,d e fe nd

,d ie for, bu t do no t surrende r

these colors .

' The gal lan t flag - sergean t , Pl ancianos , tak i ng themre pl i ed' “Colonel ' I w i l l bring back these colors to you i n honor

,

or repor t to God the re ason wh y .

Si x times w i th despera te valor they charge d ove r ground wheresuccess wa s hope less , a d eep bayou be twe en them and the work s ofthe enemy at the poin t of attack rend ere d i t impossib l e to reachthem

,ye t strange to s ay ,

S i x times they we re orde red forward ands ix times they wen t to use l ess death ,

unti l swe pt back by the b l azing breath of shot and she l l b e fore which noth ing l iv ing could stand .

H ere fe l l the gallant Captain Cai l l oux, black as the ace O f Spades're fusing to le ave the fie ld though h is arm had been shatte red by abul le t he re turned t o the cha rge unti l k i l le d by a she l l .

A sold ier l imping pain fu l ly to the front wa s hal ted and askedwhe re he wa s going ,

he re pl i e d' I am shot bad i n d e leg , and d eywant me to go to d e hospi tal , but I guess I ca n gi v e ’em a l i ttlemore ye t .

The colors came back bu t cr imsoned wi th the blood of the gal l an t

Pl ancianos , wh o reported to G od from that b lood v fie ld .

Sha l l we glance - from th i s t o M i l l ik ens Bend , L a , i n J anua ry , 1 8 63 ,

ga rr i soned by the Nin th and E le ven th Loui s iana and the F irs t M iss i s s i p p i , al l Neg roe s ,

a nd abou t one hundred and s ixty o f the twen tythi rd Iowa 'whi te'. about e l e v en hund re d fight ing men i n a l l . At

t acke d by a force of s ix Confedera te regimen t s , crushe d ou t of the ir

T H E N EG R O A S A SOLD I ER . 13

works by sheer we ight o f numbe rs , borne down toward the l e vee ,fighting e v e ry ste p o f the wa y ,

hand to hand , clubbed musk e t , bayone t s and sword s ,

from three a . m . t o twe lve , noon ,when a Union

gun - boa t cam e to the re s cue and she l l ed th e d esperate foe backto the wood s

,w i th a to tal loss to th e de fende rs of 4 3 7 men ,

two

fift h s o f the i r strength .

Sha l l we turn wi th sadness to Fort S . C .

,i n Jul y

,1 8 63 ,

when the F i fty - fourth M ass . won i t s d ea thl ess fame , and i ts grandyoung command e r

, C o l . Robert Gould Sh aw ,passe d into the temple

O f immortal i ty . Afte r a m a rch of a l l d ay ,und er a burni ng s un

,and

al l n ight th rough a tempest of w i nd and ra in,drenched

,e xhausted

,

hungry,they whee l i n to l ine

,w i thout a murmur for that awfu l

cha rge,tha t d ance of d ea th ,

the struggle aga inst hope less odds , andthe shatte red remnants were hurl ed back as from the mouth of he l l ,l e avi ng the d ead bod i es of the i r young command er and hi s nob lefol lowe rs t o be bu r i ed i n a common grav e . I ts total loss wa s abou t

one - thi rd of i t s strength .

Here i t wa s tha t the gall an t F lag - se rgeant Carney,though griev

ous ly wounded,bore back his flag to sa fe ty

,and fe l l “fa i n t ing and

exhausted w i th l oss of bl ood ,say ing ,

“ Boys , the o l d flag never

touched the ground . Or another g lance,a t i l l - starred O lus te e

,

whe re the ga l lant 8 111 U . S . C . T . lost 8 7 k i l le d of i t s effe c tivefigh ting force

,the large st l o s s in a ny one colored regiment i n any

one action of the war. And s o on,by Fort P i l l ow

,which le t us

pass in merc i ful s i l ence,a nd to Hone y H i l l

,S . C .

