A SCHOOL HISTORY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 NEGRO RACE IN AMERICA 
 
 FROM 1619 TO 1890, 
 
 WITH A SHORT INTRODUCTION 
 
 AS TO 
 
 THE ORIGIN OF THE RACE; 
 
 ALSO A 
 
 SHORT SKETCH OF LIBERIA, 
 
 BY 
 
 EDWARD A. JOHKSON, LL.B., 
 
 Principal of the Washington School, Raleigh, N. C. 
 
Copyright. 1891. 
 
 BY EDWARD A. JOHNSON, L.L.B.. 
 Raleigh, N. C 
 
& 
 
 )2 
 
 Tt, 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 To the many thousand colored teachers in our 
 country this book is dedicated. During my experi- 
 ence of eleven years as a teacher, I have often felt 
 that the children of the race ought to study some 
 work that would give them a little information on 
 the many brave deeds and noble characters of their 
 own race. I have often observed the sin of omission 
 and commission on the part of white authors, most 
 of whom seem to have written exclusively for white 
 children, and studiously left out the many creditable^ 
 deeds of the Negro. The general tone of most of 
 the histories taught in our schools has been that of 
 the inferiority of the Negro, whether, actually said 
 in so many words, or left to be implied from the 
 highest laudation of the deeds of one race to the 
 complete exclusion of those of the other. It must, 
 indeed, be a stimulus to any people to be able to 
 refer to their ancestors as distinguished in deeds of 
 valor, and peculiarly so to the colored people. But 
 how must the little colored child feel when he has 
 completed the assigned course of U. S. History and 
 in it found not one word of credit, not one word of 
 
 (Ui) 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 favorable comment for even one among the millions 
 of his foreparents, who have lived through nearly 
 three centuries of his country's history ! The Negro 
 is hardly given a passing notice in many of the his- 
 tories taught in the schools ; he is credited with no 
 heritage of valor; he is mentioned only as a slave, 
 while true historical records prove him to have been 
 among the most patriotic of patriots, among the 
 bravest of soldiers, and constantly a God-fearing, 
 faithful producer of the nation's wealth. Though 
 a slave to this government, his was the first blood 
 shed in its defence in those days when a foreign foe 
 threatened its destruction. In each of the American 
 wars the Negro was faithful yes, faithful to a land 
 not his own in point of rights and freedom, but, in- 
 deed, a land that, after he had shouldered his mus- 
 ket to defend, rewarded him with a renewed term 
 of. slavery. Patriotism and valor under such cir- 
 cumstances possess a peculiar merit and beauty. But 
 such is the truth of history ; and may I not hope that 
 the study of this little work by the boys and girls of 
 the race will inspire in them a new self-respect and 
 confidence ? Much, of course, will depend on you, 
 dear teachers, into whose hands I hope to place this 
 book. By your efforts, and those of the children, 
 you are to teach from the truth of history that com- 
 plexions do not govern patriotism, valor, and sterling 
 integrity. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 My endeavor has been to shorten this work as 
 much as I thought- consistent with clearness. Per- 
 sonal opinions and comments have been kept out. 
 A fair impartial statement has been my aim. Facts 
 are what I have tried to give without, bias or preju- 
 dice ; and may not something herein said hasten on 
 that day when the race for which these facts are 
 written, following the example of the noble men and 
 women who have gone before, level themselves up 
 to the highest pinnacle of all that is noble in human 
 nature? 
 
 I respectfully request that my fellow-teachers will 
 see to it that the word Negro is written with a 
 capital N. It deserves to be so enlarged, and will 
 help, perhaps, to magnify the race it stands for in 
 the minds of those who see it. 
 
 E. A. J. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 I. Introduction, . . - . * . 9 
 
 II. Beginning of Slavery in the Colonies, . . 17 
 
 III. The New York Colony ...... 23 
 
 IV. Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut, 25 
 . V. New Hampshire and Maryland, ... .^4 
 
 VI. Delaware and Pennsylvania, . . .40 
 
 VII. North Carolina, . . . . .41 
 
 VIII. South Carolina, , . . . . 44 
 
 IX. Georgia, ....... 46 
 
 X. Habits and Customs of the Southern Colonies, 53 
 
 XI. Negro Soldiers in Revolutionary Times, . . 56 
 
 XIL Negro Heroes of the Revolution, ... 63 
 
 XIII. The War of 1812, ...... 74 
 
 XIV. Efforts for Freedom, ..... 80 
 XV. Frederick Douglass, . . . . .84 
 
 XVI. Liberia, . . . . . . . .88 
 
 XVII. Nat. Turner and Others who Struck for Free- 
 
 dom, ........ 90 
 
 XVIII. Anti-Slavery Agitation, ..... 98 
 
 XIX. Examples of Underground Railroad Work,-> . 101 
 
 XX. Slave Population'of 1860, . . . .102 
 
 (vii) 
 
viii 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER PAGE 
 
 XXI. The War of the Rebellion, .... 103 
 
 XXII. Employment of Negro Soldiers, . " % .109 
 
 XXIII. Fort Pillow, .118 
 
 XXIV. Around Petersburg, . . . . % 122 
 XXV. The Crater, , .126 
 
 XXVI. Incidents of the War, 131 
 
 XXVII. The End of the War, . . ,. . .135 
 
 XXVIII. Reconstruction 1865-68, .... 138 
 
 XXIX. Progress Since Freedom, . . . .142 
 
 XXX. Religious Progress, 146 
 
 XXXI. Educational Progress, . . . . .156 
 
 XXXII. Financial Progress, 162 
 
 XXXIII. Some Noted Negroes, 167 
 
 XXXIV. Free People of Color in North Carolina, . 190 
 XXXV. Conclusion, 196 
 
 Index, 197 
 
A SCHOOL HISTORY 
 
 NEGRO RACE IN AMERICA. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 The Origin of the Negro is definitely known. 
 Some very wise men, writing to suit prejudiced 
 readers, have endeavored to assign the race to a 
 separate creation and deny its kindred with Adam 
 and Eve. But historical records prove the Negro as 
 ancient as the most ancient races for 5000 years 
 into the dim past mention is made of the Negro race. 
 The pyramids of Egypt, the great temples on the Nile, 
 were either built by Negroes or people closely related 
 to them. All the science and learning of ancient 
 Greece and Rome was, probably, once in the hands of 
 the foreparents of the American slaves. They are, 
 then, descendants of a race of people once the most 
 powerful on earth, the race of the Pharaohs. His- 
 tory, traced from the flood, makes the three sons of 
 Noah, Ham, Shem, and Japheth, the progenitors of 
 the three primitive races of the earth the Mongo- 
 
 (9) 
 
10 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 lian, descended from Shcm and settled in Southern 
 and Eastern Asia ; the Caucasian, descended from 
 Japheth and settled in Europe ; the Ethiopian, de- 
 scended from Ham and settled in Africa and adja- 
 cent countries. From Ham undoubtedly sprung the 
 Egyptians who, in honor of Ham, their great head, 
 lamed their principal god Hammon or Ammon. 
 
 Ham was the father of Canaan, from whom de- 
 scended the powerful Canaanites so troublesome to 
 the Jews. Cush, the oldest son of Ham, was the 
 father of Nimrod, " the mighty one in the earth " 
 and founder of the Babylonian Empire. Nimrod's 
 son built the unrivalled City of Nineveh in the pic- 
 turesque valley of the Tigris, Unless the Bible 
 statement be false that " God created of one blood 
 all nations of men for to dwell on the face of the earth" 
 and the best historians have erred, then the origin 
 of the Negro is high enough to merit his proudest 
 boasts of the past, and arouse his grandest hopes 
 for the future. 
 
 The Present Condition of the African is the re- 
 sult of the fall of the Egyptian empire, which was in 
 accord with the Bible prophecy of all nations who 
 forgot God and worshipped idols. That the Afri- 
 cans were once a great people is shown by their 
 natural love for the fine arts. They are poetic by 
 nature, and national airs sung long ago by exploring 
 parties in Central Africa are still held by them, and 
 
NEQRO RACE IN AMERICA. \ I 
 
 strike the ears of more modern travellers with joy 
 and surprise. 
 
 Ancient Cities Discovered in the very heart of 
 Africa, having well laid off streets, improved wharfs, 
 and conveniences for trade, connect these people 
 -with a better condition in the past than now. While 
 many of the native Africans are desperately savage, 
 yet in their poor, degraded condition it is the unani- 
 mous testimony of missionaries and explorers that 
 many of these people have good judgment, some 
 tribes have written languages, and show skill in 
 weaving cloth, smelting and refining gold and iron 
 and making implements of war. 
 
 Their Wonderful regard for truth and virtue is 
 surprising, and fixes a great gulf between them and 
 other savage peoples. They learn rapidly, and, un- 
 fortunately, it is too often the case that evil teaching 
 is given them by the vile traders who frequent their 
 country with an abundance of rum, mouths full of 
 curses, and the worst of bad English. 
 
 Long Years Spent in the most debilitating cli- 
 mate on earth and violation of divine law, made the 
 African what he was when the slave trade com- 
 menced in the i6th century. But his condition was 
 not so bad that he could not be made a good citizen. 
 Nay, he was superior to the ancient savage Briton 
 whom Caesar found in England and described as un- 
 fitted to make respectable slaves of in the Roman 
 
12 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 Empire. The Briton has had eighteen centuries to 
 be what he is, the Negro has had really but twenty- 
 five years. Let us weigh his progress in just bal- 
 ances. 
 
 SOME QUOTATIONS FROM LEADING WRITERS ON 
 THE NEGRO. 
 
 "The Sphinx may have been the shrine of the 
 Negro population of Egypt, who, as a people, were 
 unquestionably under our average size. Three mil- 
 lion Buddhists in Asia represent their chief deity. 
 Buddha, with Negro features and hair. There are 
 two other images of Buddha, one at Ceylon and the 
 other at Calanse, of which Lieutenant Mahoney 
 says: * Both these statues agree in having crisped 
 hair and long, pendant ear-rings.' " Morton. 
 
 "The African is a man with every attribute of 
 humankind. Centuries of barbarism have had the 
 same hurtful effects on Africans as Pritchard de- 
 scribes them to have had on certain of the Irish who 
 were driven, some generations back, to the hills in 
 Ulster and Connaught" the moral and physical 
 effects are the same. 
 
 " Ethnologists reckon the African as by no means 
 the lowest of the human family. He is nearly as 
 strong physically as the European; and, as a race, 
 is wonderfully persistent among the nations of the 
 
NEGRO RACE IN AMERICA. 13 
 
 earth. Neither the diseases nor the ardent spirits 
 which proved so fatal to the North American 
 Indians, the South Sea Islanders and Australians, 
 seem capable of annihilating the Negroes. They 
 are gifted with physical strength capable of with- 
 standing the severest privations. Many would 
 pine away in a state of slavery. No Krooman can 
 be converted into a slave, and yet he is an inhabit- 
 ant of the low, unhealthy west coast ; nor can any 
 of the Zulu or Kaffir tribe be reduced to bondage, 
 though all these live in comparatively elevated 
 regions. We have heard it stated by men familiar 
 with some of the Kaffirs, that a blow given, even 
 in play, by a European, must be returned. A love 
 of liberty is observable in all who have the Zulu 
 blood, as the Makololo, the Watuta. But blood 
 does not explain the fact. A beautiful Barotse 
 woman at Naliele, on refusing to marry a man 
 whom she did not like, was, in a pet, given by the 
 headman to some Mambari slave traders from Ben- 
 guela. Seeing her fate, she seized one of their 
 spears, and, stabbing herself, fell dead." Living- 
 stone s Works. 
 
 " In ancient times the blacks were known to be 
 so gentle to strangers that many believed that the 
 gods sprang from them. Homer sings of the ocean, 
 father of the gods, and says that when Jupiter 
 wishes to take a holiday, he visits the sea, and goes 
 
14 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 to the banquets of. the blacks a people humble, 
 courteous and devout" 
 
 THE CURSE OF NOAH WAS NOT DIVINE! 
 
 The following passage of Scripture has been much quoted as an argument 
 to prove the inferiority of the Negro race. The Devil can quote Scripture, 
 but not always correctly : " And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he 
 planted a vineyard: and he drank of the wine, and was drunken and was 
 uncovered in his tent, and Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of 
 his father, and told his two brethren without, and Shem and Japheth took a 
 garment and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward and cov- 
 ered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they 
 saw not their father's nakedness, and Noah awoke from his wine, and knew 
 what his younger son had done unto him, and he said, Cursed be Canaan; a 
 servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren. And he said : Blessed be 
 the Lord God of Shem, and Canaan shall be his servant. God shall enlarge 
 Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem, and Canaan shall be his 
 servant." 
 
 After the flood Noah's mission as a preacher to the-people was over. He 
 so recognized it himself, and settled himself down with his family on a vine- 
 yard. He got drunk of the wine he made, and disgracefully lay in naked- 
 ness; on awaking from his drunken stupor, and learning of Ham's acts, he, 
 in rage, speaks his feelings to Canaan, Ham's son. He was in bad temper at 
 this time, and spoke as one in such a temper in those times naturally would 
 speak. To say he was uttering God's will would be a monstrosity would be 
 to drag the sacred words of prophecy through profane lips, and make God 
 speak his will to men out of the mouth of a drunkard, of whom the Holy 
 Writ says none can enter the kingdom. A drunken prophet strikes the mind 
 with ridicule ! Yet, such was Noah, if at all, and such the character of that 
 prophet whom biased minds have chosen as the expounder of a curse on the 
 Negro race. It is not strange that so few people have championed the curse 
 theory of the race, when we think that in so doing they must at the same 
 time endorse Noah's drunkenness. 
 
 But, aside from this, the so-called prophecy of Noah has not become true 
 The best evidence of a prophecy is its fulfillment. Canaan's descendants 
 have often conquered, though Noah said they would not. Goodrich makes 
 the Canaanites, so powerful in the fortified cities of Ai and Jericho, the direct 
 
NEGRO RACE IN AMERICA. 15 
 
 descendants of Canaan They were among the most powerful people of 
 olden times. They and their kindred built up Egypt, Phoenicia, the mother 
 of the alphabet, and Nineveh and Babylon, the two most wonderful of ancient 
 cities. The Jews. Cod's chosen people, were enslaved by the kindred of 
 Canaan both in Egypt and Babylon. Melchizedek (King of Righteousness), 
 a sacred character of the Old Testament, was a Canaanite. So, rather than 
 being a race of slaves, as Noah predicted, the Canaanitish people have been 
 the greatest people of the earth. The great nations of antiquity were in and 
 around Eastern Africa and Western Asia, in which is located Mount Ararat, 
 supposed to be the spot on which the ark rested after the flood. These nations 
 sprang from the four sons of Ham Cush, Mizarim, Phut and Canaan. The 
 Cushites were Ethiopians, who lived in 1 Abyssinia. The Mizarimites were 
 Egyptians, who lived in Egypt, and so distinguished for greatness. The Ca- 
 naanites occupied the country including Tyre and Sidon and stretching down 
 into Arabia as far as Gaza and including the province of the renowned Queen 
 of Sheba. 
 
 In the light of true history the curse theory of the Negro melts like snow 
 under a summer's sun. We contend, from the above facts, that Noah did 
 not utter a prophecy when he spoke to Canaan, and as proof of that fact we 
 nave quoted some historical data to show that if he did make such a prophecy 
 it was not fulfilled. We will add, further, that the part of the alleged prophecy 
 conferring blessings on Shem and Japheih has also fallen without verification, 
 in that the descendants of these two personages have more than once been 
 enslaved. 
 
 It seems hardly necessary in this age of enlightenment to refer to the Curse 
 Theory argued so persistently by those who needed some such argument as 
 an apology for wrong-doing, but still there are some who yet believe in it, 
 having never cut loose from the moorings of blind prejudice. The Color 
 Theory was also quite popular formerly as an argument in support of the 
 curse of Noah. We hold that the color of the race is due to climatic influ- 
 ences, and in support of this view read this quotation in reference to Africa : 
 " As we go westward we observe the light color predominating over the dark ; 
 and then, again, when we come within the influence of the damp from the 
 sea air, we find the shade deepened into the general blackness of the coast 
 population. 
 
 *' It is well known that the Biseagan women are shining white, the inhab- 
 itants of Granada, on the contrary, dark, to such an extent that in this rogion 
 (West Europe) the pictures of the Blessed Virgin and other saints are painted 
 of the same color." 
 
16 
 
 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 Black is no mark of reproach to people who do not worship white. The 
 West Indians in the interior represent the devil as "white. The American 
 Indians make fun of the "pale face," and so does the native African. People 
 in this country have been educated to believe in white because all that is 
 good has been ascribed to the white race both in pictures and words. God, 
 the angels and all the p*>phets are pictured white and the Devil is represented 
 as black. 
 
NEGRO RACE IN AMERICA. 17 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE BEGINNING OF SLAVERY IN THE 
 COLONIES. ' 
 
 The first Negroes landed at Jamestown, Va. 
 
 In the year 1619, a Dutch trading vessel, being in 
 need of supplies, weighed anchor at Jamestown, and 
 exchanged fourteen Negroes for food and supplies. 
 The Jamestown people made slaves of these four- 
 teen Negroes, but did not pass any law to that effect 
 until the year 1662, when the number of slaves in 
 the colony was then nearly 2000, most of whom 
 had been imported from Africa. 
 
 How They were Employed. The Jamestown 
 colony early discovered the profits of the tobacco 
 crop, and the Negro slaves were largely employed 
 in this industry, where they proved very profitable. 
 They were also enlisted in the militia, but could 
 not bear arms except in defence of the colonists 
 against the Indians. The greater part of the 
 manual labor of all kinds was performed by the 
 slaves. 
 
 The Slaves Imported came chiefly from the 
 west coast of Africa. They were crowded into the 
 
18 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 holds of ships in droves, and often suffered for food 
 and drink. Many, when opportunity permitted, 
 would jump overboard rather than be taken from 
 their homes. Various schemes were resorted to by 
 the slave-traders to get possession of the Africans. 
 They bought many who had been taken prisoners 
 by stronger tribes than their own ; they stole 
 others, and some they took at the gun and pistol's 
 mouth. 
 
 Many of the Captives of the slave-traders sold 
 in this country were from tribes possessing more or 
 less knowledge of the use of tools. Some came 
 from tribes skilled in making gold and ivory orna- 
 ments, cloth, and magnificent steel weapons of war. 
 The men had been trained to truthfulness, honesty, 
 and valor, while the women were virtuous even unto 
 death. While polygamy is prevalent among most 
 African tribes, yet their system of marrying off the 
 young girls at an early age, and thus putting them 
 under the guardianship of their husbands, is a pro- 
 tection to them ; and the result is plainly seen by 
 travellers who testify positively to the uprightness 
 of the. women. 
 
 The Ancestors of the American Negroes, though 
 savage in some respects, yet were not so bad as 
 many people think. The native African had then, 
 and he has now, much respect for what we call law 
 and justice. This fact is substantiated by the na- 
 
NEGRO RACE IN AMERICA. 19 
 
 merous large tribes existing, individuals of which 
 grow to be very old, a thing that could not happen 
 were there the wholesale brutalism which we are 
 sometimes told exists. All native Africans univer- 
 sally despise slavery, and even in Liberia have a 
 contempt for the colored people there who were 
 once slaves in America. 
 
 The Jamestown Slaves were doomed to ser- 
 vitude and ignorance both oy law and custom ; they 
 were not allowed to vote, and could not be set free 
 even by their masters, except for " some meritorious 
 service." Their religious instruction was of an in- 
 ferior order, and slaves were sometimes given to the 
 white ministers as pay for their services. 
 
 The Free Negroes of Ja'mestown were in a 
 similar condition to that of the slaves. They could 
 vote and bear arms in defence of the colony, but 
 not for themselves. They were taxed to bear the 
 expenses of the government, but could not be edu- 
 cated in the schools they helped to build. Some of 
 them managed to acquire some education and prop- 
 erty. 
 
 The Negro Heroes who may have exhibited 
 their heroism in many a daring feat during the early 
 history of Jamestown are not known. It is unfor- 
 tunate that there was no record kept except that of 
 the grimes of his ancestors in this country. Judg- 
 ing, however, from the records of later years, we 
 
20 A SCHOOL HISTORY Of THE 
 
 may conclude that the Negro slave of Jamestown 
 was not without his Banneka or Blind Tom. Cer- 
 tainly his labor was profitable and may be said to 
 have built up the colony. 
 
 When John Smith became Governor of the 
 Jamestown colony, there were none but white in- 
 habitants; their indolent habits caused him to make 
 a law declaring that " he who would not work should 
 not eat." Prior to this time the colony had proved 
 a failure and continued so till the introduction of the 
 slaves, under whose labor it soon grew prosperous 
 and recovered from its hardships. 
 
 Thomas Fuller, sometimes called " the Virginia 
 Calculator," must not be overlooked in speaking of 
 the record of the Virginia Negro. He was stolen 
 from his home in Africa and sold to a planter near 
 Alexandria, Va. His genius for mathematics won 
 for him a great reputation. He attracted the atten- 
 tion of such men as Dr. Benjamin Rush, of Phila- 
 delphia, who, in company with others, was passing 
 through Virginia. Tom was sent for by one of the 
 company and asked, "how many seconds a man of 
 seventy years* some odd months, weeks and days, 
 had lived?" He gave the exact number in a minute 
 and a half. The gentleman who questioned him 
 took his pen, and after some figuring told him he 
 must be mistaken, as the number was too great. 
 "Top, massa!" cried Tom, "you hab left out the 
 
NEGRO RACE IN AMERICA. 21 
 
 leap year" and sure enough Tom was correct. 
 Williams. 
 
 The following was published in several news- 
 papers when Thomas Fuller died : 
 
 " DIED. Negro Tom, the famous African Calcu- 
 lator, aged 80 years. He was the property of Mrs. 
 Elizabeth Cox, of Alexandria. Tom was a very 
 black man. He was brought to this country at the 
 age of fourteen, and was sold as a slave with many 
 of his unfortunate countrymen. This man was a 
 prodigy ; though he could neither read nor write, he 
 had perfectly acquired the use of enumeration. He 
 could give the number of months, days, weeks, hours, 
 minutes, and seconds for any period of time that a 
 person chose to mention allowing in his calculations 
 for all the leap years that happened in the time. He 
 would give the number of poles, yards, feet, inches 
 and barleycorns in a given distance say the diam- 
 eter of the earth's orbit and in every calculation he 
 would produce the true answer in less time than 
 ninety-nine out of a hundred men would take with 
 their pens. And what was, perhaps, more extraor- 
 dinary, though interrupted in the progress of his cal- 
 culations and engaged in discourse upon any other 
 subject, his operations were not thereby in the least 
 deranged. He would go on where he left off, and 
 could give any and all of the stages through which 
 his calculations had passed. Thus died Negro Tom, 
 
22 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 this untaught arithmetician, this untutored scholar. 
 Had his opportunities of improvement been equal 
 to those of a thousand of his fellow-men, neither the 
 Royal Society of London, the Academy of Sciences 
 at Paris, nor even a Newton himself need have been 
 ashamed to acknowledge him a brother in science/* 
 How many of his kind might there have been 
 had the people of Jamestown seen fit to give the 
 Negroes who came to their shores a laborer's and 
 emigrant's chance rather than enslaving them! 
 Much bloodshed and dissension might thus have 
 been avoided, and the honor of the nation never 
 besmirched with human bondage. 
 
NEGRO RACE IN AMERICA 23 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE NEW YORK COLONY. 
 
 THE enslavement of the Negro seems to have 
 commenced in the New York Colony about the same 
 time as at Jamestown (1619). The slaves were used 
 on the farms, and became so profitable that about 
 the time the English took the colony from the 
 Dutch, 1664, there was a great demand for slaves, 
 and the trade grew accordingly. 
 
 The Privileges of the Slaves in New York 
 were, for a while, a little better than in Virginia. 
 They were taken into the church and baptized, and 
 no law was passed to prevent their getting an edu- 
 cation. But the famous Wall Street, now the finan- 
 cial .centre of the New World, was once. the scene 
 of an auction block where Indians and persons of 
 Ne-gro descent were bought and sold. A whipping 
 boss was once a characteristic officer in New York 
 city. 
 
 The Riot of 1712 shows the feeling between the 
 master and servant at that time. The Negro popu- 
 lation being excluded from schools, not allowed to 
 own land, even when free, and forbidden to " strike 
 
24 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 a Christian or Jew" in self-defence, and their testi- 
 mony excluded from the courts, arose in arms and 
 with the torch; houses were burned, and many 
 whites killed, before the militia suppressed them. 
 Many of the Negroes of New York were free, and 
 many came from the Spanish provinces. 
 
NEGRO RACE TN AMERICA. 25 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 MASSACHUSETTS, RHODE ISLAND, AND 
 CONNECTICUT. 
 
 NEGRO slavery existed in Massachusetts as early 
 as 1633. The Puritan fathers who came to this 
 country in search of liberty, carried on for more 
 than a century a traffic in human flesh and blood. 
 The New England 'ships of the i ;th century brought 
 cargoes of Negroes from the west coast of Africa 
 and the Barbadoes. They sold many of them in 
 New England as well as in the Southern colonies. 
 In 1 764 there were nearly 6000 slaves in Massa- 
 chusetts, about 4000 in Rhode Island, and the same 
 in Connecticut. 
 
 The Treatment of the slaves in these colonies 
 at this time was regulated by laws which classed 
 them as property, " being rated as horses and hogs." 
 They could not bear arms nor be admitted to the 
 schools. They were baptized in the churches, but 
 this did not make them freemen, .as it did white 
 serfs. 
 
 Better Treatment was given the slaves as the 
 colonies grew older and were threatened with wars 
 
26 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 It was thought that the slaves might espouse the 
 cause of the enemy, and for this reason some leni- 
 ency was shown them, and the conscience of the 
 people was also being aroused. 
 
 Judge Samuel Sewall, a Chief Justice of Massa- 
 chusetts wrote a tract in 1700 warning the people 
 of New England against slavery and ill treatment of 
 Negroes. He said : " Forasmuch as Liberty is in 
 real value next unto Life, none ought to part with it 
 themselves, or deprive others of it, but upon most 
 mature consideration." 
 
 Judge Se wall's tract greatly excited the New Eng- 
 land people on the subject of emancipating their 
 slaves. " The pulpit and the press were not silent, 
 and sermons and essays in behalf of the enslaved 
 Africans were continually making their: appear 
 ance." 
 
 The Slaves Themselves aroused by these'favoi?- 
 able utterances from friendly people made up peti- 
 tions which they presented with strong' arguments 
 for their emancipation, A great many slaves brought 
 suits against their masters, for restraining them of 
 their liberty. In 1 774 a slave "of one Caleb Dodge,'" 
 of Essex county, brought .suit against his master 
 praying for his liberty. The jury decided that 
 there was " no law in the Province to hold a man to 
 serve for life," and the slave of Caleb Dodge won 
 the suit. 
 
NEGRO RACE 7A T AMERICA. 27 
 
 Felix Holbrook and other skves presented a 
 petition to the Massachusetts House of Representa- 
 tives in 1773, asking to be set free and granted 
 some unimproved lands where they might earn an 
 honest living as freemen. Their petition was de- 
 layed consideration one year, and finally passed. 
 But the English governors, Hutchinson and Gage, 
 refused to sign it, because they perhaps thought it 
 would " choke the channel of a commerce in human 
 souls/' 
 
 British Hatred to Negro freedom thus made it- 
 self plain to the New England slaves, and a few 
 years later, when England fired her guns to subdue 
 the revolution begun at Lexington, the slave popu- 
 lation enlisted largely in the defence of the colonists. 
 And thus the Negro slave by valor, patriotism and 
 industry, began to loosen the chains of his own 
 bondage in the Northern colonies. 
 
 PHILLIS VVHEATLEY. 
 
 Before passing from the New England colonies 
 it would be unfortunate to the readers of this book 
 were they not made acquainted with the great and 
 wonderful career of the young Negro slave who 
 bore the above name. She came from Africa and 
 was sold in a Boston slave market in the year 1761 
 to a kind lady who was a Mrs. Wheatley. As she 
 sat with a crowd of slaves in the market, naked, save 
 
A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 a piece of cloth tied about the loins, her modest, in- 
 telligent bearing so attracted Mrs. Wheatley that 
 
 
 she selected her in preference to all the others. Her 
 selection proved a good one, for, with clean clothing 
 and careful attention, Phillis soon began to show a 
 great desire for learning. Though only eight yeais 
 old, this young African, whose race all the learned 
 men said were incapable of culture, within little over 
 a year's time so mastered the English language as 
 
NEGRO RA CE IN A M ERIC A . 29' 
 
 to be able to read the most difficult parts of the 
 Bible intelligently. Her achievements in two or 
 three years drew the leading lights of Boston to 
 Mrs. Wheatley's house, and with them Phillis talked 
 and carried on correspondence concerning the popu- 
 lar topics of the day. Everybody either knew or 
 knew of Phillis. She became skilled in Latin and 
 translated one of Ovid's stones, which was published 
 largely in English magazines. She published many 
 poems in English, one of which was addressed to 
 General George Washington. He sent her the fol- 
 lowing letter in reply, which shows that Washington 
 was as great in heart as in war : 
 
 CAMBRIDGE, 28 February, 1776. 
 
 " Miss Phillis /Your favor of the 26th October 
 did not reach my hands till the middle of December. 
 .... I thank you most sincerely for your polite 
 notice of me in the elegant lines you enclosed ; and 
 however undeserving I may be of such encomium and 
 panegyric, the style and manner exhibit a striking 
 proof of your poetical talents, in honor of which, and 
 as a tribute justly due to you, I would have pub- 
 lished the poem, had I not been apprehensive that, 
 while I only meant to give the world this new in- 
 stance of your genius, I might have incurred the im- 
 putation of vanity, This and nothing else, deter- 
 mined me not to give it place in the pu.blic prints. 
 
30 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 " If you should ever come to Cambridge, or near 
 headquarters, I shall be happy to see a person so 
 favored by the Muses, and to whom Nature has been, 
 so liberal and beneficent in her dispensations. I 
 am with great respect, 
 
 " Your humble servant, 
 
 " GEORGE WASHINGTON." 
 Williams. 
 
 Phillis was emancipated at the age of twenty- one. 
 Soon after that her health failed and she was sent 
 to Europe, where she created even a greater sensa- 
 tion than in America. Men and women in the very 
 highest stations of the Old World were wonder- 
 struck, and industriously attentive to this humble 
 born African girl. While Phillis was away Mrs. 
 Wheatley became seriously ill and her daily long- 
 ings were to see " her Phillis," to whom she was so 
 much devoted. It is related that she would often 
 turn on her sick-couch and exclaim, " See ! Look at 
 my Phillis ! Does she not seem as though she would 
 speak to me ? " Phillis was sent for to come, and in 
 response to the multitude of kindnesses done her by 
 Mrs. Wheatley, she hastened to her bed-side where 
 she arrived just before Mrs. Wheatley died, and 
 " shortly had time to close her sightless eyes." 
 
 Mr. Wheatley, after the death of his wife, married 
 again and settled in England. Phillis being thus 
 
NEGRO RACE IN AMERICA. . 31 
 
 left alone also married. Her husband was named 
 Peters. He, far inferior to her in most every way, 
 and becoming" jealous of the favors shown her by 
 the best of society, became very cruel. Phillis did 
 not long survive his harsh treatment, and she died 
 "greatly beloved" and mourned on two continents, 
 December 5, 1784, at the age of 31. 
 
 Thus passed away one of the brightest of the race, 
 whose life was as pure as a crystal and devoted to 
 the most beautiful in poetry, letters and religion, and 
 jexemplifies the capabilities of the race. 
 
 She composed this verse: 
 
 'Twas mercy brought me from my Pagan land, 
 Taught my benighted soul to understand 
 That there's a God that there's a Saviour, too ; 
 Once I redemption neither sought nor knew." 
 
 Contrary to the Connecticut slaveholders feigned 
 unbelief in the intellectual capacity of the Ne'gro, 
 and their assertions of his utter inferiority in all 
 things, they early enacted the most rigid laws pro- 
 hibiting the teaching of any Negro to read, bond or 
 free, with a penalty of several hundred dollars for 
 every such act. The following undeniable story is 
 woven into the fabric of Connecticut's history, and 
 tells a sad tale of the prejudice of her people against 
 the Negro during the days of slavery there : 
 
 "Prudence Crandall, a young Quaker lady of 
 
32 9 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 talent, was employed to teach a ' boarding and day- 
 school.' While at her post of duty one day, Sarah 
 Harris, whose father was a well-to-do colored farmer, 
 applied for admission. Miss Crandall hesitated 
 somewhat to admit her, but knowing the girl's re- 
 spectability, her lady-like and modest deportment, 
 for she was a member of the white people's church 
 and well known to them, she finally told her yes. 
 The girl came. Soon Miss Crandall was called upon 
 by the patrons, announcing their disgust and loath- 
 ing that their daughters should attend school with a 
 'nigger girl.' Miss Crandall protested, but. to no 
 avail. The white pupils were finally taken from the 
 school. Miss Crandall- then opened a school for 
 colored ladies. She enrolled about twenty, but they 
 were subjected to many outrageous insults. They 
 were denied accommodation altogether in the village 
 of Canterbury. Their well was filled up with trash> 
 and all kinds of unpleasant and annoying acts were 
 thrust upon them. The' people felt determined that 
 Canterbury should not have the disgrace of a col- 
 ored school. No, not even the State of Connecti- 
 cut. Miss Crandall sent to Brooklyn to some of her 
 friends. They pleaded in her behalf privately, and 
 went to a town meeting to speak for her, but were 
 denied the privilege. Finally, the Legislature 
 passed a law prohibiting colored schools in the 
 State. From the advice of her friends and her own 
 
NEGRO RACE IN AMERICA. 33 
 
 strong will, Miss Crandall continued to teach. She 
 was arrested and her friends were sent for. They 
 came, but would not be persuaded by the sheriff and 
 other officers to stand her bond. The people saw 
 the disgrace and felt ashamed to have it go down in 
 history that she was put in jail. In agreement with 
 Miss Crandall's wishes her friends still persisted, so 
 about night she was put in jail, into a murderer's 
 cell. The news flashed over the country, much to 
 the Connecticut people's chagrin and disgrace. She 
 had her trial the court evaded giving a decision. 
 She opened her school again, and an attempt was 
 made to burn up the building while she and the 
 pupils were there, but proved unsuccessful. One 
 night about midnight they were aroused to find 
 themselves besieged by persons with heavy iroi\ 
 bars and clubs breaking the windows and tearing 
 things to pieces. It was then thought unwise to 
 continue the school longer. So the doors were 
 closed, and the poor girls, whose only offence was a 
 manifestation for knowledge, were sent to their 
 homes. This law, however, was repealed in 1838, 
 after lasting five years. 
 
34 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 NEW HAMPSHIRE AND MARYLAND. 
 
 New Hampshire slaves were very few in num- 
 ber. The people* of this colony saw the evils of 
 slavery very early, and passed laws against their 
 importation. Massachusetts was having so much 
 trouble with her slaves that the New Hampshire 
 people early made up their minds that, as a matter 
 of business as well as of humanity, they had best 
 not try to build up their colony by dealing in human 
 flesh and blood. 
 
 Maryland was, up to 1630, a part of Virginia, 
 and slavery there partook of the same features. 
 Owing to the feeling existing in the colony between 
 the Catholics, who planted it, and the Protestants, 
 the slaves were treated bfetter than in some other 
 provinces. Yet their lot was a hard one at best. 
 By law, a white person could kill a slave, and not 
 suffer death; only pay a fine. 
 
 White Slaves existed in this colony, many of 
 whom came as criminals from England. They, it 
 seems, were chiefly domestic servants, while the 
 Negroes worked the tobacco fields. 
 
NEGRO RACE IN AMERICA. 35 
 
 BENJAMIN BANNEKA, ASTRONOMER AND 
 MATHEMATICIAN. 
 
 Banneka was born in Maryland in the year 1731. 
 An English woman named Molly Welsh, who came 
 to Maryland as an emigrant, is said to have been 
 his maternal grandmother. This woman was sold 
 as a slave to pay her passage to this country on 
 board an emigrant ship, and after serving out her 
 term of slavery she bought two Negro slaves her- 
 self. These slaves were men of extraordinary 
 powers, both of mind and body. One of them, said 
 to be the son of an African king, was set free by 
 her, ancl she soon married him. There were four 
 children, and one of them, named Mary, married a 
 native African, Robert Banneka, who was the father 
 of Benjamin. 
 
 The School Days of young Benjamin were spent 
 in a " pay school," where some colored children 
 were admitted. The short while that Benjamin 
 was there he learned to love his books, and when 
 the other children played he was studying. He 
 was very attentive to his duties on his father's farm, 
 and when through with his task of caring for the 
 horses and cows, he would spend his leisure hours 
 in reading boobs, and papers on the topics of the 
 day. 
 
3f> A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 The Post-Office was the famous gathering place 
 in those days, and there it was that young Benjamin 
 was accustomed to go. He met many of the lead- 
 ing people of the community, and fluently discussed 
 with them difficult questions. He could answer 
 almost any problem put to him in mathematics, and 
 became known throughout the colonies as a. genius. 
 Many of his answers to questions were beyond the 
 reach of ordinary minds. 
 
 Messrs. Ellicott & Co., who built flour mills on 
 the Patapsco River near Baltimore, very early dis- 
 covered Banneka's genius, and Mr. George Ellicott 
 allowed him the use of his library and astronomical 
 instruments. The result of this was that Benjamin 
 Banneka published his first almanac in the year 
 1792, said to be the first almanac published in 
 America. Before that he had made numerous cal- 
 culations in astronomy and constructed for himself 
 a splendid clock that, unfortunately, was burned 
 with his dwelling soon after his death. 
 
 Banneka's Reputation spread all over America 
 and even to Europe. He drew to him the associa- 
 tion of the best and most learned men of his coun- 
 try. His ability was a curiosity to everybody, and 
 did much to establish the fact that the Negro of his 
 time could master the arts and sciences. It is said 
 that he was the master of five different languages, 
 as well as a mathematical and astronomical genius. 
 
NEGRO RACE IN AMERICA. 37 
 
 He accompanied and assisted the commissioners 
 who surveyed the District of Columbia. 
 
 He sent Mr Thomas Jefferson one of his alma- 
 nacs, which Mr J.efferson prized so highly that he 
 sent it to Paris, and wrote Mr. Banneka the following 
 letter in reply Along with Mr. Banneka's almanac 
 to Mr. Jefferson he sent a letter pleading for better 
 treatment of the people of African descent in the 
 United States. 
 
 MR. JEFFERSON'S LETTER TO B. BANNEKA. 
 
 PHILADELPHIA, August 30, 1791. 
 
 " Dear Sir: I thank you sincerely for your letter 
 of the i Qth instant, and for the almanac it contained. 
 Nobody wishes more than I do to see such proofs 
 as you exhibit that Nature has given to our black 
 brethren talents equal to those of the other colors 
 of men, and that the appearance of a want of them 
 is owing only to the degraded condition of their 
 existence, both in Africa and America I can add, 
 with truth, that no one wishes more ardently to see 
 a good system commenced for raising the condition, 
 both of their body and mind, to what it ought to be, 
 as fast as the imbecility of their present existence, 
 and other circumstances wh'ich cannot be neglected, 
 will admit, T have taken the liberty of sending your 
 almanac to Monsieur de Cordorat, Secretary of the 
 Academy of Sciences at Pans and member of the 
 
38 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 Philanthropic Society, because I considered it a doc- 
 ument to which your whole color had a right for 
 their justification against the doubts which have been 
 entertained of them. 
 
 " I am, with great esteem, sir, 
 
 "Your most obedient servant, 
 
 "Tnos. JEFFERSON." 
 
 Mr. Benjamin Banneka, near Ellicotfs 
 Lower Mills, Baltimore County. 
 
 The Personal Appearance of Mr. Banneka is 
 drawn from the letters of those who wrote about 
 him. A certain gentleman who met him at Ellicott's 
 Mills gives this description : " Of black complexion, 
 medium stature, of uncommonly soft and gentle- 
 manly manners, and of pleasing colloquial powers." 
 
 Mr. Banneka died about the year 1804, very 
 greatly mourned by the people of this country and 
 Europe. He left two sisters, who, according to his 
 request, turned over his books, papers, and astro- 
 nomical calculations to Mr. Ellicott. There has been 
 no greater mind in the possession of any American 
 citizen than that of Benjamin Banneka. He stands 
 out in history as one of those phenomenal characters 
 whose achievements seem to be nothing short of 
 miraculous. 
 
 Frances Ellen Watkins was another of Mary- 
 Ian 1's bright slaves. She distinguished herself as 
 
NEGRO RACE IN AMERICA 39 
 
 an anti-slavery lecturer in the Eastern States, and 
 wrote a book entitled, " Poems and Miscellaneous 
 Writings; By Frances Ellen Watkins." In that book 
 was the following poem entitled " Ellen Harris:" 
 
 (1) Like a fawn from the arrow, startled and wild, 
 A woman swept by me bearing a child ; 
 
 In her eye was the night of a settled despair, 
 
 And her brow was overshadowed with anguish and care. 
 
 (2) She was nearmg.the nv,er, on reaching the brink 
 She heeded no clanger, she paused not to think ! 
 For she is a mother her child is a slave, 
 
 And she'll give him his freedom or find him a grave f 
 
 (3) But she's free, yes, free from the land where the slave 
 From the hand of oppression must rest in the grave ; 
 Where bondage and torture, where scourges and chains, 
 Have placed on our banner indelible stains. 
 
 (4) The blood-hounds have missed the scent of her way ; 
 The hunter is rifled and foiled of his prey 
 
 Fierce jargon and cursing, with clanking of chains, 
 Make sounds of strange discord on Liberty's plains. 
 
 (5) With the rapture of love and fulness of bliss, 
 She placed on his brow a mother's fond kiss, 
 Oh ! poverty, danger, and death she can brave, 
 For the child of her love is no longer a slave ! 
 
40 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 DELAWARE AND PENNSYLVANIA 
 
 Delaware was settled, as you will remember, by 
 the Swedes and Danes, in 1 639. They were a sim- 
 ple, contented, and religious people. It is recorded 
 that they had a law very early in their history de- 
 claring it was " not lawful to buy and keep slaves." 
 It is very evident, though, that later on in the history 
 of the colony slaves were held, and their condition 
 was the same as in New York. While the north of 
 the colony was perhaps fully in sympathy with sla- 
 very, the western part was influenced by the relig- 
 ious sentiment of the Quakers in Pennsylvania. 
 
 The Friends of Pennsylvania were opposed to 
 slavery, and although slavery was tolerated by law, 
 the way was left open for their education and re- 
 ligious training. In 1688, Francis Daniel Pastorious* 
 addressed a memorial to the Friends of German- 
 town. His was said to be the first protest against 
 slavery made by any of the churches of America. 
 He believed that " slave and slave-owner should be 
 equal at the Master's feet." 
 
 William Penn showed himself friendly to the 
 slaves. 
 
 * Williams. 
 
NEGRO RACE IN AMERICA. 41 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 THIS colony, in geographical position, lies be- 
 tween South Carolina and Virginia. While it held 
 slaves, it may be justly said its position on this great 
 question was not so burdensome to the slave as the 
 other Southern colonies, and even to the present 
 time the Negroes and whites of this State seem to 
 enjoy the most harmonious relations. The slave 
 laws of this State gave absolute dominion of the 
 master over the servant, but allowed him to join the 
 churches from the first. Large communities of free 
 Negroes lived in this State prior to the civil war, 
 and, as late as the year 1835, could vote. They had 
 some rights of citizenship and many of them became 
 men of note. 
 
 Prior to the Civil War there were schools for 
 these free people. Some of them owned slaves 
 themselves. In this colony the slaves were worked,, 
 as a rule, on small farms, and there was a close re- 
 lation established between master and slave, which 
 bore its fruits in somewhat milder treatment than 
 was customary in colonies where the slave lived oa 
 
42 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 large cotton plantations governed by cruel over* 
 seers, some of whom were imported from the North. 
 
 The Eastern Section of North Carolina was 
 thickly peopled with slaves, and some landlords 
 tfwned as many as two thousand. 
 
 The increase and surplusage of the slave popula- 
 tion in this State was sold to the more Southern 
 colonies, where they were used on the cotton plan- 
 tations. 
 
 A NORTH CAROLINA SLAVE POET. 
 
 George M. Horton was his name. He was the 
 slave of James M. Horton, of Chatham .county, N. 
 C. Several of his special poems were published in 
 the Raleigh Register. In 1829, A. M. Gales, of this 
 State, afterwards of the firm of Gales and Seaton, 
 Washington, D. C., published a volume of the slave 
 Morton's poems, which excited the wonder and ad- 
 miration of the best men in this country. His 
 poems reached Boston, where they were much talked 
 of, and used as an argument against slavery. Hor 
 ton, at the time his volume was published, could 
 read but not write, and was, therefore, compelled to 
 dictate his productions to some one who wrote them 
 down for him. He afterwards learned to write. 
 He seemed to have concealed all his achievements 
 from his master, who knew nothing of his slave's 
 ability except what others told him.. He simply 
 
NEGRO RACE IN AMERICA. 43 
 
 knew George as a field hand, which work he did 
 faithfully and honestly, and wrote his poetry too. 
 Though a slave, his was a noble soul inspired with 
 the Muse from above. The Raleigh Register said 
 of him, July 2d, 1829: "That his heart has felt 
 deeply and sensitively in this lowest possible condi- 
 tion of human nature (meaning slavery) will be 
 easily believed, and is impressively confirmed by 
 one of hi$ stanzas, viz. : 
 
 " Come, melting pity from afar, 
 And break this vast, enormous bar 
 
 Between a wretch and thee ; 
 Purchase a few short days of time, 
 And bid a vassal soar sublime 
 On wings of Liberty." 
 
44 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 SOUTH CAROLINA. 
 
 CHARTERS for the settlement of North and South 
 Carolina were obtained at the same time 1663. 
 Slavery commenced with the colony. Owing to the 
 peculiar fitness of the soil for the production of rice 
 and cotton, slave labor was in great demand. White 
 labor failed, and the colony was marvellously pros- 
 perous under the slave system. Negroes were im- 
 ported from Africa by the thousands. Their labor 
 proved very productive, and here it was that the 
 slave code reached its maximum of harshness. 
 
 A Negro Regiment in the service of Spain was 
 doing duty in Florida, and through it the Spanish, 
 who were at dagger's ends with the British colonies, 
 sent out spies who offered inducements to such of 
 the South Carolina slaves as would run away and 
 join them. Many slaves ran away. Very rigid and 
 extreme laws were passed to prevent slaves from 
 running away, such as branding, and cutting the 
 " ham-string " of the leg. 
 
