History of Negro Soldiers in the Spanish-American War, and Other Items of Interest by Edward A. Johnson
page 62 of 162 (38%)
page 62 of 162 (38%)
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tremendous shout answer him, 'You bet we will,' and right up through
that death-dealing storm you see men charge, that is, you see them until the darned Springfield rifle powder blinds you and hides them." "And there is another thing, too, that teaches a man a lesson. The action of the officers on the field is what I speak of. Somehow when you watch these men with their gold braid in armories on a dance night or dress parade it strikes you that they are a little more handsome and ornamental than they are practical and useful. To tell the truth, I didn't think much of those dandy officers on parade or dancing round a ball room. I did not really think they were worth the money that was spent upon them. But I just found it was different on the battlefield, and they just knew their business and bullets were a part of the show to them." * * * * * NEGRO SOLDIERS. The Charleston News and Courier says: It is not known what proportion of the insurgent army is colored, but the indications are that the proportion of the same element in the volunteer army of occupation will be small. On the basis of population, of course one-third of the South's quota should be made up of colored, and it is to be remembered that they made good soldiers and constitute a large part of the regular army. There were nearly 250,000 of them in service in the last war. |
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