,perhaps the l ast

d espera te figh t i n the far south,i n w h ich the 3 z ud , 3 s th and

10 2nd U . S . C . T . and the s 4 th and 55 th M ass . Inf. won fre sh and

fad e le ss l aure l s for Splend i d fighting against hope l e ss Odd s and insurmountab l e d iflicul t ie s , and th en to N ashv i l l e , Tennesse e , w i th i ts

record ed l oss of 8 4 k i l l e d i n the e ffec ti v es o f t h e i 3 th U . S . C . T .

These we re a l l b r i l l ia n t actions,and they covered the ac tors

w i th and reflec t ed u p on the race a b la z e of glory . But i t wa s in

the armi e s of th e J ames and of the Potomac that the true me ta l ofthe Negro a s a s old i e r rang out i ts c l e arest notes amid the trememd ous d i apa s ons tha t rol led back and forth be twe en the emba ttl edhosts . H e re wa s wa r i nd eed

,upon i t s grandest scal e

,and i n al l i ts

i nfini te vari e ty . The tire le ss m arch und er burn ing s un,ch i l l i ng

frosts and d ri ven tempe s ts,th e lonely vigi l o f the pi cke t unde r star

l e ss Sk ie s,the ru s h a nd roa r of countl e s s “ hosts to battl e d riv en ' i n

the mad cha rge and t h e v i ctor i ous shou t that pursued the fl ee i ng foe'

T H E N EGRO A S A SOLD I ER .

the grim de te rminati on th a t he ld i ts l ine o f de fenses w i th se t te e th ,

blood - shot e y e and stra ined musc l e b ea ti ng back charge a fte r cha rgeof the foe 'the pa tien t labor in tre nch and mine , on hi l l and i n va l l e v ,swamp and j ungl e ,

wi th d ise ase ad d ing i ts horrors to the dec imati on o f s h o t and she l l .

Here the Negro stood in th e fu l l gl are o f the gre a te st se arch l ight,

part and parce l o f the grand e s t armies e ve r mu s te red upon th is contin ent

,compe ti ng sid e b v si d e wi th the be st and brave st of th e Un i on

army agai nst the flower o f th e Confed e racy,th e be s t and bravest of

Le e ’s a rmy,and l osing noth ing i n the con tra st . Never agai n whil e

tim e lasts wi l l the doub t arise as i n 1 8 6 1,

'W'

i l l the Negro fight'' As

a problem,i t has be en sol v ed

,as a questi on i t ha s be en answered

,and

as a fact i t is as e stab l i shed as the e te rnal h i ll s . I t wa s they wh o

rang Up the curta in upon the last ac t of the b l oody tragedy a t

P e te rsburg,Va .

,Jun e 15 ,

1 8 64 , and th ey wh o rang i t down a t

Clove r H i l l,Va .

,Apr i l 9 ,

1 8 65 . They we re one o f the strong

fingers upon the mighty hand tha t grasped the gia nt 's throa t a tPe te rsburg and n eve r fle x ed un ti l the bre a th went ou t a t Appo

mattox . In th is period i t would take page on page to recount th e i rdeed s of valor and the ir glorious v ic tori e s .

Se e them on the 15 th of June , 1 8 64 ,carry i ng the outpost a t B ay

lor ’s fie ld i n early morn ing,and al l tha t long

,hot

,summer d ay

advanci ng,a few yards a t a time

,then ly ing down to escape th e

fire from the works,bu t sti l l gradua l ly cre e pi ng ne a re r and ne a re r

,

unti l,j ust as the sun wen t down ,

th e y swe pt l ik e a tornado ove r theworks and started upon a race for the c i ty

,c lose a t the he e ls of the

fly ing foe,unti l mi stakenly ordered back . O f th i s day 's expe ri ence

“y en . Badeau wri tes “No worse s tra i n on the ne rv es of troops i spossib le

,for i t i s hard er to remain qu i e t unde r cannon fire

, e v e n

though comparati ve ly harmless,th an to ad vance agai nst a storm of

muske try .