 A Riot followed the continued cruel treatment 
 of the slaves under the runaway code ; i 748 is said 
 
NEGRO RACE IN AMERICA. 45 
 
 to have been the year in which a crowd of slaves 
 assembled in the village of Stono, slew the guards 
 at the arsenal and secured the ammunition there. 
 They then marched to the homes of several leading 
 men whom they murdered, together with their wives 
 and children. The slaves captured considerable 
 rum in their plundering expedition, and having in- 
 dulged very freely, stopped for a frolic, and in the 
 midst of their hilarity were captured by the whites, 
 and thus ended the riot. 
 
 The Discontent of the Slaves grew, however, 
 in spite of the speedy ending of this attempt at in- 
 surrection. Cruel and inhuman treatment was bear- 
 ing its fruits in a universal dissatisfaction of the 
 slaves, and in South Carolina, as in Massachusetts, 
 it began to be a serious question as to what side the 
 slaves would take in the war of the coming Revolu 
 tion. England offered freedom and money to slaves 
 who would join her army. The people of South 
 Carolina did not wait long before they allowed the 
 Negroes to enlist in defence of the colonies, and 
 highly complimented their valor. If a slave killed 
 a Briton he was emancipated ; if he were taken 
 prisoner and escaped back into the Province, he was 
 also set free. 
 
46 ^ SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 GEORGIA. 
 
 FROM the time of its settlement in 1732 till 1750 
 this colony held no slaves. Many of the inhabitants 
 were anxious for the introduction of slaves, and 
 when the condition of the colony finally became 
 hopeless they sent many long petitions to the Trus- 
 tees, stating that " the one thing needful " for their 
 prosperity was Negroes. It was a long time before 
 the Trustees would give their consent ; they said that 
 the colony of Georgia was designed to be a protec- 
 tion to South Carolina and the other more Northern 
 colonies against the Spanish, who were then occupy- 
 ing Florida, and if the colonists had to control slaves 
 it would weaken their power to defend themselves. 
 Finally, owing to the hopeless condition of the 
 Georgia colony, the Trustees yielded. Slaves were 
 introduced in large numbers, 
 
 Prosperity came with the slaves, and, as in the 
 case of Virginia, the colony of Georgia took a fresh 
 start and began to prosper. White labor proved a 
 failure. It was the honest and faithful toil of the 
 Negro that turned the richness of Georgia's soil into 
 
NEGRO RACE TN AMERICA. 47 
 
 English gold, built cities and created large estates, 
 gilded mansions furnished with gold and silver 
 plate.* 
 
 Oglethorpe Planned the Georgia colony as a 
 home for Englishmen who had failed in business and 
 were imprisoned for their debts. These English 
 people were out of place in the wild woods of 
 America, and continued a failure in America, as well 
 as in England, until the toiling but " heathen " Afri- 
 can came to their aid. 
 
 Cotton Plantations were numerous in Georgia 
 under the slave system. The slave-owners had 
 large estates, numbering thousands of acres in many 
 cases. The slaves were experts in the culture of 
 cotton. The climate was adapted to sugar-cane and 
 rice, both of which were raised in abundance. 
 
 * The famous minister, George Whitfield, referring to his plantation in 
 this colony, said : " Upward of five thousand pounds have been expended in 
 the undertaking, and yet very little proficiency made in the cultivation of my 
 tract of land, and that entirely owing to the necessity I lay under of making 
 use of white hands. Had a Negro been allowed I should now have had a 
 sufficiency to support a- great many orphans, without expending above half the 
 sum which had been laid out." He purchased a plantation in South Caro- 
 lina, where slavery existed, and speaks of it thus: "Blessed be God! This 
 plantation has succeeded; and though at present I have unly eight working 
 hands, yet, in all probability, there will be more raised in one year, and with- 
 out a quarter of the expense, than has been produced at Bethesda for several 
 years past. This confirms me in the opinion I have entertained for a long 
 time, that Georgia never can or will be a flourishing province without Ne- 
 groes are allowed" 
 
48 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 BLOUNT'S FORT. 
 
 This fortification, erected by some of the armies 
 during the early colonial wars, had been abandoned. 
 It lies on the west bank of the Apaiachicola river in 
 Florida, forty miles from the Georgia line. Negro 
 refugees from Georgia fled into the everglades of 
 Florida as a hiding-place during the war of the 
 Revolution. In these swamps 'they remained for 
 forty years successfully baffling all attempts to re- 
 enslave them. Many of those who planned the 
 escape at first were now dead, and their children had 
 grown up to hate the lash and love liberty. Their 
 parents had taught them that to die in the swamps 
 with liberty was better than to feast as a bondman 
 and a slave. When Blount's Fort was abandoned 
 and taken possension of by these children of the 
 swamp, there were three hundred and eleven of 
 them, out of which not more than twenty had ever 
 been slaves. They were joined by other slaves who 
 ran away as chance permitted. The neighboring 
 slave-holders attempted to capture these people but 
 failed. They finally called on the President of the 
 United States for aid. General Jackson, then com- 
 mander of the Southern militia, delegated Lieuten- 
 ant Colonel Clinch to take the fort and reduce 
 these people to slavery again. His sympathies 
 being with the refugees, he marched to the fort and 
 
NEGRO RACE IN AMERICA. 49 
 
 returned, reporting that " the fortification was not 
 accessible by land." 
 
 Commodore Patterson next received orders. 
 He commanded the American fleet, then lying in 
 Mobile Bay. A " sub-order was given instantly to 
 Lieutenant Loomis to ascend the Apalachicola river 
 with two gun-boats, to seize the people in Blount's 
 Fort, deliver them to their owners, and destroy the 
 fort." At early dawn on the morning of September 
 the 1 7th, 1816, the two boats, with full sail catching 
 a gentle breeze, moved up the river towards the fort. 
 They lowered a boat on their arrival and twelve 
 men went ashore. They were met at the water's 
 edge and asked their errand by a number of the 
 leading men of the fort. Lieutenant Loomis in- 
 formed them that he came to destroy the fort and 
 turn over its inmates to the " slave-holders, then on 
 board the gun-boat, who claimed them as fugitive 
 slaves." The demand was rejected. The colored 
 men returned to the fort and informed the inmates. 
 Great consternation prevailed. The women were 
 much distressed, but amid the confusion and ex- 
 citement there appeared an aged father whose back 
 bore the print of the lash, and whose shoulder bore 
 the brand of his master. He assured the people 
 that the fort could not be taken, and ended his 
 speech with these patriotic words : "Give me liberty, 
 or give me death.'* The shout went up from the 
 
50 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 entire fort as from one man, and they prepared to 
 fac*e the enemy. 
 
 The Gun-boats Soon Opened Fire. For sev- 
 eral hours they buried balls in the earthen walls 
 and injured no one. Bombs were then fired. These 
 had more effect, as there was no shelter from them. 
 Mothers were more careful to hug their young 
 babies closer to their bosoms. All this seemed little 
 more than sport for the inmates of the fort, who saw 
 nothing but a joke in it after shelter had been 
 found. 
 
 Lieutenant Loomis saw his failure. He had a 
 consultation, and it was agreed to fire " hot shot at 
 the magazine.'' So the furnaces were heated and 
 the fiery flames began to whizz through the air. 
 This last stroke was effectual ; the hot shot set the 
 magazine on fire, and a terrible explosion covered 
 the entire place with debris. Many were instantly 
 killed by the falling earth and timbers. The man- 
 gled limbs of mothers and babies lay side by side. 
 It was now dark. Fifteen persons in the fort had 
 survived the explosion. The sixty sailors and offi- 
 cers now entered, trampling over the wounded and 
 dying, and took these fifteen refugees in handcuffs 
 and ropes back to the boats. The dead, wounded 
 and dying were left. 
 
 As the two boats moved away from this scene of 
 carnage the sight weakened the veteran sailors oa 
 
NEGRO RACE IN AMERICA. 51 
 
 board the boats, and when the officers retired these 
 weather-worn sailor veterans "gathered before the 
 mast, and loud and bitter were the curses uttered 
 against slavery and against the officers of the govern- 
 ment who had thus constrained them to murder inno- 
 cent women and helpless children, merely for their 
 love of liberty." 
 
 The Dead Remained unburied in the fort. The 
 wounded and dying were not cared for, and all were 
 left as fat prey for vultures to feast upon. For 
 fifty years afterward the bones of these brave people 
 lay bleaching in the sun. Twenty years after the 
 murder a Representative in Congress from one of 
 the free States introduced a bill giving a gratuity 
 to the perpetrators of this crime. The bill passed 
 both houses. 
 
 Having briefly considered the establishment of 
 slavery in the colonies, where the Negro slave was 
 employed in every menial occupation, and where 
 he accepted the conditions imposed upon him with 
 a full knowledge of the wrong done, but still jubi- 
 lant with songs of hope for deliverance, and trust 
 in God, whose promises are many to the faithful, 
 let us turn to 
 
 The War of the Revolution, which soon came 
 
52 
 
 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 on ; and in it Providence no doubt designed an 
 opportunity for the race to loosen the rivets in the 
 chains that bound them. They made good use of 
 this opportunity. 
 
NEGRO RACE IN AMERICA. 53 
 
 . ' 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 HABITS AND CUSTOMS OF THE SOUTHERN 
 COLONIES. 
 
 Barnes gives the following account of the habits 
 and customs of the Southern colonies during the 
 days of slavery : 
 
 " The Southern Colonists differed widely from 
 the Northern in habits and style of living. In place 
 of thickly-settled towns and villages, they had large 
 plantations, and were surrounded by a numerous 
 household of servants. The Negro quarters formed 
 a hamlet apart, with its gardens and poultry yards. 
 An estate in those days was a little empire. The 
 planter had among his slaves men of every trade, 
 and they made most of the articles needed for com- 
 mon use upon the plantation. There were large 
 sheds for curing tobacco, and mills for grinding 
 corn and wheat. The tobacco was put up and con- 
 signed directly to England. The flour of the Mount 
 Vernon estate was packed under the eye of Wash- 
 ington himself, and we are told that barrels of flour 
 bearing his brand passed in the West India market 
 without inspection, 
 
64 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 "Up the Ashley and Cooper (near Charles- 
 ton) were the remains of the only bonafide nobility 
 ever established on our soil. There the descend- 
 ants of the Landgraves, who received their title in 
 accordance with Locke's grand model, occupied 
 their manorial dwellings. Along the banks of the 
 James and Rappahannock the plantation often 
 passed from father to son, according to the law of 
 entail. 
 
 41 The heads of these great Southern families lived 
 like lords, keeping their packs of choice hunting 
 dogs, and their stables of blooded horses, and roll- 
 ing to church or town in their coach of six, with 
 outriders on horseback. Their spacious mansions 
 were sometimes built of imported brick. Within, 
 the grand staircases, the mantels, and the wainscot 
 reaching in a quaint fashion from floor to ceiling, 
 were of mahogany elaborately carved and paneled. 
 The sideboards shone with gold and silver plate 
 and the tables were loaded with the luxuries of the 
 Old World. Negro servants thronged about, ready 
 to perform every task. 
 
 44 All labor was done by Slaves, it being con- 
 sidered degrading for a white man to work. Even 
 the superintendence of the plantation and slaves 
 was generally committed to overseers, while the 
 master dispensed a generous hospitality, and occu- 
 pied himself with social and political life." 
 
NEGRO RACE TN AMERICA. 55 
 
 SLAVERY INTRODUCED IN THE COLONIES. 
 
 In Virginia, the last of August, 1619. 
 
 In New York, 1628. 
 
 In Massachusetts, 1637. 
 
 In Maryland, ) 634. 
 
 In Delaware, 1636. 
 
 In Connecticut, between 1631 and 1636. 
 
 In Rhode Island from the beginning, 1647. 
 
 New Jersey, not known ; as early though as m] 
 New Netherland. 
 
 South Carolina and North Carolina from the ear- 
 liest days of existence. 
 
 In New Hampshire, slavery existed from the be- 
 ginning. 
 
 Pennsylvania doubtful. 
 
56 A SCHOOL H1STOR Y OF THE 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 NEGRO SOLDIERS IN REVOLUTIONARY 
 TIMES. 
 
 Objections to Enlisting Negroes caused much 
 discussion at the beginning of the Revolutionary 
 war. The Northern colonies partially favored their 
 enlistment because they knew of their bravery, and 
 rightly reasoned that if the Negroes were not allowed 
 to enlist in the Colonial army, where their sympa- 
 thies were, they would accept the propositions of 
 the British, who promised freedom to every slave 
 who would desert his master and join the English 
 ;army. 
 
 Lord Dunmore, Governor of Virginia, and the 
 other British leaders, saw a good chance to weaken 
 the strength of the colonies by offering freedom to 
 the slaves if they would fight for England. They 
 knew that the slaves would be used to throw up 
 fortifications, do fatigue duties, and raise the provi- 
 sions necessary to support the Colonial army. So 
 Lord Dunmore issued a proclamation offering free- 
 dom to all slaves who would join his army. As the 
 result of this, Thomas Jefferson is quoted as saying 
 
NEGRO RACE IN AMERICA. 57 
 
 that 30,000 Negroes from Virginia alone joined the 
 British ranks. 
 
 The Americans became fearful of the results 
 that were sure to follow the plans of Lord Dun- 
 more. Sentiment began to change in the Negro's 
 favor ; the newspapers were filled with kind words 
 for the slaves, trying to convince them that the 
 British Government had forced slavery upon the 
 colonies against their will, and that their best inte- 
 rests were centred in the triumph of the Colonial 
 army/ A part of an article in one paper, headed 
 " Caution to the Negro," read thus: "Can it, then, 
 be supposed that the Negroes will be better used 
 by the English, who have always encouraged and 
 upheld this slavery, than by their present masters, 
 who pity their condition ; who wish in general to 
 make it as easy and comfortable as possible, and 
 who would, were it in their power, or were they per- 
 mitted, not only prevent any inore Negroes from 
 losing their freedom, but restore it to such as have 
 already unhappily lost it. .... They will send the 
 Negroes to the West Indies where every year they 
 sell many thousands of their miserable brethren. 
 Be not tempted, ye Negroes, to ruin yourselves by 
 this proclamation !" The colonies finally allowed 
 the enlistment of Negroes, their masters being paid 
 for them out of the public treasury. Those slaves 
 who had already joined the British were offered 
 
68 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 pardon if they would escape and return, and a severe 
 punishment was to be inflicted on those who left the 
 colony if they were caught. 
 
 To Offset the Plans of Lord Dunmore, the 
 Americans proposed to organize a Negro army, to 
 be commanded by the brave Colonel Laurens ; and 
 on this subject the following letter was addressed to 
 John Jay, President of Congress, by the renowned 
 Alexander Hamilton. This letter also shows in 
 what esteem the Negro slave of America was held 
 by men of note : 
 
 " HEADQUARTERS, March 14, 1779. 
 " To. John Jay. 
 
 "DEAR SIR:: Col. Laurens, who will have the 
 honor of delivering you this letter, is on his way to 
 South Carolina on a project which I think, in the 
 present situation of affairs there, is a very good one, 
 and deserves every kind of support and encourage- 
 ment. This is, to raise two, or three, or four battalions 
 of Negroes, with the assistance of the government 
 of that State, by contributions from the owners in 
 proportion to the number they possess. If you 
 think proper to enter upon the subject with him, he 
 will give you a detail of his plan. He wishes to have 
 it recommended by Congress and the State, and, as 
 an inducement, they should engage to take those 
 battalions into Continental pay. 
 
NEGRO RACE IN AMERICA. 50 
 
 "It appears to me that an experiment of this kind, 
 in the present state of Southern affairs, is the most 
 rational that can be adopted, and promises very 
 important advantages. Indeed, I hardly see how a 
 sufficient force can be collected in that quarter 
 without it, and the enemy's operations are growing 
 infinitely more serious and formidable. I have not 
 the least doubt that the Negroes will make very 
 excellent soldiers with proper management, and I 
 will venture to pronounce that they cannot be put 
 in better hands than those of Mr. Laurens. He has 
 all the zeal, intelligence, enterprise, and every other 
 qualification necessary to succeed in such an under- 
 taking. It is a maxim with some great military 
 judges that, "with sensible officers, soldiers can 
 hardly be too stupid ; " and, on this principle, it is 
 thought that the Russians would make the best 
 troops in the world if they were under other officers 
 than their own. I mention this, because I hear it 
 frequently objected to the scheme of embodying 
 Negroes, that they are too stupid to make soldiers. 
 This is so far from appearing, to me, a valid objec- 
 tion, that I think their want of cultivation (for their 
 natural faculties are probably as good as ours), 
 joined to that habit of subordination from a life of 
 servitude, will make them sooner become soldiers 
 than our white inhabitants. Let officers be men 
 of sense and sentiment, and the nearer the soldiers 
 approach to machines perhaps the better. 
 
60 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 "I foresee that this project will have to combat 
 much opposition from prejudice and self-interest. 
 The contempt we have been taught to entertain for 
 the blacks makes us fancy many things that are 
 founded neither in reason nor experience, and an 
 unwillingness to part with property of so valuable a 
 kind will furnish a thousand arguments to show the 
 impracticability or pernicious tendency of a scheme 
 which requires such a sacrifice. But it should be 
 considered that if we do not make use of them in 
 this way the enemy probably will, and that the best 
 way to counteract the temptations they hold out will 
 be to offer them ouYselves. An essential part of 
 the plan is to give them their freedom with their 
 muskets. This will secure their fidelity, animate 
 their courage, and, I believe, will have a good influ- 
 ence upon those who remain by opening a door to 
 their emancipation. This circumstance, I confess, 
 has no small weight in inducing me to wish the suc- 
 cess of the project, for the dictates of humanity and 
 true policy equally interest me in favor of this un- 
 fortunate class of men. With the truest respect 
 and esteem, I am, sir, 
 
 " Your most obedient servant, 
 
 "ALEX. HAMILTON." 
 
 George Washington, James Madison, and the 
 
 continental Congress gave their consent to the plan 
 
NEGRO RACE IN AM EMC A. 61 
 
 of Col. Laurens, and recommended it to the South- 
 ern Colonies. It was resolved by Congress to com- 
 pensate the master for the slaves used by Col. Lau- 
 rens at the rate of $1000 apiece for each "able- 
 bodied Negro man of standard size, not exceeding 
 thirty-five years of age, who shall be so enlisted 
 and pass muster. That no pay be allowed to the 
 said Negroes, but that they be clothed and .sub- 
 sisted at the expense of the United States; that 
 every Negro who shall well and faithfully serve 
 as a soldier to the end of the present war, and shall 
 then return his arms, shall be emancipated and 
 receive the sum of fifty dollars." 
 
 Congress commissioned Col. Laurens to carry 
 out this plan. " He repaired to South Carolina 
 and threw all his energies into his noble mis- 
 sion." The people of the States of Georgia and 
 South Carolina refused to co-operate with him. It 
 was difficult to get white trcfbps to enlist. The 
 Tories, who opposed the war against England, 
 were very strong in several of the Southern colo- 
 nies. 
 
 A Letter from General Washington will help 
 us to understand the condition of affairs in South 
 Carolina and Georgia. He wrote to Col. Laurens 
 as follows: "I must confess that I am not at all 
 astonished at the failure of your plan. That spirit 
 of freedom which, at the commencement of this! 
 
62 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 contest, would have gladly sacrificed everything to 
 the attainment of its object, has long since subsided, 
 and every selfish passion has taken its place. It is 
 not the public but private interest which influences 
 the generality of mankind, nor can the Americans 
 any longer boast an exception. Under these cir- 
 cumstances it would rather have been surprising 
 if you had succeeded, nor will you, I fear, have 
 better success in Georgia." 
 
 Col. Laurens was killed in battle, but he had not 
 entirely abandoned his plan of enlisting the slaves. 
 But in spite of the recommendations of Congress, 
 he could not succeed, for the States of South Caro- 
 lina and Georgia coveted their slaves too much to 
 allow this entering wedge to their ultimate freedom, 
 Had his plan been carried out, slavery would prob- 
 ably have been abolished as soon at the South as at 
 the North. The Negroes who would have come 
 out of the war of trfe Revolution would have set 
 themselves to work to relieve the condition of their 
 brethren in shackles. 
 
 Connecticut Failed to endorse the enlistment of 
 Negroes by its Legislature, but Mr. Williams in his 
 history gives the roster of a- company of Negroes in 
 that State, numbering fifty-seven, with David Hum- 
 phreys, Captain. White officers refused to serve in 
 the company. David Humphreys continued at the 
 head of this force until the war closed. 
 
NEGRO RACE IN AMERICA. 63 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 NEGRO HEROES OF THE REVOLUTION. 
 
 Among Those whose blood was first shed for 
 the cause of American liberty was the runaway slave, 
 Crispus Attucks, Having -escaped from his master, 
 Wjlliam Brown, of Framingham, Massachusetts, at 
 the age of twenty-seven, being then six feet two 
 inches high, with "short, curled hair," he made his 
 way to Boston. His master in 1750 offered a 
 reward of ten pounds for him, but Crispus was not 
 found. When next heard from he turns up in the 
 streets of Boston. 
 
 THE LEADER WHO FELL IN THE FAMOUS BOSTON 
 MASSACRE. 
 
 Attucks had no doubt been listening to the fiery 
 eloquence of the patriots of those burning times. 
 The words of the eloquent Otis had kindled his soul, 
 and though a runaway slave, his patriotism was so 
 deep that he it was who sacrificed his life first on the 
 altar of American Liberty. 
 
 General Gage, the English commander, had 
 taken possession of Boston. Under the British flag 
 
A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 I 
 5 
 
NEGRO RACE IX AMERICA. 65 
 
 gaily dressed soldiers marched the streets of Boston 
 as through a conquered city ; iheir every act was an 
 insult to the inhabitants. Finally, on March 5, 1 770, 
 Crispus Attucks, at the head of a crowd of citizens, 
 resolved no longer to be insulted, and determining 
 to resist any invasion of their rights as citizens, a 
 fight soon ensued on the street. The troops were 
 ordered to fire on the " mob," and Attucks fell, the 
 first one, with three others, Caldwell, Gray, and 
 Maverick. The town bell was rung, the alarm 
 given and citizens from the country ran into Boston, 
 where the greatest excitement prevailed. 
 
 The Burial of Attucks, the only unknown dead, 
 was from Faneuil Hall. The funeral procession 
 was enormous, and many of the best citizens of Bos- 
 ton readily followed this former slave and unknown 
 hero to an honored grave. Many orators spoke in 
 the highest terms of Crispus Attucks. A verse 
 mentioning him reads thus : 
 
 Long as in freedom's cause the wise contend, 
 Dear to your country shall your fame extend ; 
 While to the world the lettered stone shall tell 
 Where Caldwell, Attucks, Gray and Maverick fell." 
 
66 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 Peter Salem shoots Major Pitcairn at Bunker Hill. 
 
 Bunker Hill was the scene of a brave deed by 
 a Negro soldier. Major Pitcairn was commander 
 of the British forces there. The battle was fierce ; 
 victory seemed sure to the English, when Pitcairn 
 mounted an eminence, shouting triumphantly, "The 
 day is ours." At this moment the Americans stood 
 as if dumfounded, when suddenly, with the leap of 
 a tiger, there rushed forth Peter Salem, who fired 
 directly at the officer's breast and killed him. Salem 
 was said to have been a slave, of Framingham, Mas- 
 sachusetts. General Warren, who was killed in this 
 battle, greatly eulogized Crispus Attucks for his 
 bravery in Boston, and had he not been stricken 
 down so soon, Peter Salem would doubtless also 
 
NEGRO RACE IN AMERICA. 67 
 
 have received high encomiums from his eloquent 
 lips. 
 
 Five Thousand Negroes are said to have 
 fought on the side of the colonies during the Revo- 
 lution. Most of them were from the northern 
 colonies. There were, possibly, 50,000 Negroes en- 
 listed on the side of Great Britain, and 30,000 of 
 these were from Virginia. 
 
 SOME INDIVIDUALS OF REVOLUTIONARY TIMES. 
 
 Primus Hall, was body-servant of Colonel Pick- 
 ering in Massachusetts. General Washington was 
 quite intimate with the Colonel and paid him many 
 visits. On one occasion, Washington continued his 
 visit till a late hour, and being assured by Primus 
 that there were blankets enough to accommodate 
 him, he resolved to spend the night in the Colonel's 
 quarters. Accordingly two beds of straw were made 
 down, and Washington and Colonel Pickering re- 
 tired, leaving Primus engaged about the tent. Late 
 in the night General Washington awoke, and seeing 
 Primus sitting on a box nodding, rose up in his bed 
 and said : " Primus, what did you mean by saying that 
 you had blankets enough ? Have you given up your 
 blanket and straw to me, that I may sleep comfort- 
 ably while you are obliged to sit through the night?" 
 "It's nothing/' said Primus; " don't trouble yourself. 
 
68 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 about me, General, but go to sleep again. No mat- 
 ter about me ; I sleep very good." " But it is mat- 
 ter ; it is matter," replied Washington, earnestly. 
 "I cannot do it, Primus. If either is to sit up, I will. 
 But I think there is no need of either sitting up. 
 The blanket is wide enough for two ; come and lie 
 down here with me." " O, no, General," said Pri- 
 mus ; " let me sit here ; I'll do very well on the box." 
 Washington said, " I say, come and lie down here \ 
 There is room for both, and I insist upon it." And, 
 as he spoke, he threw up the blanket and moved 
 to one side of the straw. Primus hesitated, but 
 Washington continuing to insist, Primus finally pre- 
 pared himself and laid down by Washington, and 
 on the same straw, and under the same blanket, 
 where the General and the Negro servant slept till 
 morning. 
 
 Washington is said to have been out walking 
 one day in company with some distinguished gentle- 
 men, and during the walk he met an old colored 
 man, who very politely tipped his hat and spoke to 
 the General. Washington, in turn, took off his hat 
 to the colored man, on seeing which one of the com- 
 pany, in a jesting manner, inquired of the General 
 if he usually took off his hat to Negroes. Where- 
 upon Washington replied : " Politeness is cheap, and 
 I never allow any one to be more polite to me than 
 I to him/ 1 
 
NEGRO RACE IX AMERICA. 
 
 Brave Colored Artilleryman. 
 
 Judge Story gives an account of a colored ar- 
 tilleryman who was in charge of a cannon with a 
 white soldier at Bunker Hill. He had one arm so 
 badly wounded he could not use it He suggested 
 to the white soldier that he change sides so as to 
 use the other arm. He did this ; and while thus 
 laboring under pain and loss of blood, a shot came 
 which killed him. 
 
 Prince appears in the attempt to capture 
 
 General Prescott, of the Royal army, stationed at 
 Newport, R. I. General Lee, of the American forces, 
 was held as a prisoner by the British, and it was 
 designed to capture Prescott so as to be able to 
 give him in exchange for Lee. Colonel Barton 
 planned the scheme, and set out to Prescott' s sleep- 
 
70 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 ing apartments in the night. Prince followed the 
 lead of Colonel Barton to the door. There the sen- 
 tinel was seized with his bayonet at the Colonel's 
 breast, and ordered to be silent on pain of death, 
 when Prince came forward and with two strokes at 
 the door with his head it came open. Prescott was 
 seized by Prince while in bed and made a prisoner. 
 Colonel Barton was presented an elegant sword for 
 this brave exploit which Prince achieved. 
 
 Prince Whipple appears, as a body-guard, on 
 the picture entitled " Washington Crossing the Del- 
 aware.' 1 
 
 L. LATHAM. 
 
 New London, Connecticut, was taken by the 
 British under command of Arnold, the traitor, in 
 1781. The American troops retreated to Fort Gro 
 ton, where the American commander Ledyard was 
 in command. The British came up and overcame 
 the Americans after a bold resistance. The British 
 officer vainly strode into the ramparts and said, 
 "Who commands this fort?" Ledyard replied, " I 
 once did; you do now," handing the Briton his 
 sword at the same time, which he took and ran 
 through Ledyard up to the hilt. L. Latham, a Ne- 
 gro slave, stood near the American. Scarcely had 
 the British officer s hand left the murderous hilt when 
 Latham run him through with his bayonet. The 
 
XEGRO RACE IX AMERICA. 71 
 
 enemy rushed on him, and after a most daring fight 
 he fell, not till pierced by thirty-three bayonets. L. 
 Latham had been left at home by his master to care 
 for the stock when the latter left to help defend the 
 fort; but as soon as he could unhitch his team he 
 too made haste to the scene of the fray, and the 
 above bold deed shows how deeply he felt moved to 
 give his life in defence of his country. 
 
 John Freeman pinned Major Montgomery to 
 the ground while he was being lifted upon the walls 
 of Fort Griswold. 
 
 Samuel Charlton was in the battle of Monmouth 
 and several others. Washington complimented him 
 for his bravery. He returned to his master in New 
 Jersey after the war, and at his master's death Charl- 
 ton, with the other slaves, was set free and given a 
 pension during his life. 
 
 James Armistead acted as scout for LaFayette 
 in the Virginia campaign. He returned to his mas- 
 ter after the surrender of Cornwallis and was set free 
 by a special act of the Virginia Legislature. 
 
 Negro Soldiers in the North enlisted with the 
 colonies so that they might thus get their freedom 
 from their Northern masters, while Negro soldiers 
 in the South enlisted with the British, who promised 
 freedom to all who would join their ranks. 
 
 Did the Negro Soldiers get their freedom after 
 the war of the Revolution was oVer ? We may say 
 
72 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 yes, so far as the Northern colonies are concerned, 
 but not without much opposition in the courts and 
 legislatures. Virginia also passed an act in 1 783 
 emancipating the slaves who had fought in the 
 Revolution. Many individual slaves were emanci- 
 pated by special acts of the legislatures for their 
 courage and bravery. 
 
 George Washington set his slaves free by his 
 will, and many slave-owners did the same. 
 
 The slaves who joined the British army were sub- 
 jected to all sorts of horrors. Thousands died with 
 small-pox and other contagious diseases. A great 
 number were sent t.o the West Indies in exchange 
 " for rum, sugar, coffee and fruit." 
 
 LAFAYETTE AND KOSCIUSKO. 
 
 LaFayette, the brilliant young Frenchman, and 
 Kosciusko, the generous Pole, volunteered their ser- 
 vices in behalf of freedom for the Americans during 
 the Revolution. They fought, though, for the free- 
 dom of all Americans. LaFayette said in a letter 
 to a Mr. Clarkson : " I would never have drawn 
 my sword in the cause of America, if I could have 
 conceived that thereby I was founding a land of 
 slavery." 
 
 While Visiting America in 1825, he expressed 
 a warm desire to see some of the many colored sol 
 
NEGRO RACE IN A MERICA . 73 
 
 diers whom he " remembered as participating with 
 him in various skirmishes." He believed in free- 
 dom to all men, and to put in practice his anti- 
 slavery ideas he bought a plantation in French 
 Guiana. There he collected all the " whips and 
 other instruments of torture and punishment, and 
 made a bonfire of them in the presence of the as- 
 sembled slaves." 
 
 He Gave One Day in each week to the slaves, 
 and as soon as one could earn enough he might pur- 
 chase another day, and so on until he gained his 
 freedom. 
 
 Kosciusko Expressed great sorrow to learn 
 that the colored men who served in the Revolution 
 were not thereby to gain their freedom. He left 
 $20,000 in the hands of Thomas Jefferson, to be 
 used in educating colored children. 
 
A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 THE WAR OF 1812. 
 
 THE War of the Revolution ended in 1781 at 
 Yorktown. Many of the brave Negroes who shed 
 their blood and helped to win America's liberty 
 from England were, as soon as the war closed, 
 put back into bondage. They were in the " Land 
 of the Free," but themselves slaves. Other trou- 
 bles arose very soon between England and Amer- 
 ica. England still kept standing armies in America, 
 and claimed the right to search American vessels 
 for British sailors who had deserted. They often 
 took off American seamen. 
 
 One Negro and Two White sailors were taken 
 from the American man-of-war " Chesapeake " after 
 she had been fired upon. Canada gave arms to and 
 incited the Indians in the Northwest against the 
 Americans. Finally, in 1812, war was declared, 
 during Madison's administration. 
 
 Negro Troops were very much needed, as the 
 Americans had a very poor navy, and England, 
 having whipped the French, was now ready to turn 
 all her forces against America. 
 
 A Call for Volunteers from the Union was 
 
NEGRO RACE IN AMERICA. 75 
 
 issued, and many thousands of free Negroes an- 
 swered the call. The slaves were not allowed to 
 enlist in the militia. Gen. Jackson thus spoke to his 
 colored troops : 
 
 " To the Men of Color Soldiers : From the shores 
 of Mobile I collected you to arms. I invited you to 
 share in the perils and to divide the glory with your 
 white countrymen. I expected much from you, for 
 I was not uninformed of those qualities which must 
 render you so formidable to an invading foe. I 
 knew that you could endure hunger and thirst and 
 all the hardships of war. I knew that you loved the 
 land of your nativity, and that, like ourselves, you 
 had to defend all that is most dear to man. But you 
 have surpassed all my hopes. I have found in you, 
 united to these qualities, that noble enthusiasm 
 which impels to great deeds. 
 
 " Soldiers, the President of the United States 
 shall be informed of your conduct on the present 
 occasion, and the voice of the Representatives of 
 the American nation shall applaud your valor as 
 your General now praises your ardor. The enemy 
 is near. His sails cover the lakes ; but the brave 
 are united, and if he finds us contending among 
 ourselves, it will be for the prize of valor, and fame, 
 its noblest reward." 
 
 The Battle of New Orleans, we will remember, 
 ended in defeat for the British. Over two thousand 
 
76 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 were lost to the British, while the American loss 
 was seven killed and six wounded. There were 
 over four hundred Negroes in this battle, and they 
 occupied " no mean place and did no mean service." 
 The British had a battalion of Negroes from the 
 Island of San Domingo in this battle. The idea 
 of fortifying the city with cotton is said to have been 
 the suggestion of a slave who was a native African, 
 and learned this mode of defence from the Arabs. 
 
 Mr. D. Lee Child, in a letter to a friend, states 
 that the famous cotton breast-works, recognized the 
 world over as a stroke of genius on the part of 
 Gen. Jackson, was the suggestion of a colored man, 
 a .native African. He gives some data from a Por- 
 tuguese manuscript to prove that this mode of de- 
 fence is in practice among the native Africans, who 
 thus defend their wives and children against the 
 Arabs. 
 
 NEGROES IN THE NAVY OF l8l2. 
 
 Th "re seemed to be no discrimination against 
 any class of citizens joining our navy; nor is there 
 now. About one-fifth of the marines were Negroes. 
 That they did valuable service is testified to by 
 numerous commanders. Read what Commander 
 Nathaniel Shaler of the "private armed" schooner 
 "Governor Tompkins " says, in a letter dated 
 
NEGRO RACE IN AMERICA. 
 
 " AT SEA, Jan. i, 1813. 
 
 " My officers conducted themselves in a way that 
 would have done honor to a more permanent ser- 
 vice ..... The name of one of my poor fel- 
 lows who was killed ought to be registered in the 
 book of fame, and remembered with reverence as 
 long as bravery is a virtue, He was a black man, 
 by the name of John Johnson. A twenty-four 
 pound shot struck him in the hip and took away 
 all the lower part of his body. In this state the 
 poor, brave fellow lay on the deck, and several times 
 exclaimed to his shipmates, 'Fire away, my boys ; 
 no haul a color down ! ' The other was a black 
 man by the name of John Davis, and was struck in 
 much the same way. He fell near me, and several 
 times requested to be thrown overboard, saying he 
 was only in the way of others. While America has 
 such tars, she has little to fear from the tyrants of 
 the ocean." 
 
 Captain Perry had command of the American 
 fleet on Lake Erie. He objected to recruits sent 
 him, and described them in a letter to Commodore 
 Chauncey ,as " a motley set blacks, soldiers and 
 boys." Commodore Chauncey replied : " I regret 
 that you are not pleased with the men sent you. 
 . . . . I have yet Jo learn that the color of the 
 skin, or the cut and trimmings of the coat, can 
 affect a man's qualifications or usefulness. I have 
 
78 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 fifty blacks on board this ship, and many of them 
 are among my best men." 
 
 Usher Parsons, Surgeon of the "Java," under 
 Commodore Perry, wrote that the whites and blacks 
 of his ship messed together, and there seemed to be 
 no prejudice. 
 
 The End of the War of 1812 meant victory for 
 America, and the Negro had scored a telling point 
 in behalf of his recognition as an American citizen. 
 But still many were in slavery. 
 
 Major Jeffreys, a "regular," during the engage- 
 ment of Major-General Andrew Jackson at Mobile, 
 mounted a horse and rallied the retreating troops 
 to victory against the British, ^when the white com- 
 manders were forced to retire and defeat seemed 
 certain. Gen. Jackson gave him the title of Major, 
 which he bore till his death in Nashville, Tenn. He 
 was much respected by all classes. On one occa- 
 sion a white ruffian insulted him. Words ensued, 
 and Major Jeffreys was forced to strike the white 
 man in self-defence. For this, at the age of seventy 
 years, this veteran, who had won victory for his 
 country on the battle-field, was ordered to be given 
 41 nine and thirty lashes with a raw hide." He did 
 not recover from the effects of this treatment, and 
 soon died of a broken heart. 
 
 Jordon Noble was among the colored veterans 
 of the War of 181 2. For a long time after the war 
 
NEGRO RACE IN AMERICA. 70 
 
 he lived in New Orleans, where he was brought out 
 on every great occasion to give enthusiasm. Jor- 
 don Noble's name appearing in connection with any 
 great occasion was sufficient guarantee of a tremen- 
 dous crowd. He was drummer to the First Regi- 
 ment Louisiana Volunteers in the Mexican War of 
 1846, and led the attack against the British in the 
 Battle of New Orleans under Jackson in 1814. He 
 was known as the " matchless drummer." 
 
80 A SCHOOL II [STORY OF THE 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 EFFORTS FOR FREEDOM. 
 
 The War of 1812 was now over. America re- 
 jnained at peace with other nations about thirty- 
 two years, when the Mexican war broke out in 
 1846, During this interval a war of words between 
 Americans themselves was waged ; and there were 
 heroes in this contest, many of them Negroes and 
 former slaves, and some of them women, who merit 
 equal rank with the brave heroes of former battles. 
 
 The Abolitionists who were opposed to slavery, 
 furnished many brave hearts and strong minds from 
 their ranks. Their work began very early in the 
 history of the colonies ; it continued with slow 
 growth for awhile, but nevertheless certain and 
 effectual. The Quakers of Pennsylvania were fore- 
 most in the work of abolition. They set nearly all 
 their slaves free. Anti-slavery societies were formed 
 in nearly all the Northern States. 
 
 Benjamin Lundy is mentioned as the earliest 
 leader of the Abolitionists. He published a paper 
 called The Genius of Universal Emancipation. He 
 visited nineteen States of the Union, travelled up- 
 
NEGRO RACE IN AMERICA. 81 
 
 waids of five thousand miles on foot, and more than 
 twenty thousand in other ways, and held more than 
 two hundred public meetings. Lundy's paper was 
 not regarded as very dangerous to the institution 
 of slavery; but the Journal of the Times, published 
 first at Bennington, Vermont, in support of J. Q. 
 Adams for the presidency, became the inveterate 
 foe to slavery under the editorship of William Lloyd 
 Garrison, who was mobbed in the streets of Boston, 
 and imprisoned for libel in the city of Baltimore for 
 denouncing the crew of the ship " Francis Todd," 
 on board of which were many ill-treated slaves 
 bound for the slave marts of New Orleans. Garri- 
 son and Lundy united in getting out The Genius of 
 Universal Emancipation at Baltimore. 
 
 Arthur Tappan, before this, paid Garrison's fine, 
 and the enemy to slavery commenced his war with 
 more vigor and zeal than before. In 1831 The 
 Liberator was first published by Garrison, and, as 
 was his desire, it continued till "every slave in 
 America was free." 
 
 A "Colored Man," James Forten, sent $50 
 among the first twenty-five subscriptions that came 
 to The Liberator. Garrison thought it his duty to 
 obey God rather than man, and he denounced the 
 Constitution of the United States as being a " Cov- 
 enant with death and an agreement with hell," be- 
 cause he held that it supported slavery. 
 
 6 
 
$2 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 The National Anti-Slavery Convention, white, 
 was held in 1836; they had delegates from ten 
 States, and 1006 anti-slavery societies existed in the 
 different States. 
 
 The Free Colored People of the North also 
 held an anti-slavery convention in 1831. Their first 
 work was to get recognition from the white organi- 
 zations, who shut them out. The " Anti-Slavery 
 Free Women of America " organized in 1837, * n 
 New York. Mary S. Parker was President, Ange- 
 lina E. Grimkie; Secretary. 
 
 Miss Sarah Forten addressed the following 
 verses to her white sisters in behalf of co-operation : 
 
 " We are thy sisters. God has truly said 
 That of one blood all nations He has made. 
 O Christian woman ! in a Christian land, 
 Canst thou unblushing read this great command ? 
 Suifer the wrongs which wring our inmost heart, 
 To draw one throb of pity on thy part? 
 Our skins may differ, but from thee we claim 
 A sister's privilege and a sister's name." 
 
 Soon after this, the free Negroes of the North 
 acted together with the whites in the great fight 
 against slavery. Negro orators told in eloquent 
 style the sad' story of the bondage of their race. 
 
 Frederick Douglass, once a slave in Maryland, 
 electrified the whole country with his eloquence. He 
 stood then, and now, as a living, breathing, convinc- 
 
NEGRO RACE IN AMERICA. 83 
 
 r-" - 
 
 ing argument against the claim that the Negro's 
 intellectual capacities fit him only for slavery. Mr. 
 Douglass visited Europe and was received there 
 with an ovation, for the cause of the slave had leaped 
 across the Atlantic and touched a sympathetic chord 
 in many a British heart. 
 
 Many Books were written by Negroes, as well 
 as whites. Frederick Douglass wrote " My Bondage 
 and My Freedom;" Bishop Loguen, " As a Slave 
 and as a Freeman;" other works by Rev. Samuel 
 R. Ward, Rev. Austin Stewart, Solomon Northorp, 
 Dr. Wm. Wells Brown, and others. William Whip- 
 per edited an abolition paper, known as the National 
 Reformer. 
 
 Uncle Tom's Cabin, by Mrs. Harriet Beecher 
 Stowe, was the most read, and the most effectual) 
 work against slavery. 
 
84 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 FREDERICK DOUGLASS. 
 
 THIS great man is well known to the world. He 
 is a conspicuous representative of the talents and 
 capabilities possessed by the colored race. Born a 
 slave on a plantation in Maryland, he has gradually, 
 by industry and patient labor, worked himself to the 
 highest rank of honor, both in America and Europe. 
 When Frederick Douglass speaks the world listens. 
 He is as much quoted as any living American 
 statesman. 
 
 The first ten years of Mr. Douglass' youth were 
 spent on one of the many plantations of a rich 
 planter named Lloyd, in the State of Maryland. He 
 was separated from his mother, who only saw him 
 at long intervals. He, with the other little slave 
 boys, grew up from almost infancy in their tow 
 shirts, with their ash-cake rations and frequent beat- 
 ings, given them by a certain " old Aunt Kate," who 
 had charge of the children on the plantation. In 
 this wild way, young Fred was left to grow up as 
 best he could among the rough farm hands and 
 without a mother's care. He describes his mother 
 
NEGRO RACE IN AMERICA. 
 
 Frederick Douglass. 
 
A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 to have been a noble-looking woman, with the 
 deepest'of motherly affection and very fond of him, 
 as shown by her running dangerous risks and often 
 walking many long miles to see him. 
 
 At the age of ten years he was sent by his " Old 
 Master" to live with his young mistress, in Balti- 
 more, who was connected with the Lloyd family. 
 This young lady became attached to him, and 
 taught him to read. He learned to read the Bible 
 and made such rapid progress that the young lady, 
 feeling very proud of her work, told her husband. 
 When he found it out he forbade her teaching him 
 any further, saying it was unlawful, " could only 
 lead to mischief," and, " if you give a nigger an 
 inch he will take an ell." Nevertheless, Fred soon 
 became proficient in reading, and he learned to 
 write by the models in his young master's copy- 
 book. He bought a book called the Columbian 
 Orator, in which he found speeches from Sheridan, 
 Lord Chatham, William Pitt and Fox. These he 
 read many times and gained much mental help from 
 them. 
 
 Finally, young Fred, whose mind now was en- 
 lightened, became so dissatisfied with his position 
 as a slave that he grew morose and gloomy. His 
 young mistress chided him for this conduct, and it 
 finally became necessary to hire him out. He soon 
 found a good opportunity and ran away to New 
 
NEGRO RACE IN AMERICA 87 
 
 Bedford, Mass. Here he found employment and 
 spent his leisure time in study. He read Scott's 
 " Lady of the Lake," and there came across the name 
 of Douglass, which he for the first time assumed. 
 He attended church ; was surprised to see the col- 
 ored people transacting their own business. Some 
 of the first money he earned in New Bedford was 
 invested in a subscription to The Liberator. He 
 was not long in coming .to the front. His story of 
 escape from slavery was told in the various 
 churches, and the year 1841 found him on the stage 
 before an anti-slavery convention at Nantucket A 
 tremendous crowd was present, and the wildest 
 enthusiasm prevailed Mr. William Lloyd Garri- 
 son followed Mr. Douglass with a strong speech 
 for the abolition of slavery. Mr. Douglass' career 
 thus begun, continued ; he spoke often and mightily 
 for the cause of freedom. He became the leading- 
 orator of the time, and his presence was sufficient 
 to draw a crowd in the bitterest pro slavery com- 
 munity. 
 
 Since freedom, Mr. Douglass has held several 
 important positions under the National Govern- 
 ment. He was once Recorder of Deeds in the 
 District of Columbia, and is now Minister to the 
 Haytian Republic 
 
88 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 tHAPTER XVI. 
 
 LIBERIA. 
 
 The Republic of Liberia was founded in 1816, 
 by the American Colonization Society as a place of 
 refuge and safety to the colored people of America 
 who, before the abolition of slavery in the various 
 States, had been set free by their masters, or, through 
 industry, had purchased their liberty themselves. 
 It is located on the west coast of Africa, south of 
 Sierra Leone,. and is very productive of rice, coffee, 
 indigo, peanuts, arrowroot, sugar, pepper, logwood, 
 palm-oil, and cotton. Gold and other minerals are 
 found in considerable quantities. The climate seems 
 ill adapted to the American Negro. 
 
 Mr. Jehudi Ashmun was the pioneer in plant- 
 ing the colony, assisted by Lott Carey, The natives 
 resisted the settlers, and for the first six years there 
 were continual attempts to drive them out. Mr. 
 Ashmun's health finally failed, and he was compelled 
 to leave the colony, now numbering 1200 free 
 Americans, to themselves in this new and wild land. 
 They shed bitter tears on his departure, some cling- 
 ing even to his garments. But, left to themselves, 
 
NEGRO RAGE LV AMERICA. 89 
 
 the Negroes did not lose all hope. They set about 
 to found a goverment similar to that of the United 
 States. They elected their first president, Joseph 
 J. Roberts, organized a cabinet, established schools, 
 made labor obligatory, and their flag is now recog- 
 nized by the nations of Europe and the United 
 States. 
 
 Its population is now over 20,000 Negroes who 
 went from America, or their descendants. The in- 
 fluence of Liberia is exercised over a million of 
 people along the West Coast of Africa. They speak 
 English, and from them many tribes have. learned 
 our language and the arts of civilization. The United 
 States has sent six Ministers to represent her at 
 Monrovia, the Liberian capital, viz. : from North 
 Carolina, Messrs. J. H. Smythe, Moses A. Hopkins, 
 and E. E. Smith; from New York, Henry H. Gar- 
 net ; Alexander Clark, of Iowa, and C. H. J. Taylor, 
 of Kansas. The exports of Liberia aggregate about 
 three-quarters of a million dollars annually. 
 
 Success has thus far attended the country, 
 though the climate, atmosphere, and the surround- 
 ings are most unfavorable and unstimulating. The 
 fact that these colored people have succeeded shows 
 what the race can do under favorable circumstances. 
 
90 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 NAT. TURNER AND OTHERS WHO " STRUCK * 
 FOR FREEDOM. 
 
 Nathaniel Turner is well remembered by many 
 of the older people of Southampton, Virginia, as 
 being the leader of the famous " Nat Turner Insur- 
 rection " of that county. He was an unusually bright 
 child having learned to read and write with such 
 skill and rapidity that his own people and the neigh- 
 bors regarded him as a prodigy. It is said that his 
 mother predicted that he would be a prophet in his 
 presence one day, and he remembered her predio, 
 tion till he grew older. Turner devoted himself to 
 the study of the Scriptures and the condition of 
 his people. He believed his lot was to set them 
 free. He had visions of white and black spirits fight*' 
 ing in battle. He imagined a voice spoke thus to 
 him in the vision : " Such is your luck ; such you are 
 called to see ; and let it come rough or smooth you 
 must bear it." He thought, while laboring in the 
 fields, u he discovered drops of blood on the corn, as 
 though it were dew from heaven," and saw on the 
 leaves of the trees pictures of men written in blood. 
 
NEGRO PACE IN AMERICA. 9i 
 
 A Plan of Insurrection was devised in the 
 month of February, 1831. Nat, together with four 
 of his friends, Sam Edwards, Henry Porter, Nelson 
 Williams, and Hark Travis, held a council of war, as 
 it were, in some lonely, desolate spot in the woods, 
 where they discussed the project of freeing the 
 slaves. Nat said, in his speech, that his purpose 
 was not to shed blood wantonly ; but in order to 
 arouse his brethren he believed it necessary to kill 
 such of the whites as would be most likely to give 
 them trouble. He, like John Brown, expected his 
 slave brethren to join him. 
 
 The Fatal Stroke was given in the month of 
 August, 1831. The first house visited was that of 
 a Mr. Joseph Travis. While on the way, a slave 
 from this plantation joined Nat's party. He was a 
 giant of a man, athletic, quick, and "best man on the 
 muscle in the county," and was known as " Will." 
 The slaves were armed with axes and knives, and 
 killed, indiscriminately, young and old, fifty-seven 
 white persons, before they were killed or cap- 
 tured. 
 
 Several Artillery Companies from Richmond, 
 seventy miles off, Petersburg, Norfolk, and Ports- 
 mouth, with one cavalry company, were ordered out 
 to take Nat and his followers. In a 'hand-to-hand 
 struggle Will fell. His last words were : " Bury 
 my axe with me." Nat escaped with some others 
 
92 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 to the swamps where he eluded the whites lor nearly 
 three months. After surrendering, he was brought 
 into court, and answered Not Guilty to the inquiry 
 of the judge. The trial was gone through with. 
 Nat was convicted and condemned to die on the 
 gallows. He received the sentence with total in- 
 difference, but made a prophecy that on the day 
 of his execution unusual occurrences would appear 
 in the heavens ; the sun would be darkened and im- 
 mense clouds would appear, and threatening light- 
 ning. Many of the people believed it. The sheriff 
 could find no one willing to cut the rope, but a 
 drunken sot, crazed by liquor, did the act for pay. 
 The day of execution, strange to say, as Nat had 
 prophesied, was one of stormy and gloomy aspect, 
 with terrible thunder, rain and lightning. Nat kept 
 up his courage to the last, and his neck in the 
 noose, not a muscle quivered or a groan was uttered. 
 He was, undoubtedly, a wonderful character. Know 
 ing as he did, the risk he ran, what an immense 
 courage he must have had to undertake this bold 
 adventure. He was thus spoken of by a Mr. 
 Gray, who interviewed him : " It has been said that 
 he was ignorant and cowardly, and his purpose was 
 to murder and rob. It is notorious that he was 
 never known to have a dollar in his life, to swear 
 an oath, or drink a drop of spirits. He can read 
 and write, and for natural intelligence and quick- 
 
NEGRO RACE IN AMERICA. 
 
 ness of apprehension is surpassed by few men I 
 have ever seen." * 
 
 Avery Watkins, a colored preacher of Rock- 
 ingham, North Carolina, and grandfather of Rev. 
 R. H. W. Leak, a prominent minister in the A. M. 
 E. Conference of North Carolina, is said to have 
 been hanged in Rockingham, North Carolina, 
 charged with indorsing the Nat Turner Insurrec- 
 tion, because in a private conversation with his 
 family he related to them something of what Nat 
 Turner was doing in Southampton, where he had 
 lately been on a visit to his grandmother^ Accord- 
 ing to the account of Mr. W. H. Quick, he was 
 taken by a mob at a camp-meeting, and tried and 
 hung in the same month, in the year 1831. 
 
 Madison Washington was the name of a brave 
 slave who, being a part of a cargo of 135 slaves en 
 route to New Orleans from Virginia, when the boat 
 was eight days out organized the slaves, made an 
 onslaught on the officers, took possession of the boat 
 and carried it to Nassau, an English possession, 
 where England gave them protection, refusing to 
 surrender them as " murderers and mutineers to 
 perish on Southern gibbets." 
 
 * One author says: Upwards of one hundred slaves were slaughtered in 
 the Southampton Tragedy, many of them in cold blood while walking.in the 
 streets and about sixty white persons. Some of the alleged conspirators 
 had their noses and ears cut off, the flesh of their cheeks cut out, their- jaws 
 broken asunder, and in that condition they were set up as marks to be shot at. 
 
94 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 The Kindness of Washington in dressing the 
 Captain's wounds and protecting and caring for his 
 wife and children, marked him as a most magnani- 
 mous foe. Only one white man of the twelve com- 
 manding the ship was killed. He having fired into 
 the slaves came at them with a spike ; thereupon he 
 was stabbed by one of Washington's men, who 
 wrenched a bowie-knife from the hands of the Cap- 
 tain. Washington's only wish was, not blood, but 
 freedom, which he gained. 
 
 " THE VIRGINIA MAROONS. 
 
 The Famous Dismal Swamp, some fifty miles 
 long, extending from Norfolk, Virginia, into North 
 Carolina, was a noted rendezvous for runaway slaves 
 before the civil war. It is estimated that the slave 
 property in this swamp was worth a million and a 
 half dollars. They carried on a secret trade with 
 the Virginia merchants, but any merchant caught 
 fostering these people by trading with them was 
 punished severely by law. The traders who were 
 pursued found shelter among the maroons of the 
 swamp. The chivalry of the Old Dominion never 
 dared venture into this colony, and blood-hounds 
 sent in came out no more. The Dismal Swamp 
 colony continued from generation to generation, de- 
 fying and outwitting the slave-owners right in the 
 
NEGRO RACE IN AMERICA. 95 
 
 midst of one of the strongest slave-holding commu- 
 nities in the South. 
 
 "THE AMISTAD CAPTIVES." 
 
 Fifty-four Africans on board the Spanish slave- 
 schooner "Amistad," under Captain Ramon Ferrer, 
 on June 28, 1839, sailed from Havana, Cuba, for 
 Porto Principe, another place on the island of Cuba, 
 about three hundred miles distant from Havana. 
 The fifty-four slaves were just from Lemboko, their 
 native country in Africa. Joseph Cinquez, son of 
 an African prince, was among them. He was shrewd, 
 brave and intelligent. He looked on with disgust 
 at the cruel treatment given him and his fellow- 
 sJaves, some being " chained down between the 
 decks space not more than four feet by their 
 wrists and ankles ; forced to eat rice, sick or well, 
 and whipped upon the slightest provocation." Cin- 
 quez witnessed the brutality as long as his noble 
 nature would allow, and when they were about five 
 nights out from Havana, he chose a company of 
 confederates from among his brethren and made an 
 assault on the captain of the boat, and took him and 
 his crew prisoners. Two sailors struck out for land 
 when they found their captain and cook in chains, 
 and left the boat in full possession of the Negroes. 
 The man at the helm (Montes) was ordered to steer 
 
96 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 direct for Africa, under pain of death. This he did 
 by day, but at night would make towards the coast 
 of America. Finally, after continual wandering-, the 
 vessel was cited off the coast of the United States 
 in August. All the ports were notified, and a num- 
 ber of revenue cutters were dispatched after her. 
 She was finally captured on the 26th of August, 
 1839, by Lieut. Gidney of the United States Navy, 
 and the "Amistad" and her fifty-four Africans were 
 landed ir. New London, Connecticut. The two 
 Spaniards found on board the vessel were examined 
 by the United States officials, and the whole number 
 of Africans were bound over to await trial as pirates. 
 They being unable to give bond of course went to 
 prison, but not to stay long. Public sentiment was 
 everywhere aroused in their favor. The anti-slavery 
 friends organized schools among them ; the Africans 
 learned rapidly and soon told all the details of the 
 capture of the " Amistad " in English from their own 
 lips without an interpreter. The trial occupied sev- 
 eral months, during which they busied themselves 
 in cultivating a garden of fifteen acres in a most 
 skillful and intelligent manner. Their grievances 
 were told all over America, and aroused the sympa- 
 thies of the people. Finally, the court decided that 
 the "Amistad captives " were not slaves but free- 
 men. A thrill of joy passed through many an 
 American heart, as well as their own, and when the 
 
NEGRO RACE IN AMERICA. 97 
 
 news of this decision spread abroad, subscriptions 
 began to come in. Mr. Lewis Tappan took a lively 
 interest in the Africans, and in one way and another 
 soon got together enough money to send them home 
 to Africa, where they so much wanted to go. " If 
 'Merica men offered me as much gold as fill this cap," 
 said one, " and give me houses, land and everything, 
 so dat I stay in this country, I say No ! No ! ! I want 
 to see my father, my mother, my brother, my sister." 
 One said, " We owe everything to God ; He keeps 
 us alive, and makes us free. When we go home to 
 Mendi, we tell our brethren about God, Jesus Christ 
 and Heaven. "_ One" was asked, if he was again 
 captured and about to be sold into slavery, would 
 he murder the captain and cook of another vessel, 
 and if he wouldn't pray for rather than kill them ? 
 Cinquez heard it and replied, shaking his head, 
 " Yes ; I would pray for 'em and kill 'em, too." 
 
 These people were sent to Sierra Leone in Africa 
 in company with five sainted missionaries. Great 
 Britain sent them from Sierra Leone to their homes, 
 and thus their efforts for freedom were successful. 
 
98 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 ANTI-SLAVERY AGITATION. 
 
 Slavery or No Slavery was the question now 
 before the American people. Millions of tracts, 
 pamphlets, circulars and newspapers, besides the 
 ministers and orators of the North, were now mak- 
 ing sentiment against slavery. The people of the 
 North were aroused. 
 
 The Census of 1850 gave a population of three 
 and one-half million slaves in America, and they 
 lived in the States of Delaware, New Jersey, Mary- 
 land, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, 
 Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, 
 Texas, Arkansas, Utah Territory, Kentucky, Mis- 
 souri and Tennessee. Soon after this New Jersey, 
 Delaware and Maryland freed their slaves. 
 
 The Political Parties were forced to taKe up 
 the slavery question. The politicians were wily, 
 and yielded to both sides for policy's sake. The 
 South opposed every legislative act that favored the 
 abolition of slavery. The great Daniel Webster 
 hesitated to take a decided stand either way, and in 
 1858 Charles Sumner, a staunch anti-slavery man* 
 
NEGRO RACE IN AMERICA. 99 
 
 came to the Senate from Massachusetts in Web- 
 ster's place. Mr. Sumner said more and did more 
 for the freedom of the slave than any of the great 
 statesmen of his time. He offered no compromise, 
 and asked only for liberty to the slaves. 
 
 The Fugitive Slave Law* allowed masters to 
 capture their slaves in any State of the Union. 
 Hence arose the underground railroad, which was 
 a secret system for transporting runaway slave.s into 
 Canada. Some slaves were sent in boxes, and some 
 carried in the night from one person to another un- 
 til they reached the Canadian line. A great many 
 runaway slaves made good their escape through 
 this system.f 
 
 New States coming into the Union caused great 
 discussion as to whether they should come in as free 
 States or slave States. Civil war broke out in 
 Kansas between the inhabitants of that Territory 
 who wanted, and those who did not want, slaves. 
 The. anti-slavery people were led by, John Brown, 
 afterwards the leader in an attempt to capture the 
 arsenal at Harper's Ferry, Virginia, and arm the 
 slaves. He was hung as an insurrectionist. 
 
 Opposition in the North to the Abolitionists 
 
 * It was Chief Justice Taney who, in giving his decision en this law in the 
 Dred Scott case, said: "A Negro has no rights which a white man is bound 
 to respect." 
 
 f See Underground Railroad, by William Still. 
 
100 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 was manifested by the commercial people, who saw 
 nothing in the whole question but the dollars and 
 cents which they hoped to make out of the slave's 
 products of cotton, tobacco-, sugar, and rice. But 
 the agitation continued. 
 
 Abraham Lincoln, endorsed by the anti-slavery 
 people, was proposed as the Republican candidate 
 for President in 1860, whereupon South Carolina 
 declared if Lincoln was elected she would secede 
 from the Union. Lincoln was elected, and accord- 
 ingly South Carolina seceded, and was soon followed 
 by the other slave-holding States. 
 
NEGRO RA CE IN A MERICA . 101 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 EXAMPLES OF UNDERGROUND RAILROAD 
 WORK. 
 
 WILLIAM and Ellen Craft were slaves in the State 
 of Georgia. Their hearts yearned for freedom. 
 Their minds were at once set to work to formulate 
 some plan of escape. It was at last settled. 
 Ellen being very fair, while William was dark, 
 was to pass for a young invalid planter, William 
 being her slave and servant. Not being able 
 to write, and without beard, she put her hand 
 into a sling and tied her face up ; after putting on 
 male attire they were ready to start out. William 
 attended to all the business, .such as registering at 
 the hotels and buying tickets. They stopped at a 
 first-class hotel in Charleston, and also in Richmond, 
 finally reaching Philadelphia safely. Ellen gave ur> 
 her male attire, untied her face, released her arm 
 from the sling, and her speech came to her. They 
 put themselves under the care of the Abolitionists, 
 were sent to Boston, but after the passage of the 
 Fugitive Slave Bill, attempts were made to capture 
 and put them back into slavery again. They were 
 at last sent to England, where they remained for 
 nearly twenty years; then they returned and made 
 their home in Savannah, Georgia, where, we learn, 
 they are still living. 
 
102 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF TllK 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 THE SLAVE POPULATION OF 18(50. 
 
 IN the sixteen slave States there were 3,950,000 
 slaves in 1860, and 251,000 free colored people. 
 Nearly 3,000,000 of the slaves were in the rural 
 districts of the South ; and the slave products of 
 cotton, tobacco, rice, sugar-cane, hemp, and molasses, 
 amounted to about $136,505,435. These products, 
 made by slave labor, formed the basis of Southern 
 prosperity. The war of the rebellion which com- 
 menced in the following year, was destined to shake 
 the very foundation of Soulhern civilization. From 
 a people unaccustomed to hard work, it was to take 
 away those who worked for them, and those same 
 people who were to be taken away were to be re- 
 galed in the priceless boon of citizenship. Let us 
 now study some of the efforts of Negroes in help- 
 ing to achieve this citizenship, after which we shall 
 see how well they deserved to be citizens. 
 
NEGRO RACE IN AMERICA. 103 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 THE WAR OF THE REBELLION. 
 
 ENLISTMENT OF NEGROES. 
 
 The Secession of South Carolina and the other 
 Southern States was the signal for war. True to its 
 declaration to do so, this State seceded when Lincoln 
 was inaugurated in 1861. Fort Sumter\\as fired on 
 by the Confederates and captured. The North was 
 divided on the question of slavery, and the Govern- 
 ment at Washington was slow in making any efforts 
 to stop the rebellion. A' few troops were sent into 
 the field with the hope of frightening the South. 
 
 The Battle of Bull Run was fought, and disgrace- 
 fully lost to the Union. It took some losses and 
 failures to make the North believe the South would 
 fight. Finally, after the defeat at Bull Run, 
 
 Lincoln issued a Proclamation for 75,000 
 volunteers. But the motto was, no blacks need apply. 
 There was great prejudice in the North against he 
 Negro's enlisting to fight for his freedom, and the 
 President was also opposed to it. 
 
 The Confederates were already forming Negro 
 companies for the defence of Richmond and build- 
 
104 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 Ing fortifications. The third and fourth regiments 
 of Georgia showed one Negro company as they 
 passed through Augusta en route to Virginia. Free 
 Negroes enlisted on the Confederate side at New 
 Orleans and Memphis. They were highly spoken 
 of by the Southern papers. But the North seemed 
 to think still that to put the Negro in the Union blue 
 would disgrace that uniform. 
 
 General Hunter, stationed at Port Royal, South 
 Carolina, did not agree with Congress nor the Presi- 
 dent. When he succeeded General Sherman, in- 
 structions from the Secretary of War to "accept the 
 services of all loyal persons " were handed him ; and 
 he seized this opportunity (there being nothing said 
 about Negroes) to enlist a Negro regiment of fugi- 
 tive slaves. His conduct was inquired into by Mr. 
 Wickliffe, a Congressman from Kentucky, and a 
 resolution of censure was offered. 
 
 Major-General Hunter replied to the inquiry 
 made in Congress as to his enlisting slaves, that the 
 Negroes seemed to be the only loyal people in that 
 locality, and they were anxious to fight for their 
 freedom, and gave every evidence of making *' in- 
 valuable auxiliaries." They knew the country and 
 were accustomed to the climate. 
 
 General Phelps, stationed in Louisiana about 
 this time, was making a bold fight for the enlistment 
 of Negroes in and around New Orleans. He was 
 
NEGRO RACE IX AMERICA. 105 
 
 opposed by General Benj. F. Butler, who protested 
 so strongly against it that finally General Phelps 
 was forced to resign and return to his home in Ver- 
 mont. The sentiment of the Northern army seemed 
 to have a conspicuous leaning towards admitting the 
 right of the South to hold slaves. General Butler 
 refused the runaway slayes quarters in his head- 
 quarters. McCIellan, a reeking failure as a com- 
 mander, said, with others, that if he thought he was 
 fighting to free the " niggers " he would sheath his 
 sword. He soon failed in the Virginia campaign and 
 was forced to resign. 
 
 Mr. Stevens proposed a bill in Congress author- 
 izing the President to " raise and equip -150,000 sol- 
 diers of African descent " Meanwhile Col. Thomas 
 W. Higginson and Col. Montgomery, with a com- 
 pany of Negro troops were ascending the St. John 
 River, in Florida, where he captured Jacksonville, 
 which had been abandoned by white Union Troops. 
 Among those who favored Mr. Stevens' measure 
 were Horace Greeley and Edwin M. Stanton, who 
 seemed to have been convinced of the worth of the 
 colored troops from the testimony of such men as 
 Phelps, Higginson, Hunter, and Montgomery, who 
 had already seen what Negro troops could accom- 
 plish. 
 
 Public Sentiment was being aroused on the sub- 
 ject. The newspapers discussed the matter. The 
 
"106 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 New York Tribune said : " Drunkenness, the bane 
 of our army, does not exist among the black troops." 
 " Nor have I yet discovered the slightest ground of 
 inferiority to white troops." Mr. Lincoln very soon 
 changed his mind, Congress gave its consent, and 
 the order went forth to enlist Negroes in defence of 
 the Union. 
 
 The Right to Fight for what they thought would 
 ultimately end in their freedom was hailed with 
 shouts of joy wherever the tidings reached the Ne- 
 groes. 
 
 At Newbern, N. C., they made a great demon- 
 stration. The enlisting places at New Orleans and 
 other Southern cities then in the hands of the Fed- 
 erals were the scenes of the, wildest confusion in the 
 mad rush of the colored people to register their 
 names on the army records. 
 
 A Difficulty arose in getting sufficient arms for 
 all the colored troops; and a further difficulty was 
 to be met in selecting -white officers who had the 
 courage to brave public sentiment and take the com- 
 mand of Negro troops. Negro daring ancj excel- 
 lency on the battle-field soon broke down these 
 flimsy weaknesses of the white officers, and the sum- 
 mer of 1863 found over 100,000 Negroes in the 
 Union ranks, and over 50,000 armed and equipped 
 on the fields of battle. 
 
 Their Pay was seven dollars per month, with 
 
NEGRO RA CE IN AMERICA. 1 07 
 
 board and clothing. The whites received thirteen 
 dollars per month with board and clothing. Thus 
 the former slave went forth to meet his master on 
 the battle-field, sometimes to capture or be captured ; 
 sometimes to fall side by side, one pierced with the 
 Southern, the other with the Northern bayonet. 
 
 EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATIONS. 
 
 Two Proclamations were issued by iMr. Lin- 
 coln. The first, on the 22d of September, 1862, de- 
 fined the issue of the war to be " for the object of 
 practically restoring the constitutional relation be- 
 tween the United States and each of the States, 
 and the people thereof.'* It offered, first, to pay the 
 masters for their slaves and colonize them in 
 America or Africa. Second, it proposed to free the 
 slaves of those persons and States then engaged in 
 actual rebellion. Third, it offered to pay from the 
 Federal treasury loyal masters who had lost their 
 slaves in and during the rebellion. 
 
 The Second Proclamation was issued January 
 i, 1863, and is the one we celebfate. This measure 
 was urged upon Mr. Lincoln by the Abolitionists 
 and those who wished the Negro free. It did not 
 free all the slaves. Some counties were left out. 
 Though the Abolitionists saw in the proclamation 
 trie consummation of their prayers and hopes, Mr. 
 
108 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 Lincoln and his Cabinet evidently regarded the 
 proclamation as a war measure, very necessary un- 
 der the circumstances, to shorten the war. The 
 South would have surrendered in half the time had 
 not a large number of slaves remained on the plan- 
 tations raising supplies for the Confederate army, 
 and supporting and protecting their masters' fami- 
 lies. 
 
NEGRO RACE /,V AMERICA. 109 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 EMPLOYMENT OF NEGRO SOLDIERS. 
 
 Mr. Williams Says: "All history, ancient and 
 modern, Pagan and Christian, justified the conduct 
 of the Federal Government in the employment of 
 slaves as soldiers. Greece had tried the experiment, 
 and at the battle of Marathon there were two regi- 
 ments composed of slaves. The beleagured city of 
 Rome offered freedom to her slaves who would vol- 
 unteer as soldiers, and at the battle of Cannae a regi- 
 ment of Roman slaves made Hannibal's cohorts reel 
 before their unequalled courage. Negro officers, as 
 well as soldiers, had shared the perils and glories of 
 the campaigns of Napoleon Bonaparte; and even 
 the Royal Guard at the Court of Imperial France 
 had been mounted with black soldiers. In two wars 
 in North America, Negro soldiers had followed the 
 fortunes of military life and won the applause of 
 white patriots on two continents. So, then, all his- 
 tory furnished a precedent for the guidance of the 
 United States Government in the civil war of 
 America.' 1 
 
 Just How Well the Negro Soldiers Behaved 
 may be gathered from a description of 
 
110 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 SOME FAMOUS BATTLES IN WHICH NEGROES FOUGHT. 
 
 Port Hudson, May 27, 1863. The Negro regi- 
 ment under Col. Nelson was assigned the difficult 
 task of taking this fort, which seemed almost im- 
 pregnable. It was situated on a high bluff overlook- 
 ing the river in front. Around the sides and rear, 
 close under the bluff, ran a bayou twelve feet deep 
 and from fifteen to twenty feet wide. Looking out 
 from openings in the embankment were the grim 
 mouths of many deadly cannon. They were arranged 
 so as to make a straight raking charge on the front 
 of any approaching force, while a score and a half 
 of heavy guns were to cut down the left and right 
 wings with grape and canister. 
 
 Having marched All Night, the " Black Regi- 
 ment " stacked arms at 5 A.M. One hour was given 
 for rest and breakfast. Many, completely overcome 
 by the enervating heat and dust, sank down " in their 
 tracks " and slept. 
 
 The Officers received their instructions at 5.30, 
 and at 6 o'clock the bugle sounded. " Fall in!" was 
 heard ringing out among the soldiers ; and the scene 
 reminded one more of a holiday party than a march 
 to death. The troops seemed anxious to fight. The 
 white troops looked on with uneasiness and doubts 
 concerning the Negro's courage. The Confederates 
 in the fort ridiculed the idea that Negroes were to 
 charge them. 
 
NEGRO RACE IN AMERICA. Ill 
 
 The Negro Regiment moved towards the fort. 
 There was death-like silence, save the tramp of sol- 
 diers and the tap of drum. "Forward; double-quick, 
 march!" rang out along the line; not a piece was 
 fired. Now the Confederate guns open on the left ; 
 one shell kills twelve men. " Right about /" was the 
 command ; the regiment wheeled to the right for 
 about three hundred yards, then coolly and steadily 
 faced the enemy again by companies. 
 
 Six Deathly charges were thus made, when Col. 
 Nelson reported to Gen. Dwight his inability to take 
 the fort because of the bayou being too deep for 
 the men to wade. Gen. Dwight replied: "I shall 
 consider that he has accomplished nothing unless 
 he takes those guns." The soldiers saw it was 
 impossible, as well as Col. Nelson, yet " again the 
 order to charge " was obeyed with a shout. 
 
 Captain Andre Callioux commanded Company 
 E in the next charge. He marched his colored 
 brethren over the dead bodies of their comrades, 
 crying, "Follow me!" and while flashing his sword 
 within fifty yards of the belching Confederate guns, 
 he was smitten down in front of his company by a 
 shell. 
 
 Color-Sergeant Anselmas Planciancois said 
 to Col. Nelson, before the fight: " Colonel, I will bring 
 back these colors to you in honor, or report to God 
 the reason why." It was now between n and 12 
 
112 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 o'clock in the morning. The fight began at 7 A.M. 
 The gallant Callioux was lying dead on the field. 
 His men now charged almost in the mouth of the 
 Confederate guns. Planciancois bore the flag in 
 front. A shell strikes the staff and blows off half 
 of the brave sergeant's head ; he falls, wrapped in 
 die folds of his nation's flag, his brains scattered 
 amid them, but still his strong grip holds the staff 
 even in death, till 
 
 Corporal Heath catches it up to bear it to the 
 front again. Pierced by a musket-ball which split 
 his head, he, too, falls upon the body of the brave 
 Planciancois. Still another corporal lifts the flag 
 and bears it through the fray. And thus the Negro 
 troops, on almost their very first trial, silenced all 
 clamors as to their bravery. Port Hudson was not 
 taken then, but the reason for defeat lay not in a 
 lack of unrivalled daring and heroic courage on the 
 part of the Negro troops. The loss was 37 killed 
 and wounded, and missing 271. 
 
 The New York Times says of this battle : " Gen. 
 Dwight, at least, must have had the idea not only that 
 they (Negro troops) were men, but something more 
 than men from the terrific test to which he put their 
 valor. The deeds of heroism performed by these 
 men were such as the proudest white men might 
 emulate. Their colors are literally bespattered with 
 blood and brains. 
 
NEGRO RACE IN AMERICA. 113 
 
 "The color-sergeant of the ist Louisiana, on 
 being mortally wounded, hugged the colors to his 
 breast, when a struggle ensued between the two color 
 corporals on each side of him as to who should have 
 the honor of bearing the sacred standard. One black 
 lieutenant actually mounted the enemy's works four 
 
 times Although repulsed in an attempt which 
 
 situated as things were was all but impossible, 
 these regiments, though badly cut up, were still on 
 hand, and burning with a passion ten times hotter 
 from their fierce baptism of blood." 
 
 General Banks wrote, concerning the if Black 
 Regiment" at Port Hudson : " It gives me pleasure 
 to report that they answered every expectation. 
 Their conduct was heroic." The success of the Ne- 
 gro troops at Port Hudson rang in the halls of Con- 
 gress, in the lecture-room, in the pulpit, in the news- 
 papers ; poets sang of it, and Northern orators vied 
 with each other in eloquent pictures of the scene of 
 that great fight which settled the question as to the 
 Negro's fitness for the army. 
 
 Milliken's Bend, 6th of June, 1863. The Con- 
 federates came up from Louisiana, about 3000 strong. 
 They rested over -night, while the Federals were 
 collecting at the temporary fort in the bend of the 
 Mississippi. The Union men of war " Cfioctaw " and 
 11 Lexington " appeared, coming up the river before 
 daylight, pn the morning of the 6th of June, which. 
 
114 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 was the time the Confederates made their first 
 charge, yelling, " No quarter to Negroes and their 
 officers !" The Negro troops were without training, 
 being lately recruited, but they fought like veterans. 
 The Confederates fell back under their heavy fire 
 in front, and charged the Union flanks. Upon this 
 the Union troops found shelter from the gun-boats, 
 and broadside after broadside made the Confederates 
 hasten away. 
 
 An Eye Witness' Description: "As before 
 stated, the Confederates drove our force towards 
 the gun-boats, taking colored men prisoners. 1 This 
 so enraged them that they rallied and charged the 
 enemy more heroically and desperately than has 
 been recorded during the war. It was a genuine 
 bayonet charge, a hand-to-hand fight, that has 
 never occurred to any extent during this pro- 
 longed conflict. Upon both sides men were killed 
 with the butts of muskets. White and colored 
 men were lying side by side pierced by bayon- 
 ets, and in some instances transfixed to the earth. 
 One brave man took hjs former master prisoner, 
 and brought him into camp with great gusto-. A 
 Confederate prisoner made a particular request that 
 his own Negroes should not be placed .over him as 
 a guard. 
 
 " Union loss one hundred killed, five hundred 
 wounded, mostly Negroes. Confederate loss two 
 
NEGRO RACE IN AMERICA. 315 
 
 hundred killed, five hundred wounded, two hundred 
 taken prisoners, and two cannon." 
 
 The battles of Fort Pillow and Milliken's Bend 
 made many friends for the colored soldiers. Their 
 soldierly qualities were on trial ; the experiment of 
 arming Negroes to fight for the Union was being 
 tried. This the colored troops seemed to realize, 
 and it stimulated them to do their very best. They 
 fought courageously, and fully satisfied all doubts 
 concerning their valor. 
 
 The Draft Riot broke out in New York in July, 
 1863. An order came from Washington, authoriz- 
 ing soldiers to be drafted in New York City. The 
 Democratic newspapers ridiculed the idea of the 
 people's being drafted into service " to fight the 
 battles of ' niggers and Abolitionists.' ' General 
 Wood finally put down the riot after killing thir- 
 teen of~the rioters, wounding eighteen and taking 
 twenty-four prisoners. " They had burned the 
 Colored Orphan's Asylum, hung colored men to 
 lamp-posts, and destroyed the property of this class 
 of citizens with impunity." 
 
 The 54th Massachusetts was the first colored 
 regiment organized in the free States, Colonel Shaw 
 commander. It played a prominent part in the 
 attempt to take Fort Wagner, near Charleston, 
 S. C. It marched two days and nights through 
 swamps and drenching rains to be in time for the 
 assault. Soaking wet, muddy, hungry and fatigued, 
 
116 
 
 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 
 
 Fort Wagner. 
 
NEGRO RACE IN AMERICA. 1 I 7 
 
 they reached the field in time and gladly accepted 
 the "post of honor and danger," immediately in 
 front. After a five minutes' rest they double- 
 quicked a half-mile to the fort, where, after a most 
 gallant and desperate fight, Sergeant William H. 
 Carney planted the regimental flag on the works. 
 Nearly all the officers of the regiment were killed, 
 and it was led off by a boy Lieut. Higginson. 
 
 " Sergeant Carney," says an eye witness, " re- 
 ceived a severe wound in the thigh, but fell only upon 
 his knees. He planted the flag upon the parapet, 
 lay on the outer slope, that he might get as much 
 shelter as possible ; there he remained for over half 
 an hour, till the second brigade came up. He kept 
 his colors flying till the second conflict was ended. 
 When our forces retired, he followed, creeping on 
 one knee, still holding the flag." When he entered 
 the hospital (bleeding from one wound in the head 
 and another in the thigh) " his wounded comrades 
 cheered him," and he said, " Boys, the old flag never 
 touched the ground" 
 
 The Negro Soldiers. The sentiment against 
 the Negro at the North had somewhat abated in the 
 face of the irresistible bravery as exhibited by Ne- 
 gro troops at Wagner and Port Hudson. The 
 North saw that wonderful results could be achieved 
 by Negro soldiers. 
 
 The Confederates exchanged before this some 
 Union officers, but refused to exchange Negroes. 
 
118 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 FORT PILLOW. 
 
 THIS fort is located on the east bank of the 
 Mississippi, about fifty miles above Memphis, in 
 Tennessee. It crowned the top of a steep bluff, 
 covered' with trees and shrubbery. Major L. F. 
 Booth was in command with a garrison of 557 men, 
 262 of whom were colored. There were six artil- 
 lery pieces. Gen. N. B. Forest, commanding a large 
 force of Confederate cavalry, appeared at the fort at 
 sunrise on the 13th of April, 1864, and demanded 
 its surrender. Major Booth drew up his force in 
 the intrenchments around the parapet. Thus a con- 
 tinual firing was kept up till the afternoon, during 
 which Major Booth was killed. Major Bradford 
 took command. The firing ceased for the guns to 
 cool off and to be cleaned. Meanwhile, under a 
 flag of truce, Gen. Forest demanded the surrender 
 of the fort, stating, u If I have to storm your works, 
 you may expect no quarter." The Confederates, 
 taking advantage of the truce, were hiding in the 
 trenches from which Major Bradford had with- 
 drawn his men into the fort. A few moments later 
 
NEGRO RA CE IN A MERICA. 1 1 9 
 
 I 
 
 they rushed in with their deafening yell "No 
 quarter !" 
 
 The Union troops offered stubborn resistance, 
 but, with superior numbers crowding in from front, 
 rear, and sides, they were overcome and surren- 
 dered. 
 
 The War in the West was now about at an 
 end. Sherman set out upon his famous march 
 through Georgia ; Grant, having opened up the Mis- 
 sissippi, marched on Richmond, which had now be- 
 come the strategic point of the war. McClellan, 
 Hooker, Meade, and Burnside, had failed in their 
 assaults on this the Confederate capital. All hopes 
 were now centred on Grant. To him was assigned 
 the task, and this brings us to the 
 
 CAMPAIGN IN VIRGINIA, 1864. 
 
 Twenty Thousand Strong marched the Negro 
 troops into the campaign of Virginia. On their way 
 they passed through Washington. Mr. Lincoln, 
 with General Burnsides and friends, reviewed the 
 long line from the balcony of Willard's Hotel. As 
 the long, heavy columns filed past, the President ac- 
 knowledged their almost continuous "Hurrah for 
 Lincoln ! " He was deeply touched by the spectacle ; 
 there were tears in many eyes that saw the brave 
 thousands of sable sons, but a little while ago slaves. 
 
A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 now gallantly marching to defend the Union. It 
 was a scene never forgotten by those who saw it. 
 
 With Equal Pay, a recognition as soldiers by 
 Mr. Davis, and a brilliant record, marched the Negro 
 troops into the Virginia campaign. Gen. Butler, who 
 was now convinced by the scenes at Port Hudson, 
 Forts Pillow and Wagner, of the Negro's capacity 
 for fighting, was stationed at Bermuda Hundreds 
 with a large corps of Negro troops. 
 
 Grant threw his Forces across the Rapidan 
 and met the Confederates in The Wilderness. He left 
 Gen. Ferrero with his colored troops to protect his 
 wagon train in the rear. Ewell with the Confede- 
 rate cavalry whipped around in search of these sup- 
 plies. Gen. Ferrero with his Negro troops met 
 Ewell. The Confederates made a bold charge and 
 captured twenty-seven wagons. The hungry sol- 
 diers prepared to feast on their plunder. 
 
 Gen. Ferrero opened fire. The Confederates 
 charged again, giving the colored troops their very 
 best, but the Negro regiments did not budge. Gen 
 Ferrero then ordered his troops to charge, and, in 
 this the first fight between Negro troops and Vir- 
 ginians, the Confederates were driven " as the gale 
 drives chaff." " It was the first time at the East," 
 says Gen. Badeau, in his Military History of Grant, 
 " when the colored troops had been engaged in any 
 important battle, and the display of soldierly quali- 
 
NEGRO RACE 7/V AMERKJA. 
 
 121 
 
 ties won a frank acknowledgment from both troops 
 and commanders, not all of whom had before been 
 willing to look upon Negroes as comrades. But 
 after that time, white soldiers in the Army of the 
 Potomac were not displeased to receive the support 
 of the black ones ; they had found the support worth 
 Jiaving." 
 
122 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 AROUND PETERSBURG. 
 
 HERE it was that Negro soldiers covered them- 
 selves with merited glory in the presence of white 
 troops on both sides; surprising in their daring to 
 officers trained at West Point, and that, too, on the 
 very soil where slavery first made its appearance in 
 this country. 
 
 The City of Petersburg lies on the Appomattox 
 river near the James, and not far from Richmond, 
 with which it has railroad connection, and formed 
 the base of supplies up the James for the troops in 
 defence of Richmond. It therefore became an im- 
 portant point to reduce. It was strongly fortified 
 on all sides for miles out. 
 
 . The Task of Taking the " Cockade City," as 
 it was called, fell to Gen. Smith, assisted by Gen. 
 Kautz, coming up on the east, Brooks following 
 Kautz ; Martindale, who was to move up the Appo- 
 mattox, and Hinks, who moved between the two. The 
 Black Brigade was under Gen. Hinks, who discov- 
 ered a Confederate battery on a knoll six miles out 
 
NEGRO RACE IN AMERICA. 1 23 
 
 from the city. Under range of the Confederate guns 
 he formed his line for a charge. The battery must 
 be taken at the point of the bayonet. " Forward !" 
 rang out along the line, and as the troops cleared 
 the woods, the enemy opened a raking fire with 
 canister, siege-gun and- musket. But away swept 
 the black brigade, their ranks shattered with deadly 
 shells. As they closer came, a.fusilade of musketry 
 came down upon them ; a hundred men fell ; but 
 leaping and dashing, with a wild cheer, they burst 
 'over the bulwarks, drove the enemy from their guns, 
 and instantly turned them on their scattered ranks 
 beating a hasty retreat towards Petersburg and the 
 colored troops had won the day. 
 
 Brooks and Martindale were now in front of 
 the Confederates' main line near the river. Hinks, 
 with his Negro corps of 3000, was ordered towards 
 " Dunn's House," three miles from the city on the 
 road leading east. 
 
 To Reach His Position it was necessary to cross 
 an open space in full reach of the sharp-shooters 
 and artillery of the enemy. They crossed this space 
 by moving forward a few paces and then lying down ; 
 at every quiet moment they would steal forward; 
 they thus reached their position under the most 
 trying test. But on reaching their post, so thick 
 and deadly was the firing from all sides that they 
 dared not rise ; so thus they lay from one till five 
 
124 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 o'chock P.M., while torrents of lead whizzed over their 
 heads. 
 
 " Dunn's House." was defended by three forts t 
 one in front, one north, and another south. Deep 
 ravines lay in front, while an almost impassable 
 abatis of trees impeded the way to the forts. Seven 
 hundred yards in front lay Hinks' black troops hun- 
 gry for the fray. Thus they lay in deep suspense, 
 anxious for orders to go forward. Meanwhile, 
 shells plowed the earth around them for four long 
 hours, which seemed to them like days, 
 
 At Five o'clock the command "Forward!" was 
 greeted with a rush and a shout. The brave Negro 
 troops went forward at a double-quick; the skir- 
 mishers were the first to reach the embankments, 
 and were greeted with a shower of bullets which 
 tumbled many headlong and lifeless into the pits. 
 But on came the main body as if impelled by light- 
 ning ; they swept into the midst of the enemy, 
 grabbed their guns and fired them upon them as 
 they " ran for their lives." Three hundred Confed- 
 erates were taken prisoners, and several pieces of 
 artillery were captured. 
 
 Smith Had Petersburg now at his mercy. 
 Brooks and Martindale had swept the enemy in 
 front of them simultaneously with Hinks, and the 
 way was open to .march immediately into the city. 
 Gen. Smith, however^ decided to wait for the arrival 
 
NEGRO RA CE IN A MERICA . 1 25 
 
 of Gen. Birney with the Second Corps and this 
 delay caused the loss of many thousand lives. 
 
 Next Morning, as the -sun. peeped up over the 
 yellow waters of the Appomattox, the condition of 
 things had changed. The flower of Lee's army had 
 come up in the night-time, and Grant was compelled 
 afterwards to lay siege to the city, under which it 
 finally surrendered^ 
 
 Secretary Stanton was wild with delight over the 
 valor of the colored troops at Petersburg. Said he : 
 " The hardest fighting was done by the black troops. 
 The forts they stormed were the worst of all. After 
 the affair was over, Gen. Smith went to thank them, 
 and tell them he was proud of their courage and 
 dash. He says they cannot be excelled a*s soldiers, 
 and that hereafter he will send them in a difficult 
 place as readily as the white troops." 
 
126 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 THE CRATER. 
 
 Petersburg was now surrounded by the Union 
 army. There was continual skirmishing. Burnside 
 commanded the Ninth Corps, composed partly of 
 Negro troops. By fierce fighting he made his way 
 up to within a hundred and fifty yards of the Con- 
 federate batteries. Projecting out in front of them 
 was a strong fort. After consultation a trench was 
 dug out some hundred and fifty yards long, branch- 
 ing off in two directions at the end under the fort. 
 It was packed with powder and explosives, the de- 
 sign being to blow the place up. As arranged, on 
 the 3<Dth of July, 1864, the match was applied. 
 Dampness prevented an explosion. Lieut. Jacob 
 Douty and Sergeant Henry Rus volunteered to go 
 into the trenches and ascertain and remove the 
 difficulty, and very soon after they came out, at 4.45 
 A.M., the match was again applied, and read the 
 result, by Gen. Badeau : " The mine exploded with 
 a shock like that of an earthquake, tearing up the 
 Confederates' works above them, and vomiting men, 
 guns and caissons, two hundred feet into the air. 
 The tremendous mass appeared for a moment to 
 
NEGRO RACE IN AMERICA. 127 
 
 hang suspended in the heavens like a huge indented 
 cone, the exploding powder still flashing out here 
 and there, while limbs and bodies of mutilated men, 
 and fragments of cannon and wood-work, could be 
 seen. Then all fell heavily to the ground again, 
 with a second report like thunder* When the 
 smoke and dust had cleared away, only an enormous 
 crater, thirty feet deep, sixty feet wide, and a hun- 
 dred and fifty feet long, stretched out in front of the 
 Ninth Corps, where the Confederate fort had been/' 
 
 At the moment of the explosion the Union bat- 
 teries belched forth from one hundred and ten deadly 
 cannon and fifty mortars, and verily the earth 
 seemed to tremble from the shock. 
 
 The Plan was to follow the discharge of the bat- 
 teries with a charge. Gen. Burnside had arranged 
 his Negro troops for the post of honor. A dispute 
 arose between him and Gen. Meade as to the wis- 
 dom of this plan. The whole matter was referred 
 to Gen. Grant, who ordered lots to be drawn by the 
 different Generals as to " who should go into the 
 crater." The lot fell on Gen. Ledlie. Gen. Ledlie 
 accordingly endeavored to draw up his troops into 
 the mouth of the crater. The Tenth New Hamp- 
 shire faltered and broke ranks. Generals Potter and 
 Wilcox marched their troops into the dreadful hole, 
 where they halted long enough for the Confederates 
 to make an attack. 
 
J28 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 Gen. Potter Struggled out with his division and 
 charged the enemy, but had to retire. Gen. Burn- 
 side now ordered his colored troops around the 
 edges of the crater; the Confederates were now 
 gathering around from all sides, and under a heavy 
 fire drove the colored troops into the deadly hole, 
 from* -which they continued to rally until nightfall. 
 
 A Ridiculous Mistake was made by the Federals 
 in not marching into the city immediately after the 
 explosion, when the Confederates were nonplussed 
 and breaking away in mad confusion. Gen. Grant 
 says of this disgraceful affair: "The four divisions 
 of his (Burnside's) corps were commanded by 
 Generals Potter, Wilcox, Ledlie and Ferrero. The 
 last was a colored division ; and Burnside selected 
 it to make the assault. Meade interfered with 
 this. Burnside then took Ledlie's division." 
 
 Before the committee that investigated the affair 
 Gen. Grant said : " General Burnside wanted to put 
 his colored division in front , I believe if he had 
 done so it would have been a success." 
 
 Four Thousand Four Hundred Union soldiers 
 perished through the mistake then of not allowing 
 the colored troops to take the Confederate works 
 which Gen. Grant says they would have taken. 
 
 How the Colored Soldiers fought in the crater, 
 let the Confederate commanders (some of whose 
 slaves were there) speak : " Ah, boys, you have got 
 
NEGRO RACE TN AMERICA. 
 
 hot work ahead they are Negroes and show no, 
 quarter." (Col. Stewart.) 
 
 " Encouraged, Threatened, Emulating the 
 white troops, the black men fought with desperation. 
 Some Confederate soldiers recognized their slaves at 
 the crater. A Captain of the Forty*first Virginia 
 gave the military salute to ' Bob' and * Ben/ whom 
 he had left hoeing corn in Dinwiddie." 
 
 Petersburg being Captured, the siege of Rich- 
 mond was begun with a vigor and determination 
 such as only a Grant could command. Meanwhile, 
 a lively discussion was going on at the Confederate 
 capital as to the proposition of Mr. Benjamin to arm 
 the slaves in defence of the city. Gen. Lee and Mr. 
 Jefferson Davis favored this plan, and recommended 
 that such colored people as would join the Confed- 
 erate ranks should be set free. 
 