' Gene ra l W. F .

“Ba ldy ' Smi th,spe ak ing of the ir con

duct,says “

N O nob le r effort h as be en put forth to - d a y, and no

greate r succe ss achieved than that of th e co l ored troops .

'

In h is ord er of the d ay he says“To the colored troops compri s ing the D i v i si on of G ene ral H i nks ,

the general command ing would c al l the attenti on of h is command .

Wi th the ve te rans of th e E igh te enth corps , they hav e stormed theworks of the enemy and carried them , taking guns and prisone rs ,and in the whol e affai r they hav e d i s p la ved al l the qual i t i e s of goodsol d iers .

'

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T H E N E G RO A S A SO LD IER .

Or anothe r i nstance 'when unde r Butle r firs t and Te rry la te r,

d ri ve n by storms and t emp e s tous seas to powerfu l For t F isher,

C oopera ting wi th our gal lant Navy in i ts capture,and thence star t

i ng on the l ong march tha t l ed through W'

i lmington,and on to

Goldsboro , N . C .,w he re John s on ’s army

,the l ast large force of t h e

Confederacy in the fie ld,wa s caugh t be twe en the force s und e r

Terry and the forces und e r Howard , and the war as such wa s ende dwi th h is surrende r

,Apri l 26

,1 8 65 .

A li ttle of stati stics,and I wi l l c lose .

The to tal numbe r of colored sold i e rs in th is las t war wa sand the numb er o f d eathsOf enl i stme nts the Uni ted State s made and the severa l

S ta tes

E nl is tments were d iv id ed as fol lowsAlabama M iss issipp iLou is iana MaineN ew Hampsh ire 1 2 5 Ve rmon t

M assachuse tts Rhod e IslandConne c t icut N ew 'ork

N ew Jersey 1 , 1 8 5 Pennsylvan ia

De laware 954 M ary l and

D i s t . of Columb i a Vi rgin i a

North Carol i na “fest V i rgin i aS outh Carol i na G eorgiaFlor id a Arkansas

Tennessee 20,13 3 Kentucky

M i chigan Ohi o

Ind iana I l l i no isM issouri M i nnesota

Iowa 440 W'

i sconsi nKansas Te xasColorado Te r . 9 5 M isce l laneousThe compl e ted organ i za ti ons we re as . fol lows '

13 8 regimen ts of i nfantry .

6 cavalry .

14 heavy a r t i l l e ry .

1 l igh t arti l le ry .

On 449 occasions the i r b lood wa s spi l led .

These are a few of th e regiments having the l argest numb er ofmen ki l led in any one engagemen t .

T H E N E GRO a s A SO LD I ER . 1 7

The 8 th U . S.

C . T . ,a t O lu s t ee ,

8 7 ki lled .

13 t h Nas h v i l l e ,8 4

23 rd Pe te rs burg ,8 1

7 th Fort G i lmo re ,68

5 th C h a flin’

s F a rm 63

6th 6 1

s 4 th M ass . Inf.,

Fort 5 8'

The regimen ts ha v ing more th an fifty men ki lled during the i rpe ri od o f se rv ice are as follows'

Seven ty - ninth U . S C T . Tota l K i l l e d ,1 8 3

Eigh th 1 15

Fourth 1 02

Thirte enth 8 6

Seventh 8 4

Twenty - th i rd 8 2

S ixth 79

Fi fth 7 7

Twe nty - second 70

Fi rst 6 7

Forty - ninth 59

Some times a compari son w i l l i l lu s tra te be tte r than figures a l one .

I gi ve a single i nstance'Every one h a s heard of the charge O f th eL igh t Brigade , at Balak l ava . I w i l l pu t bes ide i t a B l ack Brigad eO f about the same number O f menH e re they are

Duncan ’s Brigade,compri sing the Fourth and Sixth R egimen ts at

N ew M arke t H e igh ts , H ad 68 3 Lost 3 65 Pe rcen t

L ight Brigade,Balakl ava

,6 73 2 4 7

E xcess i n Duncan ’s B rigade,

10 1 1 8 1 7

S anford B . Hunt,M . D .