 Some Score or More Blacks, three of whom 
 were Mr. Benjamin's slaves, enlisted and were daily 
 drilled in the capitol square, which stands on an 
 eminence in the centre of the city. 
 
 Gen. Lee was now employing his best troops 
 and military manoeuvres to keep Grant out of the 
 Confederate capital. His retreats and skirmishes, 
 executed with genius and tact, delayed the event; 
 but opposed by superior numbers, his army half- 
 starved, and the Confederacy subjugated in the 
 Southwest, he saw the uselessness of a further hope- 
 
130 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 less sacrifice of his men, and surrendered accordingly 
 at Appomattox, on the gth of April, 1865, " he, and 
 his army, defeated in every way possible, numbering 
 27,516," and " every man was fed by the conqueror." 
 When the Union Army marched into Rich- 
 mond, the Confederates set the city on fire, and com- 
 menced a wholesale destruction and plunder of 
 everything. Thousands of gallons of rum were 
 emptied into the streets, and staggering destruction 
 of everything useful seethed in order. The colored 
 troops were 'organized into fire brigades, and soon 
 extinguished the fires and stopped the plunder their 
 masters had begun. 
 
hEGRO RACE IN AMERICA. 131 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 INCIDENTS OF THE WAR. 
 
 Rodman's Point, N. C., was the scene of a 
 brave- deed by a Negro. A flat-boat full of troops, 
 with a few colored soldiers among them, tried to 
 land at this place. The Confederate soldiers were 
 lying in wait for the boat, and the soldiers in it could 
 only save themselves by lying flat on the bottom 
 out of reach of their deadly guns. But if the boat 
 remained where it was very long it would be sur- 
 rounded and captured. One of the colored soldiers 
 saw the danger, and knowing the boat must be 
 pushed off or all would be killed, suddenly rose up 
 and said : "Somebody got to die to get us all out 
 dis 'ere, and it mput jes as well be me as anybody !" 
 Saying this he deliberately stepped on, shore and 
 pushed the boat off. The men in the bottom were 
 saved, but the Negro hero's body " fell forward into 
 the end of the boat pierced by five bullets." He 
 had done what no other of them dared do to save 
 the lives of his comrades. 
 
 A Negro Established a Clothes-line Tele- 
 graph in the Falmouth camp on the Rappahannock 
 
)32 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 in 1863. The Confederate and Union armies occu- 
 pied opposite sides of the river and used every 
 means of gaining knowledge of each other's move- 
 ments. The colored attendant in the Union camp 
 proved very valuable here as elsewhere during the 
 war. A colored man named Dabney drifted into 
 the Union lines one day from a neighboring farm, 
 and soon proved very useful because of his full 
 knowledge of the topography of the country. He 
 was given employment as " cook and body servant/' 
 He became much interested in the system of army 
 signals employed, and begged to have them ex- 
 plained to him. This was done, and he learned 
 them readily. His wife soon came over, and after 
 staying awhile was allowed to return as servant to 
 a "secesh woman" whom General Hooker was 
 about to send to her friends on the other side. She 
 went over and took a place as laundress at " the 
 headquarters of a prominent rebel General." Dab- 
 ney, her husband, was on the Union side, and soon 
 began to know all about what was to take place in 
 the Confederate camp. An hour or two before any 
 movement took place he could tell all about it, and 
 it always turned out as he said. The wonder and 
 puzzle to the Union men was how he got his infor- 
 mation, as he didn't seem to neglect his work to go 
 off for any information, and did not converse with 
 the scouts. After numerous questions and many 
 
NEGRO RACE JN AMERTCA. 133 
 
 requests he finally took one of the officers to a 
 prominent point near by, and pointed out a cabin on 
 the banks of the river in the suburbs of the enemy's 
 camp. He asked the officer if he saw a clothes-line 
 with clothes hanging on it. The officer replied 
 "Yes," whereupon Dabney said : "Well, that clothes- 
 line tells .me in half an hour just what goes .on int 
 their camp. You see, my wife over there, she washes 
 for the officers, and cooks and waits around, and as 
 soon as she hears of any movement or anything 
 going on she comes down and moves the clothes on 
 that line so I can understand it in a minute. Tha* 
 there gray shirt is Longstreet, and when she takes 
 it off it means he's gone down about Richmond. 
 That white shirt means HKJ, and when she moves it 
 up to the west end, of the line, Hill's Corps has 
 moved up stream. That red one is Stonewall. He's 
 down on the right now, and if he moves she will 
 move that red shirt." One morning Dabney came 
 in and reported a movement over there, but said it 
 "Don't mean anything, they are only making be- 
 lieve." An officer went out to look at the clothes- 
 line telegraph through his field-glass.. There had 
 been quite a shifting over there of the army flannels., 
 "But how do you know but there's something in it?" 
 "Do you see those two blankets pinned together at 
 the bottom ?" said Dabney. " Yes, but what of it ?" 
 said the officer. " Why, that's her way of making a 
 
134 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 fish-trap ; and when she pins the clothes together 
 that way, it means that Lee is only trying to draw 
 us into his fish-trap." As long as the two armies 
 lay watching each other on opposite banks of the 
 stream, Dabney with his clothes-line telegraph con- 
 tinued to be one of the promptest and most reliable 
 of General Hooker's scouts. (Taken from Civil 
 War Song and Story.) 
 
 William Staines, Hero of the Fight at Bel- 
 mont, was servant to General McClernand. He 
 was close by his employer during many an engage- 
 ment. On one occasion, in the course of the fight, 
 a .captain of one of the companies was struck by a 
 spent ball, which disabled him from walking. Staines, 
 the colored servant, rode up to him and shouted, 
 "Captain, if you can fight any longer for the Stars 
 and Stripes, take my horse and lead your men." 
 He then dismounted and helped the wounded officer 
 into his saddle, and, as he was walking away, a rebel 
 dragoon rushed forward at the officer to take him 
 prisoner. The brave Staines did not flinch, but drew 
 his revolver and put a ball through the rebel's head, 
 scattering his brains over the horse's neck. (Re- 
 vised from Civil War Song and, Story.) 
 
NEGRO RACE IN AMERICA. 1.35 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 THE END OF THE WAR. 
 
 FOR four years the American people had been 
 fighting among themselves. At the outbreak of the 
 struggle 4:he freedom of the slaves was not looked 
 for by many. But the Abolitionists, who grew 
 stronger as the war progressed, pressed their views 
 upon the leaders of the country. They took every 
 advantage of every opportunity to make the freedom 
 of the slaves the main issue of the war ; and their 
 efforts, coupled with the desire of the Union leaders 
 to weaken the Confederacy by employing Negro 
 troops, to whom they offered freedom, caused the 
 final proclamation of Mr. Lincoln, in 1863, gi ym g 
 freedom to the slaves. 
 
 In this war there were employed on the Union 
 side more than 186,000 colored soldiers, whose 
 bravery stands vouched for by every Union, and 
 many Confederate generals, who saw them as dar- 
 ing in the face of death as their fellow white sol- 
 diers. 
 
 On the Confederate Side, there were enlisted 
 throughout the South, in various employments, some 
 
136 A SCHOOL HfSfORY OF THE 
 
 6000 colored troops. But all over the South, while 
 their masters were away at war, the Negro women 
 and men were enlisted in the ranks of the private 
 duties of the Southern soldiers' homes, which, ever 
 be it remembered to the honor and credit of the 
 Negro race of America, they protected faithfully and 
 industriously. The opportunity for outrage and plun- 
 der was open on every side, but not a hurtful hand 
 was laid on the thousands of white widows, orphans, 
 and aged, who lay defenceless in the Negroes' power. 
 This action on the part of the slaves proves that the 
 race is not fond of bloodshed, and is kind even to 
 its foes. 
 
 Some Plantations, on the contrary, were found 
 in better trim on the return of the masters from the 
 war than when they left them. 
 
 Negro Body-servants accompanied their mas- 
 ters into the war, shared the roughs of camp-life, 
 and often were the last to minister to their wants in 
 the hospital, and the first to bear the tidings home 
 to the anxious family after death , taking with them 
 sometimes the treasured watch or ring 
 
 Mr. James H. Jones,* of Raleigh, N C, served 
 as messenger to Mr. Jefferson Davis during his 
 
 * He emphatically denies the assertion that lias gamed currency, to the 
 effect that Mr. Jefferson Davis, while escaping from the Union forces was at- 
 tired in female clothes. Mr. J states that the Confederate President used a 
 large cloak, which he usually wore indoors.to disguise himself with. 
 
NEGRO RACE IN AMERICA. 137 
 
 Presidency of the Confederacy at Richmond. He 
 was with him when caught by the Union troops in 
 southwest Georgia, and was also confined with him 
 in the " Rip-Raps," at Hampton Roads, Virginia* 
 After the war, Mr. Jones kept up a correspondence 
 with Mr. Davis, until his death, and received a new 1 
 photograph whenever Mr. Davis had a new one 
 taken. Mr. Jones is now an honored citizen of Ra- 
 leigh, and a member of the Board of Aldermen. 
 
138 * SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 RECONSTRUCTION, 1865-08. 
 
 After the Surrender of Lee at Appomattox, 
 the question arose as to what should be done with 
 the Southern States that for four years had rebelled 
 against the flag of the Union, and had set up a flag 
 of their own. The Southern flag was now con- 
 quered ; and the plan of the North was to restore 
 these conquered States into the Union. Amnesty 
 was offered all those who desired it. A Provisional 
 Government was first established in North Carolina, 
 with W. W. Holden at its head ; other States were 
 organized in the same way. Conventions were called 
 by the Provisional Governors of the several States, 
 and new constitutions adopted in conformity with the 
 Constitution of the United States. 
 
 The Right to Vote was denied the colored peo- 
 ple. Exclusion from public places was established 
 by law. Thirty-nine lashes was the punishment for 
 keeping firearms. When white persons were im- 
 plicated, ' colored people could not testify in the 
 courts. 
 
 The Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitu- 
 
NEGRO RACE IN AMERICA. 139 
 
 tion, making the race citizens, was virtually made 
 nuJl and void by the legislatures of the reconstructed 
 States. So it became necessary to pass The Civil 
 Rights Bill, giving the colored people the right to 
 enter public places, and ride on first-class railroad 
 cars. This bill has been declared unconstitutional 
 by our Supreme Court. Owing to the attempts of the 
 Ku-Klux Klan to prevent colored people from voting, 
 the fifteenth amendment was passed guaranteeing 
 to them the right to vote and to have their votes 
 counted. Thus, the eleven Southern States were 
 reconstructed on a basis of universal suffrage, and 
 the colored race began to develop statesmen, orators, 
 lawyers, judges, teachers of various kinds, ministers, 
 
 and discreet, far-seeing business men. 
 
 i 
 
 THE FREEDMEN'S BUREAU. 
 
 The design of this institution was to educate the 
 newly emancipated colored people into all the ways 
 of freedom. Schools were opened, to which there 
 was a general rush, so great was the thirst for 
 knowledge. Many gray heads could be seen among 
 the children, and the " Blue Back Speller " was often 
 to be seen even in the Sabbath-schools. Such a 
 stampede, such an ardent desire for knowledge, was 
 possibly never witnessed anywhere before. Many 
 very old people learned to read the Bible, and the 
 
140 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 joy they seemed to get from this long coveted privi- 
 lege was poured out in often thankful and fervent 
 prayer. 
 
 Gen. O. O. Howard was a leading spirit in fhe 
 establishment of the Freedmen's Bureau. His de- 
 sign was to make the colored people better citizens 
 in every respect. With him was associated a sainfly 
 corps of devoted, missionary-inclined white men and 
 women, who planted school-houses and churches in 
 many a hamlet .of this once slave-cursed but now 
 free land. 
 
 Many of These People came from the best 
 families of the 4 North, were well educated, refined 
 and cultured. Their pupils were not slow in catch- 
 ing the beautiful graces of these instructors, and 
 their extra qualities are demonstrated in the won* 
 derful educational progress the race has made within 
 only twenty-six years of actual freedom. 
 
 The Plan was to locate schools at central points 
 where teachers and preachers might be trained to 
 go out into the rural districts in which the majority 
 of the race still lived. The money was contributed 
 by benevolent people of the North, and a wiser in- 
 vestment, both for God and humanity, was never 
 made. 
 
 Through the Influence of the Freedmen's Bu- 
 reau the Southern States got their present free- 
 school system, which they did not have before the 
 
NEGRO RA CE IN AMERICA. 1 4 f 
 
 war. Some schools established during this time 
 were: Shaw University, Raleigh, N. C. ; Howard 
 University, Washington, D. C. ; Fisk University, 
 Nashville, Tenn. ; Atlanta University, Atlanta, Ga. ; 
 Hampton Normal School, Hampton, Va. ; St. Au- 
 gustine Normal School, Raleigh, and many others 
 whose influence for good is incalculable. 
 
142 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 PROGRESS SINCE FREEDOM. 
 
 Through a Century and a Half we have now 
 traced our ancestors' history. We have seen how 
 they performed the hard tasks assigned them by 
 their masters : following the hoe and the plow with 
 a laugh and a song; making magnificent estates, 
 building mansions, furnishing them with the splen- 
 dor of the times ; so eager in patriotism as to be 
 the first to shed their blood on the altar of their 
 country's liberty. All this they did with no other 
 hope of reward than a slave's cabin and a life of 
 bondage for themselves and children. Scarcely 
 have they ever sought revenge in riot or bloodshed. 
 Stolen from a home of savage freedom they found 
 themselves in strait circumstances as slaves in Amer- 
 ica, but the greatness of the Negro's nature crops 
 out plainly in the wonderful way in which he adapted 
 himself to his new conditions. The fact that he 
 went to work willingly, worked so long and faith- 
 fully, and rebelled so little, marks him as far supe- 
 rior to the Indian, who never accepts the conditions 
 of labor, either for himself or another ; and univer- 
 
NEGRO RACE IN AMERICA. 143 
 
 sally enjoys the rank of a savage rather than that 
 of a civilized being. A plant placed in the window 
 ofa dark chamber gradually bends its foliage towards 
 the sunlight ; so the Negro, surrounded by the dark- 
 ness of slavery, bent his life toward the light of his 
 master's God. He found Him. In Him he trusted, 
 to Him he prayed, from Him he hoped for deliver- 
 ance ; no people were ever more devout according 
 to their knowledge of the word, no people ever suf- 
 fered persecution more bravely, no people ever got 
 more out of the few talents assigned them ; and for 
 this humble devotion, this implicit trust and faith- 
 fulness, God has now rewarded them. ^The race 
 comes out of slavery with more than it had before it 
 went in. But there was no need of any slavery at all. 
 Ifeamestown, New England, and the other colonies 
 might have held the Negro long enough to serve 
 out his passage from Africa, and then given him his 
 freedom, as they did their white slaves imported 
 from England. The mistake was made then ; the 
 mistake became a law which the people were edu- 
 cated to believe was just. Many did not believe it, 
 and some slaveholders sought to make the condition 
 of their slaves comfortable. The affection arising 
 between the slave and his master often governed 
 the treatment. The Negro being largely endowed 
 by nature with affection, affability, and a forgiving 
 spirit, generally won for himself good treatment. 
 
144 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 Then, too, the master had some soul, and where 
 that ingredient of his make-up was deficient, a sel- 
 fish interest in the slave as his property somewhat 
 modified the venom that might have more often 
 visited itself upon the unfortunate slave in lashes and 
 stripes. 
 
 Many Affections and Friendships formed be- 
 tween master and slave exist to the present day. 
 Some slaves are still at the old homestead, condi- 
 tions entirely reversed, voting differently at the 
 polls, but friends at home ; and in death the family 
 of one follows that of the other to the grave. 
 
 When the War Ended, the whole South was 
 in an unsettled condition property destroyed, thou- 
 sands of her sons dead on the battle-field, ncs credit, 
 conquered. But if the condition of the whites was 
 bad, that of the blacks was worse. They were with- 
 out homes, money, or learning. They were now to 
 feed, clothe, and protect themselves in a goverment 
 whose treasury they had enriched with two centuries 
 and a half of unrequited labor, and a country whose 
 laws they must obey but could not read. 
 
 It was Natural that they should make mistakes. 
 But they made less mistakes than the bummers who 
 came South for plunder during reconstruction times, 
 and with the false promise of " forty acres and a 
 mule," led the unlettered race into a season of 
 idleness and vain hopes. But this condition did not 
 
NEGRO RACE IN AMERICA. 145 
 
 last. The Negro inherited the ability to work from 
 the institution of slavery. He soon set about to 
 utilize this ability. 1 ask what race could have done 
 more ? And this the Negro has done, though vir- 
 tually ostracized from the avenues of trade and spec- 
 ulation. His admission to a trades-union is the ex- 
 ception rather than the rule in America. A colored 
 boy taking a place as porter in a store at the same 
 time with a white boy, may find the white boy soon 
 promoted to a clerkship, then to a partnership in the 
 firm, if he is smart ; but the colored boy remains, 
 year after year, where he first commenced, no matter 
 how worthy, no matter how competent. His lot is 
 that of a menial; custom assigns him there, and in 
 looking for clerks and partners he is not thought 
 of by the white business man ; and thus, by the rigid 
 laws of custom, he has continually lost golden op- 
 portunities to forge his fortune ; yet he has pros- 
 pered in spite of this, and it bespeaks for him a su- 
 perior manhood. 
 
 10 
 
146 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 RELIGIOUS PROGRESS. 
 
 BEFORE the war, the colored people of the South 
 worshipped mainly in the white churches, or in sep- 
 arate churches usually ministered to by white pastors. 
 But the colored people, naturally inclined to religion, 
 soon developed preachers of their own. They com- 
 posed their own music, which expressed, in their own 
 way, thanks and petitions to heaven. Their music 
 is original, entertaining, and pathetic and the only 
 original music of the American Continent, when 
 we remember that other than Negro techniques 
 and melodies are all borrowed from the masters 
 of Europe. 
 
 Debarred of the Privileges of schools, it is not 
 surprising that the religion of the slaves should be 
 otherwise than somewhat twisted from the cultured 
 tone of the Bible to suit the whims of an unlettered 
 race. It can be truly said though, that, considering 
 the circumstances, they did not bury the talents 
 given them. But the religious progress since free- 
 dom is so marvellous as to completely overshadow 
 
NEGRO RACE IN AMERICA. 
 
 147 
 
 much of the darkness of the past. Let us notice 
 briefly several of the great religious denominations 
 of the race. The colored people produce less infi- 
 dels than any other similar number of people in 
 America. They are proverbially religious and God- 
 fearing. 
 
 Bishop W. J. Gaines. 
 
 Bishop W. J. Gaines is a representative of 
 what twenty-five years of freedom has done in many 
 instances for the colored race. He was born a 
 slave in Georgia on the plantation of the famous 
 Robert Toombs, member of the Confederate Cabi- 
 
148 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 net.. He had reached his majority before the war 
 ended, and it is needless to say his chances for early 
 culture were very meagre. But, nevertheless, he 
 learned to read at odd moments, and after freedom 
 applied himself to his books with undaunted and 
 determined zeal. He often speaks of how "I made 
 up my mind when I entered the ministry to reach 
 the highest position in my church through merit'* 
 He has won his coveted prize in this respect ; and 
 each step of his life, from the plow-handle to the 
 Bishopric, has been markedly illustrious. He is a 
 living argument of the innate genius of the race, 
 that might, like the poet's rose, have been u born to 
 blush unseen," but for the fact that he embraced the 
 possibilities that freedom opened up before him. 
 He is of commanding presence, dignified, and a 
 natural leader of men. It is an inspiration to be in 
 his presence, and his appearance on the rostrum is 
 natural and complete. 
 
 He has possibly built more church edifices than 
 any other member of his denomination. Morris 
 Brown College, of Atlanta, worth something over 
 seventy thousand dollars, is the work of his hands, 
 and that of itself would sufficiently speak for his 
 ability, without referring to thousands of dollars 
 raised for other purposes. Bishop Gaines can be 
 counted on to foster and encourage any enterprise 
 tending to the benefit of the Negro race, and, he 
 
NEGRO RACE IN AMERICA. 149 
 
 never fails to encourage the young people who are 
 anxious to rise. 
 
 The A. M. E. Church, founded by Rev. Richard 
 Allen, of Philadelphia, Penn., because of the spirit 
 of caste and race prejudice of the Protestant Church 
 during and after the American Revolution, has ex- 
 erted a broad and unmeasured influence upon the 
 Negro race. From a meeting held in 1816, at Rev. 
 Allen's private house, has sprung surprising results. 
 It has 3394 churches, valued at $5,028,126; 660 
 parsonages, valued at $312,763.75, and the total 
 valuation of church property is $5,341,889.25. It 
 has a publication department, which sends out the 
 Christian Recorder and A. M. E. Review to thou- 
 sands of people. The salaries of the editors of these 
 papers amount to $10,800. In 1887, the money 
 raised for all purposes was $1,064,569.50, with an 
 indebtedness of $509,113.24. Wilberforce Univer- 
 sity is a noted institution controlled by the A. M. E. 
 Church. The influence of this church for good 
 among the people cannot be measured. The bish- 
 ops are an extraordinary set of learned men, many 
 of whom are self-made, but yet are authors, orators, 
 linguists, theologians and scholars that will compare 
 favorably with the best theological brain of America. 
 
 Rev. E. M. Brawley, of Charleston, S. C, is 
 noced especially for his sober, earnest and pious 
 Christian life. He is a scholarly gentleman, and 
 
150 
 
 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 Rev. E. M. Brawley. 
 
 thoroughly devoted to the interests of his people. 
 It has beeh his fortifne to be President of Selma 
 University, Ala.; Sunday-school agent in South 
 Carolina, and editor of the Baptist Tribune. Such 
 a hard-working, zealous and thoroughly honest man 
 should be a pride to any race. 
 
 The Baptist Church was founded by. Roger 
 Williams. The church officers derive their power 
 from the members* In the beginning, Roger Wil- 
 
NEGRO RACE IN AMERICA. 151 
 
 liams' influence had a tendency to keep down race 
 prejudice. But from the rapid increase of slaves, 
 the feeling grew until self-interest demanded a sep- 
 aration. They form a body of useful and intelligent 
 people. Kentucky has a host of Baptists, who own 
 much valuable property. There are more Baptists 
 in Virginia than in any other Southern State. Some 
 of the churches have very large congregations. 
 There are a large number of Baptist churches in 
 the District of Columbia, some of which have in- 
 teresting histories. Among the noble, true and 
 faithful workers of the Baptists are Duke, Williams, 
 Anderson, and Leonard, Andrew Grimes and Dr. 
 W. J. Simmons (deceased), of Louisville, Ky., who 
 have consecrated their lives to their church in the 
 spreading of the Gospel. 
 
 The Baptist Church exercises a religious and 
 educationaHrifluence over more: colored people than 
 any other denomination in America. I gather from 
 the minutes of their National Convention of 1887, 
 that they have a total membership in the United 
 States of 1,155,486; and that they have 6605 or- 
 dained ministers, 3304 Sabbath-schools with 10,718 
 teachers and officers and 194,492 pupils. They owij 
 $3,056,571 worth of church property. They operate 
 twenty-five colleges and seminaries, worth $1,072- 
 140, and in which are annually taught more than 
 3609 pupils. 
 
152 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF TffE 
 
 The A. M. E. Zion Church is another of the 
 powerful religious denominations among the col- 
 ored people, and is everywhere urging the race to 
 a higher standard of living in all respects. Their 
 membership is in the neighborhood of 500,000. 
 They support and control, entirely, Livingston Col- 
 lege, of Salisbury, N. C., a progressive and well- 
 manned institution, and the Star of Zion, the church 
 organ, ably edited by Mr. John C. Dancy. The Liv- 
 ingston College Faculty is all colored, and it has 
 property valued at over $100,000. 
 
 The Northern Methodist Church supports 
 'many churches in the South ministered over by 
 colored pastors. There are several schools sup- 
 ported by them, prominent among which is Bennet 
 College of Greensboro, N. C., and controlled en- 
 tirely by a colored Faculty. Other schools of this 
 denomination, manned by white Faculties, are, with 
 Bennet College, doing a most necessary and bene- 
 ficial work among the colored people. So might be 
 mentioned schools and churches supported by 
 Northern iPresbyterians, Northern Congregational- 
 ists, Episcopalians, and other denominations, all of 
 which are to be reckoned as great uplifting agencies 
 among the colored people. Some of the Northern 
 societies spend hundreds of thousands of dollars 
 every year on Negro education and religion in the 
 South. The daily expenditure of the American 
 
NEGRO RACE IN AMERICA. 
 
 153 
 
154 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 Missionary Association for schools and churches in 
 the South is estimated at $1200. 
 
 The Presbyterian Church has not spread as 
 rapidly among the Negroes as some other forms 
 of belief, and yet within the past twenty-five years 
 that church has taken a strong hold among them, 
 chiefly in Virginia, the Carolinas, Georgia, Florida, 
 and Tennessee. Within the territory embraced in 
 these States, there are 2 Synods, 10 Presbyteries, 
 200 ministers, 250 churches, 18,000 communicants, 
 and 1 5,000 Sabbath-school scholars. Except twelve 
 or fifteen ministers, and a few score members, 
 these synods are composed of Negroes, who con- 
 trol the affairs of the churches and schools. They 
 are in ecclesiastical fellowship with the Northern 
 Presbyterian Church. Their organ is the Africa- 
 American Presbyterian, published at Charlotte, N. 
 C, by the Africo-American Presbyterian Publishing 
 Company, with Rev. D. J. Sanders, D.D., as editor. 
 This journal has a wide circulation. 
 
 Educational Work of the Presbyterians. 
 Under the auspices of the Presbyterians are Lincoln 
 University, Oxford, Pennsylvania, which is their 
 leading institution for educating colored men, and 
 from which more Negro graduates have gone out, 
 into all the professions and as ministers and teach- 
 ers, into the different denominations, than from any 
 similar school in the country; Biddle University, 
 
NEGRO RA CE IN A W ERICA . ] 55 
 
 Charlotte, N. C., ranking among the first in the 
 South, now presided over by Rev. D. J. Sanders, 
 D.D., has an able Faculty of white anc\ colored men; 
 and the far-famed Scotia Seminary, at Concord, N. 
 C., under the presidency of Rev. D. J. Satterfield, 
 D.D., with an able corps of teachers. Scotia Semi- 
 nary has done, and is doing, much for the education 
 of colored girls, and ranks second to none of the 
 seminaries of its kind. The attendance last year 
 was 240, and accommodations are being provided 
 for 1 50 more. 
 
156 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 EDUCATIONAL PROGRESS. 
 
 Can the Negro learn anything? was the first 
 question he had to answer after schools were estab- 
 lished for him. He has answered this question sat- 
 isfactorily to the most incredulous in every instance 
 where brought to a test. The fact that every slave 
 State had laws against his being taught before the 
 war, and that they opposed it afterwards, ought to 
 be a sufficient answer. But if this is not sufficient, 
 let speak the deeds of Professor Scarborough, of 
 Macon, Ga., author of a series of Greek text-books 
 which have been adopted at Yale ; George W. Wil- 
 liams, author of " History of the American Negro ;" 
 Jos. T. Wilson, author of " Black Phalanx ;" C. G. 
 Morgan, class orator at Harvard, 1890, and a host 
 of others. 
 
 WHAT THE SOUTH IS DOING FOR NEGRO EDUCATION. 
 
 It would be a serious error to omit, in speaking 
 of the educational progress of the Negro since free- 
 dom, what has been done to help him by the South- 
 ern States. Though at first bitterly opposed to 
 Negro education, there has been a wonderful change 
 of sentiment on this subject. They made laws 
 
NEGRO RACE IN AMERICA. 157 
 
 against' Negro education before the war, now they 
 make laws for it. In the more liberal portions of 
 many Southern States, good schools are provided 
 For the colored children. Some States have asylums 
 for the deaf, dumb, blind and insane. The Institute 
 for these unfortunates at Raleigh, N. C, is entirely 
 supported by the State, which employs a most com- 
 petent colored Principal in the person of Professor 
 W. F. Debnam, Texas has a similar school The 
 South spends annually about $6,000,000 on Negro 
 schools,, and this sum will soon be increased. Sortie 
 of the States have Normal Schools, Universities and 
 Training Schools for the colored youth. There are 
 some who oppose Negro education on the ground 
 that the whites pay two-thirds of the taxes. A false 
 position this the laborer and consumer pay the 
 taxes on capital. The Negro is the laborer of the 
 South, and a large consumer. He produces more 
 than a billion dollars worth of farm products annu- 
 ally, not estimating other products ; and it is his toil, 
 his muscle that makes the school-fund ; and out of 
 the inexhaustible store-house of his own labor doeshe 
 draw his quota of the appropriation for the schools. 
 The High Schools, Seminaries, Colleges and 
 Professional Schools for the colored people, number 
 nearly two hundred. Many of them are controlled 
 entirely by colored Faculties, as Livingston and Ben- 
 nett Colleges, N. C. ; Morris Brown College, Ga.; 
 
158 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 Tuskegee Normal School, Ala. ; Wilberfbrce Uni- 
 versity, Ohio; Virginia Normal and Collegiate 
 Institute; Kittrell's Normal and Industrial Insti- 
 tute, and Shaw University, except its President, 
 who is white, but one of the first Presidents to 
 recognize the ability of young colored men to 
 teach the higher branches. Dr. H. M. Tupper 
 inaugurated a movement by putting young colored 
 men at work in Shaw University, which has been 
 followed by many of the other schools supported by 
 donations from white friends in the North. The 
 plan works admirably well, and, besides teaching 
 the race to confide in the ability of its own educated 
 men and women, it affords lucrative employment to 
 many who are by nature and choice fitted for the 
 work of teaching. 
 
 A Self-made Man is a worthy description when 
 applied to a Saxon. But a knowledge of the facts 
 will teach us that nine-tenths of all the leading Ne- 
 groes were and are self-made. The royal road to 
 knowledge is beyond question closed to the young 
 colored man. 
 
 There is No Large Estate to draw on for 
 school bills ; no rich uncle or kinsman to foot the 
 bill and wait till success in after years for a settle- 
 ment. His own brawny muscle is usually the young 
 colored student's means of support. Many of them 
 work in school between hours. In fact, most of the 
 
XEGRO RACE IN AMERICA. 
 
 159 
 
160 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 schools for colored people in the South assign cer- 
 tain hours each day in which the students are to 
 labor. Some institutions do not spend one cent for 
 domestic labor during the whole of the school terms. 
 Yet they, in some instances, raise quite enough farm 
 and garden products for their tables, and sometimes 
 make brick enough to put up extra buildings. The 
 time usually used by the white student in foot-ball 
 and other games is utilized by the colored student 
 in faithful toil. The fact that in none of the colored 
 schools the expense for tuition, board, lodging, laun- 
 dry-work and incidentals is over $12 per month 
 (and in some cases it is as low as $6), is a strong 
 argument in favor of the help the Negro youth fur- 
 nishes towards his own education. People with 
 such a love for knowledge that they are willing to 
 thus toil for it, may be relied upon to use that 
 knowledge properly. 
 
 When the War Closed there were about four 
 million colored people in the United States. Scarcely 
 a million of them could read. Now they number 
 about eight millions, and nearly half of them can 
 read. There are 1,158,008 colored children in the 
 schools, annually taught by 20,000 Negro teachers. 
 The colored people of the South have made more 
 progress in education since the war than in anything 
 else ; and they are still thirsty for knowledge. The 
 schools everywhere are crowded. The love of 
 knowledge seems to be instinctive, and thousands of 
 
NEGRO RACE IN AMERICA. 
 
 faithful mothers spend many weary nights at the 
 ironing-board and wash-tub in order to get money 
 to help their children obtain an education. With 
 the start they now have, twenty-five years more of 
 earnest work will show marvellous changes in the 
 educational condition of the race No people ever 
 learned more in so short a time. 
 
 MUSICAL PROGRESS. 
 
 The Fisk Jubilee Singers have sung the fame 
 of the Negro in all America, much of Europe and 
 Australia. The slave music is the only original 
 music of America. The Indian has none, and white 
 Americans have borrowed from the masters of 
 Europe. Negro melodies are now a part of the 
 classical music of this country. The peculiarity of 
 Negro song is its pathos and trueness to nature. It 
 stirs the soul and revives a sunken hope. Travel- 
 lers describe the music of the native African as sung 
 in a major key, which key characterizes the songs 
 of a conquering people. Slavery has not extracted 
 this characteristic totally from the American Negro's 
 songs. While he sings not the conquering major 
 of battle, he thrills you with the pleasing minor of 
 hope. Dr. Tal mage says: "Everybody knows the 
 natural gift of the African for singing. No singing 
 on this continent like that of the colored churches 
 in the South. Everybody going to Richmond or 
 
 Charleston wants to hear the Africans sing." 
 
 11 
 
A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 CHAPTER XXXII. 
 
 FINANCIAL PROGRESS. 
 
 The Freedmen's Savings Bank, though it 
 failed, furnishes a strong argument in favor of the 
 thrift and industry of the recently emancipated 
 slaves. In this bank the colored people deposited 
 during the years between 1866 and 1871, about 
 $57,000,000. The original design of this institution 
 was doubtless good, but it fell into bad hands, and 
 the consequence was a most disgraceful failure. 
 
 The Negro's Confidence in banks was, on his 
 first trial of them, badly shaken. He has not re- 
 covered yet. Many colored people who would de- 
 posit their money now, are reluctant to do so when 
 they remember the " Freedmen's Bank failure." 
 The branch offices of the bank in the different States 
 were placed in the hands of colored men who worked 
 for salaries under instructions from the home office. 
 To this day sentiment attaches blame on these coU 
 ored bank officers, who themselves were as much 
 deluded as the depositors. It was a sad and dis- 
 graceful piece of legalized robbery. But the Negro 
 is putting his money in other enterprises* and though 
 
NEGRO RACE IN AMERICA. 163 
 
 unsuccessful in his first, his last efforts at economy 
 are bearing rich fruit. The property owned by the 
 colored people now is computed at the following 
 figures: 
 
 Twenty-five Years' Accumulations : Ala- 
 bama, $9,200,125 ; Arkansas, $8,010,315 ; Florida, 
 $7,900,400; Georgia, $10,4 1 5 33; Kentucky, $5, 900- 
 oio Louisiana, $18,100,528 ; Mississippi, $13,400,- 
 213 Missouri, $6,600,343 > North Carolina, $i 1,010,- 
 652 South Carolina, $12,500,000-; Texas, $18,010,- 
 545 ; Tennessee, $10,400,211 ; Virginia, $4,900,000. 
 
 The Colored Churches in the United States 
 own $16,310,441 ; the total amount of property 
 owned by the colored people in all the States is rated 
 at over $263,000,000. 
 
 Much Property is owned by the colored people 
 of the North and West. Some of their estates run 
 high into the hundred thousands. Many of them, 
 though shut out almost entirely from the trades 
 and business avenues, have accumulated handsome 
 homes, and live in elegance and refinement. 
 
 Rev. A. G. Davis, of Raleigh, N. C., in an ad- 
 dress at the North Carolina Colored Agricultural 
 Fair, said, in reference to the Negro's progress, this, 
 among other things : " Scan, if you will, the long 
 line of eight million Negroes as they march slowly 
 but surely up the road of progress, and you will find 
 in her ranks such men as Granville T, Woods, of 
 
JtH SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 Ohio, the electrician, mechanical engineer, manufac* 
 turer of telephones, telegraph and electrical instru- 
 ments ; William Still, of Philadelphia, the coal- 
 dealer; Henry Tanner, the artist; John W. Terry, 
 foreman of the iron and fitting department of the 
 Chicago West Division Street Car Company ; J. D. 
 Baltimore, engineer, machinist, and inventor, of 
 Washington, D. C. ; Wiley Jones, of Pine Bluff, 
 Ark., the owner of a street car railroad, race-track, 
 and park; Richard M. Hancock, foreman of the 
 pattern shops of the Eagle Works and Manufac- 
 turing Co., and draughtsman ; John Black, the in- 
 ventor, whose inventions are worth tens of thou- 
 sands ; W. C. Atwood, the lumber merchant and 
 capitalist* To this we might add a 
 
 LIST OF THE NAMES OF A FFW WEALTHY COLORED 
 PEOPLE IN THE UNITED STATES. 
 
 Quoted at 
 
 Amanda Eubanks, of Georgia, . . . $400,000 
 
 William Still, Philadelphia, . . . 2oo ; ooo 
 
 B. K. Bruce, Washington, D. C., . . 200,000 
 
 Mrs. M. Carpenter, San Francisco, . . 300,000 
 
 John McKee, Philadelphia, 300,000 
 
 Robert Purvis, Washington, D. C., . . . 150,000 
 
 Mrs. Mars, New York, 100000 
 
 Mr. Smith, New York, . 150,000 
 
 Mr. D. C. White, New York, 130000 
 
NEQ RO RACE IN A MERTCA . 
 
 Quoted at 
 
 Mr. W. C. Coleman, North Carolina, . . 100,000 
 
 Bishop Beebee, North Carolina, . . .. * 50,000 
 
 Fred. Douglass, Washington, D. C., . 200,000 
 
 Bowers' Estate, Philadelphia, . . . > . 80,000 
 
 Ex. Gov. P. S. B. Pinchback, Louisiana, ., 150,000 
 Mr. J. H. Lewis, of Boston, formerly of 
 
 North Carolina, ........ 70,000 
 
 The Morrisettes, of South Carolina, . . f 130,000 
 
 John Thomas, Baltimore, ..... . 1 50,000 
 
 W. Q. Atwood, Baltimore, . . . . . 300,000 
 
 Mr. Avery Smith, Florida, ..... * 80,000 
 
 Several in Alabama, ....... 50,000 
 
 Fifty in North Carolina, . . . . . . 10,000 
 
 Fifty in Georgia, ......... 10,000 
 
 One hundred in Louisiana, . * . . . 10,000 
 
 Twelve in Mississippi, . ...... 10,000 
 
 Sixty in Texas, ........ 10,000 
 
 Fifty in Virginia, ......... 10,000 
 
 All the States have numbers of colored individ- 
 uals whose wealth is rated between five and ten, 
 thousand dollars. 
 
 In closing this chapter on the progress of the race 
 since the war, we desire to say to you, our young 
 readers, that much has been done, as you have read 
 in this chapter, to raise the race in the estimation 
 of the world, but much more remains to be done* 
 
166 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 What has been said in this chapter is not to make 
 you content and satisfied, but rather, to inspire new 
 zeal and fresh courage, that each one of you may 
 add something more to what has already been ac- 
 complished. You can, you must, and we believe 
 you will. Do not falter on account of difficulties. 
 Set your standard high and go to it, remejnbering 
 that labor, coupled with a strong devotion to integ* 
 rity, will surely conquer. 
 
NEGRO RACE IN AMERICA. 167 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIII. 
 
 SOME NOTED NEGROES. 
 
 Hon. Hiram R. Revels, a native of North Car- 
 olina, graduate of Knox College, 111., A. M. E. min- 
 ister, President of Alcorn University, Mississippi, 
 elected to the State Senate, Mississippi, was the 
 first Negro to hold the position of U. S. Senator, 
 elected to fill the place of Jefferson Davis in 1869, 
 to the wonder and surprise of all America. 
 
 Hon. J. Mercer Langston, A.B., A.M., LL.D.; 
 great Indian-Anglo-Saxon Negro. Grew to man- 
 hood, educated and pursued a business and official 
 life in Ohio up to time of manhood. He made un- 
 successful attempts, on account of his color, in New 
 York and Ohio, to attend the law schools. After 
 attempting private lessons, he grew discouraged 
 and graduated from the Theological Department of 
 Oberlin College, Ohio. He then studied law and 
 was admitted to the bar. After this he was made 
 Dean and Professor of Law at Howard University, 
 where he received the degree of LL.D. President 
 Hayes appointed him U. S. Minister and Consul- 
 General to Hayti, which position he honorably held 
 
168 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 eight years. He was also President of the Virginia 
 Normal Collegiate Institute. 
 
 Hon. Robert Small, the pilot and captain of the 
 steamer Planet, also the Congressman, must not be 
 
 Robert Small. 
 
 overlooked on these pages. Moving from Beaufort; 
 South Carolina, to Charleston in '51, he was em- 
 ployed as " rigger," thereby getting a knowledge of 
 ships and the life of sailors. His greatest work was 
 with the Planter, a Confederate transport steamer 
 
NEGRO RACE IN AMERICA. 169 
 
 in '61, afterwards used as a dispatch boat. The 
 officers retired from the boat on the night of May 
 13, 1862, and left eight colored men on watch, Small 
 being one of the number. He was only called a 
 wheelman then, but in reality was a pilot. He with 
 the others on board conceived the risky plan of 
 giving the boat over to the Federals. Everything 
 being ready, and after taking on Small's wife and 
 three children, they started out at 2 o'clock. In pass- 
 ing out of the harbor and by each fort the steamer 
 gave her signals as though the Confederate captain 
 was on board, and everything was all right. The 
 dangerous plan, which if it had been found out would 
 have ended in instant death, was a success. The 
 boat was given over to the Federal Captain Nichols, 
 who found her quite an additional help to the 
 Union. 
 
 ROBERT B. ELLIOTT. 
 
 On the pages of history no name shines forth 
 with more lustre than that of Hon. Robert B. Elliott. 
 He was one of earth's sons, plucked too soon to 
 reap the harvest which was in store for him. This 
 eloquent orator and distinguished lawyer was a 
 graduate from an English college. After finishing 
 there he studied law under Fitz- Herbert, of the 
 London bar. He then came to the United States, 
 and began his brilliant and successful career. It 
 
170 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 was in the Forty-second Congress, while a repre- 
 sentative of South Carolina, that he impressed him- 
 self indelibly upon the minds of his country as a 
 man of giant intellect and rare oratorical ability. 
 Alexander Stephens of Georgia, Beck of Kentucky, 
 Harris of Virginia, had severely assailed the con- 
 stitutionality of the Civil Rights Bill, after which 
 Mr. Elliott arose and addressed the House as fol- 
 lows, an effort that bespeaks the ability of the man : 
 *' Mr. Speaker, while I am sincerely grateful for the 
 high mark of courtesy that has been accorded me 
 by this House, it is a matter of regret to me that it 
 *S necessary at this day that I should rise in the 
 presence of an American Congress to advocate a 
 Bill which simply asserts rights and equal privileges 
 for all classes of American citizens. I regret, sir, 
 that the dark hue of my skin may lend a color to the 
 imputation that I am controlled by motives personal 
 to myself in my advocacy of this great measure of 
 natural justice. Sir, the motive that impels me is 
 restricted by no such narrow boundary, but is as 
 broad as your Constitution. I advocate it, sir, be- 
 cause it is right. The bill, however, not only appeals 
 to your justice, but it demands a response to your 
 gratitude. In the events that led to the achieve- 
 ment of American independence the Negro was not 
 an inactive or unconcerned spectator. He bore his 
 part bravely upon many battle-fields, although un- 
 
NEGKO RA CE IN A ME RICA . 171 
 
 cheered by that certain hope of political elevation 
 which victory would secure to the white man. The 
 tall granite shaft which a grateful State has reared 
 above its sons who fell in defending Fort Griswold 
 against the attack of Benedict Arnold, bears the 
 name of John Freeman and others of the African 
 race, who there cemented with their blood the corner- 
 stone of your Republic. In the State which I have 
 had the honor in part to represent, the rifle of the 
 black man rang out against the troops of the British 
 crown in the darkest days of the American Revolu- 
 tion I meet him (Stephens) only as an ad- 
 versary, nor shall age or any other consideration 
 restrain me from saying that he now offers this 
 Government, which he has done his utmost to de- 
 stroy, a very poor return for its magnanimous treat- 
 ment, to come here to seek to continue, by the as- 
 sertion of doctrines obnoxious to the true principles 
 of our Government, the burdens and oppressions, 
 which rest upon five millions of his countrymen who 
 never failed to lift their earnest prayers for the suc- 
 cess of this Government, when the gentleman was 
 asking to break up the Union of the States, and to 
 blot the American Republic from the galaxy of na- 
 tions." .... He related to Mr. Beck the story of 
 the fleeing of the Kentucky soldiers at a most urgent 
 time during the second war with Great Britain, 
 and then proceeded to say : " In quoting this indis-* 
 
172 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 putable piece of history, I do so only by way of ad- 
 monition, and not to question the well-attested gal- 
 lantry of the true Kentuckian, and to suggest to the 
 gentleman that he should not flaunt his heraldry so 
 proudly while he bears this bar-sinister on the mili- 
 tary escutcheon of his State a State which answered 
 the call of the Republic in 1861, when treason thun- 
 dered at the very gates of the capital, by coldly de- 
 claring her neutrality in the impending struggle. 
 The Negro, true to that patriotism that has ever 
 characterized and marked his history, came to the 
 aid of the Government in its efforts to maintain the 
 Constitution. To that Government he now appeals ; 
 that Constitution he now invokes for protection 
 against unjust prejudices founded upon caste." 
 
 William Wells Brown, Esq., was born of 
 sla\Le parents; he escaped to the North and so im- 
 proved his time from then on, until he is now known 
 to the world as M.D. ; historian of the Negro race, 
 lecturer and author. 
 
 Rev. D. A. Payne, D.D., LL.D., is the oldest 
 bishop of the A. M. E. Church, also its true, tried 
 friend He is a great educator, and has the Negro's 
 best interests at heart; many generous and noble 
 deeds has he done for his race ; he is the scholar 
 and reverenced father of the A. M. E. Church. 
 
 Rev. William T. Dixon, the pastor of Concord 
 Baptist Church, greatly deserves notice. Rev. Dixon 
 
NEGRO RACE IN AMERICA. 
 
 173 
 
 Bishop D, A. Payne. 
 
174 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 has been a great power in his church, and has been 
 the means of exerting an excellent intellectual and 
 moral influence upon his people at Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 His efforts for the conversion of the souls of his 
 fellow-men are untiring, patient, and full of sacrifice. 
 Many faces brighten and hearts ring with joy when 
 his name is called. 
 
 Bishop H. M. Turner, D.D., is well known 
 throughout the United States ; he stands as a model 
 for the poor boy to-day with scanty means. His early 
 efforts for an education were accompanied with many 
 disappointments and failures. Though free, he had 
 to submit to the law, " no Negro must be educated." 
 However, he got a start and added to his small 
 stock until he could read the Bible and hymn-book. 
 It is said that he learned fifty psalms in a night, and 
 while plowing repeated them to his co-laborers. He 
 was hired out most of the time by his father ; his 
 work was always with hard and often cruel over- 
 seers ; but he said, and kept his word, when a boy, 
 no white man should whip and scar his back. When 
 about fifteen years of age he was employed as 
 waiting-boy in a law office, where he attracted special 
 notice by his tenacious memory and accuracy in de- 
 livering messages; the lawyers took an interest in 
 him and taught him whatever he wanted to learn. 
 From this he moved on, from one level to the next 
 higher being a hard student all the way up to the 
 
NEGRO RACE IN AMERICA. 
 
 present. He now is known as bishop, philosopher, 
 politician, author, devoted race-man, and ex-United 
 States Chaplain. 
 
 Hon. P. B. S. Pinchback has the honor of hav- 
 ing held more positions than any other colored man. 
 He was a true and faithful soldier during the civil 
 war. At the time of the impeachment of Governor 
 Warmouth, of Louisiana, he became acting Governor 
 of that State, finally becoming the real Governor 
 until the term expired. 
 
 Prof. Richard Theodore Greener stands with 
 the first scholars of the Negro race. His essays and 
 orations rank high in the fields of literature and 
 oratory. He has held the position of Chief Civil 
 Service Examiner of New York City, lawyer, prize 
 essayist, orator, and Dean o the Law Department 
 of Howard University. 
 
 Senator B. K. Bruce, another son of the Ne 
 gro race, though not receiving his privilege as a man 
 until 1 865, and notwithstanding then having attained 
 to the age of 24, smothered no longer the intellec- 
 tual fires then burning in his soul. Though a Vir- 
 ginian, he entered into public life in Mississippi. 
 Much useful knowledge he gathered while sergeant- 
 at-arms of the State Senate of Mississippi, which 
 helped him to admirably fill his place as U. S. Sen- 
 ator. It was, also, his honor to hold the position 
 of Register of the tLS, Treasury. 
 
)76 
 
 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 B. K. Bruce. 
 
 Prof. W. S. Scarborough is the author of a set 
 of Greek text-books, which have been adopted at 
 Yale ; he is also versed in many of the modern and 
 ancient languages, including Gothic, Zend, Old Sla- 
 vonic, Lithuanian, and Sanscrit. In every respect 
 he is a representative man ; having come up from 
 poverty and obscurity to his present high position 
 
NEGRO RA CE JN AMERICA. 177 
 
 m life. He was born in Macon, Ga. When the war 
 closed he, like many other colored boys, entered 
 the "Yankee school" there, from which he subse- 
 quently attended Atlanta University ; from there he 
 Went to Oberlin, Ohio, where he graduated in 1875. 
 He taught school in the vacation months to support 
 himself while in school. Well may we say he is a 
 self-made. man, if unflagging industry, self-reliance, 
 and an indomitable determination to succeed may 
 be counted as ingredients in the make-up of such 
 characters. He is now teacher of classics in Wil- 
 berforce University, which position he holds in pref- 
 erence to many others his scholarly abilities fit him 
 for, and which he might attain. He is recognized 
 as a thorough scholar by the world of learned men, 
 and stands out as an unchallenged vindication of the 
 race's ability. 
 
 Prof. B. T. Washington is what we so often 
 hear of, a self-made man. Being left quite young 
 an orphan, to forge his own way through the world, 
 he started out determined to get an education. With 
 the assistance of friends he reached Hampton In- 
 stitute with fifty cents in his pocket. He finished 
 the course by working out his expenses as janitor. 
 After graduating at Hampton, he taught a while at 
 Maiden, Va., then his home, and then took a course 
 of study at Wayland Seminary. He taught two 
 years at Hampton Institute, and then accepted the 
 
 12 
 
178 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 position of Principal of the Tuskegee Normal School, 
 which he has held with a remarkable degree of suc- 
 cess and honor to himself and his race. The school 
 is now in a flourishing condition, and doing much 
 good throughout the State of Alabama, and even 
 in other States. 
 
 Prof. E. E. Smith, a native North Carolinian, 
 and a young man of the post-bellum school, has 
 quickly risen to fame by an appointment under 
 President Cleveland as Minister of the U. S. Gov- 
 erment to the Republic of Liberia. Mr. Smith served 
 in this position for four years with honor and credit to 
 himself and his country. Prior to his appointment as 
 Minister to Liberia, he was the worthy Principal of 
 the Fayetteville, N. C., Normal School. He is a grad- 
 uate of the famous Shaw University, and destined 
 to reflect still greater honors on this his Alma Mater. 
 
 Rev. J. C. Price, D.D., the wdl-known temper- 
 ance orator, lives in the hearts of many people. His 
 clear and distinct voice, fascinating manner and ex- 
 cellent ability to handle a story, gives him a hearty 
 welcome in every place to which he goes. He was 
 the first colored preacher to stand in the pulpit of 
 Henry Ward Beecher, and now with the sympathy 
 and love of a parent for his pupils, he with honor 
 holds the position of President of Livingston Col- 
 lege, North Carolina. He is a native of North 
 Carolina. 
 
NEGRO RACE IN AMERICA. 
 
 179 
 
 C. Price. 
 
 EDMONIA LEWIS. 
 
 The subject of this sketch, by the diligent use of 
 the powers God gave her, has done much to de- 
 monstrate to the world what genius exists in the race 
 she represents. Left art orphan in early life, she 
 was not educated according to her 'desire, but was 
 
180 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 conscious of a power and a burning zeal to make 
 herself felt in the world. 
 
 Her first visit to Boston proved the turning point 
 in her life. When she for the first time saw the 
 statue of Franklin her soul was touched. While 
 the dull stone seemed cold to others, there was a 
 chord in her young soul which the cold lineaments 
 played upon, and she exclaimed exultingly, " I can 
 make a stone man." Wm. Lloyd Garrison, always 
 ready to help the race, introduced her to a leading 
 Boston sculptor. He gave her some clay and a 
 model of a human foot, saying, " Go home and make 
 that ; if there is anything in you it will come out." 
 Her first effort was brought back to the teacher, 
 who examined it, then broke it to pieces, telling her 
 to try again. She did so, and succeeded. Her 
 achievements since have placed her among the 
 prominent artists of the world. She now resides at 
 Rome, where her studio is the famed resort of art- 
 lovers the world over. Some of her works are, 
 busts of Charles Sumner, Lincoln, Hiawatha's Woo- 
 ing, Forever Free, Hagar in the Wilderness, Ma- 
 donna with Infant Christ, and two Adoring Angels. 
 She was patronized by the leading Englishmen, such 
 as D'Israeli, and others. 
 
 T. T. Fortune, Esq., the well-known and fear- 
 less editor/ was also a slave, born of slave parents, 
 in Florida. He is a deep thinker, and an enthusiastic 
 
NEGRO RACE IN AMERICA. 181 
 
 and true worker for his race. A great agitator and 
 denouncer of the wrong and encourager of the right ; 
 also an author and pamphleteer, 
 
 Rev. W. J. Simmons, A.M., D.D., was, be- 
 yond question, one of the strongest characters of 
 the race. He was the President of the Normal and 
 Theological Institute at Louisville, Ky. At one time 
 he was editor of the American Baptist, and did a 
 telling work in that position by his strong editorials 
 and telling points in behalf of the interests of the 
 race. But Rev. Simmons is better known as an 
 educator. He took. charge of the Institute at Louis- 
 ville when nothing but failure seemed to stare it in 
 the face ; and from an appearance of hopeless ruin 
 he has worked it up to a point of great excellency. 
 It now stands as one of the most important factors 
 of Negro education in the South, and its success is 
 due to the indomitable energy, force, and brain of 
 Dr. Simmons. He has also furnished the literature 
 of the race with a valuable work known as " Men 
 of Mark." In it you will be pleased to read elegant 
 sketches of many of the race's best men. 
 
 The Hon H. P. Cheatham is a son of Shaw 
 University, and a young man whose success is due 
 to emancipation. He is now one of the colored 
 members of our National Congress, having won his 
 seat through a most desperate contest for the Second 
 District of North Carolina. His record in Congress 
 
182 
 
 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 is good; not so much known, however, for his " much 
 speaking," as for the devotion he shows to the in- 
 terests of his race. Mr. Cheatham came up from 
 the ranks of the school teachers, leaving off that 
 work to take a position as Register of Deeds in his 
 (Vance) county, which position he held creditably 
 for a number of years, and which he resigned to 
 run for Congress in 1888. 
 
 John R. Lynch. 
 
 Hon. John R. Lynch is another son of whom we 
 may be proud. He hid not his talents, but rather 
 multiplied them. It was his honor to preside at the 
 National Republican Convention in 1884, at Chicago. 
 
NEGRO RACE IN AMERICA. 183 
 
 We know him as orator, lawyer, Congressman and 
 prominent politician. 
 
 Among the Noted Singers should be mentioned 
 Madame Selika, " the colored Jenny Lind." Her 
 voice is, perhaps, sweeter than the renowned Jenny 
 Lind (white), and capable of greater variation in 
 length and pitch. Madame Selika stands as a 
 prodigy among singers. She would stand near the 
 head of modern female voices were it not that she 
 is colored. 
 
 Mrs. Frances Ellen Harper, a native of Bal- 
 timore, Maryland, was denied the opportunities of 
 an education in her early days, but as soon as the 
 way was opened she applied herself with such en- 
 ergy and earnestness as to develop her rare intel- 
 lectual abilities, and put her before the world as a 
 grand, good woman. She is known as an enter- 
 taining lecturer and pleasing essayist. 
 
 Miss Flora Batson Bergen is another repre- 
 sentative of the art of song. The wonder is thai 
 she renders the most difficult classical music from, 
 memory, being unable to read notes. She is an 
 undoubted genius. 
 
 Miss H. Q. Brown stands high as an elocu- 
 tionist, and reader of wonderful force and descrip- 
 tive powers. Her work compare* favorably with 
 any of the kind in America, and her reputation is 
 national. 
 
IS4 
 
 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 Miss Ednorah Nahar, of Boston, Mass., has 
 achieved wonderful results as a reader and elocu- 
 tionist. She is yet young in the work, but has read 
 in nearly all of the leading cities in America and 
 Canada, and received the highest encomiums from 
 the best dramatical critics in both countries, one of 
 whom says ; " Her art is no art, but Nature itself. 1 ' 
 
 Blind Tom. 
 
 "Blind Tom," the Negro Musical Prodigy, 
 is known as well in Europe as America. His cor- 
 rect name is Thomas Bethune. He was born May 
 
NEGRO RACE L\ A M ERIC A . 185 
 
 25, 1849, a t Columbus, Georgia. When a babe he 
 seemed totally blind, but in later years he could see 
 a little. His memory of dates, persons and places 
 seems almost perfect. Shake his hand to-day and 
 speak to him, tell your name, and ten years after he 
 will recall your voice and name. He is uniformly 
 and studiously polite, and entertains the highest re- 
 gard for truth in all things. At four years of age 
 he found his way to his master's piano for the first 
 time. He had attempted to use his voice in imitat- 
 ing the piano and other sounds before this. He 
 imitated all the sounds he knew on the piano, and 
 when his supply was exhausted he began to com- 
 pose for himself. He would play, as he would re- 
 mark, " what the wind said" or the " birds said" or 
 the 'trees said" When five years old, during a 
 thunder-storm, he composed his " Rain Storm" 
 which is so true to Nature that one imagines on 
 hearing it that he can hear the thunder roar, and 
 " looks for the lightning to flash." One author says 
 of him : "I can't teach him anything; he knows 
 more of music than we know or can know. We 
 can learn all that great genius can reduce to rule 
 and put in tangible form ; he knows more than that. 
 I do not even know what it is ; but I feel it is some- 
 thing beyond my comprehension. All that can be 
 done for him will be to let him hear fine playing; 
 he will work it all out for himself after awhile." 
 
186 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 He plays the most difficult classical music of 
 Mendelssohn and Beethoven, and cannot read a 
 note. His marches include " Delta Kappa Epsilon," 
 by Peace; "Grand March de Concert," by Wallace. 
 He imitates as perfectly as if natural, " Battle of 
 Manassas," " Douglass' Speech," guitar, banjo, 
 church organ, Dutch woman and hand-organ, a 
 harp, Scotch bagpipe, and a music-box all on the 
 piano. His equal, if it ever existed in the world, 
 has not been known. He stands out as a phenom- 
 enon, a genius, a prodigy in black. He still lives, 
 and is constantly improving and adding to his large 
 stock of musical achievements. 
 
 Toussaint L'Ouverture. It is supposed that 
 LOuverture was born in 1743, in San Domingo, on 
 " All Saints' Day," from which he was named Tous- 
 saint. The name L'Ouverture was given him after 
 he had won a high place in the army by many bril- 
 liant conquests. He was born a slave, and said to 
 be a direct descendant of an African kinof. He was 
 
 o 
 
 educated by his god-father, Pierre Baptiste. Later 
 he had an interesting family, and was as happy as a 
 slave could be. He believed himself destined to 
 lead his race out of bondage. Having access to his 
 master's library, he read much ; and it is recorded 
 that he always mastered whatever work he under- 
 took to study! It is generally conceded by his ene- 
 mies that he was honest, honorable, and just. On 
 
NEGRO RACE IN AMERICA. 
 
 187 
 
 the night of August 21, 1791, the revolution which 
 was destined to free the blacks of Hayti began. It 
 was, really, the culmination of a series of political 
 
 Toussaint L'Ouverture. 
 " Soldier Statesman Martyr." Wendell Phillips. 
 
 struggles which had been waged with fury between 
 the government of France, the white planters, ano 
 the mulattoes who thought that they were entitled tti 
 
188 A SCHOOL HISTOKYOF THE 
 
 equal political privileges with the whites. This point 
 was bitterly contested by the wliites of the colony, 
 until the mulattoes succeeded in inciting the blacks 
 to murder and pillage. Toussaint took no part in 
 the murderous proceedings of this night, and did 
 not leave the plantation until he had safely provided 
 for all the" whites thereon, whom he afterwards had 
 conveyed to Baltimore. He was always opposed to 
 a general massacre of the whites, and throughout 
 his career, as a commander, exerted his influence 
 to preserve their lives. Upon entering military life 
 his promotion was rapid, as he possessed all the 
 requisites of a great commander and leader. Hav- 
 ing risen to a generalship, because of his many suc- 
 cesses, France acknowledged his rank and tendered 
 to him a commission as Commander-in-chief of the 
 armies of San Domingo, in 1797. There followed 
 three years of unparalleled prosperity, during which 
 time L'Ouverture's ability as a statesman and ruler 
 was shown to great advantage. Napoleon, how- 
 ever, became jealous of L'Ouverture's power, and the 
 old. troubles in Hayti being renewed, they declared 
 their independence in 1801. Napoleon sent large 
 armies to the island, but they all failed to conquer 
 the brave band of blacks under their indomitable 
 leader, Toussaint. Finally, they resorted to strata- 
 gem. They pretended to make peace, after which 
 Toussaint was invited on one occasion to dine on 
 
NEGRO RACE IN AMERICA. 189 
 
 board a French man-of-war, and there he was cap- 
 tured, sent to France, confined in a dark, damp dun- 
 geon, and allowed to die of hunger. He died in 
 1803, heroically proclaiming that though the French 
 might murder him, the tree of liberty would still 
 grow in San Domingo ; how unlike Napoleon, the 
 author of Toussaint's torture, who ended his exist- 
 ence in writing and fretting on the island of St. 
 Helena, in similar confinement, a just retribution, it 
 seems, in atonement for the wrong he had done 
 L'Ouverture ! 
 
 " His life lay in thought and in action rather than 
 in words. Self-contained, he was also self-sufficing. 
 Though he disdained not the advice of others, he 
 was, in the main, his own council-board. With an 
 intense concentration of vitality in his own soul, he 
 threw into his outer life a power and an energy 
 which armed one man with the power of thousands, 
 and made him great alike in command of others 
 and in command of himself. He was created for 
 government by the. hand of nature. That strength 
 of soul and self reliance which made him fit to rule, 
 also gave him subjects for his sway. Hence it was, 
 that he could not remain in the herd of his fellow- 
 slaves. Rise he must, and rise he did; first to 
 humble offices, then to the command of a regiment, 
 and then to the command of the armies of San Do- 
 mingo.' 
 
,190 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIV. 
 
 THE FREE PEOPLE OF COLOR IN NORTH 
 CAROLINA. 
 
 BY THE HON. JOHN S. LEARY. 
 
 IN the Revolutionary War there were enlisted as 
 soldiers in the American army quite a number of 
 colored men who served faithfully and fought gal- 
 lantly for the cause of American Independence. 
 Among others who enlisted from North Carolina, 
 were Louie Revels, John Lomax, Thomas Bell, 
 Charles Hood and John Pettiford. All of these sur- 
 viving the contest drew, as long as they lived, a 
 pension from the United States Government. When 
 the Congress of freemen {freeholders} assembled at 
 Halifax, and on the i8th day of December, 1776, 
 ratified a Constitution for North Carolina, the elec- 
 tive franchise was extended to every freeman resid- 
 ing in the State who was twenty-one years of age 
 and had paid a public tax. Under the provisions of 
 this Constitution all free colored persons living in 
 North Carolina who were twenty-one years of age 
 and had paid a public tax, claimed and exercised the; 
 
NEGRO RACE IN AMERICA. 191 
 
 right to vote until the year 1835, a period of more 
 than a half century, when the Convention which 
 assembled that year, acting on the principle that 
 might makes right, adopted an amended Constitu- 
 tion which barred them of that right. Having been 
 barred of the right to vote by the provisions of the 
 Constitution of 1835, in the year 1838 the question 
 as to whether they were or were not citizens coming 
 before the State Supreme Court, the following ex- 
 tract from the opinion of the Court, delivered by 
 Gaston, Judge, will show that the Court decided 
 that they were citizens : 
 
 " Whatever distinctions may have existed in the 
 Roman law between citizens and free inhabitants, 
 they are unknown to our institutions. Before our 
 Revolution, all free persons born within the domin- 
 ion of the King of Great Britain, whatever their 
 color or complexion, were native-born British sub- 
 jects those born out of his allegiance were aliens. 
 Slavery did not exist in England, but it did exist in 
 the British Colonies. Slaves were not, in legal par- 
 lance, persons, but property. The moment the in- 
 capacity or disqualification of slavery was re- 
 moved, they became persons, and were then either 
 British subjects or not British subjects according as 
 they were or were not born within the allegiance of 
 the British King. Upon the close of the Revolution, 
 no other change took place in the law of North 
 
192 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 Carolina than was consequent upon the transition 
 from a colony dependent on a European king to a 
 free and sovereign State. Slaves remained slaves. 
 British subjects in North Carolina became North 
 Carolina freemen. Foreigners, until made citizens 
 of the State, continued aliens. Slaves manumitted 
 here became freemen and, therefore, if born within 
 North Carolina, are citizens of North Carolina 
 and all free persons born within the State are born 
 citizens of the State." 
 
 However, under the provisions of the amended 
 Constitution, and the laws enacted subsequent to 
 its ratification by the Legislature, there existed in 
 North Carolina, prior to the year 1865, three dis- 
 tinct classes of people : The free white man, enjoy- 
 ing and exercising all the rights and privileges of 
 an American citizen ; the free colored man, deprived 
 of nearly all the rights and privileges of an Amer- 
 ican citizen ; and, the colored slave, who, in legal 
 parlance, was a mere chattel. Owing to this anoma- 
 lous state of affairs, whatever was accomplished 
 by the genius, industry, effort, culture, and literary 
 attainments of the colored American residing in the 
 State, was studiously ignored and cast aside as not 
 worthy to be recorded as a part and parcel of the 
 history of the people of the State. 
 
 To preserve the memory, as well as to perpet- 
 uate the work and worth of a very eminent colored 
 
NEGRO RACE IN AMERICA. 
 
 citizen of North Carolina, I here present for the in- 
 formation of the youths, and all other persons who 
 do not know anything of the history of his life, a 
 biographical narrative of the Rev. John Ghavers. 
 This gentleman, a regularly ordained minister of the 
 Presbyterian Church, came to the United States in 
 the year 1822. He settled in North Carolina, and 
 after remaining here for the period of time required 
 by law, was naturalized and became a citizen of the 
 State and United States. In culture and literary 
 attainments he far excelled a majority of all classes 
 of the people living in the State at that day and 
 date. A Christian gentleman, possessing all the 
 qualities which go to make a true and noble man, 
 he was honored for his eminent ability, and respected 
 for hib Christian character. He lived in the town 
 of Fayetteville for a period of two years, preached 
 and taught school. He removed from Fayetteville, 
 and afterwards lived respectively in the counties 
 of Franklin, Wake, and Chatham, in each of which 
 he preached and taught school. The school organ- 
 ized and taught by him in Chatham County was 
 patronized almost exclusively by the white people. 
 In the light of present surroundings, it may seem 
 strange and incredulous that the white people of 
 North Carolina would send their children to a col- 
 ored school teacher, and consent to have their lives 
 and characters shaped and moulded by him. bu 4 
 
 13 
 
A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 this is accounted for in the fact that the recorded 
 history of those times goes to show that classical 
 scholars and thoroughly equipped school teachers 
 were not near so plentiful among the white people 
 then as they are now, and they were not so very 
 particular as to the color of the " Gamaliel " at 
 whose feet their children should sit, provided he 
 had the ability and learning to impart the desired 
 information. As evidence of this gentleman's emi- 
 nence as an instructor, and the influence which his 
 precept and example had upon the lives and char- 
 acter of his pupils, I mention the names of a few 
 who were so fortunate as to enjoy the benefit of his 
 instruction and careful training. The late Honor- 
 able Kenneth Rayner, one of his pupils, was well 
 known to the people of North Carolina as an emi- 
 nent lawyer, and, before the civil war, as a repre- 
 sentative from North Carolina in the United States 
 Congress, and after said war was the able and effi- 
 cient Solicitor-General of the United States Treasury 
 under President Arthur's administration. Mr. Thos. 
 J. Curtis, a successful business man, and for several 
 years Mayor of the town of Fayetteville, was an- 
 other ; and yet another was the late Honorable 
 Abram Rencher, of Chatham County, who was one 
 of the most distinguished men the State has ever 
 produced. There were a great many others, but 
 it is not necessary to mention by name any more. 
 
NEGRJ RACE IN AMERICA. 
 
 195 
 
 These are enough to show that if justice had been 
 done, this illustrious colored gentleman would have 
 had a place in the recorded history of the State 
 of his adoption as one of her earliest, most suc- 
 cessful educators and eminent men. 
 
196 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE NEGRO RACE IN AMERICA. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXV. 
 
 CONCLUSION. 
 
 UP to the present time the Negro has been a 
 success in every avenue of life. As a soldier and 
 citizen he has always been faithful to his coun- 
 try's flag ; as a politician, he has filled successfully 
 many honorable positions, from that of a Town Con- 
 stable to the Registry of the Treasury of the "United 
 States; he has been a legislator, a senator, a judge, 
 a lawyer, a juror, a shrewd business man, and won 
 honor, respect, and confidence in every such posi- 
 tion, and all this in twenty-five years. Every sort 
 of hindrance has been thrown in his way, but he 
 is overcoming them all, and daily winning friends 
 from the ranks of those most opposed to his prog- 
 ress. Time is yet to bring forth better things for 
 the race. Let there be patience, and an honest, 
 persistent endeavor to do the very best in every- 
 thing, and ere long we shall "reap if we faint not." 
 We shall rise, not by dragging others down, but by 
 encouraging those who are up to extend down to 
 us the helping hand, which we must quickly grasp, 
 and by its help lift ourselves up. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 ABOLITIONISM, growth of, 80, 81 
 Abolitionists, opposition to Northern, 99 
 
 work of the, 80, 81 
 African cities, ancient, 11, 15 
 Africans, native, present condition of, 11 
 
 racial traits of, 11, 18 
 Africa- American Presbyterian, 154 
 Allen, Rev. Richard, 149 
 Almanac, Banneka's, 36 
 Amendment, Constitutional, thirteenth, 
 
 138 
 
 fifteenth, 139 
 A. M. E. Review, 149 
 Amistad Captives, the, 95 
 Anti-slavery agitation, 98-110 
 books, 83 
 conventions, 82 
 " Anti-slavery Free Women of America," 
 
 82 
 
 Armistead, James, 71 
 Army, colonial, slaves in the, 57, 58 
 compensation for, 61 
 
 (See SOLDIERS, TROOPS.) 
 Ashmun, Jehudi, 88 
 Association, Missionary, American, 154 
 Asylum, Colored Orphans', burning of, 
 
 Attucks, Crispus, patriotism of, 63-6 
 
 BALTIMORE. J. D. (inventor), 164 
 
 Bank, Freedmen's Savings, 162 
 
 Banks, Genl.. on the conduct of Negro 
 
 . troops, 113 
 
 Banneka, Benjamin, attainments of, 35-38 
 death of, 38 
 Jefferson's letter to, 37 
 Robert, 35 
 Baptist Tribune, 150 
 Baptists, colored, extent of, 151 
 
 prominent, 151 
 Battle of Bull Hun, 103 
 of Bunker's Hill, incident of, 69 
 Negro heroism at, 66 
 Peter Salem at. 66 
 
 of Milliken'sBend, Negro troops at, 113 
 of New Orleans, cotton breastworks at 
 
 the, 76 
 
 of Petersburg, Negro troops at, 122-129 
 of Port Hudson, Negro troops at, 110-113 
 of the Wilderness, Negro troops at, 120 
 Bersen, Miss Flora Batson (singer), 183 
 Bethune, Thomas ("Blind Tom 7 '), 183-186 
 Bill, Civil Rights, 139,170 
 " Black Brigade," Kinks', 122 
 
 Black, John (inventor), 164 
 
 " Black Phalanx," 156 
 
 " Blind Tom," 184-186 
 
 Brawley, Rev. E. M., 149 
 
 Brown, Miss H. Q. (elocutionist), 183 
 
 John, insurrection of, 99 
 
 William Wells, 172 
 Bruce, Senator B. K., 175 
 Bunker Hill, incident of battle, 69 
 Bureau, Freedmen's, design of, 139, 140 
 Barnside, Genl., at Petersburg, 126-128 
 Butler, B. F., opposition to Negro eulis* 
 rnent, 105 
 
 CALLIOUX, Capt. Andre, 111 
 Canaanites. the, 10, 14, 15 
 Carey, Lott, 88 
 
 Carney, Sergeant, heroism of, 117 
 Charlton, Samuel, bravery of, 71 
 Chauncey, Com., retort to Capt. Perry, 77 
 Cbavers, Rev. John, 193 
 Cheatham, Hon. H P., 181 
 Children, school, colored, number of, 160 
 Christian Recorder, 149 
 Church, A M. E., influence of, 149 
 Zion, 152 
 
 Baptist, founded, 15ft 
 influence of the, 151 
 
 Methodist, 152 
 
 Presbyterian, 154 
 Churches, colored, property owned by, 163 
 
 Southern, Northern support of, 152 
 Cinquez. Joseph, 95 
 Cities, ancient African, 11, 15 
 Civil Rights Bill, 139 
 " Cockade City," 122 
 College, Bennett, 152, 158 
 
 Livingston, 152, 1'.8 
 
 Morris Brown, 148 
 
 Colonies, slavery in the, beginning of, 17 
 dates of introduction, ..5 
 
 Southern habits and customs of, 53 
 Colonists, Southern, habits and customs, 
 
 5S 
 
 Colored schools in the South 157-160 
 Constitution, Freemen's, in North Caro- 
 lina, 190, 191 
 Convention, Anti-Slavery, National, 82 
 
 of friie colored people, 82 
 Cotton plantations, Georgia, 47 
 Crandall, Prudence, Negro school of, 31-33 
 Crater, the. at Petersburg, 126-128 
 Curtis. Thomas J., 191 
 
 (197) 
 
198 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 DABNEY'S CLOTHES-LINE telegraph, 131- 
 
 134 
 Davis, Jefferson, capture of, 136 n 
 
 John, bravery of, 77 
 Debnam, Prof.'W. F., 157 
 Deeds of daring, Negro, 66-70, 131-134 
 Disfranchisement of the Southern Negro, 
 
 138 
 
 Dismal Swamp slave property in. 94 
 Dixon, Rev. William T., 172 
 Dodge, Caleb, slave test-suit of, 26 
 Douglass, Frederick, biography of, 84-87 
 
 writings of, 83 
 Dred Scott Decision, 99 n 
 Dunmore, Lord, enlistment of Negroes by, 
 
 Dunn's house, Negro corps at, 123, 124 
 
 EDUCATION, Negro, in the South, 156-161 
 
 self-help in, of Southern Negroes, 158 
 Elliott, Robert B. (orator), 169 
 Emancipation for military service, 61 
 
 in Virginia, 72 
 
 of New England slaves, 26, 27 
 
 Proclamations, 107 
 Enlistment (see SOLDIERS, TROOPS). 
 Explosion, mine, at Petersburg, 126 
 
 FAMILIES, Southern, habits and customs, 
 
 53.54 
 
 Fisk Jubilee Singers, 161 
 Fort, Blount's, refugees in, 48, 49, 50 
 
 Griswold, incident at, 71 
 
 Groton, incident at. 70 
 
 Pillow, Negro troops at, 118 
 
 Sumter, capture of, 103 
 
 Wagner, Negro troops at, 115 
 Forten, James, 81 
 
 Miss Sarah (poetess), 82 
 Fortune, T. T. (editor), 180 
 Franchise, elective (1776), in N. C., 190 
 
 (1835). in N. C., 191 
 Freedmen's Bureau, design of, 139, 140 
 
 Savings Bank, 162 
 Freedom, Negro, efforts for, 80-97 
 Freeman, John, heroism of, 71 
 Freemen, colored, elective franchise of, 
 
 190 
 
 Friends, the, opposition to slavery, 40 
 Fugitive slave law. 99 
 Fugitives (see SLAVES.) 
 Fuller, Thomas, 20 
 
 GAINES, W. J. (bishop), 147 
 Garrison. William Lloyd, 81, 180 
 Gaston, Judge, decision of. 191 
 Genim of Emancipation, the, 80 
 Government, Provisional, first, at the 
 
 South, 138 
 
 Grant, Genl., at Petersburg, 127, 128 
 Greener, Prof. Richard Theodore, 175 
 
 HABITS AND CUSTOMS of Southern colo- 
 nists, 53 
 Hall, Primus, incident of, 67 
 
 Hamilton, Alexander, letter of, 68 
 Hancock, Richard M., 164 
 Harper, Mrs. Frances Ell3n, 183 
 Harris, Sarah, 32 
 Heath, Corporal, bravery of, 112 
 Heroes, Negro, 19 
 
 of 1812, 77,78 
 
 of the Rebellion, 111, 112, 131 
 
 of the Revolution, 63-67 
 Holbrook, Felix, petition of, 27 
 Horton, George M. (poet), 41 
 Howard, Genl. O. O., 140 
 Hunter, Genl., enlistment of Negroes by, 
 104 
 
 INCIDENTS, 66-70, 131-134 
 Institute, Louisville, 181 
 
 Normal and Industrial, Kittrell's, 158 
 Institutions, Educational, 141, 154, 155, 
 
 157 
 Insurrection, John Brown's, 99 
 
 Nat. Turner's, 90-93 
 
 JAMESTOWN, Negroes at, first, 17, 19 
 Jeffreys, Major, bravery and treatment 
 
 of, 78 
 
 "Jenny Lind," colored, 183 
 Johnson, John, bravery of, 77 
 Jones, James H., 136 
 
 Wiley, 164 
 
 Journal of ike Times, 81 
 Jubilee Singers, Fisk, 161 
 
 KOSCIUSKO'S aid for the education of col- 
 ored children, 73 
 Ku-klux Klan, 139 
 
 LABOR, slave, in South Carolina, 44 
 
 La Fayette, Genl., anti-slavery ideas of, 
 72, 73 
 
 Langston, Hon. J. Mercer, 167 
 
 Latham, L., bravery and death of, 70, 71 
 
 Laurens, Col., death of, 66 
 enlistment of Negroes by, 58, 61 
 
 Law, slave, fugitive, 99 
 
 Leak, Rev. R. H. W.,93 
 
 Lee, Genl., surrender at Appomattox, 130 
 
 Lewis, Edmonia (artist), 179 
 
 Liberator, the, 81 
 
 Liberia, colonization of, 88, 89 
 
 Lincoln, Abraham, election of, 100, 103 
 proclamation for volunteers of, 103 
 Proclamations, Emancipation, 107 
 opposition of, to colored troops, 103, 106 
 review of colored troops by. 119 
 
 L'Ouverture, Toussaint, 186 
 
 Loomis. Lieut., attack and capture of 
 Blount's fort by, 49-50 
 
 Lundy, Benjamin (abolitionist), 80 
 
 Lynch, Hon. John R., 182 
 
 MAROONS, the Virginia, 94 
 
 Massacre, Boston, Crispus Attucks at, 68k 
 
 McClellan, Genl., 105 
 
INDEX. 
 
 199 
 
 Melodies, Negro, 146, 161 
 Milliken's Bend, negro troops at, 113 
 Morgan, C. G. (orator), 156 
 Music, Negro, 146 
 
 originality of, 161 
 " My Bondage and My Freedom," 83 
 
 NAHAK, Miss Ednorah, 184 
 National Reformer, the, 83 
 Navy, Negroes in the, of 1812, 76 
 NEGRO, the, freed, ostracization of, 145 
 eminent progress of, 196 
 origin of, 9,10 
 
 writings on, quotations from, 12 
 i?egro education in the South, 156-161 
 heroes, 19, 63-67, 77, 78, 111, 112, 131 
 refugees, Blount's Fort, 48 
 
 massacre of, 51 
 soldiers, conduct of, 109, 110 
 employment of, 109 
 enlistment of, 103-107 
 opposition to the, 56 
 first regiment of, 115 
 in Revolutionary times, 56 
 troops, at Petersburg, 122-129 
 
 in Virginia, 119, 120 
 Negroes, American, ancestors of, 9, 18 
 Colonial, enlistment of, 61, 62 
 British, 56, 67 
 Hamilton's letter on, 58 
 objections to the. 56,61, 62 
 Washington's letter, 60, 61 
 enlistment of, war of the Rebellion, 103 
 
 -107 
 
 re-enslavement of, after the Revolu- 
 tion, 74 
 
 some noted, 167-186 
 Nelson's colored troops at Port Hudson, 
 
 110-113 
 
 New London, Conn., capture of, 70 
 Noah, curse of, not divine, 14 
 
 sons of, 9, 10, 15 
 Noble, Jordan (veteran soldier), 78 
 
 PASTORIOUS, Francis Daniel, 40 
 Payne, Rev. D. A. (bishop), 172 
 Pehn, WilJiam, 40 
 Perry, Capt., retort of Com. Chauncey to, 
 
 Petersburg, attack of, Negro troops in, 
 122-129 
 
 Phelps, Genl.,104 
 
 Pinchback, Hon. P. B., 175 
 
 Planciancois, Anselmas, bravery of, 111, 
 112 
 
 " Planet" the, surrender of, 169 
 
 Plantations, cotton, Georgia, 47 
 
 Population, Negro, at the close of the Re- 
 bellion, 160; in 1850, 98 : in 1860, 102 ; 
 at the present time, 160 
 
 Port Hudson, Negro soldiers at, 110-113 
 
 Presbyterians, educational work of, !54 
 
 Price, Dr. J. C. (orator), 178 
 
 Prince, at the capture of Genl, Prescott, 
 
 Proclamations, emancipation, 107 
 Progress of Negro culture, 142-166 
 
 educational, 156-161 
 
 financial, 162-166 
 
 musical, 161 
 
 religious, 146-155 
 
 Property-holders, noted colored, 163 
 Prophecy, Noah's, not divine, 14 
 Pyramids, the, 9 
 
 QUAKERS, Penna., abolitionism of, 80 
 
 RACE, colored, progress of, since free- 
 dom, 142-196 
 
 Races, primitive, progenitors of, 9 
 
 Railroad, underground, the, 99, 101 
 
 Rayner, Hon. Kenneth, 194 
 
 Rebellion, enlistment of Negroes, 103-107 
 incidents of, 131-134 
 
 Reconstruction of Southern States, 138 
 
 Refugees, Negro, Georgia, 48, 51 
 
 Regiment, first colored, 115 
 
 Rencher, Hon. Abram, 194 
 
 Revels, Hon. Hiram, 167 
 
 Revolution, American, Negro heroes of, 
 
 63-67 
 soldiers of. 56, 63-67 
 
 Richmond, siege and fall of, 129, 130 
 
 Riot, draft, New York, 115 
 Negro, in New York (1712), 23 
 slave (1748), in So. Carolina, 44 
 
 SALEM, PETER, bravery of, 66 
 Scarborough, Prof. W. S., 156, 176 
 School, colored, first, in New England, 
 
 32 
 
 Normal, Tuskegee,178 
 School-children, colored, number of, 16fr 
 
 -teachers, colored, number of, 160 
 Schools, colored, establishment of, 141 
 Southern, educational expense, 160 
 
 expenditure on, 157 
 Science and art, noted Negroes in, 164 
 Selika, Madame (singer), 183 
 Seminary, Scotia, 155 
 Senator, "U. S., first Negro, 167 
 Sewall, Judge Samuel, 26 
 Simmons, Rev. W. J. (educator), 181 
 Singers, colored, noted, 183, 184 
 
 Jubilee, Fisk, 161 
 Slave and master, affection between, 143> 
 
 144 
 
 law, fugitive, 99 
 population, in 1850, 98 
 in 1860, 102 
 
 at the present time, 160 
 (See NEGRO.) 
 
 Slavery, in Conn., introduction of, 55 
 in Delaware, 40 . 
 
 introduction of, 55 
 in Georgia, 46, 47 
 in Jamestown, Va., 17 
 in Maryland, 34, 55 
 in Massachusetts, existence of, 25, 56 
 in New Hampshire, introduction of, 55 
 
200 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Slavery in New Jersey, introduction of, 55 
 In New York colony, 23, 55 
 in North Carolina, 41, 55 
 in Pennsylvania, 40, 55 
 in Rhode Island, introduction of, 55 
 in South Carolina. 44, 55 
 in Virginia, introduction of, 55 
 Slaves, American, ancestors of, 18 
 
 condition. 18, 19. 23. 25, 34, 41, 44 
 colonial, compensation of master for 
 
 enlisted, 61 
 emancipation of, for military service, 
 
 61 
 emancipation of, in Mass., 26 
 
 in Virginia, 72 
 
 faithfulness of, during civil war, 136 
 freed, condition of, at close of the Re-' 
 
 bellion, 144 
 fugitive, 99 
 enlistment of, 104 
 at Blount's Fort, 48-50 
 importation of, in America, 17 
 introduction of, 17, 55 
 runaway, in S. C., 44 
 white, in Maryland, 34 
 Slaves, Maryland, .34 
 
 New England, emancipation of, 27 
 Small, Hon. Robert, 168 
 Smith, Genl., at Petersburg, 122, 124, 125 
 Gov. John, edict of, 20 
 Prof. E. E., 178 
 Societies, anti-slavery, formation of, 80 
 
 number in 1836, 82 
 Northern, for the education of Southern 
 
 Negroes, 152 
 
 Society, colonization, American, 88 
 Soldiers, Negro, colonial, compensation 
 
 of, 61 
 
 enlistment of, reward, 62, 67, 71, 72 
 in Revolutionary times, 45, 56 
 in 1812, Jackson's address to, 75 
 of the ^Rebellion, conduct of, 109. 110 
 Confederate, 103 
 first regiment of, 115 
 prejudice to, 103 
 public sentiment against, 104-106 
 
 change of. 117 
 Stevens' bill to enlist, 105 
 Sphinx, the, 12 
 
 Staines, William, bravery of, 134 
 Stan ton, encomium of, on Negro troops, 
 
 125 
 
 StaroSZi&n, the, 152 
 
 States, admission as free OT slave, agita- 
 tion, 99 
 
 Southern, reconstruction of, 138 
 Still. William, 164 
 Stowe, Harriet Beecher, 83 
 Sutfrage, universal, effect of Southern, 
 
 139 
 Sumner, Charles, 98 
 
 TANNER, HENRY (artist), 164 
 Tappan, Arthur, 81 
 I*wis,97 
 
 Teachers, colored school, number. 160 
 Telegraph, cjothes-linc, Dabney's. 131- 
 
 134 
 
 Terry, John W..1G4 % 
 
 Troops, Negro, as soldiers, 105, 106 
 
 bravery of. 109-134 
 
 first regimentbf, 115 
 
 pay of the, 106 
 Troops, Negro, Colonial (see SOLDIERS). 
 
 at Fort Pillow, 115, U8 
 
 atMilliken's Bend, 113 
 
 at Petersburg, 122-129 
 
 at Port Hudson, 110-113 
 
 at the Wilderness, 120 
 
 in Confederate army, 104, 105. 135 
 
 in Union army, 106, 135 
 
 in Virginia campaign, 119 
 (see ARMY, SOLDIERS.) 
 Tupper, Dr. H. M., 158 
 Turner, H. M. (bishop), 174 
 Nathaniel, execution of, 92 
 
 insurrection of, 90 
 
 " UNCLE TOM'S CABIJ T ," 83 
 Underground railroad, 99 
 
 work of the, 101 
 University, Alcorn, 167 
 
 Biddle, 154 
 
 Lincoln, 154 
 
 Selma, 150 
 
 Shaw, 138 
 
 Wilberforce, 149 
 
 VIRGINIA CALCULATOR, the, 20 
 
 WAR, civil, American (see REBELLION). 
 
 in Kansas, 99 
 
 Mexican, outbreak of the, 80 
 of 1812, 74, 78 
 
 enlistment of free Negroes for, 75 
 Negroes in the navy of, 76 
 of the Rebellion. 103 
 incidents of, 131-134 
 Revolutionaryend of the, 74 
 
 Negroes in the, 56, 63-67 
 Washington, Prof. B T., 177 
 George, freedom of slaves by, 72 
 
 incidents of, 67, 68 
 Madison, freedom of, 94 
 Watkins, Avery (preacher), 93 
 
 Frances Ellen. 38, 39 
 Wealth of colored peopie, 163, 164 
 Webster. Daniel, 98 
 Welsh, Molly, 35 
 
 Wheatley, Pnillis, culture of, 27, 28 
 death of, 31 
 
 Washington's letter to, 29 
 Whitfield, George, 47 n 
 Williams. George W. (author), 156 
 
 Roger, 150 
 
 Wilson, Joseph T. (author), 15<V 
 Woods, Granville T. (inventor), 163 
 
WILLIAM McKINLEY. 
 
HISTORY OF NEGRO SOLDIERS 
 
 IN THE 
 
 SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR 
 
 AND 
 
 OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST. 
 
 BY 
 
 EDWARD A. JOHNSON, 
 
 AUTHOR OF THE FAMOUS SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE!NEGRO RACE IN AMERICA, 
 
 RALEIGH, N. C.: 
 
 CAPITAI, PRINTING COMPANY, PUBLISHERS, 
 1901. 
 
COPYRIGHT, 1899, 
 
 BY EDWARD A. JOHNSON, RALEIGH, N. C. 
 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 
 
/ $5 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 (SEE LAST PAGE FOR INDEX TO ILLUSTRATIONS.) 
 
 PAGE 
 
 CHAPTER I 209-235 
 
 The Cause of the War With Spain The Virginius Affair General 
 Fitzhugh Lee Belligerent Rights to Insurgents Much Money and 
 Time Spent by United States Spain Tries to Appease Public Senti- 
 ment "Weyler" The Butcher Resolutions by Congress Favoring 
 Insurgents Insurgents Gain by General Antonio Maceo The 
 Spirit of Insurgents at Maceo's Death Jase Maceo Weyler's Policy 
 Miss Cisnero's Rescue Appeal for Her Spain and Havana Stirred 
 by American Sentiment Battle Ship Maine Official Investigation 
 of Destruction of Responsibility for Congress Appropriates $50,- 
 000,000 for National Defence President's Message Congress De- 
 clares War Resolution Signed by President Copy of Resolution 
 Sent Minister Woodf ord Fatal Step for Spain American Navy . 
 
 CHAPTER II 236-237 
 
 Beginning of Hostilities Colored Hero in the Navy. 
 
 CHAPTER III 238-267 
 
 Seargeant Major Pullen of Twenty-fifth Infantry Describes the Conduct 
 of Negro Soldiers Around El Caney Its Station Before the Spanish- 
 American War and Trip to Tampa, Florida The Part it Took in the 
 Fight at El Caney Buffalo Troopers, the Name by which Negro 
 Soldiers are Known The Charge of the "Nigger Ninth" on San 
 Juan Hill. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 268-293 
 
 Colonel Theodore B. Roosevelt on the Colored Soldiers Colonel Roose- 
 velt's Error Jacob A. Riis Compliments Negro Soldiers General 
 Nelson A. Miles Compliments Negro Soldiers Cleveland Moffitt 
 Compliments the Negro Soldiers President McKinley Promotes 
 Negro Soldiers General Thomas J. Morgan on Negro Officers. 
 
206 CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 CHAPTER V 294-334 
 
 Many Testimonials in Behalf of Negro Soldiers A Southerner's State- 
 ment Reconciliation Charleston News and Courier Good Marks- 
 manship at El Caney Their Splendid Courage; Fought Like Tigers 
 Never wavered What Army Officers Say Acme of Bravery Around 
 Santiago Saved the Life of His Lieutenant, but Lost His Own 
 " Black Soldier Boys "New York Mail and Express They Never 
 Faltered The Negro Soldier; His Good-heartedness Mrs. Porter's 
 Ride Investment of Santiago and Surrender Killed and Wounded. 
 
 CHAPTER VI 335-347 
 
 No Color Line in Cuba A Graphic Description American Prejudice 
 Cannot Exist There A Catholic Priest Vouches for it Colored 
 Belles War Began Facts About Porto Rico. 
 
 CHAPTER VII 348-384 
 
 List of Colored Regiments that did Active Service in the Spanish- 
 American War A List of the Volunteer Regiments Full Account 
 of the Troubles of the Sixth Virginia Comments on the Third North 
 Carolina Regiment. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. . . 385-387 
 
 The Twenty-Fourth U. S. Infantry Field and Staff Officers. 
 
 CHAPTER IX 388-417 
 
 General Items of Interest to the Race Miss Alberta Scott Discovery 
 of the Games Family Colored Wonder on the Bicycle Negro 
 Millionaire Found at Last Uncle Sam's Money Sealer Paul Law- 
 rence Dunbar, the Negro Poet Disfranchisement of Colored Voters. 
 
 CHAPTER X 418-426 
 
 Some Facts About the Filipinos Who Aguinaldo is Facts from 
 Felipe Agoncillo's Article. 
 