,la te su rgeon of U . S . Volunte e rs

,

m ade an exhausti ve research i nto th e capac i ty of the Negro a s a

s old i e r . As to hi s

1 . Ap t i tud e for dri l l .

2 . Capac i ty for march i ng .

3 . Endurance of fa tigue and hunge r .

4 . Powe rs of d ige sti on and assimi l a t ion .

5 . Immuni ty from or l i ab i l i ty t o d i sab l i ng d iseases .

All Of which poi nts are tre ated w i th great de ta il,and summ ed up

a s fol lows'

1 8 T H E N EG RO a s A SOLD IER .

“F or the pu rposes o f th e s old i e r he h a s a l l th e physi cal charac

t e ri s t ic s requ i red ,h i s tempe ramen t ad apts him to camp l i fe

,and h is

mo ra l e cond uce s t o d i s ci pl ine . He is al so brave and stead y ina c ti on . I n a l l s ub s equen t wa rs the count ry w i l l re ly l arge ly upon

i t s Neg ro po p u la t i o n a s a pa r t of i ts m i l i ta ry powe r .

If

nd er t h e ac t of Congre s s pa s s ed July 1 2,

1 8 62,the Presid ent

o f t h e Un i t ed S t a s e s wa s a uthori z ed t o have p r e pa red,w i th s u i tab l e

emblem a t i c d ev ic e s . Med a l s of Honor to be p resen ted in th e name o fthe Congre s s t o such so ld i e r s a s should mo s t d i s tinguish them se l v e sb y th e i r ga l l an t ry i n a cti on a nd o the r sold i e rl y qual i t i e s . S O ch a ryh a s th e G overnm en t b e e n i n th e i r i ssue tha t the award h a s notreach ed two thou s and among t h e th re e m i l l i ons O f v olunte e rs andregulars i n the A rmy and N avy . S O tha t these m ed als a re more rarethan the “Vi c tori a Cross

'o f England

,th e “ I ron Cross ' of G ermany ,

Or the “C ros s of the L egion of Honor o f France .

I copy th e l i s t of t h o s e i s sued to Negro sold i e rs as the y s tand

upon the re cords,th a t i s

,i n the numeri cal ord e r o f the reg iments

to wh ich the rec i pi e n ts be longed . I t w i l l b e the re fore unde rs toodtha t th is o rde r doe s no t i nd ica t e pri or i ty of t ime or d egre eof exce l lence .

Chri s ti an A . Fle e twood ,Sergeant M aj or

,Fourth U . S C'T .

Al fred B . H il ton,

Co lor Sergeant,

Charl es Ve a l , Corporal,

Mi l ton M Hol land,

Serge ant M aj or,

Fi fth

J ames B rown s on,

Fi rst Sergeant ,Powha tan B e a t t y

,First Serge ant

,

Robe rt P inn,

Fi r s t S e rge an t,

Thom a s R . H awk in s,

Serge an t M aj or,

Sixth

A lexand e r Ke lly,

First Se rge ant,

Samue l G i l chri s t,

Serge an t Th irty - sixth

Wi l l iam Dav i s,

Serge an t,

M i le s J ame s,

Corpor a l,

Jam e s'

G a rd ner,P ri va te

,

Edwa rd Ra t cl i ffe , First Se rge ant,Thirty - e ighth

Jame s H arri s,

Se rge an t,

B a rne s,

Pr i v a te,

Dec a tur Do r s e y ,Se rge ant

,Thirty - nin th

Afte r each wa r,of 1 7 76 , o f 1 8 1 2 ,

and o f 1 8 6 1,h i story re pe a ts

i tse l f i n the ab s olute e ffacement of remembrance of the gal lan t d e edsdone for the coun try b v i t s bra ve black de fenders and in the i r re l e

ga t ion to ou te r da rkness .