CONTENTS. 107 
 
 PAGE 
 
 CHAPTER XI 427-443 
 
 Resume Why the American Government Does not Protect its Colored 
 Citizen State Rights Monocracy Supreme The Solution of the 
 Negro Problem is Mainly ^in the Race's Own Hands The South a 
 Good Place for the Negro, Provided he can be Protected. 
 
 APPENDIX 444 
 
 The Two Black Regiments Names of Officers. 
 
CHAPTER 1. 
 
 THE CAUSE OF THE WAR WITH SPAIN. 
 
 MANY CAUSES LEI> up to the Spanish- American wan. 
 Cuba had been in a state of turmoil for a long time, and the 
 continual reports of outrages on the people of the island by 
 Spain greatly aroused the Americans. The "ten years 
 war" had terminated, leaving the island much embarrassed 
 in its material interests, and woefully scandalized by the 
 methods of procedure adopted by Spain and principally 
 carried out by Generals Campos and Weyler, the latter of 
 whom was called the " butcher " on account of his alleged 
 cruelty in attempting to suppress the former insurrection. 
 There was no doubt much to complain of under his admin- 
 istration, for which the General himself was not personally 
 responsible. He boasted that he only had three individuals 
 put to death, and that in each of these cases he was highly 
 justified by martial law. 
 
 FINALLY THE ATTENTION OF THE UNITED STATES was forci- 
 bly attracted to Cuba by the Virginius affair, which consisted 
 in the wanton murder of fifty American sailors officers and 
 crew of the Virginius, which was captured by the Spanish 
 off Santiago bay, bearing arms and ammunition to the 
 insurgents Captain Fry, a West Point graduate, in com 
 mand. 
 
 Spain would, no doubt, have received a genuine American 
 thrashing on this occasion had she not been a republic at 
 that time, and President Grant and others thought it unwise 
 
210 
 
 to crush out her republican principles, which then seemed 
 just budding into existence. 
 
 The horrors of this incident, however, were not out of the 
 minds of Ihe American people when the new insurrection 
 of 1895 broke out. At once, as if by an electric flash, the 
 sympathy of the American people was enlisted with the 
 Insurgents who were (as the Americans believed) fighting 
 Spain for their liberty. Public opinion was on the Insur- 
 gents' side and against Spain from the beginning. This 
 feeling of sympathy for the fighting Cubans knew no North 
 nor South ; and strange as it may seem the Southerner who 
 quails before the mob spirit that disfranchises, ostracises and 
 lynches an American Negro who seeks his liberty at home, 
 became a loud champion of the Insurgents' cause in Cuba, 
 which was, in fact, the cause of Cuban negroes and mulat- 
 toes. 
 
 GENERAL FITZHUOH LEE, of Virginia, possibly the most 
 noted Southerner of the day, was sent by President Cleve- 
 land to Havana as Consul General, and seemed proud of the 
 honor of representing his government there, judging from 
 his reports of the Insurgents, which were favorable. Gen- 
 eral Lee was retained at his post by President McKinley 
 until it became necessary to recall him, thus having the 
 high honor paid him of not being changed by the new 
 McKinley administration, which differed from him in poli- 
 tics ; and as evidence of General Fitzhugh Lee's sympathy 
 with the Cubans it may be cited that he sent word to the 
 Spanish Commander (Blanco) on leaving Havana that he 
 would return to the island again and when he came he 
 " would bring the stars and stripes in front of him." 
 
t 
 
 
 I 
 
 % 
 
 GENERAL FITZHUGH 
 
 211 
 
2I 3 
 
 BELLIGERENT RIGHTS TO THE INSURGENTS OR NEUTRALITY 
 
 became the topic of discussion during the close of President 
 Cleveland's administration. The President took the ground 
 that the Insurgents though deserving of proper sympathy, 
 and such aid for humanity's sake as could be given them yet 
 they had not established on any part of the island such a 
 form of government as could be recognized at Washington, 
 and accorded belligerent rights or rights of a nation at war 
 with another nation ; that the laws of neutrality should be 
 strictly enforced, and America should, keep "hands off" 
 and let Spain and the Insurgents settle their own differ- 
 ences. 
 
 MUCH MONEY AND TIME was expended by the United 
 States government in maintaining this neutral position. 
 Filibustering expeditions were constantly being fitted up in 
 America with aims and ammunition for the Cuban patriots. 
 As a neutral power it became the duty of the American 
 government to suppress fillibustering, but it was both an 
 unpleasant and an expensive duty, and one in which the 
 people had little or no sympathy. 
 
 SPAIN TRIES TO APPEASE public sentiment in America 
 by recalling Marshal Campos, who was considered unequal 
 to the task of defeating the Insurgents, because of reputed 
 inaction. The flower of the Spanish army was poured into 
 Cuba by the tens of thousands estimated, all told, at three 
 hundred thousand when the crisis between America and 
 Spain was reached. 
 
 WEYLER, "THE BUTCHER," was put in command and 
 inaugurated the policy of establishing military zones inside 
 of the Spanish lines, into which the unarmed farmers, mer- 
 
214 
 
 chants, women and children were driven, penniless ; and 
 being without any visible means of subsistence were left to 
 perish from hunger and disease. (The condition of these 
 people greatly excited American sympathy with the Insur- 
 gents.) General Weyler hoped thus to weaken the Insur- 
 gents who received considerable of supplies from this class 
 of the population, either by consent or force. Weyler' s 
 policy in reference to the reconcentrados (as these non-com- 
 batant people were called) rather increased than lessened 
 the grievance, as was natural to suppose, in view of the 
 misery and suffering it entailed on a class of people who, 
 most of all, were not the appropriate subjects for his perse- 
 cution, and sentiment became so strong in the United 
 States against this policy (especially in view of the fact 
 that General Weyler had promised to end the " Insurrec- 
 tion " in three months after he took command) that in 
 
 FEBRUARY, 1896, the United States Congress took up the 
 discussion of the matter. Several Senators and Congress- 
 men returned from visits to the island pending this discus- 
 sion, in which they took an active and effective part, de- 
 picting a most shocking and revolting situation in Cuba, 
 for which Spain was considered responsible ; and on April 
 6th following this joint resolution was adopted by Congress : 
 
 "jBe it resolved by the Senate and Souse of Representa- 
 tive of the United States of America, that in the opinion 
 of Congress a public war exists between the Government 
 of Spain and the Government proclaimed and for some time 
 maintained by force of arms by the people of Cuba ; and 
 that the United States of America should maintain a strict 
 
GENERAL ANTONIO MACEO. 
 
217 
 
 neutrality between the contending powers, according to 
 each all the rights of belligerents in the ports and territory 
 of the United States. 
 
 "Resolved further, that the friendly offices of the United 
 States should be offered by the President to the Spanish 
 government for the recognition of the independence of 
 Cuba." 
 
 THE INSURGENTS gained by this resolution an important 
 point. It dignified their so-called insurrection into an 
 organized army with a government at its back, which was 
 so recognized and treated with. They could buy and sell 
 in American ports. 
 
 GENERAL ANTONIO MACEO about this time was doing great 
 havoc along the Spanish lines. He darted from place to 
 place, back and forth across the supposed impassable line 
 of Spanish fortifications stretching north and south across 
 the island some distance from Havana, and known as the 
 trocha. Thousands of Spanards fell as the result of his 
 daring and finesse in military execution. His deeds became 
 known in America, and though a man of Negro descent, 
 with dark skin and crisp hair, his fame was heralded far 
 and wide in the American newspapers. At a public gath- 
 ering in New York, where his picture was exhibited, the 
 audience went wild with applause the waving of handker- 
 chiefs and the wild hurrahs were long and continued. The 
 career of this hero was suddenly terminated by death, due 
 to the treachery of his physician Zertucha, who, under the 
 guise of a proposed treaty of peace, induced him to meet a 
 company of Spanish officers, at which meeting, according 
 
218 
 
 to a pre-arranged plot, a mob of Spanish infantry rushed in 
 on General Maceo and shot him down unarmed. It is said 
 that his friends recovered his body and buried it in a secret 
 place unknown to the Spaniards, who were anxious to obtain 
 it for exhibition as a trophy of war in Havana. u Maceo was 
 equal to Toussaint L/Overture of San Domingo. His pub- 
 lic life was consecrated to liberty ; he knew no vice nor 
 mean action ; he would not permit any around him. When 
 he landed in Cuba from Porto Rico he was told there were 
 no arms. He replied, " I will get them with my machete," 
 and he left five thousand to the Cubans, conquered by his 
 arm. Every time the Spanish attacked him they were 
 beaten and left thousands of arms and much ammunition 
 in his possession. He was born in Santiago de Cuba July 
 14, 1848. 
 
 THE SPIRIT OF THE INSURGENTS did not break with Gen- 
 eral Maceo's death. Others rose up to fill his place, the 
 women even taking arms in the defence of home and liberty. 
 "At first no one believed who had not seen them, that there 
 were women in the Cuban army ; but there is no doubt 
 about it. They are not all miscalled amazons, for they are 
 warlike women and do not shun fighting. The difficulty 
 in employing them being that they are insanely brave. 
 When they ride into battle they become exalted and are 
 dangerous creatures. Those who first joined the forces on 
 the field were the wives of men belonging in the army, and 
 their purpose was rather to be protected than to become 
 heroines and avengers. It shows the state of the island, 
 that the women found the army the safest place for them. 
 With the men saved from the plantations and the murderous 
 
MISS EVANGEUNA COSIO Y CISNEROS. 
 
 219 
 
221 
 
 bandits infesting the roads and committing every lamenta- 
 ble outrage upon the helpless, some of the high spirited 
 Cuban women followed their husbands, and the example 
 has been followed, and some, instead of consenting to be 
 protected have taken up the fashion of fighting." Murat 
 Hoisted. 
 
 JOSE MACEO, brother of Antonio, was also a troublesome 
 character to the Spaniards, who were constantly being set 
 upon by him and his men. 
 
 WEYLER'S POLICY AND THE BRAVE STRUGGLE of the peo- 
 ple both appealed very strongly for American sympathy 
 with the Insurgent cause. The American people were 
 indignant at Weyler and were inspired by the conduct of 
 the Insurgents. Public sentiment grew stronger with every 
 fresh report of an Insurgent victory, or a Weyler persecu- 
 tion. 
 
 MISS ETAXGELINA COSIO Y CISNEROS' RESCUE helped to 
 arouse sentiment. This young and beautiful girl of aristo- 
 cratic Cuban parentage alleged that a Spanish officer had, on 
 the occasion of a raid made on her home, in which her 
 father was captured and imprisoned as a Cuban sympathizer, 
 proposed her release on certain illicit conditions, and on her 
 refusal she was incarcerated with her aged father in the 
 renowned but filthy and dreaded Morro Castle at Havana. 
 
 APPEAL AFTER APPEAL by large numbers of the most 
 prominent women in America was made to General Weyler, 
 and even to Queen Regent of Spain, for her release, but 
 without avail, when finally the news was flashed to America 
 that she had escaped. This proved to be true her release 
 being effected by Carl Decker, a reporter on the New York 
 
222 
 
 Journal a most daring feat. Miss Cisneros was brought 
 to America and became the greatest sensation of the day. 
 Her beauty, her affection for her aged father, her innocence, 
 and the thrilling events of her rescue, made her the public 
 idol, and gave Cuba librc a new impetus in American 
 sympathy. 
 
 SPAIN AND HAVANA felt the touch of these ever spreading 
 waves of public sentiment, and began to resent them. At 
 Havana public demonstrations we made against America. 
 The life of Consul General Lee was threatened. The 
 Spanish Minister at Washington, Senor de Lome, was ex- 
 posed for having written to a friend a most insulting letter, 
 describing President McKinley as a low politician and a 
 weakling. For this he was recalled by Spain at the request 
 of the American government. 
 
 Protection to American citizens and property in Havana 
 became necessary, and accordingly the BATTLE SHIP MAINE 
 was sent there for this purpose, the United States govern- 
 ment disclaiming any other motives save those of protection 
 to Americans and their interests. The Maine was, to all 
 outward appearances, friendly received by the Spaniards at 
 Havana by the usual salutes and courtesies of the navy, 
 and was anchored at a point in the bay near a certain bouy 
 designated by the Spanish Commander. This was on 
 January 25, 1898, and on February i5th this noble vessel 
 was blown to pieces, and 266 of its crew perished two 
 colored men being in the number. This event added fuel 
 to the already burning fire of American <eeling against 
 Spain. Public sentiment urged an immediate declaration 
 of war. President McKinley coumeled moderation. Cap- 
 
223 
 
225 
 
 tain Siggsbee, who survived the wreck of the Maine, pub- 
 lished an open address in which he advised that adverse 
 criticism be delayed until an official investigation could be 
 made of the affair. 
 
 THE OFFICIAL INVESTIGATION was had by a Court of 
 Inquiry, composed of Captain W. T. Sampson of the Iowa, 
 Captain F. C. Chadwick of the New York, Lieutenant- 
 Commander W. P. Potter of the New York, and Lieutenant- 
 Commander Adoph Marix of the Vermont, appointed by 
 the President. Divers were employed to examine the shat- 
 tered hull of the Maine; many witnesses were examined, and 
 the court, by a unanimous decision, rendered March 21, 
 1898, after a four weeks' session, reported as follows: 
 u That the loss of Maine was not in any respect due to 
 the fault or negligence on the part of any of the officers or 
 members of her crew ; that the ship was destroyed by the 
 explosion of a submarine mine which caused the partial 
 explosion of two or more of her forward magazines ; and 
 that no evidence has been obtainable fixing the responsi- 
 bility for the destruction of the Maine upon any person or 
 persons." 
 
 RESPONSIBILITY IN THIS REPORT is not fixed on any 
 " person or persons." It reads something like the usual 
 verdict of a coroner's jury after investigating the death of 
 some colored man who has been lynched, " he came to 
 his death by the hands of parties unknown." This report 
 on the Maine's destruction, unlike the usual coroner's jury 
 verdict, however, in one respect, was not accepted by the 
 people, who claimed that Spain was responsible, either 
 
226 
 
 directly or indirectly, for the explosion, and the public still 
 clamored for war to avenge the outrage. 
 
 CONGRESS ALSO CATCHES the war fever and appropriated 
 #50,000,000 "for the national defense " by a unanimous 
 vote of both houses. The war and navy departments be- 
 came very active; agents were sent abroad to buy war ships, 
 but the President still hesitated to state his position until 
 he had succeeded in getiing the American Consuls out of 
 Cuba who were in danger from the Spaniards there. Con- 
 sul Hyatt embarked from Santiago April 3, and Consul 
 General Lee, who was delaved in getting off American 
 refugees, left on April 10, and that day the PRESIDENT 
 SENT HIS MESSAGE TO CONGRESS. He pictured the deplor- 
 able condition of the people of Cuba, due to General Wey- 
 ler's policy ; he recommended that the Insurgent govern- 
 ment be not recognized, as such recognition might involve 
 this government in "embarrassing international complica- 
 tion," but referred the whole subject to Congress for ac- 
 tion. 
 
 CONGRESS DECLARES WAR ON APRIL 13 by a joint resolu- 
 tion of the Foreign Affairs Committee of both houses, 
 which was adopted, after a conference of the two commit- 
 tees, April 1 8, in the following form : 
 
 WHEREAS, the abhorrent conditions which have existed 
 for more than three years in the island of Cuba, so near 
 our own borders, have shocked the moral sense of the peo- 
 ple of the United States, have been a disgrace to Christian 
 civilization, culminating as they have in the destruction 
 of a United States battle ship, with 266 of its officers and 
 crew, while on a friendly visit in the harbor of Havana,, 
 
227 
 
 and cannot longer be endured, as has been set forth by the 
 President of the United States in his message to Congress 
 of April n, 1898, upon which the action of Congress was 
 invited : therefore, 
 
 Resolved, by the Senate and House of Representatives 
 of the United States of America in Congress assembled 
 
 First, that the people of the island of Cuba are, and of 
 right ought to be free and independent. 
 
 Second, that it is the duty of the United States to de- 
 mand, and the government of the United States does here- 
 by demand, that the government of Spain at once relin- 
 quish its authority and government in the island of Cuba 
 and withdraw its land and naval forces from Cuba and 
 Cuban waters. 
 
 Third, that the President of the United States be, and 
 he hereby i, directed and empowered to use the entire 
 land and naval forces of the United States, and to call into 
 the actual service of the United States the militia of the 
 several states to such extent as may be necessary to carry 
 these resolutions into effect. 
 
 Fouith, that the United States hereby disclaims any 
 disposition or intention to exercise sovereignty, jurisdic- 
 tion or control over said island, except for the pacification 
 thereof, and asserts its determination when that is com- 
 pleted to leave the government and control of the island to 
 its people. 
 
 THE PRESIDENT SIGNED THIS RESOLUTION at 11:24 A. M - 
 on the 20th of April, 1898. The Spanish Minister, Senor 
 Luis Polo y Bernarbe, was served with a copy, upon which 
 he asked for his passports, and "immediately left Wash- 
 ington." 
 
228 
 
 EDDIE SAYOY OUTWITS THE SPANISH MINISTER. 
 
 "This is a picture of Edward Savoy, who accomplished 
 one of the most signal diplomatic triumphs in connection 
 with recent relations with Spain. It was he who outwitted 
 the whole Spanish Legation and delivered the ultimatum 
 to Minister Polo. 
 
 " Edward Savoy has been a messenger in the Depart- 
 ment of State for nearly thirty years. He was appointed 
 by Hamilton Fish in 1869, and held in high esteem by 
 James G. Elaine. 
 
 u He was a short, squat, colored man, with a highly in- 
 telligent face, hair slightly tinged with gray and an air of 
 alertness which makes him stand out in sharp contrast 
 with the other messengers whom one meets in the halls of 
 the big building. 
 
 "Of all the men under whom 4 Eddie,' as he is univer- 
 sally called, has served he has become most attached to 
 Judge Day, whom he says is the finest man he ever saw. 
 
 " Minister Polo was determined not to receive the ulti- 
 matum. He was confident he would receive a private tip 
 from the White House, which would enable him to demand 
 his passports before the ultimatum was served upon him. 
 Then he could refuse to receive it, saying that he was no 
 longer Minister. It will be remembered that Spain hand- 
 ed Minister Woodford his passports before the American 
 representative could present the ultimatum to the Spanish 
 Government. 
 
 "Judge Day's training as a country lawyer stood him in 
 good stead. He had learned the value of being the first to 
 get in an attachment. 
 
EDDIE SAVOY. 
 
 229 
 
231 
 
 " The ultimatum was placed in a large, square envelop e > 
 that might have contained an invitation to dinner. It was 
 natural that it should be given to ' Eddie' Savoy. He had 
 gained the sobriquet of the nation's 'bouncer,' from the fact 
 that he had handed Lord Sackville-West and Minister De 
 Lome their passports. 
 
 "It was 11:30 o'clock on Wednesday morning when 
 * Eddie' Savoy pushed the electric button at the front door 
 of the Spanish Legation, in Massachusetts avenue. The 
 old Spanish soldier who acted as doorkeeper responded. 
 
 " * Have something here for the Minister,' said Eddie. 
 
 "The porter looked at him suspiciously, but he per- 
 mitted the messenger to pass into the vestibule, which is 
 perhaps six feet square. Beyond the vestibule is a pas- 
 sage that leads to the large central hall. The Minister 
 stood in the hall. In one hand he held an envelope. It was 
 addressed to the Secretary of State. It contained a request 
 for the passports of the Minister and his suit. Senor Polo 
 had personally brought the document from the chancellory 
 above. 
 
 " When the porter presented the letter just brought by 
 the Department of State's messenger, Senor Polo grasped 
 it in his quick, nervous way. He opened the envelope and 
 realized instantly that he had been outwitted. A cynical 
 smile passed over the Minister's face as he handed his 
 request for passports to ( Eddie,' who bowed and smiled on 
 the Minister. 
 
 "Senor Polo stepped back into the hall and started to 
 read the ultimatum carefully. But he stopped and turned 
 his head toward the door. 
 
232 
 
 " 4 This is indeed Jeffersonian simplicity,' he said. 
 
 " l Eddie' Savoy felt very badly over the incident, because 
 he had learned to like Minister Polo personally. 
 
 " ' He was so pleasant that I felt like asking him to stay 
 a little longer,' said ' Eddie,' 'but I didn't, for that wouldn't 
 have been diplomatic. When you have been in this de- 
 partment twenty-five or thirty years you learn never to say 
 what you want to say and never to speak unless you think 
 twice.' 
 
 " Wherefore it will be seen that ' Eddie ' Savoy has mas- 
 tered the first principles of diplomacy." N. T. World. 
 
 A COPY OF THE RESOLUTION BY CONGRESS was also cabled 
 to Minister Woodtord, at Madrid, to be officially transmit- 
 ted to the Spanish Government, fixing the 23d as the limit 
 for its reply, but the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs 
 had already learned of the action of Congress, and did not 
 permit Minister Woodford to ask for his passports, but sent 
 them to him on the evening of the 2ist, and this was the 
 formal beginning of the war. 
 
 A FATAL STEP WAS THIS FOR SPAIN, who evidently, as her 
 newspapers declared, did not think the "American pigs" 
 would fight. She was unaware of the temper of the peo- 
 ple, who seemed to those who knew the facts, actually 
 thirsting for Spanish blood a feeling due more or less to 
 thirty years of peace, in which the nation had become rest- 
 less, and to the fact also that America had some new boats, 
 fine specimens of workmanship, which had been at target 
 practice for a long time and now yearned for the reality, 
 like the boy who has a gun and wants to try it on the real 
 
JOSE MACEO. 
 
 233 
 
235 
 
 game. The proof of the superiority of American gunnery 
 was demonstrated in every naval battle. The accurate aim 
 of Dewey's gunners at Manilla, and Sampson and Schley's 
 at Santiago, was nothing less than wonderful. No less 
 wonderful, however, was the accuracy of the Americans 
 than the inaccuracy of the Spaniards, who seemed almost 
 unable to hit anything. 
 
 WHILE ACCREDITING THE AMERICAN NAVY with its full 
 share of praise for its wonderful accomplishments, let us 
 remember that there is scarcely a boat in the navy flying 
 the American flag but what has a number of COLORED 
 SAILORS on it, who, along with others, help to make up its 
 greatness and superiority. One of Dewey's best gunners is 
 said to be a negro. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE BEGINNING OF HOSTILITIES. 
 
 A COLORED HERO IN THE NAVY. 
 
 History records the negro as the first man to fall in three 
 wars of America Crispus Attucks in the Boston massacre, 
 March 5, 1770; an unknown Negro in Baltimore when the 
 Federal troops were mobbed in that city en route to the 
 front, and Elijah B. Tunnell, of Accomac county, Virginia, 
 who fell simultaneously with or a second before Ensign 
 Bagley, of the torpedo boat Wtnslo-w, in the harbor of Car- 
 denas, May n, 1898, in the Spanish- American war. 
 
 ELIJAH B. TUNNELL was employed as cabin cook on the 
 Winslo-w. The boat, under a severe fire from masked bat- 
 teries of the Spanish on shore, was disabled. The Wil- 
 mington came to her rescue, the enemy meanwhile still 
 pouring on a heavy fire. It was difficult to get the " line " 
 fastened so that the Winsloiv could be towed off out of range 
 of the Spanish guns. Realizing the danger the boat and 
 crew were in, and anxious to be of service, Tunnell left his 
 regular work and went on deck to assist in "making fast'' 
 the two boats, and while thus engaged a shell came, which, 
 bursting over the group of workers, killed him and three 
 others. It has been stated in newspaper reports of this in- 
 cident that it was an ill-aimed shell of one of the American 
 boats that killed Tunnell and Bagley. Tunnell was taken 
 on board the Wilmington with both legs blown off, and 
 fearfully mutilated. Turning to those about him, he asked, 
 " Did we win in the fight, boys ? " The reply was, " Yes." 
 
237 
 
 He said, " Then I die happy." While others fell at the post 
 of duty it may be said of this brave Negro that he fell while 
 doing more than his duty. He might have kept out of 
 harm's way if he had desired, but seeing the situation he 
 rushed forward to relieve it as best he could, and died a 
 "volunteer" in service, doing what others ought to have 
 done. All honor to the memory of Elijah B. Tunnell, who, 
 if not the first, certainly simultaneous with the first, martyr 
 of the Spanish-American war. While our white fellow- 
 citizens justly herald the fame of Ensign Bagley, who was 
 known to the author from his youth, let our colored patriots 
 proclaim the heroism of Tunnell of Accomac. While not 
 ranking as an official in the navy, yet he was brave, he was 
 faithful and we may inscribe over his grave that " he died 
 doing what he could for his country." 
 
 War Between the United States and Spain began April 
 21, 1898. Actual hostilities ended August 12, 1898,- by the 
 signing of the protocol by the Secretary of State of the 
 United States for the United States, and M. Cambon, the 
 French Embassador at Washington, acting for Spain. 
 
 The war lasted 114 days. The Americans were victorious 
 in every regular engagement. In the three-days battle 
 around Santiago, the Americans lost 22 officers and 208 
 men killed, and 81 officers and 1,203 men wounded and 79 
 missing. The Spanish loss as best estimated was near 
 i, 600 officers and men killed and wounded. 
 
 Santiago was surrounded July 17, 1898, with something 
 over 22,000 troops. 
 
 General Shafter estimates in his report the American 
 forces as numbering 16,072 with 815 officers. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 SERGEANT-MAJOR PULLEN OFTHE25-mlNFANTRY 
 
 DESCRIBES THE CONDUCT OF THE NEGRO 
 
 SOLDIERS AROUND EL CANEY. 
 
 THE TWENTY-FIFTH U. S. INFANTRY-ITS STATION BEFORE 
 
 THE SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR AND TRIP TO TAMPA, 
 
 FLORIDA-THE PART IT TOOK IN THE 
 
 FIGHT AT EL CANEY. 
 
 When our magnificent battle-ship Maine was sunk in 
 Havana harbor, February 15, 1898, the 25th U. S. Infantry 
 was scattered in western Montana, doing garison duty, 
 with headquarters at Fort Missoula. This regiment had 
 been stationed in the West since 1880, when it came up 
 from Texas where it had been from its consolidation in 
 1869, fighting Indians building roads, etc., for the pioneers 
 of that state and New Mexico. In consequence of the regi- 
 ment's constant frontier service, very little was known of 
 it outside of army circles. As a matter of course it was 
 known that it was a colored regiment, but its praises had 
 never been sung. 
 
 Strange to say, although the record of this regiment was 
 equal to any in the service, it had always occupied remote 
 stations, except a short period, from about May, 1880, to 
 about August, 1885, when headquarters, band and a few 
 companies were stationed at Fort Snelling, near St. Paul, 
 Minnesota. 
 
SERGEANT FRANK W PUII,EN, 
 
 Who was in the Charge on El Caney as a member of the 
 
 Twenty-fifth U. S. Infantry. 
 
241 
 
 Since the days of reconstruction, when a great part of the 
 country (the South especially) saw the regular soldier in a 
 low state of discipline, and when the possession of a sound 
 physique was the only requirement necessary for the reciuit 
 to enter the service of the United States, people in general 
 had formed an opinion that the regular soldier, generally, 
 and the Negro soldier in particular, was a most undesirable 
 element to have in a community. Therefore, the Secretary 
 of War, in ordering changes in station of troops from 
 time to time (as is customary to change troops from severe 
 climates to mild ones and vice versa, that equal justice 
 might be done all) had repeatedly overlooked the 25th 
 Infantry ; or had only ordered it from Minnesota to the 
 Dakotas and Montana, in the same military depaitment, 
 and in a climate more severe for troops to serve in than any 
 in the United States. This gallant regiment of colored 
 soldiers served eighteen years in that climate, where, in 
 winter, which lasts five months or more, the temperature 
 falls as low as 55 degrees below zero, and in summer arises 
 to over loo degrees in the shade. and where mosquitos rival 
 the Jersey breed. 
 
 Before Congress had reached a conclusion as to what 
 should be done in the Maine disaster, an order had been 
 issued at headquarters of the army directing the removal 
 of the regiment to the department of the South, one of the 
 then recently organized departments. 
 
 At the time when the press of the country was urging a 
 declaration of war, and when Minister Woodford, at Madrid, 
 was exhausting all the arts of peace, in order that the United 
 States might get prepared for war, the men of the 25th 
 
242 
 
 Infantry were sitting around red-hot stoves, in their com- 
 fortable quarters in Montana, discussing the doings of Con- 
 gress, impatient for a move against Spain. After great 
 excitement, and what we looked upon as a long delay, a 
 telegraphic order came. Not for us to leave for the Depart- 
 ment of the South, but to go to that lonely sun-parched 
 sandy island, Dry Tortugas. In the face of the fact that 
 the order was for us to go to that isolated spot, where rebel 
 prisoners were carried and turned loose during the war of 
 the rebellion, being left there without guard, there being 
 absolutely no means of escape, and where it would have 
 been necessary for our safety to have kept Sampson's fleet 
 in sight, the men received the news with gladness and 
 cheered as the order was read to them. The destination 
 was changed to Key West, Florida, then to Chickamauga 
 Park, Georgia. It seemed that the war department did not 
 know what to do with the soldiers at first. 
 
 Early Sunday morning, April 10, 1898, Easter Sunday, 
 amidst tears of lovers and others endeared by long acquaint- 
 ance and kindness, and the enthusiastic cheers of friends 
 and well-wisher, the start was made for Cuba. 
 
 It is a fact worthy of note that Easter services in all the 
 churches in Missoula, Montana, a town of over ten thousand 
 inhabitants, was postponed the morning of the departure 
 of the 25th Infantry, and the whole town turned out to 
 bid us farewell. Never before were soldies more encour- 
 aged to go to war than we. Being the first regiment to 
 move, from the west, the papers had informed the people 
 .of our route. At every station there was a throng of peo- 
 ple who cheered as we passed. Everywhere the Stars and 
 
243 
 
 Stripes could be seen. Everybody had caught the war 
 fever. We arrived at Chickamauga Park about April 15, 
 1898, being the first regiment to arrive at that place. We 
 were a curiosity. Thousands of people, both white and 
 colored, from Chatanooga, Tenn., visited us daily. Many 
 of them had never seen a colored soldier. The behavior 
 of the men was such that even the most prejudiced could 
 find no fault. We underwent a short period of acclimation 
 at this place, then moved on to Tampa, Fla., where we 
 spent a month more of acclimation. All along the route 
 from Missoula, Montana, with the exception of one or two 
 places in Georgia, we had been received most cordially. 
 But in Georgia, outside of the Park, it mattered not if we 
 were soldiers of the United States, and going to fight for 
 the honor of our country and the freedom of an oppressed 
 and starving people, we were "niggers," as they called us, 
 and treated us with contempt. There was no enthusiasm 
 nor Stars and Stripes in Georgia. That is the kind of 
 ''united country" we saw in the south. I must pass over 
 the events and incidents of camp life at Chickamauga and 
 Tampa. Up to this time our trip had seemed more like a 
 Sunday-school excursion than anything else. But when,, 
 on June 6th, we were ordered to divest ourselves of all 
 clothing and equipage, except such as was necessary to- 
 campaigning in a tropical climate, for the first time the 
 ghost of real warfare arose before us. 
 
 ON BOARD THE TRANSPORT. 
 
 The regiment went aboard the Government transport, 
 No. 14 Concho June 7, 1898. On the same vessel were 
 
244 
 
 the 1 4th U. S. Infantry, a battalion of the 2d Massachu- 
 setts Volunteers and Brigade Headquarters, aggregating 
 about 1,300 soldiers, exclusive of the officers. This was 
 the beginning of real hardship. The transport had either 
 been a common freighter or a cattle ship. Whatever had 
 been its employment before being converted into a trans- 
 port, I am sure of one thing, it was neither fit for man nor 
 beat when soldiers were transported in it to Cuba. The 
 actual carrying capacity of the vessel as a transport was, 
 in my opinion, about 900 soldiers, exclusive of the officers, 
 who, as a rule, surround themselves with every possible 
 comfort, even in actual warfare. A good many times, as 
 on this occasion, the desire and demand of the officers for 
 comfort worked serious hardships for the enlisted men. 
 The lower decks had been filled with bunks. Alas ! the 
 very thought of those things of torture makes me shudder 
 even now. They were arranged in rows, lengthwise the 
 ship, of course, with aisles only two feet wide between each 
 row. The dimensions of a man's bunk was 6 feet long, 2 
 feet wide and 2 feet high, and they were arranged in tiers 
 of four, with a four-inch board on either side to keep one 
 from rolling out. The Government had furnished no bed- 
 ding at all. Our bedding consisted of one blanket as mat- 
 tress and haversack for pillow. The 25th Infantry was 
 assigned to the bottom deck, where there was no light, ex- 
 cept the small port holes when the gang plank was closed. 
 So dark was it that candles were burned all day. There 
 was no air except what came down the canvass air shafts 
 when they were turned to the breeze. The heat of that 
 place was almost unendurable. Still our Brigade Com- 
 
245 
 
 mander issued orders that no one would be allowed to sleep 
 on the main deck. That order was the only one to my 
 knowledge, during the whole campaign, that was not 
 obeyed by the colored soldiers. It is an unreported fact 
 that a portion of the deck upon which the 25th Infantry 
 took passage to Cuba was flooded with water during the 
 entire journey. 
 
 Before leaving Port Tampa the Chief Surgeon of the 
 expedition came aboard and made an inspection, the result 
 of which was the taking off of the ship the volunteer bat- 
 talion, leaving still on board about a thousand men. An- 
 other noteworthy fact is that for seven days the boat was 
 tied to the wharf at Port Tampa, and we were not allowed 
 to go ashore, unless an officer would take a whole company 
 off to bathe and exercise. This was done, too, in plain 
 sight of other vessels, the commander of which gave their 
 men the privilege of going ashore at will for any purpose 
 whatever. It is very easy to imagine the hardship that 
 was imposed upon us by withholding the privilege of going 
 ashore, when it is understood that there were no seats on 
 the vessel for a poor soldier. On the main deck there were 
 a large number of seats but they were all reserved for the 
 officers. A sentinel was posted on either side of the ship 
 near the middle hatch-way, and no soldier was allowed to 
 go abaft for any purpose, except to report to his superior 
 officer or on some other official duty. 
 
 Finally the i4th of June came. While bells were ring- 
 ing, whistles blowing and bands playing cheering strains 
 of music the transports formed " in fleet in column of 
 twos,'' and under convoy of some of the best war craft of 
 
246 
 
 our navy, and while the thousands on shore waved us god- 
 speed, moved slowly down the bay on its mission to avenge 
 the death of the heroes of our gallant Maine and to free 
 suffering Cuba. 
 
 The transports were scarcely out of sight of land when 
 an order was issued by our Brigade Commander directing 
 that the two regiments on board should not intermingle, 
 and actually drawing the u color line" by assigning the 
 white regiment to the port and the 25th Infantry to the 
 starboard side of the vessel. The men of the two regi- 
 ments were on the best of terms, both having served together 
 during mining troubles in Montana. Still greater was the 
 surprise of everyone when another order was issued from 
 the same source directing that the white regiment should 
 make coffee first, all the time, and detailing a guard to see 
 that the order was carried out. All of these things were 
 done seemingly to humiliate us and without a word of pro- 
 test from our officers. We suffered without complaint. 
 God only knows how it was we lived through those four- 
 teen days on that miserable vessel. We lived through 
 those days and were fortunate enough not to have a burial at 
 sea. 
 
 OPERATIONS AGAINST SANTIAGO. 
 
 We landed in Cuba June 22, 1898. Our past hardships 
 were soon forgotten. It was enough to stir the heart of 
 any lover of liberty to witness that portion of Gomez's 
 ragged army, under command of General Castillo, lined up 
 to welcome us to their beautiful island, and to guide and 
 guard our way to the Spanish strongholds. To call it a 
 
247 
 
249 
 
 ragged army is by no means a misnomer. The greater 
 portion of those poor fellows were both coatless and shoe- 
 less, many of them being almost nude. They were by no 
 means careful about their uniform. The thing every one 
 seemed careful about was his munitions of war, for each 
 man had his gun, ammunition and machette. Be it remem- 
 bered that this portion of the Cuban army was almost 
 entirely composed of black Cubans. 
 
 After landing we halted long enough to ascertain that 
 all the men of the regiment were " present or accounted 
 for," then marched into the jungle of Cuba, following an 
 old unused trail. General Shafter's orders were to push 
 forward without delay. And the 25th Infantry has the 
 honor of leading the march from the landing at Baiquiri or 
 Daiquiry (both names being used in official reports) the 
 first day the army of invasion entered the island. I do not 
 believe any newspaper has ever published this fact. 
 
 There was no time to be lost, and the advance of the 
 American army of invasion in the direction of Santiago, 
 the objective point was rapid. Bach day, as one regiment 
 would halt for a rest or reach a suitable camping ground, 
 another would pass. In this manner several regiments had 
 succeeded in passing the 25th Infantry by the morning of 
 June 24-th. At that time the ist Volunteer Cavalry (Rough 
 Riders) was leading the march. 
 
 THE FIRST BATTLE. 
 
 On the morning of June 24th the Rough Riders struck 
 camp early, and were marching along the trail at a rapid 
 gait, at "route step," in any order suitable to the size of 
 
250 
 
 the road. Having marched several miles through a well- 
 wooded country, they came to an opening near where the 
 road forked. They turned into the left fork ; at that mo- 
 ment, without the least warning, the Cubans leading the 
 march having passed on unmolested, a volley from the 
 Spanish behind a stone fort on top of the hill on both sides 
 of the road was fired into their ranks. They were at first 
 disconcerted, but rallied at once and began firing in the 
 direction from whence cime the volleys. They could not 
 advance, and dared not retreat, having been caught in a 
 sunken place in the road, with a barbed wire fence on one 
 side and a precipitous hill on the other. They held their 
 ground, but could not do more. The Spanish poured vol- 
 ley after volley into their ranks. At the moment when it 
 looked as if the whole regiment would be swept down by 
 the steel- jacketed bullets from the Mausers, four troops of 
 the loth U. S. Cavalry (colored) came up on "double time." 
 Little thought the Spaniards that these "smoked yankees" 
 were so formidable. Perhaps they thought to stop those 
 black boys by their relentless fire, but those boys knew no 
 stop. They halted for a second, and having with them a 
 Hotchkiss gun soon knocked down the Spanish improvised 
 fort, cut the barbed-wire, making an opening for the Rough 
 Riders, started the charge, and, with the Rough Riders, 
 routed the Spaniards, causing them to retreat in disorder, 
 leaving their dead and some wounded behind. The Span- 
 iards made a stubborn resistance. So hot was their fire 
 directed at the men at the Hotchkiss gun that a head could 
 not be raised, and men crawled on their stomachs like snakes 
 loading and firing. It is an admitted fact that the Rough 
 
251 
 
253 
 
 Riders could not have dislodged the Spanish by themselves 
 without great loss, if at all. 
 
 The names of Captain A. M. Capron, Jr., atd Sergeant 
 Hamilton Fish, Jr., of the Rough Riders, who were killed 
 in this battle, have been immortalized, while that of Cor- 
 poral Brown, loth Cavalry, who manned the Hotchkiss 
 gun in this fight, without which the American loss in 
 killed and wounded would no doubt have been counted by 
 hundreds, and who was killed by the side of his gun, is 
 unknown by the public. 
 
 At the time the battle of the Rough Riders was fought 
 the 25th Infantry was within hearing distance of the bat- 
 tle and received orders to reinforce them, which they could 
 have done in less than two hours, but our Brigade Com- 
 mander in marching to the scene of battle took the wrong 
 trair, seemingly on purpose, and when we arrived at the 
 place of battle twilight was fading into darkness. 
 
 The march in the direction of Santiago continued, until 
 the evening of June 3oth found us bivouacked in the road 
 less than two miles from El Caney. At the first glimpse 
 of day on the first day of July word was passed along the 
 line for the companies to "fall in." No bugle call was 
 sounded, no coffee was made, no noise allowed. We were 
 nearing the enemy, and every effort was made to surprise 
 him. We had been told that El Caney was well fortified, 
 and so we found it. 
 
 The first warning the people had of a foe being near was 
 the roar of our field artillery and the bursting of a shell in 
 their midst. The battle was on. In many cases an invad- 
 ing army serves notice of a bombardment, but in this case 
 
254 
 
 it was incompatable with military strategy. Non-coinbat- 
 ants, women and children all suffered, for to have warned 
 them so they might have escaped would also have given 
 warning to the Spanish forces of our approach. The bat- 
 tle opened at dawn and lasted until dark. When our troops 
 reached the point from which they were to make the attack, 
 the Spanish line of entrenched soldiers could not be seen. 
 The only thing indicating their position was the block- 
 house situated on the highest point of a very steep hill. The 
 undergrowth was so dense that one could not see, on a line, 
 more than fifty yards ahead. The Spaniards, from their 
 advantageous position in the block-house and trenches on 
 the hill top, had located the American forces in the bushes 
 and opened a fusilade upon them. The Americans replied 
 with great vigor, being ordered to fire at the block-house 
 and to the right and left of it, steadily advancing as they 
 fired. All of the regiments engaged in the battle of El 
 Caney had not reached their positions when the battle was 
 precipitated by the artillery firing on the block-house. The 
 25th Infantry was among that number. In marching to its 
 position some companies of the 2nd Massachusetts Volun- 
 teers were met retreating ; they were completely whipped, 
 and took occasion to warn us, saying : " Boys, there is no 
 use to go up there, you cannot see a thing ; they are slaugh- 
 tering our men ! " Such news made us feel " shaky,'', not 
 having, at the time, been initiated. We marched up, how- 
 ever, in order and were under fire for nine hours. Many 
 barbed-wire obstructions were encountered, but the men 
 never faltered. Finally, late in the afternoon, our brave 
 Lieutenant Kinnison said to another officer : " We can- 
 
255 
 
 not take the trenches without charging them." Just as he- 
 was about to give the order for the bugler to sound "the 
 charge " he was wounded and carried to the rear. The men 
 were then fighting like demons. Without a word of com- 
 mand, though led by that gallant and intrepid Second 
 .Lieutenant, J. A. Moss, 25th Infantry, some one gave a 
 yell and the 25th Infantry was off, alone, to the charge. 
 The 4th U. S. Infantry, fighting on the left, halted when 
 those dusky heroes made the dash with a yell which would 
 have done credit to a Comanche Indian. No one knows 
 who started the charge ; one thing is certain, at the time it 
 was made excitement was running high ; each man was a 
 captain for himself and fighting accordingly. Brigadier 
 Generals, Colonels, Lieutenant-Colonel, Majors, etc., were 
 not needed at the time the 25th Infantry made the charge 
 on El Caney, and those officers simply watched the battle 
 from convenient points, as Lieutenants and enlisted men 
 made the charge alone. It has been reported that the i2th 
 U. S. Infantry made the charge, assisted by the 25th In- 
 fantry, but it is a recorded fact that the 25th Infantry 
 fought the battle alone, the i2th Infantry coming up after 
 the firing had nearly ceased. Private T. C. Butler, Com- 
 pany H, 25th Infantry, was the first man to enter the block- 
 house at El Ciney, and took possession of the Spanish flag 
 for his regiment. An officer of the i2th Infantry came up 
 while Butler was in the house and ordered him to give up 
 the flag, which he was compelled to do, but not until he 
 had torn a piece off the flag to substantiate his report to 
 his Colonel of the injustice which had been done to him. 
 Thus by using the authority given him by his shoulder- 
 
256 
 
 straps, this officer took for his regiment that which had 
 been won by the hearts' blood of some of the bravest, 
 though black, soldiers of Shafter's army. 
 
 The charge on El Caney has been little spoken of, but 
 it was quite as great a show of bravery as the famous tak- 
 ing of San Juan Hill. 
 
 A word more in regard to the charge. It was not the 
 glorious run from the edge of some nearby thicket to the 
 top of a small hill, as many may imagine. This particular 
 charge was a tough, hard climb, over sharp, rising ground, 
 which, were a man in perfect physical strength he would 
 climb slowly. Part of the charge was made over soft, plowed 
 ground, a part through a lot of prickly pineapple plants 
 and barbed wire entanglements. It was slow, hard work, 
 under a blazing July sun and a perfect hail-storn of bul- 
 lets, which, thanks to the poor marksmanship of the Span- 
 iards, " went high." 
 
 It has been generally admitted by all fair-minded writers, 
 that the colored soldiers saved the day both at El Caney 
 and San Juan Hill. 
 
 Notwithstanding their heroic services, they were still to 
 be subjected in many cases, to more hardships than their 
 white brother in arms. When the flag of truce was, in the 
 afternoon of July 3d, seen, each man breathed a sigh of 
 relief; for the strain had been very great upon us. During 
 the next eleven days men worked like ants, digging trenches, 
 for they had learned a lesson of fighting in the open field. 
 The work went on night and day. The 25th Infantry 
 worked harder than any other regiment, for as soon as they 
 would finish a trench they were ordered to move ; in this 
 manner they were kept moving and digging new trenches 
 
257 
 
 for eleven days. The trenches left were each time occu- 
 pied by a white regiment. 
 
 On July 1 4th it was decided to make a demonstration in 
 front of Santiago, to draw the fire of the enemy and locate 
 his position. Two companies of colored soldiers (25th 
 Infantry) were selected for this purpose, actually deployed 
 as skirmishers and started in advance General Shafter, 
 watching the movement from a distant hill, saw that such 
 a movement meant to sacrifice those men, without any or 
 much good resulting, therefore had them recalled. Had 
 the movement been completed it is probable that not a man 
 would have escaped death or serious wounds. When the 
 news came that General Toral had decided to surrender, the 
 25th Infantry was a thousand yards or more nearer the city 
 of Santiago than any regiment in the army, having 
 entrenched themselves along the railroad leading into the 
 city. 
 
 The following enlisted men of the 25th Infantry were 
 commissoned for their bravery at El Caney : First Sergeant 
 Andrew J. Smith, First Sergeant Macon Russell, First Ser- 
 geant Wyatt Huffman and Sergeant Win. McBryar. Many 
 more were recommended, but failed to receive commissions. 
 It is a strange incident that all the above-named men are 
 native North Carolinians but First Sergeant Huffman, who 
 is from Tennessee. 
 
 The negro played a most important part in the Spanish- 
 American war. He was the first to move from the west; 
 fir a t at Camp Thomas, Chickamauga Park, Ga.; first in the 
 jungle of Cuba ; among the first killed in battle ; first in 
 the block-house at El Caney, and nearest to the enemy 
 when he surrendered. FRANK W. PULLEN, JR., 
 
 Ex-Sergeant-Major 2^th U. S. Infantry. 
 
 ENFIEU), N. C., March 23, 1899. 
 
258 
 
 BUFFALO TROOPERS, THE NAME BY WHICH NEGRO SOLDIERS 
 
 ARE KNOWN. 
 
 They Comprise Several of the Crack Regiments in Our Army The Indians Stand 
 in Abject Terror of them Their Awful Yells won a Battle with the Redskins. 
 
 " It is not necessary to revert to the Civil war to prove 
 that American Negroes are faithful, devoted wearers of 
 uniforms," says a Washington man, who has seen service 
 in both the army and the navy. " There are at the present 
 time four regiments of Negro soldiers in the regular army 
 of the United States two outfits of cavalry and two of 
 infantry. All four of these regiments have been under fire 
 in important Indian campaigns, and there is yet to be 
 recorded a single instance of a man in any of the four lay- 
 outs showing the white feather, and the two cavalry regi- 
 ments of Negroes have, on several occasions, found them- 
 selves in very serious situations. While the fact is well 
 known out on the frontier, I don't remember ever having 
 seen it mentioned back here that an American Indian has 
 a deadly fear of an American Negro. The most utterly 
 reckless, dare-devil savage of the copper hue stands liter- 
 ally in awe of a Negro, and the blacker the Negro the more 
 the Indian quails. I can't understand why this should be, 
 for the Indians decline to give their reasons for fearing the 
 black men but the fact remains that even a very bad In- 
 dian will give the mildest-mannered Negro imaginable all 
 the room he wants, and to spare, as any old regular army 
 soldier who has frontiered will tell you. The Indians, I 
 fancy, attribute uncanny and eerie qualities to the blacks. 
 " The cavalry troop to which I belonged soldiered along- 
 side a couple of troops of the Qth Cavalry, a black regi- 
 
259 
 
 ment, up in the Sioux country eight or nine years ago. 
 We were performing chain guard, hemming-in duty, and it 
 was our chief business to prevent the savages from straying 
 from the reservation. We weren't under instructions to 
 riddle them if they attempted to pass our guard posts, but 
 were authorized to tickle them up to any reasonable ex- 
 tent, short of maiming them, with our bayonets, if any of 
 them attempted to bluff past us. Well, the men of my 
 troop had all colors of trouble while on guard in holding 
 the savages in. The Ogalallas would hardly pay any atten- 
 tion to the white sentries of the chain guard, and when 
 they wanted to pass beyond the guard limits they would 
 invariably pick out a spot for passage that was patrolled by 
 a white ' post-humper.' But the guards of the two black 
 troops didn't have a single run-in with the savages. The 
 Indians made it a point to remain strictly away from the 
 Negro soldiers' guard posts. Moreover, the black soldiers 
 got ten times as much obedience from the Indians loafing 
 around the tepees and wickleups as did we of the white 
 outfit. The Indians would fairly jump to obey the uni- 
 formed Negroes. I remember seeing a black sergeant 
 make a minor chief go down to the creek to get a pail of 
 water an unheard of thing, for the chiefs, and even the 
 ordinary bucks among the Sioux always make their squaws 
 perform this sort of work. This chief was sunning him- 
 self, reclining, beside his tepee, when his squaw started 
 with the bucket for the creek, some distance away. The 
 Negro sergeant saw the move. He walked up to the lazy, 
 grunting savage. 
 
 "'Look a-yeah, yo' spraddle-nozed, yalluh voodoo nig- 
 
guh,' said the black sergeant he was as black as a stove- 
 pipe to the blinking chief, ' jes' shake yo' no count bones 
 an' tote dat wattuh yo'se'f. Yo' ain' no bettuh to pack 
 wattuh dan Ah am, yo' heah me.' 
 
 "The heap-much Indian chief didn't understand a word 
 of what the Negro sergeant said to him, but he understands 
 pantomine all right, and when the black man in uniform 
 grabbed the pail out of the squaw's hand and thrust it into 
 the dirty paw of the chief the chief went after that bucket 
 of water, and he went a loping, too. 
 
 " The Sioux will hand down to their children's children 
 the story of a charge that a couple of Negro cavalry troops 
 made during the Pine Ridge troubles. It was of the height 
 of the fracas, and the bad Indians were regularly lined up 
 for battle. Those two black troops were ordered to make 
 the initial swoop upon them. You know the noise one 
 black man can make when he gets right down to the busi- 
 ness of yelling. Well, these two troops of blacks started 
 their terrific whoop in union when they were a mile away 
 from the waiting Sioux, and they got warmed up and in 
 better practice with every jump their horses made. I give 
 you my solemn word that in the ears of us of the white 
 outfit, stationed three miles away, the yelps those two Negro 
 troops of cavalry gave sounded like the carnival whooping 
 of ten thousand devils. The Sioux weren't scared a little 
 bit by the approaching clouds of alkali dust, but all the 
 same, when the two bla^k troops were more than a quarter 
 of a mile away the Indians broke and ran as if the old boy 
 himself were after them, and it was then an easy matter to 
 round them up and disarm them. The chiefs afterward 
 
262 
 
263 
 
 confessed that they were scared out by the awful howling 
 of the black soldiers. 
 
 " Ever since the war the United States navy has had a 
 fair representation of Negro bluejackets, and they make 
 first-class naval tars. There is not a ship in the navy to-day 
 that hasn't from six to a dozen, anyhow of Negroes on its 
 muster rolls. The Negro sailors' names very rarely get 
 enrolled on the bad conduct lists. They are obedient, sober 
 men and good seamen. There are many petty officers 
 among them." The Planet. 
 
 THE CHARGE OF THE "NIGGER NINTH" ON SAN JUAN HILL. 
 
 BY GEORGE E. POWELL. 
 
 Hark ! O'er the drowsy trooper's dream, 
 There comes a martial metal's scream, 
 
 That startles one and all ! 
 It is the word, to wake, to die ! 
 To hear the foeman's fierce defy ! 
 To fling the column's battle-cry ! 
 
 The " boots and saddles " call. 
 
 The shimmering steel, the glow or morn, 
 The rally-call of battle horn, 
 Proclaim a day of carnage, boin 
 
 For better or for ill. 
 Above the pictured tentage white, 
 Above the weapons glinting bright, 
 The day god casts a golden light 
 
 Across the San Juan Hill. 
 
264 
 
 ** Forward ! " " Forward ! " comes the cry, 
 As stalwart columns, ambling by, 
 Stride over graves that, waiting, lie 
 
 Undug in mother earth! 
 Their goal, the flag of fierce Castile 
 Above her serried ranks of steel, 
 Insensate to the cannon's peal 
 
 That gives the battle birth ! 
 
 As brawn as black a fearless foe ; 
 Crave, grim and grand, they onward go. 
 
 To conquer or to die ! 
 The rule of right ; the march of might ; 
 A dusky host from darker night, 
 Responsive to the morning light, 
 
 To work the martial will ! 
 And o'er the trench and trembling earth, 
 The morn that gives the battle birth 
 
 Is on the San Juan Hill ! 
 
 Hark ! sounds again the bugle call ! 
 Ivet ring the rifles over all, 
 To shriek above the battle-pall 
 
 The war-god : s jubilee ! 
 Their's were bondmen, low, and long ; 
 Their's, once weak against the strong ; 
 Their's to strike and stay the wrong, 
 
 That strangers might be free ! 
 
 And on, and on, for weal or woe, 
 "The tawny faces grimmer go, 
 
That bade no mercy to a foe 
 
 That pitties but to kill. 
 
 u Close up ! " " Close up ! " is heard and said, 
 And yet the rain of steel and lead 
 Still leaves a livid trail of red 
 
 Upon the San Juan Hill ! 
 
 " Charge ! " " Charge ! " The bugle peals again ; 
 'Tis life or death for Roosevelt's men ! 
 
 The Mausers make reply ! 
 Aye ! speechless are those swarthy sons, 
 Save for the clamor of the guns 
 
 Their only battle-cry ! 
 The lowly stain upon each face, 
 The taunt still fresh of prouder race, 
 But speeds the step that springs a pace, 
 
 To succor or to die ! 
 
 With rifles hot to waist-band nude ; 
 The brawn beside the pampered dude ; 
 The cowboy king one grave and rude 
 
 To shelter him who falls ! 
 One breast and bare, howe'er begot, 
 The low, the high one common lot ; 
 The world's distinction all forgot 
 
 When freedom's bugle calls ! 
 
 No faltering step, no fitful start ; 
 None seeking less than all his part ; 
 One watchword springing from each heart, 
 Yet on, and onward still ! 
 
266 
 
 The sullen sound of tramp and tread ; 
 Abe Lincoln's flag still overhead ; 
 They followed where the angels led 
 The way, up San Juan Hill ! 
 
 And where the life stream ebbs and flows, 
 And stains the track of trenchant blows 
 
 That met no meaner steel, 
 The bated breath the battle yell 
 The turf in slippery crimson, tell 
 Where Castile's proudest colors fell 
 
 With wounds that never heal ! 
 
 Where every trooper found a wreath 
 Of glory for his sabre sheath ; 
 
 And earned the laurels well ; 
 With feet to field and face to foe, 
 In lines of battle lying low, 
 
 The sable soldiers fell ! 
 
 And where the black and brawny breast 
 Gave up its all life's richest, best, 
 To find the tomb's eternal rest 
 
 A dream of freedom still ! 
 A groundless creed was swept away, 
 With brand of "coward" a time-worn say- 
 And he blazed the path a better way 
 
 Up the side of San Juan Hill ! 
 For black or white, on the scroll of fame, 
 The blood of the hero dies the same ; 
 
 And ever, ever will ! 
 ******** 
 
26 7 
 
 Sleep, trooper, sleep ; thy sable brow, 
 Amid the living laurel now, 
 
 Is wound in wreaths of fame ! 
 Nor need the graven granite stone, 
 To tell of garlands all thine own 
 
 To hold a soldier's name ! 
 
 [In the city of New Orleans, in 1866, two thousand two hundred and 
 sixty-six ex-slaves were recruited for the service. None but the argest 
 and blackest Negroes were accepted. From these were formed the 
 Twenty-fourth and Twenty-fifth Infantry and the Ninth and Tenth Cav- 
 alry. All four are famous fighting regiments, yet the two cavalry com- 
 mands have earned the proudest distinction. While the record of the 
 Ninth Cavalry, better known as the "Nigger Ninth," in its thirty-two 
 years of service in the Indian wars, in the military history of the border, 
 stands without a peer; and is, without exception, the most famous fight- 
 ing regiment in the United States service.] AUTHOR. 
 
CHAPTER IY. 
 
 COLONEL THEODORE B. ROOSEVELT, NOW GOVERNOR OF NEW 
 
 YORK, WHO LED THE ROUGH RIDERS, TELLS OF 
 
 THE BRAVERY OF NEGRO SOLDIERS. 
 
 When Colonel Theodore Roosevelt returned from the 
 command of the famous Rough Riders he delivered a fare- 
 well address to his men, in which he made the following 
 kind reference to the gallant Negro soldiers : 
 
 u Now, I want to say just a word more to some of the 
 men I see standing around not of your number. I refer to 
 the colored regiments, who occupied the right and left 
 flanks of us at Guasimas, the Ninth and Tenth Cavalry 
 regiments. The Spaniards called them 'Smoked Yankees,' 
 but we found them to be an exceellent breed of Yankees. 
 I am sure that I speak the sentiments of officers and men 
 in the assemblage when I say that between you and the 
 other cavalry regiments there exists a tie which we trust 
 will never be broken." Colored American. 
 
 The foregoing compliments to the Negro soldiers by 
 Colonel Roosevelt started up an avalanche of additional 
 praise for them, out of which the fact came, that but for 
 the Ninth and Tenth Cavalry (colored) coming up at Las 
 Guasimas, destroying the Spanish block house and driving 
 the Spaniards off, when Roosevelt and his men had been 
 caught in a trap, with a barbed wire fence on one side and 
 
CORONET, THEODORE B. ROOSEVELT. 
 
 269 
 
271 
 
 a precipice on the other, not only the brave Capron and 
 Fish, but the whole of his command would have been an- 
 nihilated by the Spanish sharp-shooters, who were firing 
 with smokeless powder under cover, and picking off the 
 Rough Riders one by one, who could not see the Spaniards. 
 To break the force of this unfavorable comment on the 
 Rough Riders, it is claimed that Colonel Roosevelt made 
 the following criticism of the colored soldiers in general, 
 and of a few of them in particular, in an article written by 
 him for the April Scribner ; and a letter replying to the 
 Colonel's strictures follows by Sergeant Holliday, who was 
 an " eye-witness " to the incident : 
 
 Colonel Roosevelt's criticism was, in substance, that col- 
 ored soldiers were of no avail without white officers ; that 
 when the white commissioned officers are killed or disabled, 
 colored non-commissioned officers could not be depended 
 upon to keep up a charge already begun ; that about a score 
 of colored infantrymen, who had drifted into his command, 
 weakened on the hill at San Juan under the galling Span- 
 ish fire, and started to the rear, stating that they intended 
 finding their regiments, or to assist the wounded ; where- 
 upon he drew his revolver and ordered them to return to 
 ranks and there remain, and that he would shoot the first 
 man who didn't obey him; and that after that he had no 
 further trouble. 
 
 Colonel Roosevelt is sufficiently answered in the follow- 
 ing letter by Sergeant Holliday, and the point especially 
 made by many eye witnesses (white) who were engaged in 
 that fight is, as related in Chapter V, of this book, that the 
 Negro troops made the charges both at San Juan and El 
 
272 
 
 Caney after nearly all their officers had been killed or 
 wounded. Upon what facts, therefore, does Colonel Roose- 
 velt base his conclusions that Negro soldiers will not fight 
 without commissioned officers, when the only real test of 
 this question happened around Santiago and showed just 
 the contrary of what he states? We prefer to take the re- 
 sults at El Caney and San Juan as against Colonel Roose- 
 velt's imagination. 
 
 COLONEL ROOSEVELT'S ERROR. 
 
 True Story of the Incident He Magnified to our Hurt The White Officers' 
 Humbug Skinned of its Hide by Sergeant Holiiday Unwritten History. 
 
 To the Editor of the New York Age : 
 
 Having read in The Age of April 13 an editorial enti- 
 tled (< Our Troops in Cuba," which brings to my notice for 
 the first time a statement made by Colonel Roosevelt, 
 which, though in some parts true, if read by those who do 
 not know the exact facts and circumstances surrounding 
 the case, will certainly give rise to the wrong impression 
 of colored men as soldiers, and hurt them for many a day 
 to come, and as I was an eye-witness to the most important 
 incidents mentioned in that statement, I deem it a duty I 
 owe, not only to the fathers, mothers, sisters and brothers of 
 those soldiers, and to the soldiers themselves, but to their 
 posterity and the race in general, to be always ready to 
 make an unprejudiced refutation of such charges, and to do 
 all in my power to place the colored soldier where he prop- 
 erly belongs among the bravest and most trustworthy of 
 this land. 
 
273 
 
 In the beginning, I wish to say that from what I saw of 
 Colonel Roosevelt in Cuba, and the impression his frank 
 countenance made upon me, I cannot believe that he made 
 that statement maliciously. I believe the Colonel thought 
 he spoke the exact truth. But did he know, that of the 
 tour officers connected with two certain troops of the Tenth 
 Cavalry one was killed and three were so seriously wounded 
 as to cause them to be carried from the field, and the com- 
 mand of these two troops fell to the first sergeants, who led 
 them triumphantly to the front ? Does he know that both 
 at Las Guasimas and San Juan Hill the greater part of troop 
 B, of the Tenth Cavalry, was separated from its command- 
 ing officer by accidents of battle and was led to the front 
 by its first sergeant ? 
 
 When we reached the enemy's works on San Juan Hill 
 our organizations were very badly mixed, few company 
 commanders having their whole companies or none of some 
 body else's company. As it was, Capt. Watson, my troop 
 commander, reached the crest of the hill with about eight 
 or ten men of his troop, all the rest having been acci- 
 dentally separated from him by the thick underbrush dur- 
 ing the advance, and being at that time, as was subse- 
 quently shown to be the firing line under some one else 
 pushing to the front. We kept up the forward movement, 
 and finally halted on the heights overlooking Santiago, 
 where Colonel Roosevelt, with a very thin line had pre- 
 ceeded us, and was holding the hill. Here Captain Watson 
 told us to remain while he went to another part of the line 
 to look for the rest of his troop. He did not come to that 
 part of the field again. 
 
274 
 
 The Colonel made a slight error when he said his mixed 
 command contained some colored infantry. All the col- 
 ored troops in that command were cavalrymen- His com- 
 mand consisted mostly of Rough Riders, with an aggregate 
 of about one troop of the Tenth Cavalry, a few of the 
 Ninth and a few of the First Regular Cavalry, with a half 
 dozen officers. Every few minutes brought men from the 
 rear, everybody seeming to be anxious to get to the firing 
 line. For a while we kept up a desultory fire, but as we 
 could not locate the enemy (he all the time keeping up a 
 hot fire on our position), we became disgusted, and lay down 
 and kept silent. Private Marshall was here seriously 
 wounded while standing in plain view of the enemy, trying 
 to point them out to his comrades. 
 
 There were frequent calls for men to carry the wounded 
 to the rear, to go for ammunition, and as night came on, to 
 go for rations and entrenching tools. A few colored sol- 
 diers volunteered, as did some from the Rough Riders. It 
 then happened that two men of the Tenth were ordered to 
 the rear by Lieutenant Fleming, Tenth Cavalry, who was 
 then present with a part of his troop, for the purpose of 
 bringing either rations or entrenching tools, and Colonel 
 Roosevelt seeing so many men going to the rear, shouted 
 to them to come back, jumped up and drew his revolver, 
 and told the men of the Tenth that he would shoot the 
 first man who attempted to shirk duty by going to the rear, 
 that he had orders to hold that line and he would do so if 
 he had to shoot every man there to do it. His own men 
 immediately informed him that "you won't have to shoot 
 those men, Colonel. We know those boys." He was also 
 
275 
 
 assured by Lieutenant Fleming, of the Tenth, that he would 
 have no trouble in keeping them there, and some of our men 
 shouted, in which I joined, that " we will stay with you, 
 Colonel." Everyone who saw the incident knew the Col- 
 onel was mistaken about our men trying to shirk duty, but 
 well knew that he could not admit of any heavy detail 
 from his command, so no one thought ill of the matter. 
 Inasmuch as the Colonel came to the line of the Tenth the 
 next day and told the men of his threat to shoot some of 
 their members and, as he expressed it, he had seen his mis- 
 take and found them to be far different men from what he 
 supposed. I thought he was sufficiently conscious of his 
 error not to make a so ungrateful statement about us at a 
 time when the Nation is about to forget our past service. 
 
 Had the Colonel desired to note the fact, he would have 
 seen that when orders came the next day to relieve the de- 
 tachment of the Tenth from that part of the field, he com- 
 manded just as many colored men at that time as he com- 
 manded at any other time during the twenty-four hours we 
 were under his command, although colored as well as white 
 soldiers were going and coming all day, and they knew 
 perfectly well where the Tenth Cavalry was posted, and 
 that it was on a line about four hundred yards further from 
 the enemy than Colonel Roosevelt's line. Still when they 
 obtained permission to go to the rear, they almost invaria- 
 bly came back to the same position. Two men of my 
 troop were wounded while at the rear for water and taken 
 to the hospital and, of course could not come back. 
 
 Our men always made it a rule to join the nearest com- 
 mand when separated from our own, and those who had 
 
276 
 
 been so unfortunate as to lose their way altogether were 
 both colored and white, straggling up from the time the 
 line was established until far into the night, showing their 
 determination to reach the front. 
 
 In explaining the desire of our men in going back to 
 look for their comrades it should be stated that, from the 
 contour of the ground, the Rough Riders were so much in 
 advance of the Tenth Cavalry that, to reach the latter regi- 
 ment from the former, one had really to go straight to the 
 rear and then turn sharply to the right ; and further, it is a 
 well known fact that in this country most persons of color 
 feel out of place when they are by force compelled to min- 
 gle with white persons, especially strangers, and although 
 we knew we were doing our duty, and would be treated 
 well as long as we stood to the front and fought, unfortu- 
 nately some of our men (and these were all recruits with 
 less than six months' service) felt so much out of place that 
 when the firing lulled, often showed their desire to be with 
 their commands. None of our older men did this. We 
 knew perfectly well that we could give as mnch assistance 
 there as anywhere else, and that it was our duty to remain 
 until relieved. And we did. White soldiers do not, as a 
 rule, share this feeling with colored soldiers. The fact 
 that a white man knows how well he can make a place for 
 himself among colored people need not be discussed here. 
 
 I remember an incident of a recruit of my troop, with 
 less than two months' service, who had come up to our 
 position during the evening of the ist, having been sepa- 
 rated from the troop during the attack on San Juan Hill. 
 The next morning, before the firing began, having seen an 
 
277 
 
 officer of the Tenth, who had been sent to Colonel Roose- 
 velt with a message, returning to the regiment, he signified 
 his intention of going back with him, saying he could thus 
 find the regiment. I remonstrated with him without avail 
 and was only able to keep him from going by informing 
 him of the Colonel's threat of the day before. There was 
 no desire on the part of this soldier to shirk duty. He 
 simply did not know that he should not leave any part of 
 the firing line without orders. Later, while lying in reserve 
 behind the firing line, I had to use as much persuasion to 
 keep him from firing over the heads of his enemies as I had 
 to keep him with us. He remained with us until he was 
 shot in the shoulder and had to be sent to the rear. 
 
 I could give many other incidents of our men's devotion 
 to duty, of their determination to stay until the death, but 
 what's the use ? Colonel Roosevelt has said they shirked, 
 and the reading public will take the Colonel at his word 
 and go on thinking they shirked. His statement was un- 
 called for and uncharitable, and considering the moral and 
 physical effect the advance of the Tenth Cavalry had in 
 weakening the forces opposed to the Colonel's regiment, 
 both at Las Guasimas and San Juan Hill, altogether ungrate- 
 ful, and has done us an immeasurable lot of harm. 
 
 And further, as to lack of qualifications for command, I 
 will say that when our soldiers, who can and will write 
 history, sever their connections with the Regular Army, 
 and thus release themselves from their voluntary status of 
 military lockjaw, and tell what they saw, those who now 
 preach that the Negro is not fit to exercise command over 
 troops, and will go no further than he is led by white offi- 
 
278 
 
 cers, will see in print held up for public gaze, much to their 
 chagrin, tales of those Cuban battles that have never been 
 told outside the tent and barrack room tales that it will 
 not be agreeable for some of them to hear. The public 
 will then learn that not every troop or company of colored 
 soldiers who took part in the assaults on San Juan Hill or 
 El Caney was led or urged forward by its white officer. 
 
 It is unfortunate that we had no colored officers in that 
 campaign, and this thing of white officers for colored troops 
 is exasperating, and I join with The Age in saying our 
 motto for the future must be : " No officers, no soldiers." 
 
 PRESLEY HOUJDAY, 
 Sergeant Troop B, Tenth Cavalry. 
 
 Fort Ringgold, Texas, April 22, 1899. 
 
 JACOB A. RIIS, in The Outlook, gives the following inter- 
 esting reading concerning the colored troopers in an article 
 entitled "Roosevelt and His Men : " 
 
 " It was one of the unexpected things in this campaign 
 that seems destined to set so many things right that out of 
 it should come the appreciation of the colored soldier as 
 man and brother by those even who so lately fought to 
 keep him a chattel. It fell to the lot of General 'Joe 7 
 Wheeler, the old Confederate warrior, to command the two 
 regiments of colored troops, the Ninth and Tenth Cavalry, 
 and no one will bear readier testimony than he to the splen- 
 did record they made. Of their patience under the mani- 
 fold hardships of roughing it in the tropics, their helpful- 
 ness in the camp and their prowess in battle, their uncom- 
 
280 
 
 GENERAL, NELSON A. MILES. 
 
28l 
 
 plaining suffering when lying wounded and helpless. Stories 
 enough are told to win for them fairly the real brotherhood 
 with their white-skinned fellows which they crave. The 
 most touching of the many I heard was that of a Negro 
 trooper, who, struck by a bullet that cut an artery in his 
 neck, was lying helpless, in danger of bleeding to death, 
 when a Rough Rider came to his assistance. There was 
 only one thing to be done to stop the bleeding till a sur- 
 geon came. A tourniquet could not be applied where the 
 wound was. The Rough Rider put his thumb on the artery 
 and held it there while he waited. The fighting drifted 
 away over the hill. He followed his comrade with long- 
 ing eyes till the last was lost to sight. His place was there, 
 but if he abandoned the wounded cavalryman it was to let 
 him die. He dropped his gun and stayed. Not until the 
 battle was won did the surgeon come that way, but the 
 trooper's life was saved. He told of it in the hospital with 
 tears in his voice : ' He done that to me, he did ; stayed by 
 me an hour and a half, and me only a nigger.' " 
 
 GENERAL NELSON A. MILES PAYS A TRIBUTE TO THE NEGRO 
 
 SOLDIERS. 
 
 Major- General Nelson A. Miles, Commander-in-Chief of 
 the army of the United States spoke at the Peace Jubilee 
 at Chicago, October nth, and said: 
 
 " While the chivalry of the South and the yeomanry of 
 the North vied with their devotion to the cause of their 
 country and in their pride of its flag which floated over all, 
 it's a glorious fact that patriotism was not confined to any 
 
282 
 
 one section or race for the sacrifice, bravery and fortitude. 
 The white race was accompanied by the gallantry of the 
 black as they swept over entrenched lines and later volun- 
 teered to succor the sick, nurse the dying and bury the 
 dead in the hospitals and the Cuban camps." 
 
 This was grandly spoken, and we feel gratified at this 
 recognition of the valor of one of the best races of people 
 the world has ever seen. 
 
 We are coming, boys ; it's a little slow and tiresome, but 
 we are coming without a parallel." Colored American. 
 
 At a social reunion of the Medal of Honor L,egion held 
 a few evenings since to welcome home two of their mem- 
 bers, General Nelson A. Miles, commanding the army of 
 the United States, and Colonel M. Bmmett Urell, of the 
 First District Columbia Volunteers, in the course of his 
 remarks, General Miles paid the finest possible tribute to 
 the splendid heroism and soldierly qualities evidenced by 
 the men of the 9th and loth Cavalry, and 24th and 25th 
 United States Infantry in the late Santiago campaign, 
 which he epitomized as " without a parallel in the history 
 of the world. " 
 
 At the close of his remarks, Major C. A. Fleet wood, the 
 only representative of the race present, in behalf of the 
 race extended their heartfelt and warmest thanks for such 
 a magnificent tribute from such a magnificent soldier and 
 man. Colored Ameican. 
 

SERGEANT BERRY. 
 
 The first soldier who reached the Block House 
 on San Juan Hill and Hoisted the American flag 
 in a hail of Spanish bullets. 
 
 284 
 
CLEVELAND MOFFITT, IN LESLIE'S WEEKLY, DESCRIBES THE 
 HEROISM OF A "BLACK COLOR BEARER." 
 
 "Having praised our war leaders sufficiently, in some 
 cases more than sufficiently (witness Hobson), let us give 
 honor to some of the humbler ones, who fought obscurely, 
 but did fine things nevertheless. 
 
 "There was Sergeant Berry, for instance, of the Tenth 
 Cavalry, who might have boasted his meed of kisses, too, 
 had he been a white man. At any rate, he rescued the 
 colors of a white regiment from unseemly trampling and 
 bore them safely through the bullets, to the top of San Juan 
 Hill. Now, every one knows that the standard of a troop 
 is guarded like a man's own soul, or should be, and how it 
 came that this Third Cavalry banner was lying on the 
 ground that day is something that may never be rightly 
 known. Some white man had left it there, many white 
 men had let it stay there, but Berry, a black man, saw it 
 fluttering in shame and paused in his running long enough 
 to catch it up and lift it high overhead beside his own ban- 
 ner for he was a color-bearer of the Tenth. 
 
 "Then, with two flags flying above him, and two heavy 
 staves to bear, this powerful Negro (he is literally a giant 
 in strength and stature) charged the heights, while white 
 men and black men cheered him as they pressed behind. 
 Who shall say what temporary demoralization there may 
 have been in this troop of the Third at that critical mo ment, 
 or what fresh courage may have been fired in them by that 
 black man's act ! They say Berry yelled like a demon as 
 he rushed against the Spaniards, and I, for one, am willing 
 
286 
 
 to believe that his battle-cry brought righting energy to his 
 own side as well as terror to the enemy. 
 
 "After the fight one of the officers of the Third Cavalry 
 sought Berry out and asked him to give back the trophy 
 fairly won by him, and his to keep, according to the usages 
 of war. And the big Negro handed back the banner with 
 a smile and light word. He had saved the colors and ral- 
 lied the tioop, but it didn't matter much. They could have 
 the flag if they wanted it. 
 
 "There are some hundreds of little things like this that 
 we might as well bear in mind, we white men, the next 
 time we start out to decry the Negro ! " 
 
 PRESIDENT McKINLEY RECOGNIZES THE WORTH OF NEGRO 
 SOLDIERS BY PROMOTION. 
 
 PROMOTIONS FOR COLORED SOLDIERS. 
 
 WASHINGTON, July 30. Six colored non commissioned 
 officers who rendered particularly gallant service in the 
 actions around Santiago on July ist and 2d have been ap- 
 pointed second lieutenants in the two colored immune regi- 
 ments recently organized under special act of Congress. 
 These men are Sergeants William Washington, Troop F, 
 and John C. Prootor, Troop I, cf the pth Cavalry, and Ser- 
 geaats William McBryar, Company H; Wyatt Hoffman, 
 Company G ; Macon Russell, Company H, and Andrew J. 
 Smith, Company B, of the 25th Infantry, commanded by 
 Colonel Daggett. Jacob C. Smith, Serge-ant Pendergrass, 
 Lieutenant Ray, Sergeant Horace W. Bivins, Lieutenant 
 
B. lv. Baker, Lieutenant J. H. Hill, Lieutenant Buck. 
 N. T. World. 
 
 These promotions were made into the voluntary regi- 
 ments, which were mustered out after the war, thus leav- 
 ing the men promoted in the same rank they were before 
 promotion if they chose to re- enlist in the regular army. 
 They got no permanent advancement by this act of the 
 President, but the future may develop better things for them. 
 
 COMPETENT TO BE OFFICERS THE YERDICT OF GENERAL 
 
 THOMAS J. MORGAN, AFTER A STUDY OF THE 
 
 NEGRO'S QUALITY AS A SOLDIER. 
 
 Color Line in the Army Difficulty in making Afro-Americans Commissioned Offi- 
 cers Heroism on fhe Field Sure to Reap Reward Morgan 
 Prefers Negro Troops to the Whites. 
 
 General Thomas J. Morgan belongs to that class of Cau- 
 casian observers who are able to think clearly upon the Ne- 
 gro problem in all its phases, and who have not only the 
 breadth of intelligence to form just and generous opinions, 
 but who possess that rarer quality, the courage to give them 
 out openly to the [country. General Morgan contributes 
 the following article to the New York Independent, analyz- 
 ing the motives which underlie the color line in the army. 
 He has had wide experience in military affairs, and his close 
 contact with Negro soldiers during the civil war entitles 
 him to speak with authority. General Morgan says : 
 
 u The question of the color line has assumed an acute 
 stage, and has called forth a good deal of feeling. The 
 various Negro papers in the country are very generally 
 
288 
 
 insisting that if the Negro soldiers are to be enlisted, Negro 
 officers should be appointed to command them. One zeal- 
 ous paper is clamoring for the appointment, immediately, 
 by the President, of a Negro Major General. The readers 
 of The Independent know very well that during the civil 
 war there were enlisted in the United States army 200,000 
 Negro soldiers under white officers, the highest position 
 assigned to a black man being that of first sergeant, or of 
 regimental sergeant-major. The Negroes were allowed 
 to wear chevrons, but not shoulder straps or epaulets. 
 Although four Negro regiments have been incorporated 
 in the regular army and have rendered exceptionally 
 effective service on the plains and elsewhere for a whole 
 generation, there are to-day no Negro officers in the service. 
 A number of young men have been appointed as cadets at 
 West Point, but the life has not been by any means an easy 
 one. The only caste or class with caste distinctions that 
 exists in the republic is found in the army ; army officers 
 are, par excellence, the aristocrats ; nowhere is class feeling 
 so much cultivated as among them ; nowhere is it so diffi- 
 cult to break down the established lines. Singularly enough, 
 though entrance to West Point is made very broad, and a 
 large number of those who go there to be educated at the 
 expense of the Government have no social position to begin 
 with, and no claims to special merit, and yet, after having 
 been educated at the public expense, and appointed to life 
 positions, they seem to cherish the feeling that they are a 
 select few, entitled to special consideration, and that they 
 are called upon to guard their class against any insiduous 
 invasions. Of course there are honorable exceptions. There 
 
289 
 
 are many who have been educated at West Point who are 
 broad in their sympathies, democratic in their ideas, and 
 responsive to every appeal of philanthropy and humanity ; 
 but the spirit of West Point has been opposed to the admis- 
 sion of Negroes into the ranks of commissioned officers, 
 and the opposition to the commissioning of black men 
 emenating from the army will go very far toward the defeat 
 of any project of that kind. 
 
 " To make the question of the admission of Negroes into 
 the higher ranks of commissioned officers more difficult is 
 the fact that the organization of Negro troops under the 
 call of the President for volunteers to carry on the war 
 with Spain, has been left chiefly to the Governors of States. 
 Very naturally the strong public sentiment against the 
 Negro, which obtains almost universally in the South, has 
 thus far prevented the recognition of his right to be treated 
 precisely as the white man is treated. It would be, indeed, 
 almost revolutionary for any Southern Governor to com- 
 mission a Negro as a colonel of a regiment, or even a cap- 
 tain of a company. (Since this was written two Negro 
 colonels have been appointed in the Third North Carolina 
 and Eighth Illinois.) Even where there are exceptions to 
 this rule, they are notable exceptions. Everywhere through 
 the South Negro volunteers are made to feel that they are 
 not upon the same plane as with the white volunteers. 
 
 " In a recent conversation with the Adjutant General of 
 the aimy, I was assured by him that in the organization of 
 the ten regiments of immunes which Congress has author- 
 ized, the President had decided that five of them should be 
 composed of Negroes, and that while the field and staff 
 
290 
 
 officers and captains are to be white, the lieutenants may 
 be Negroes. If this is done it will mark a distinct step in 
 advance of any taken hitherto. It will recognize partially, 
 at least, the manhood of a Negro, and break down that 
 unnatural bar of separation now existing. If a Negro is a 
 lieutenant, he will command his company in the absence 
 of the captain. He can wear epaulets, and be entitled to 
 all the rights and privileges 'of an officer and a gentleman;' 
 he is no longer doomed to inferiority. In case of battle, 
 where bullets have no respect of persons, and do not draw 
 the line at color, it may easily happen that a regiment or 
 battalion will do its best work in the face of the enemy 
 under the command of a Negro chief. Thus far the Gov- 
 ernment has been swift to recognize heroism and efficiency 5 
 whether performed by Commodore Dewey at Manila or 
 Lieutenant Hobson at Santiago, and it can hardly be other- 
 wise than that it will be ready to recognize exceptional 
 prowess and skill when performed by a Negro officer. 
 
 "All, perhaps, which the Negroes themselves, or their 
 friends, have a right to ask in their behalf is, that they 
 shall have a chance to show the stuff they are made of. The 
 immortal Lincoln gave them this chance when he admitted 
 them to wear the blue and carry a musket ; and right man- 
 fully did they justify his confidence. There was not better 
 fighting done during the civil war than was done by some 
 of the Negro troops. With my experience, in command of 
 5,000 Negro soldiers, I would, on the whole, prefer, I think, 
 the command of a corps of Negro troops to that of a corps 
 of white troops. With the magnificent record of their fight- 
 ing qualities on many a hard-contested field, it is not unrea- 
 
GENERAL, MAXIMO GOMEZ, OF THK CUBAN ARMY 
 
 291 
 
293 
 
 sonable to ask that a still further opportunity shall be ex- 
 tended to them in commissioning them as officers, as well 
 as enlisting them as soldiers. 
 
 " Naturally and necessarily the question of fitness for 
 official responsibilty is the prime test and ought to be ap- 
 plied, and if Negroes cannot be found of sufficient intelli- 
 gence or preparation for the duties incumbent on army 
 officers, nobody should object to the places being given to 
 qualified white men. But so long as we draw no race line 
 of distinction as against Germans or Irishmen, and insti- 
 tute no test of religion, politics or culture, we ought not to 
 erect an artificial barrier of color. If the Negroes are com- 
 petent they should be commissioned. If they are incom- 
 petent they should not be trusted with the grave responsi- 
 bilities attached to official position. I believe they are 
 competent." 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 MANY TESTIMONIALS IN BEHALF OF THE NEGRO 
 
 SOLDIERS. 
 
 A SOUTHERNER'S STATEMENT, THAT THE NEGRO CAVALRY 
 SAVED THE < ROUGH RIDERS." 
 
 Some of the officers who accompanied the wounded sol- 
 diers on the trip north give interesting accounts of the fight- 
 ing around Santiago. " I was standing near Captain Cap- 
 ron and Hamilton Fish, Jr.," said a corporal to the Asso- 
 ciated Press correspondent to-night, " and saw them shot 
 down. They were with the Rough Riders and ran into an 
 ambuscade, though they had been warned of the danger. 
 If it had not been for the Negro Cavalry the Rough Riders 
 would have been exterminated. I am not a Negro lover. 
 My father fought with Mosby's Rangers, and I was born 
 in the South, but the Negroes saved that fight, and the day 
 will come when General Shafter will give them credit for 
 their bravery." Asso. Press. 
 
 NOT THE ROUGH RIDERS, BUT THE NEGROES OF THE NINTH 
 
 CAVALRY, TOOK SAN JUAN HILL SO DECLARES 
 
 MR. W. B. PHILLIPS IN A LECTURE. 
 
 CHAPEL HILL, N. C., Sept. 28. (Special.) A lecture 
 which was greatly enjoyed here was that of Dr. W. B. Phil- 
 lips. In an informal way he said many amusing and in- 
 
295 
 
 structive things. Speaking of a visit he paid to the battle- 
 fields of Cuba, he said : 
 
 "After everything is over is the best time to visit a bat- 
 tle-field. The position at San Juan Hill is unusually strong, 
 and if any but Spaniards had held it we could not have 
 taken it without losing 10,000 men. We owe its capture 
 and the fall of Santiago to the Negro troops of the Ninth 
 Cavalry, U. S. A. All this talk about the Rough Riders 
 is poppy-cock and tommy-rot. But for those Negroes the 
 Rough Riders would have been annihilated and the 7ist 
 New York would never have gotten home. I was not there, 
 but I have talked with many volunteers and regulars. Their 
 unanimous verdict was that the Negro troops captured San 
 Juan Hill." News and Observer. 
 
 RECONCILIATION. 
 
 " Members of our regiment kicked somewhat when the 
 colored troops were sent forward with them, bul when they 
 saw how the Negroes fought they became reconciled to the 
 situation, and some of them now say the colored brother 
 can have half of their blankets whenever they want them." 
 
 The above is an extract from a communication to the 
 Daily Afternoon Journal, of Beaumont, Tex., written by a 
 Southern white soldier. " Straws tell the way the wind 
 blows ' ' is a hackneyed expression, but an apt illustration 
 of the subject in hand. It has been hinted by a portion of 
 the Negro press that when the war ended, that if there is 
 to be the millenium of North and South, the Negroes will 
 suffer in the contraction. There is no reason to encourage 
 
296 
 
 this pessimistic view, since it is so disturbing in its nature, 
 and since it is in the province of the individuals composing 
 the race to create a future to more or less extent. The 
 wedge has entered ; it remains for the race to live up to its 
 opportunities. The South already is making concessions. 
 While concessions are apt to be looked upon as too patron- 
 izing, and not included in the classification of rights in 
 common, yet in time they amount to the same. The mere 
 statement that " the colored brother can have half of their 
 blankets whenever they want them," while doubtless a fig- 
 ure of speech, yet it signifies that under this very extreme 
 of speech an appreciable advance of the race. It does not 
 mean that there is to be a storming of the social barriers, 
 for even in the more favored races definite lines are drawn. 
 Sets and circles adjust such matters. But what is desired 
 is the toleration of the Negroes in those pursuits that the 
 people engage in or enjoy in general and in common. It 
 is all that the American Negro may expect, and it is safe 
 to say that his ambitions do not run higher, and ought not 
 to run higher. Money and birth in themselves have cre- 
 ated some unwritten laws that are much stronger than 
 those decreed and promulgated by governments. It would 
 be the height of presumption to strike at these, to some 
 extent privileged classes. It is to be hoped that the good 
 fortunes of war will produce sanity and stability in the 
 race, contending for abstract justice. Freeman. 
 
 The testimony continues : 
 
 Private Smith, of the Seventy-first Volunteers, speaking 
 about the impression his experience at Santiago had made 
 upon him, said : 
 
I am a Southerner by birth, and I never thought much 
 of the colored man. But, somewhat, now I feel very differ- 
 ently toward them, for I met them in camp, on the battle 
 field and that's where a man gets to know a man. I never 
 saw such fighting as those Tenth Cavalry men did. They 
 didn't seem to know what fear was and their battle hymn 
 was, 'There'll be a hot time in the old town to-night.' 
 That's not a thrilling hymn to hear on the concert stage, 
 but when you are lying in a trench with the smell of pow- 
 der in your nose and the crack of rifles almost deafening 
 you and bullets tearing up the ground around you like 
 huge hailstones beating down the dirt, and you see before 
 you a blockhouse from which there belches forth the 
 machine gun, pouring a torrent of leaden missies, while 
 from holes in the ground you see the levelled rifles of thous- 
 ands of enemies that crack out death in ever increasing 
 succession and then you see a body of men go up that hill 
 as if it were in drill, so solid do they keep their formation, 
 and those men are yelling, ' There'll be a hot time in the 
 old town to-night,' sing as if they liked their work, why, 
 there's an appropriateness in the tune that kind of makes 
 your blood creep and your nerves to thrill and you want to 
 get up and go ahead if you lose a limb in the attempt 
 And that's what those 'niggers' did. You just heard the 
 Lieutenant say, '.Men, will you follow me?' and you hear 
 a 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 
 
298 
 
 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 of dress parade it 
 strikes you that they are a little more handsome and orna- 
 mental 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." 
 
 NE6RO 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. 
 
 THE NEGRO AS A SOLDIER-HIS GOOD MARKSMANSHIP-THE 
 FIGHT AT EL CANEY " WOE TO SPANISH IN RANGE." 
 
 There has been hitherto among the officers of the army 
 a certain prejudice against serving in the Negro regiments. 
 But the other day a Lieutenant in the Ninth Infantry said 
 enthusiastically : 
 
299 
 
3 oi 
 
 " Do you know, I shouldn't want anything better than to 
 have a company in a Negro regiment ? I am from Virginia, 
 and have always had the usual feeling about commanding 
 colored troops. But after seeing that charge of the Twenty- 
 fourth up the San Juan Hill, I should like the best in the 
 world to have a Negro company. They went up that in- 
 cline yelling and shouting just as I used to hear when they 
 were hunting rabbits in Virginia. The Spanish bullets 
 only made them wilder to reach the trenches. " 
 
 Officers of other regiments which were near the Twenty- 
 fourth on July i, are equally strong in their praise of the 
 Negroes. Their yells were an inspiration to their white 
 comrades and spread dismay among the Spaniards. A 
 Captain in a volunteer regiment declares that the Twenty- 
 fourth did more than any other to win the day at San Juan. 
 As they charged up through the white soldiers their enthu- 
 siasm was spread, and the entire line fought the better for 
 their cheers and their wild rush. 
 
 Spanish evidence to the effectiveness of the colored sol- 
 diers is not lacking. Thus an officer who was with the 
 troops that lay in wait for the Americans at L,as Quasinmas 
 June 24th, said : 
 
 " What especially terrified our men was the huge Ameri- 
 can Negroes. We saw their big, black faces through the 
 underbrush, and they looked like devils. They came for- 
 ward under our fire as if they didn't the least care about it." 
 
 THE CHARGE AT EL CANEY. 
 
 It was the Tenth Cavalry that had this effect on the 
 Spaniards. At San Juan the Ninth Cavalry distinguished 
 
302 
 
 itself, it's commander, Lieutenant- Colonel Hamilton, being 
 killed. The fourth of the Negro regiments, the Twenty- 
 fifth Infantry, played an especially brilliant part in the bat- 
 tle of El Caney on July ist. It was held in reserve with 
 the rest of Colonel Miles' brigade, but was ordered to sup- 
 port General L,awton's brigade toward the middle of the 
 day. At that hour marching was an ordeal, but the men 
 went on at a fast pace. With almost no rest they kept it 
 up until they got into action. The other troops had been 
 fighting hard for hours, and the arrival of the Twenty- 
 fifth was a blessing. The Negroes went right ahead through 
 the tired ranks of their comrades. Their charge up the 
 hill, which was surmounted by Spanish rifle pits and a 
 stone fort, has been told. It was the work of only a part 
 of the regiment, the men coming chiefly from three com- 
 panies. Colonel Miles had intended having his whole 
 brigade make the final charge, but the Twenty-fifth didn't 
 wait for orders. It was there to take that hill, and take 
 the hill it did. 
 
 One of the Spanish officers captured there seemed to 
 think that the Americans were taking an unfair advantage 
 of them in having colored men who fought like that. He 
 had been accustomed to the Negroes in the insurgent army, 
 and a different lot they are from those in the United States 
 army. 
 
 " Why," he said ruefully, " even your Negroes fight bet- 
 ter than any other troops I ever saw." 
 
 The way the Negroes charged up the HI Caney and San 
 Juan hills suggested inevitably that their African nature 
 has not been entirely eliminated by generations of civiliza- 
 
303 
 
 tion, but was bursting forth in savage yells and in that wild 
 rush some of them were fairly frantic with the delight of 
 the battle. And it was no mere craziness. They are ex- 
 cellent marksmen, and they aim carefully and well. Woe 
 to the Spaniards who showed themselves above the trenches 
 when a colored regiment was in good range. 
 
 MAGNIFICENT SHOWING MADE BY THE NEGKOES THEIR 
 SPLENDID COURAGE AT SANTIAGO THE ADMI- 
 RATION OF ALL OFFICERS. 
 
 They Were Led by Southern Men Black Men from the South Fought Like Tigers 
 
 and End a Question Often Debated In Only One or Two Actions of 
 
 the Civil War Was There Such a Loss of Officers 
 
 as at San Juan. 
 
 [TELEGRAM TO COMMERCIAL.] 
 
 WASHINGTON, July 6, 1898. 
 
 Veterans who are comparing the losses at the battle of 
 San Juan, near Santiago, last Friday, with those at Big 
 Bethel and the first Bull Run say that in only one or two 
 actions of the late war was there such a loss in officers as 
 occurred at San Juan Hill. 
 
 * The companies of the Twenty-fourth Infantry are with- 
 out officers. The regiment had four captains knocked down 
 within a minute of each other. Capt. A. C. Ducat was the 
 first officer hit in the action, and was killed instantly. His 
 second lieutenant, John A. Gurney, a Michigan man, was 
 struck dead at the same time as the captain, and Lieutenant 
 Henry G. Lyon was left in command of Company D, but 
 only for a few minutes, for he, too, went down. Liscum, 
 commanding the regiment, was killed. 
 
304 
 
 NEGROES FIGHT LIKE TIGERS. 
 
 Company F, Twenty-fourth Infantry, lost Lieutenant 
 Augustin, of Louisiana, killed, and Captain Crane was left 
 without a commissioned officer. The magnificent courage 
 of the Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas and Texas Negroes, 
 which make up the rank and file of this regiment, is the 
 admiration of every officer who has written here since the 
 fight. The regiment has a large proportion of Southern- 
 born officers, who led their men with more than usual 
 exposure. 
 
 These men had always said -the Southern Negro would 
 fight as staunchly as any white man, if he was led by those 
 in whom he had confidence. The question has often been 
 debated in every mess of the army. San Juan Hill offered 
 the first occasion in which this theory could be tested prac- 
 tically, and tested it was in a manner and with a result that 
 makes its believers proud of the men they commanded. It 
 has helped the morals of the four Negro regiments beyond 
 words. The men of the Twenty-fourth Infantry, particu- 
 larly, and their comrades of the Ninth and Tenth Cavalry 
 as well, are proud of the record they made. 
 
 THEY NEVER WAVERED. 
 
 The Twenty-fourth took the brunt of the fight, and all 
 through it, even when whole companies were left without 
 an officer, not for a moment were these colored soldiers 
 shaken or wavering in the face of the fierce attack made 
 upon them. Wounded Spanish officers declare that the 
 attack was thus directed because they did not believe the 
 
305 
 
 Negro would stand up against them, and they believed 
 there was the faulty place in the American line. Never 
 were men more amazed than were the Spanish officers to 
 see the steadiness and cool courage with which the Twen- 
 ty-fourth charged front forward on its tenth company (a 
 difficult thing to do at any time), under the hottest fire. 
 The value of the Negro as a soldier is no longer a debata- 
 ble question. It has been proven fully in one of the sharp- 
 est fights of the past three years. 
 
 "OUR BOYS," THE SOLDIERS. 
 
 What Army Officers and Others Have to Say of the Negro's Conduct in War 
 " Give Honor to Whom Honor is Due " Acme of Bravery. 
 
 It has been said, " Give honor to whom honor is due,'* 
 and while it is just and right that it should be so, there are 
 times, however, when the " honor " due is withheld. 
 
 Ever since the battle of San Juan Hill at Santiago de 
 Cuba nearly every paper in the land has had nothing but 
 praise for the bravery shown by the " Rough Riders," and 
 to the extent that, not knowing the truth, one would natu- 
 rally arrive at the conclusion that the " Rough Riders "" 
 were u the whole thing." Although sometimes delayed^ 
 the truth, like murder, " will out." It is well enough to 
 praise the "Rough Riders" for all they did, but why not 
 divide honors with the other fellows who made it possible 
 for them, the " Rough Riders," to receive praise, and be 
 honored by a generous and valorous loving nation ? 
 
 After the battles of El Caney and San Juan Hill, many 
 wounded American soldiers who were able to travel were 
 
3 o6 
 
 given furloughs to their respective homes in the United 
 States, and Lieutenant Thomas Roberts, of this city, was 
 one of them. Shortly after Lieutenant Roberts arrived in 
 the city he was interviewed by a representative of the Illi- 
 nois State Register, to whom he gave a description of the 
 battle of July ist. He said : " On the night of June 3<Dth 
 the second squadron of the Tenth Cavalry did outpost duty. 
 Daylight opened on the soon to be blood-sodden field on 
 July ist, and the Tenth was ordered to the front First 
 went the first squadron, followed soon after by the second, 
 composed of Troops G, I, B and A. The Tenth Cavalry is 
 composed of Negroes, commanded by white officers, and I 
 have naught but the highest praise for the swarthy warriors 
 on the field of carnage. Led by brave men, they will go 
 into the thickest of the fight, even to the wicked mouths 
 of deadly cannon, unflinchingly/' 
 
 Lieutenant Roberts says further that " at 9 o'clock on the 
 morning of July ist the order came to move. Forward we 
 went, until we struck a road between two groves, which 
 road was swept by a hail of shot and shell from Spanish 
 guns. The men stood their ground as if on dress parade. 
 Single file, every man ready to obey any command, they 
 bade defiance to the fiercest storm of leaden hail that ever 
 hurled over a troop of United States cavalry. The order 
 came, ( Get under cover,' and the Seventy- first New York 
 and the Tenth Cavalry took opposite sides of the road and 
 lay down in the bushes. For a short time no orders came, 
 and feeling a misapprehension of the issue, I hastened for- 
 ward to consult with the first lieutenant of the company. 
 We found that through a misinterpreted order the captain 
 
THE FIRST CUBAN PRESIDENT. 
 
 301 
 
309 
 
 of the troop and eight men had gone forward. Hastening 
 back to my post I consulted with the captain in the rear 
 of Troop G, and the quartermaster appeared upon the scene 
 asking the whereabouts of the Tenth Cavalry. They made 
 known their presence, and the quartermaster told them to 
 go on, showing the path, the quartermaster led them for- 
 ward until the bend in San Juan River was reached. Here 
 the first bloodshed in the Tenth occurred, a young volun- 
 teer named Baldwin fell, pierced by a Spanish ball." 
 
 An aide hastened up and gave the colonel of the regiment 
 orders to move forward. The summit of the hill was 
 crowned by two block-houses, and from these came an un- 
 ceasing fire. Lieutenant Roberts said he had been lying 
 on the ground but rose to his knees to repeat an order, 
 u Move forward," when a mauser ball struck him in the 
 abdomen and passed entirely through his body. Being 
 wounded, he was carried off the field, but after all was over, 
 Lieutenant Roberts says it was said (on the quiet of course) 
 that " the heroic charge of the Tenth Cavalry saved the 
 4 Rough Riders' from destruction." Lieutenant Roberts 
 says he left Cuba on the I2th of July for Fort Monroe, 
 and that a wounded Rough Rider told him while coming 
 over that " had it not been for the Tenth Cavalry the 
 Rough Riders would never have passed through the seething 
 cauldron of Spanish missiles.'' Such is the statement of 
 one of Springfield's best citizens, a member of the Tenth 
 Cavalry, United States regulars. 
 
 Some days later, Lieutenant Roberts had occasion to visit 
 Chicago and Fort Sheridan, and while there he was inter- 
 viewed by a representative of the Chicago Chronicle, to 
 
3 io 
 
 whom he related practically the same story as above stated. 
 " You probably know my regiment is made up exclusively 
 of Negroes, except for the commissioned officers, and I 
 want to say right here that those men performed deeds of 
 heroism on that day which have no parallel in the history 
 of warfare. They were under fire from six in the morning 
 until 1:30 in the afternoon, with strict orders not to return 
 the hail of lead, and not a man in those dusky ranks flinched. 
 Our brigade was instructed to move forward soon after i 
 o'clock to assault the series of block-houses which were re- 
 garded as impregnable by the foreign attaches. As the 
 aide dashed down our lines with orders from headquarters 
 the boys realized the prayed for charge was about to take 
 place and cheered lustily. Such a charge ! Will I ever 
 forget that sublime spectacle ? There was a river called 
 San Juan, from the hill hard by, but which historians will 
 term the pool of blood. Our brigade had to follow the 
 course of that creek fully half a mile to reach the point 
 selected for the grand attack. With what cheering did the 
 boys go up that hill ! Their naked bodies seemed to pre- 
 sent a perfect target to the fire of the dons, but they never 
 flinched. When the command reached the famous stone 
 blockhouse it was commanded by a second sergeant, who 
 was promoted on the field of battle for extraordinary bravery. 
 San Juan fell many minutes before El Caney, which was 
 attacked first, and I think the Negro soldiers can be thanked 
 for the greater part of that glorious work. All honor to 
 the Negro soldiers ! No white man, no matter what his 
 ancestry may be, should be ashamed to greet any of those 
 Negro cavalrymen with outstretched hand. The swellest 
 
of the Rough Riders counted our troopers among their best 
 friends, and asked them to their places in New York when 
 they returned, and I believe the wealthy fellows will prove 
 their admiration had a true inspiration." 
 
 Thus we see that while the various newspapers of the 
 country are striving to give the Rough Riders first honors, 
 an honest, straightforward army officer who was there and 
 took an active part in the fight, does not hesitate to give 
 honor to whom honor is due, for he says, " All honor to the 
 Negro soldiers," and that it was they who " saved the Rough 
 Riders from destruction." And right here I wish to call 
 the reader's attention to another very important matter, 
 and that is, while it has been said heretofore that the Ne- 
 gro soldier was not competent to command, does not the 
 facts in the case prove, beyond a doubt, that there is no 
 truth in this statement whatever? If a white colonel was 
 " competent u to lead his command into the fight, it seems 
 that a colored sergeant was competent extraordinary, for 
 he not only went into the fight, but he, and his command, 
 " done something," done the enemy out of the trenches, 
 " saved the Rough Riders from destruction," and planted 
 the Stars and Stripes on the blockhouse. 
 
 Just before the charge one of the foreign attaches, an 
 Englishman, was heard to say that he did not see how the 
 blockhouse was to be reached without the aid of cannon ; 
 but after the feat had been accomplished, a colored soldier 
 said, u We showed him how." 
 
 Now that the colored soldier has proven to this nation, 
 and the representatives of others, that he can, and does 
 fight, as well as the "other fellow," and that he is also 
 
3 I2 
 
 " competent" to command, it remains to be seen if the 
 National Government will give honor to whom honor is 
 due by honoring those deserving with commissions. 
 
 Under the second call for volunteers by the President, the 
 State of Illinois raised a regiment of colored soldiers, and 
 Governor Tanner officered that regiment with colored offi- 
 cers from colonel down ; and that, as you might say, before 
 they had earned their "rank.'' Now the question is, can 
 the national government afford to do less by those who 
 have earned, and are justly entitled to, a place in the higher 
 ranks^ We shall see. C. F. ANDERSON. 
 
 Springfield, 111. 
 
 COLORED FIGHTERS AT SANTIAGO. 
 
 Testimony is multiplying of the bravery of the colored 
 troops at Santiago de Cuba July ist and 2d, 1898. 
 
 Testimony is adduced to show that these " marvels of 
 warfare" actually fought without officers and executed 
 movements under a galling fire which would have puzzled 
 a recruit on parade ground. The Boston Journal of the 
 3ist, in its account, gives the following interview Mason 
 Mitchell (white) said : 
 
 " We were in a valley when we started, but made at once 
 for a trail running near the top of a ridge called I/as Qua- 
 simas, several hundred feet high, which, with several others 
 parallel to it, extended in the dire:tion of Santiago. By 
 .a similar trail near the top of the ridge to our right several 
 companies of Negro troopers of the Ninth and Tenth Uni- 
 ted States Cavalry marched in scout formation, as we did. 
 
We had an idea about where the Spaniards were and de- 
 pended upon Cuban scouts to warn us, but they did not do 
 it. At about 8:30 o'clock in the morning we met a volley 
 from the enemy, who were ambushed, not only on our 
 ridge, but on the one to the right, beyond the Negro troops, 
 and the Negro soldiers were under a cross fire. That is 
 how Capt. Capron and Hamilton Fish were killed." 
 
 It says : u Handsome young Sergt. Stewart, the Rough 
 Rider protege of Henry W. Maxwell, when he was telling 
 of the fight in the ambush, gave it as his opinion that the 
 Rough Riders would have been whipped out if the Tenth 
 Cavalry (colored) had not come up just in time to drive 
 the Spaniards back. ' I'm a Southerner, from New Mexico, 
 and I never thought much of the " nigger " before. Now I 
 know what they are made of. I respect them. They cer- 
 tainly can fight like the devil and they don't care for bul- 
 lets any more than they do for the leaves that shower down 
 on them. I've changed my opinion of the colored folks, 
 for all of the men that I saw fighting, there were none to 
 beat the Tenth Cavalry, and the colored infantry at San- 
 tiago, and I don't mind saying so." 
 
 The description which follows is interesting : 
 " It was simply grand to see how those young fellows, 
 and old fellows, too, men who were rich and had been the 
 petted of society in the city, walk up and down the lines 
 while their clothes were powdered by the dust from explod- 
 ing shells and torn by broken fragments, cool as could be, 
 and yelling to the men to lay low and take good aim, or 
 directing some squad to take care of a poor devil who was 
 wounded. Why, at times there when the bullets were so 
 
 
3H 
 
 thick they mowed the grass down like grass cutters in 
 places, the officers stood looking at the enemy through 
 glasses as if they were enjoying the scene, and now and 
 then you'd see a Captain or a Lieutenant pick up a gun 
 from a wounded or dead man and blaze away himself at 
 some good shot that he had caught sight of from his ad- 
 vantage point. Those sights kind of bring men together 
 and make them think more of each other. And when a 
 white man strayed from his regiment and falls wounded it 
 rather affects him to have a Negro, shot himself a couple 
 of times, take his carbine and make a splint of it to keep a 
 torn limb together for the white soldier, and then, after 
 lifting him to one side, pick up the wounded man's rifle 
 and go back to the fight with as much vigor as ever. Yes, 
 sir, we boys have learned something down there, even if 
 some of us were pretty badly torn for it." 
 
 Another witness testifies ; Trooper Lewis Bowman, 
 another of the brave Tenth Cavalry, had two ribs broken 
 by a Spanish shell while before San Juan. He told of the 
 battle as follows : 
 
 "The Rough Riders had gone off in great glee, banter- 
 ing up and good-naturedly boasting that they were going 
 ahead to lick the Spaniards without any trouble, and ad- 
 vising us to remain where we were until they returned, 
 and they would bring back some Spanish heads as trophies. 
 When we heard firing in the distance, our captain remarked 
 that some one ahead was doing good work. The firing be- 
 came so heavy and regular that our officers, without orders, 
 decided to move forward and reconnoitre. When we got 
 where we could see what was going on we found that the 
 
CUBANS FIGHTING FIGHTING FROM TREE TOPS. 
 
 315 
 
Rough Riders had marched down a sort of canon between 
 the mountains. The Spaniards had men posted at the en- 
 trance, and as soon as the Rough Riders had gone in had 
 about closed up the rear and were firing upon the Rough 
 Riders from both the front and rear. Immediately the 
 Spaniards in the rear received a volley from our men of 
 the Tenth Cavalry (colored) without command. The Span- 
 iards were afraid we were going to flank them, and rushed 
 out of ambush in front of the Rough Riders, throwing up 
 their hands and shouting, ' Don't shoot ; we are Cubans/ 
 
 " The Rough Riders thus let them escape, and gave them 
 a chance to take a better position ahead. During all this 
 time the men were all in the tall grass and could not see even 
 each other, and I feared the Rough Riders in the rear shot 
 many of their men in the front, mistaking them for Span- 
 ish soldiers. By this time the Tenth Cavalry had fully 
 taken in the situation, and, adopting the method employed 
 in fighting the Indians, were able to turn the tide of battle 
 and repulse the Spaniards." 
 
 He speaks plainly when he says : 
 
 " I don't think it an exaggeration to say that if it had 
 not been for the timely aid of the Tenth Cavalry (colored) 
 the Rough Riders would have been exterminated. This is 
 the unanimous opinion, at least, of the men of the Tenth 
 Cavalry. I was in the fight of July i, and it was in that 
 fight that I received my wound. We were under fire in 
 that fight about forty-eight hours, and were without food 
 and with but little water. We had been cut off from our 
 pack-train, as the Spanish sharp-shooters shot our mules as 
 soon as they came anywhere near the lines, and it was im- 
 
possible to move supplies. Very soon after the firing began 
 our Colonel was killed, and the most of our other officers 
 were killed or wounded, so that the greater part of that des- 
 perate battle was fought by some of the Ninth and Tenth 
 Cavalry without officers ; or, at least, if there were any offi- 
 cers around, we neither saw them nor heard their com- 
 mands. The last command I heard our Captain give was : 
 
 " ' Boys, when you hear my whistle, lie flat down on the 
 ground.' 
 
 " Whether he ever whistled or not I do not know. The 
 next move we made was when, with a terrific yell, we 
 charged up to the Spanish trenches and bayoneted and 
 clubbed them out of their places in a jiffy. Some of the 
 men of our regiment say that the last command they heard 
 was : ' To the rear ! ' But this command they utterly dis- 
 regarded and charged to the front until the day was won, 
 and the Spaniards, those not dead in the trenches, fled back 
 to the city." 
 
 But a colored man, Wm. H. Brown, a member of the 
 Tenth Cavalry, said : 
 
 " A foreign officer, standing near our position when we 
 started out to make that charge, was heard to say : ' Men, 
 for heaven's sake, don't go up that hill ! It will be impos- 
 sible for human beings to take that position ! You can't 
 stand the fire ! ' Notwithstanding this, with a terrific yell 
 we rushed up the enemy's works, and you know the result. 
 Men who saw him, say that when this officer saw us make 
 the charge he turned his back upon us and wept. 
 
 " And the odd thing about it all is that these wounded 
 heroes never will admit that they did anything out of the 
 
common. They will talk all right about those ' other fel- 
 lows,' but they don't about themselves, and were immensely 
 surprised when such a fuss was made over them on their 
 arrival and since. They simply believed they had a duty 
 to perform and performed it.'' Planet. 
 
 OUR COLORED SOLDIERS. 
 
 A Few of the Interesting Comments on the Deeds Performed by the Brave Boys of 
 the Regular Army Saved the Life of His Lieutenant but Lost His Own. 
 
 "The Ninth and Tenth Cavalry are composed of the 
 bravest lot of soldiers I ever saw. They held the ground 
 that Roosevelt retreated from and saved them from anni- 
 hilation." 
 
 To a Massachusetts soldier in another group of inter- 
 viewers the same question was put : " How about the col- 
 ored soldiers ? " 
 
 " They fought like demons," came the answer. 
 
 " Before El Caney was taken the Spaniards were on the 
 heights of San Juan with heavy guns. All along our line 
 an assault was made and the enemy was holding us off with 
 terrible effect. From their blockhouse on the hill came a 
 magazine of shot. Shrapnell shells fell in our ranks, doing 
 great damage. Something had to be done or the day would 
 have been lost. The Ninth and part of the Tenth Cavalry 
 moved across into a thicket near by. The Spaniards rained 
 shot upon them. They collected and like a flash swept 
 across the plains and charged up the hill. The enemy's 
 guns were used with deadly effect. On and on they went, 
 charging with the fury of madness. The blockhouse was 
 captured, the enemy fled and we went into El Caney." 
 
320 
 
 In another group a trooper from an Illinois regiment was 
 explaining the character of the country and the effect of 
 the daily rains upon the troops. Said he : 
 
 u Very few colored troops are sick. They stood the 
 climate better and even thrived on the severity of army 
 life." 
 
 Said he : "I never had much use for a ' nigger ' and didn't 
 want him in the fight. He is all right, though. He makes 
 a good soldier and deserves great credit." 
 
 Another comrade near by related the story as told by a 
 cavalry lieutenant, who with a party reconnoitered a dis- 
 tance from camp. The thick growth of grass and vines 
 made ambuscading a favorite pastime with the Spaniards. 
 With smokeless powder they lay concealed in the grass. 
 As the party rode along the sharp eye of a colored cavalry- 
 man noticed the movement of grass ahead. Leaning over 
 his horse with sword in hand he plucked up an enemy 
 whose gun was levelled at the officer. The Spaniard was 
 killed by the Negro, who himself fell dead, shot by an- 
 other. He had saved the life of his lieutenant and lost his 
 own. 
 
 A comrade of the Seventeeth Infantry gave his testi- 
 mony. He said : 
 
 " I shall never forget the ist of July. At one time in 
 the engagement of that day the Twenty-first Infantry had 
 faced a superior force of Spaniards and were almost com- 
 pletely surrounded. The Twenty-fourth Infantry of col- 
 ored troops, seeing the perilous position of the Twenty- 
 first, rushed to the rescue, charged and routed the enemy, 
 thereby saving the ill-fated regiment." 
 
321 
 
 Col. Joseph Haskett, of the Seventeeth regular Infan- 
 try, testifies to the meritorious conduct of the Negro troops. 
 Said he : 
 
 " Our colored soldiers are 100 per cent, superior to the 
 Cuban. He is a good scout, brave soldier, and not only 
 that, but is everywhere to be seen building roads for the 
 movement of heavy guns.'' 
 
 Among the trophies of war brought to Old Point were 
 a machete, the captured property of a colored trooper, a 
 fine Spanish sword, taken from an officer and a little Cuban 
 lad about nine years old, whose parents had bled for Cuba. 
 His language and appearance made him the cynosure of all 
 eyes. He was dressed in a little United States uniform 
 and had pinned to his clothing a tag which read : " San- 
 tiago buck, care of Col. C. L. Wilson, Manhattan Club, 
 New York." His name is Varrames y Pillero. 
 
 He seemed to enjoy the shower of small coin that fell 
 upon him from the hotels. His first and only English 
 words were, " Moocha Moona." 
 
 These fragments were gathered while visiting at Old 
 Point Comfort recently. They serve to show the true feel- 
 ing of the whites for their brave black brother. 
 
 A. E. MEYZKKK, in the Freeman. 
 
 Louisville, Ky. 
 
 BLACK SOLDIER BOYS. 
 
 The following is what the New York Mail and Express 
 says respecting the good service being rendered by our 
 black soldier boys : 
 
322 
 
 " All honors to the black troopers of the gallant Tenth ! 
 No more striking example of bravery and coolness has 
 been shown since the destruction of the Maine than by the 
 colored veterans of the Tenth Cavalry during the attack 
 upon Caney on Saturday. By the side of the intrepid 
 Rough Riders they followed their leaders up the terrible 
 hill from whose crest the desperate Spaniards poured down 
 a deadly fire of shell and musketry. They never faltered. 
 The rents in their ranks were filled as soon as made. Fir- 
 ing as they marched, their aim was splendid, their coolness 
 was superb, and their courage aroused the admiration of 
 their comrades. Their advance was greeted with wild 
 cheers from the white regiments, and with an answering 
 shout they pressed onward over the trenches they had 
 taken close in the pursuit of the retreating enemy. The 
 war has not shown greater heroism. The men whose own 
 freedom was baptized with blood have proved themselves 
 capable of giving up their lives that others may be free. 
 To-day is a glorious Fourth for all races of people in this 
 great land." 
 
 THEY NEVER FALTERED. 
 
 The test of the Negro soldier has been applied and to- 
 day the whole world stands amazed at the valor and dis- 
 tinctive bravery shown by the men, who, in the face of a 
 most galling fire, rushed onward while shot and shell tore 
 fearful gaps in their ranks. These men, the Tenth Cavalry, 
 did not stop to ask was it worth while for them to lay 
 down their lives for the honor of a country that has silently 
 allowed her citizens to be killed and maltreated in almost 
 
323 
 
 every conceivable way ; they did not stop to ask would 
 their death bring deliverance to their race from mob vio- 
 lence and lynching. They saw their duty and did it ! The 
 New York Journal catches inspiration from the wonderful 
 courage of the Tenth Cavalry and writes these words : 
 
 u The two most picturesque and most characteristically 
 American commands in General Shafter's army bore off 
 the great honors of a day in which all won honor. 
 
 'No man can read the story in to-day's Journal of the 
 ' Rough Riders' ' charge on the block house at El Caney of 
 Theodore Roosevelt's mad daring in the face of what 
 seemed certain death without having his pulses beat faster 
 and some reflected light of the fire of battle gleam from his 
 eyes. 
 
 " And over against this scene of the cowboy and the col- 
 lege graduate, the New York man about town and the Ari- 
 zona bad man united in one coherent war machine, set the 
 picture of the Tenth United States Cavalry the famous 
 colored regiment. Side by side with Roosevelt's men they 
 fought these black men. Scarce used to freedom them- 
 selves, they are dying that Cuba may be free. Their marks- 
 manship was magnificent, say the eye witnesses. Their 
 courage was superb. They bore themselves like veterans, 
 and gave proof positive that out of nature's naturally 
 peaceful, careless and playful military discipline and an 
 inspiring cause can make soldiers worthy to rank with 
 Caesar's legions or Cromwell's army. 
 
 " The Rough Riders and the Black Regiment. In those 
 two commands is an epitome of almost our whole national 
 character." 
 
324 
 
 THE NEGRO AS A SOLDIER. 
 
 His Good Nature His Kindheariedness Equally Available in Infantry or Cavalry, 
 
 The good nature of the Negro soldier is remarkable. He 
 is always fond of a joke and never too tired to enjoy one. 
 Officers have wondered to see a whole company of them, 
 at the close of a long practice march, made with heavy 
 baggage, chasing a rabbit which some one may have 
 started. They will run for several hundred yards whoop- 
 ing and yelling and laughing, and come back to camp 
 feeling as if they had had lots of fun, the white soldier, even 
 if not tired, would never see any joke in rushing after a 
 rabbit. To the colored man the diversion is a delight. 
 
 In caring for the sick, the Negroe's tenderheartedness is 
 conspicious. On one of the transports loaded with sick 
 men a white soldier asked to be helped to his bunk below. 
 No one of his color stirred, but two Negro convalescents 
 at once went to his assistance. When volunteers were 
 called for to cook for the sick, only Negroes responded* 
 They were pleased to be of service to their officers. If the 
 Captain's child is ill, every man in the company is solici- 
 tious ; half of them want to act as nurse. They feel honored 
 to be hired to look after an officer's horse and clothing. 
 The " striker " as he is called, soon gets to look on himself 
 as a part of his master; it is not "Captain has been ordered 
 away," but " We have been ordered away." Every con- 
 cern of his employer about which he knows interests him, 
 and a slight to his superior is vastly more of an offence 
 than if offered to himself. Indeed, if the army knew 
 how well officers of the colored regiments are looked 
 after by their men, there would be less disinclination to 
 
325 
 
 serve in such commands. After years with a Negro com- 
 pany, officers find it difficult to get along with white sol- 
 diers. They must be much more careful to avoid hurting 
 sensibilities, and must do without many little services to 
 which they have been accustomed. 
 
 MRS. PORTER'S RIDE TO THE FRONT. 
 
 For many years she has known and admired Miss Bar- 
 ton and against the advice of her friends had resolved to 
 help Miss Barton in her task of succoring the sufferers in 
 Cuba. 
 
 During the second day's fighting Mrs. Porter, escorted 
 by a general whom she has known for many years, rode 
 almost to the firing line. Bullets whistled about her head, 
 but she rode bravely on until her curiosity was satisfied. 
 Then she rode leisurely back to safety. She came back fill- 
 ed with admiration of the colored troops. She described 
 them as being " brave in battle, obedient under orders and 
 philosophical under privations." 
 
 Thanks to Mrs. Porter, the wife of the President's pri- 
 vate Secretary. Mrs. Porter is one of heaven's blessings, 
 sent as a messenger of u The Ship" earth, to testify in 
 America what she saw of the Negro troops in Cuba. 
 
 THE INVESTMENT OF SANTIAGO AND SURRENDER. 
 
 (As Presented in the N. Y. World.) 
 
 General Shatter put a human rope of 22,400 men around 
 Santiago, with its 26,000 Spanish soldiers, and then Spain 
 succumbed in despair. In a semi-circle extending around 
 Santiago, from Daliquiri on the east clear around to Cobre 
 
326 
 
 on the west, our troops were stretched a cordon of almost 
 impenetrable thickness and strength. First came General 
 Bates, with the Ninth, Tenth, Third, Thirteenth, Twenty- 
 first and Twenty-fourth U. S. Infantry. On his right 
 crouched General Sumner, commanding the Third, Sixth 
 and Ninth U. S. Cavalry. Next along the arc were the 
 Seventh, Twelfth and Seventeenth U. S. Infantry under 
 General Chaff ee. Then, advantagously posted, there were 
 six batteries of artillery prepared to sweep the horizon un- 
 der direction of General Randolph. General Jacob Kent, 
 with the Seventy- first New York Volunteers and the Sixth 
 and Sixteenth U. S. Infantry, held the centre. They were 
 flanked by General Wheeler and the Rough Riders, dis- 
 mounted ; eight troops of the First U. S. Volunteers, four 
 troops of the Second U. S. Cavalry, four light batteries, 
 two heavy batteries and then four more troops of the 
 Second U. S. Cavalry. 
 
 SANTIAGO'S KH,I,ED AND WOUNDED COMPARED WITH HISTORIC 
 
 BATTLES. 
 
 
 Men Engaged. 
 
 Killed and 
 Wounded. 
 
 Per Ct. 
 Lost. 
 
 Agincourt 
 
 62,000 
 
 11,400 
 
 .18 
 
 Alma 
 
 103,000 
 
 8,400 
 
 .08 
 
 Bannockburn 
 
 135,000 
 
 38 000 
 
 .28 
 
 Borodino 
 
 250,000 
 
 78,000 
 
 .31 
 
 Cannae 
 
 146,000 
 
 52 000 
 
 .34 
 
 Cressy 
 
 117,000 
 
 31,000 
 
 .27 
 
 Gravelotte 
 Sadowa 
 
 396,000 
 291 000 
 
 62,000 
 33 000 
 
 .16 
 .11 
 
 Waterloo 
 
 221,000 
 
 51,000 
 
 .23 
 
 Antietam. 
 
 87 000 
 
 31 000 
 
 35 
 
 Austerlitz -. 
 
 154 000 
 
 38 000 
 
 .48 
 
 Gettysburg 
 
 185 000 
 
 34 000 
 
 .44 
 
 Sedan. 
 
 314 000 
 
 47 000 
 
 .36 
 
 Santiago . 
 
 22 OOQ 
 
 1 457 
 
 .07 
 
 ( El Caiiey. 
 
 3 300 
 
 650 
 
 .19 
 
 < San Juan 
 
 6 000 
 
 754 
 
 .12 
 
 ( Aguadores 
 
 2,400 
 
 82 
 
 .02 
 
327 
 
329 
 
 General L,awton, with the Second Massachusetts and 
 the Eighth and Twenty-second U. S. Infantry, came next. 
 Then General Duffield's command, comprising the volun- 
 teers from Michigan (Thirty-third and Third Regiments) 
 and the Ninth Massachusetts, stretched along until Gen. 
 L/udlow's men were reached. These comprised the First 
 Illinois, First District of Columbia, Eighth Ohio, running 
 up to the Eighth and Twenty-second Regulars and the 
 Bay State men. Down by the shore across from Morro 
 and a little way inland Generals Henry and Garreston had 
 posted the Sixth Illinois and the crack Srxth Massachu- 
 setts, flanking the railroad line to Cobre. 
 
 SCENES OF THE FINAL SURRENDER. 
 
 When reveille sounded Sunday morning half the great 
 semi-lunar camp was awake and eager for the triumphal 
 entrance into the city. Speculation ran rife as to which 
 detachment would accompany the General and his staff 
 into Santiago. The choice fell upon the Ninth Infantry. 
 
 Shortly before 9 o'clock General Shafter left his head- 
 quarters, accompanied by Generals Lawton and Wheeler, 
 Colonels Ludlow, Ames and Kent, and eighty other officers. 
 The party walked slowly down the hill to the road leading 
 to Santiago, along which they advanced until they reached 
 the now famous tree outside the walls, under which all 
 negotiations for the surrender of the city had taken place. 
 As they reached this spot the cannon on every hillside and 
 in the city itself boomed forth a salute of twenty-one guns, 
 which was echoed at Siboney and Aserradero. 
 
330 
 
 The soldiers knew what the salute meant, and cheer upon 
 cheer arose and ran from end to end of the eight miles of 
 the American lines. A troop of colored cavalry and the 
 Twenty-fifth colored infantry then started to join General 
 Shafter and his party. 
 
 The Americans waited under the tree as usual, when 
 General Shafter sent word to General Toral that he was 
 ready to take possession of the town. General Toral, in 
 full uniform, accompanied by his whole staff, fully capari- 
 soned, shortly afterward left the city and walked to where 
 the American officers were waiting their coming. When 
 they reached the tree General Shafter and General Toral 
 saluted each other gravely and courteously. Salutes were 
 also exchanged by other American and Spanish officers. 
 The officers were then introduced to each other. After this 
 little ceremony, the two commanding Generals faced each 
 other and General Toral, speaking in Spanish, said : 
 
 " Through fate I am forced to surrender to General Shaf- 
 ter of the American Army, the city and the strongholds of 
 Santiago." 
 
 General Toral's voice grew husky as he spoke, giving up 
 the town and the surrounding country to his victorious 
 enemy. As he finished speaking the Spanish officers pre- 
 sented arms. 
 
 General Shafter, in reply, said : 
 
 " I receive the city in the name of the government of the 
 United States." 
 
 General Toral addressed an order to his officers in Span- 
 ish and they wheeled about, still presenting arms, and Gen- 
 eral Shafter and the other American officers with the cav- 
 
33 1 
 
 airy and infantry followed them, walked by the Spaniards 
 and proceeded into the city proper. 
 
 The soldiers on the American line could see quite plainly 
 all the proceedings. As their commander entered the city 
 they gave voice to cheer after cheer. 
 
 Although no attempt was made to humiliate them, the 
 Spanish soldiers seemed at first to feel downcast and scarcely 
 glanced at their conquerors as they passed by, but this ap- 
 parent depth of feeling was not displayed very long. With- 
 out being sullen, they appeared to be utterly indifferent to 
 the reverses of the Spanish arms, but it was not long ere 
 the prospect of regulation rations and a chance to go to 
 their homes made them almost cheerful. All about the 
 filthy streets of the city the starving refugees could be seen, 
 gaunt, hollow-eyed, weak and trembling. 
 
 The squalor in the streets was dreadful. The bones of 
 dead horses and other animals were bleaching in the streets 
 and buzzards, almost as tame as sparrows, hopped aside as 
 passers by disturbed them. There was a fetid smell every- 
 where and evidences of a pitiless siege and starvation on 
 every hand. 
 
 The palace was reached soon after 10 o'clock. Then 
 General Toral introduced General Shafter and the other 
 officials to various local dignitaries, and a scanty luncheon 
 was brought. Coffee, rice, wine and toasted cake were the 
 main condiments. 
 
 Then came the stirring scene on the balcony, which every 
 one felt was destined to become notably historic in our an- 
 nals of warfare ; and the ceremony over, General Shafter 
 withdrew to our own lines and left the city to General Me- 
 
332 
 
 Kibbin and his police force of guards and sentries. The 
 end had come. Spain's haughty ensign trailed in the dust ; 
 Old Glory, typifying liberty and the pursuit of happiness, 
 untrammeled floated over the official buildings from Fort 
 Morro to the Plaza de Armas the investment of Santiago 
 de Cuba was accomplished. 
 
GENERAI, RUSSEI.I, A. AI.GER, SECRETARY OF WAR. 
 
CHAPTER YI. 
 
 NO COLOR LINE DRAWN IN CUBA. 
 
 A Graphic Description Condition in the Pearl of the Antilles American Pre- 
 judice Cannot Extst There A Catholic Priest Vouches for the 
 Accuracy of Statement. 
 
 The article we reprint from the New York Sun touching 
 the status of the Colored man in Cuba was shown to Rev. 
 Father Walter R. Yates, Assistant pastor of St. Joseph's 
 Colored Church. 
 
 A Planet reporter was informed that Father Yates had 
 resided in that climate for several years and wished his 
 views. 
 
 " The Sun correspondent is substantially correct," said 
 the Reverend gentleman. " Of course the article is very 
 incomplete, there are many omissions, but that is to be ex. 
 pected in a newspaper article. 
 
 It would take volumes to describe the achievements of 
 men of the Negro, or as I prefer to call it, the Aethiopic 
 Race, not only in Cuba, but in all the West Indies, Central 
 and South America, and in Europe, especially in Sicily, 
 Spain and France. 
 
 " By achievement I mean success in military, political, 
 social, religious and literary walks of life. 
 
 u The only thing I see to correct in the Sun's article," 
 continued the Father, " is in regard to population. A Span- 
 ish official told me that the census figures were notoriously 
 
336 
 
 misleading. The census shows less than one-third colored. 
 That is said not to be true. As soon as a man with African 
 blood, whether light or dark, acquires property and educa- 
 tion, he returns himself in the census as white. The officials 
 humor them in this petty vanity. In fact it's the most 
 difficult thing in the world to distungish between races in 
 Cuba. Many Spaniards from Murcia, for instance, of un- 
 doubted noble lineage are darker than Richmond mulat- 
 toes." 
 
 May I ask you, Father Yates, to what do you ascribe the 
 absence of Race prejudice in Cuba ? 
 
 " Certainly. In my humble opinion it is due to Church 
 influence. We all know the effect on our social life of our 
 churches. Among Catholics all men have always been on 
 equal footing at the Communion rail. Catholics would be 
 unworthy of their name, i. e., Catholic or universal were it 
 not so. 
 
 " Even in the days when slavery was practiced this relig- 
 ious equality and fellowship was fully recognized among 
 Catholics. 
 
 " Did you know there is an American Negro Saint ? He 
 was born in Colon, Central America, and is called Blessed 
 Martin De Porres. His name is much honored in Cuba, 
 Peru, Mexico and elsewhere. He wore the white habit of 
 a Dominican Brother. The Dominicans are called the 
 Order of Preachers. 
 
 " Christ Died for All. Father Donovan has those words 
 painted in large letters over the Sanctuary in St. Joseph's 
 Church. It is simply horrible to think that some self- 
 
337 
 
 styled Christian sectarians act as if Christ died for white 
 men only." 
 
 Matanzas, Cuba, Jan. 20. Not last among the prob- 
 lems of reconstruction in Cuba is the social and political 
 status of the colored "man and brother." In Cuba the 
 shade of a man's complexion has never been greatly con- 
 sidered, and one finds dusky Othellos in every walk of life. 
 The present dispute arose when a restaurant keeper from 
 Alabama refused a seat at his public table to the mulatto 
 Colonel of a Cuban regiment. The Southerner was per- 
 fectly sincere in the declaration that he would see himself 
 in a warmer climate than Cuba before he would insult his 
 American guests " by seating a ' nigger ' among them ! " 
 To the Colonel it was a novel and astonishing experience,, 
 and is of course deeply resented by all its kind in Cuba,, 
 where African blood may be found, in greater or less de- 
 gree, in some of the riches 4 : and most influential families of 
 the island. 
 
 COLORED BELLES THERE. 
 
 In Havana you need not be surprised to see Creole belles 
 on the fashionable Prado perhaps Cuban-Spanish, Cuban- 
 English or Cuban- German blondes promenading with Ne- 
 gro officers in gorgeous uniforms ; or octoroon beauties with 
 hair in natural crimp, riding in carriages beside white hus- 
 bands or lighting up an opeia box with the splendor of 
 their diamonds. There was a wedding in the old cathedral 
 the other day, attended by the elite of the city, the bride 
 being the lovely young daughter of a Cuban planter, the 
 groom a burly Negro. Nobody to the manor born has ever 
 
338 
 
 dreamed of objecting to this mingling of colors ; therefore 
 when some newly arrived foreigner declares that nobody 
 but those of his own complexion shall eat in a public din- 
 ing room, there is likely to be trouble. 
 
 THE WAR BEGAN. 
 
 When the war began the population of Cuba was a little 
 more than one-third black ; now the proportion is officially 
 reckoned as 525,684 colored, against 1,631,600 white. In 
 1898 two Negroes were serving as secretaries in the Au- 
 tonomist Cabinet. The last regiment that Blanco formed 
 was of Negro volunteers, to whom he paid or, rather, 
 promised to pay, which is quite another matter, consider- 
 ing Blanco's habit the unusual hire of $20 a month, show- 
 ing his appreciation of the colored man as a soldier. If 
 General Weyler evinced any partiality in Cuba, it was for 
 the black Creole. During the ten years' war, his cavalry 
 escort was composed entirely of colored men. Through- 
 out his latest reign in the island he kept black soldiers con- 
 stantly on guard at the gates of the government palace. 
 While the illustrated papers of Spain were caricaturing 
 the insurgents as coal-black demons with horns and forked 
 toe nails, burning canefields and butchering innocent 
 Spaniards, the Spanish General choose them for his body- 
 guards. 
 
 ONE OF THE GREATEST GENERALS. 
 
 One of the greatest Generals of the day, considering the 
 environment, was Antonio Maceo, the Cuban mulatto hero, 
 who, for two years, kept the Spanish army at bay or led 
 
CUBAN WOMAN CAVALRY. 
 
 339 
 
them a lively quickstep through the western provinces to 
 the very gates of Havana. As swift on the march as 
 Sheridan or Stonewall Jackson, as wary and prudent as 
 Grant himself, he had inspirations of military genius when- 
 ever a crisis arose. It is not generally known that Marti- 
 nez Campos, who owed his final defeat at Colisea to Maceo, 
 was a second cousin of this black man. Maceo's mother, 
 whose family name was Grinan, came from the town of 
 Mayari where all the people have Indian blood in their 
 veins. Col. Martinez del Campos, father of General Mar- 
 tinez Campos, was once Military Governor of Mayari. 
 While there he loved a beautiful girl of Indian and Negro 
 blood, who belonged to the Grinan family, and was first 
 cousin to Maceo's mother. Martinez Campos, Jr., the fu- 
 ture General and child of the Indian girl was bom in 
 Mayari. The Governor could not marry his sweetheart, 
 having a wife and children in Spain, but when he 
 returned to the mother country he took the boy along. 
 According to Spanish law, the town in which one is bap- 
 tized is recognized as his legal birthplace, so it was easy 
 enough to legitimatize the infant Campos. He grew up 
 in Spain, and when sent to Cuba as Captain-General, to 
 his everlasting credit be it said, that one of his first acts 
 was to hunt up his mother. Having found her, old and 
 poor, he bought a fine house in Campo, Florida, the aris- 
 tocratic suburb of Havana, established her there and cared 
 for her tenderly till she died. The cousins, though on op- 
 posite sides of the war, befriended each other in many in- 
 stances, and it is said that more than once Captain-General 
 Campos owed his life to his unacknowledged relative. 
 
342 
 
 HIS BROTHER CAPTURED. 
 
 The latter's half brother, Jose Maceo, was captured early 
 in the war and sent to the African prison, Centa ; whence 
 he escaped later on with Quintin Bandera and others of 
 his staff. The last named Negro Colonel is to-day a prom- 
 inent figure. "Quintin Bandera" means "fifteen flags," 
 and the appellation was bestowed upon him by his grateful 
 countrymen after he had captured fifteen Spanish ensigns. 
 Everybody seems to have forgotten his real name, and 
 Quintin Bandera he will remain in history. While in the 
 African penal settlement the daughter of a Spanish officer 
 fell in love with him. She assisted in his escape and fled 
 with him to Gibraltar. There he married his rescuer. She 
 is of Spanish and Moorish descent, and is said to be a lady 
 of education and refinement. She taught her husband to 
 read and write and feels unbounded pride in his achieve- 
 ments. 
 
 The noted General Jesus Rabi, of the Cuban Army, is 
 of the same mixed blood as the Maceos. Another well- 
 known Negro commander is General Flor Crombet, whose 
 patriotic deeds have been dimmed by his atrocious cruel- 
 ties. Among all the officers now swarming Havana none 
 attracts more admiring attention than General Ducasse, a 
 tall, fine-looking mulatto, who was educated at the fine 
 military school of St. Cyr. He is of extremely polished 
 manners and undeniable force of character, can make a 
 brilliant address and has got influence among the masses. 
 To eject such a man as he from a third rate foreign restau- 
 rant in his own land would be ridiculous. His equally 
 celebrated brother, Col. Juan Ducasse, was killed last year 
 in the Pinar del Rio insurrection. 
 
343 
 
 COLORED MEN'S ACHIEVEMENTS. 
 
 Besides these sons of Mars, Cuba has considered her his- 
 tory enriched by the achievements of colored men in peace- 
 ful walks of life. The memory of Gabriel Concepcion de 
 la Valdez, the mulatto poet, is cherished as that of a saint. 
 He was accused by the Spanish government of complicity 
 in the slave insurrection of 1844 and condemned to be shot 
 in his native town, Matanzas. One bright morning in 
 May he i-tood by the old statue of Ferdinand VII. In the 
 Plaza d' Armas, calmly facing a row of muskets, along 
 whose shining barrels the sun glinted. The first volley 
 failed to touch a vital spot. Bleeding from several wounds, 
 he still stood erect, and, pointing to his heart, said in a 
 clear voice, "Aim here!" Another mulatto author, edu- 
 cator and profound thinker was Antonio Medina, a priest 
 and professor of San Basilic the Greater. He acquired 
 wide reputation as a poet, novelist and ecclesiastic, both in 
 Spain and Cuba, and was selected by the Spanish Academy 
 to deliver the oration on the anniversary of Cerantes' death 
 in Madrid. His favorite Cuban pupil was Juan Gaulberto 
 Gomez, the mulatto journalist, who has been imprisoned 
 time and again for offences against the Spanish press laws. 
 Senor Gomez, whose home is in Mantanzas, is now on the 
 shady side of 40, a spectacled and scholarly looking man. 
 After the peace of Zanjon he collaborated in the periodi- 
 cals published by the Marquis of Sterling. In '97 he 
 founded in Havana, the newspaper La Fraternidad, devoted 
 to the interests of the colored race. For a certain fiery 
 editorial he was deported to Centa and kept there two 
 
344 
 
 years. Then he went to Madrid and assumed the manage- 
 ment of La Tribuna and in 1890 returned to Havana and 
 resumed the publication of La Fraternidad. 
 
 ANOTHER EXILE. 
 
 Another beloved exile from the land of his birth is Senor 
 Jose White. His mother was a colored woman of Matan- 
 zas. At the age of 16 Jose wrote a mass for the Matan- 
 zas orchestra, and gave his first concert. With the pro- 
 ceeds he entered the Conservatory of Paris, and in the 
 following year won the first prize as violinist among thirty- 
 nine contestants. He soon gained an enviable reputation 
 among the most celebrated European violinists, and covered 
 with honors, returned to Havana in January of '75. But 
 his songs were sometimes of liberty, and in June of the 
 same year, the Spanish government drove him out of the 
 country. Then he went to Brazil, and is now Piesident 
 of the Conservatory of Music of Rio Janeiro. 
 
 One might go on multiplying similar incidents. Some 
 of the most eminent doctors, lawyers and college professors 
 in Cuba are more or less darkly " colored." In the humble 
 walks of life one finds them everywhere, as carpenters, 
 masons, shoemakers and plumbers. In the few manufac- 
 tories of Cuba a large proportion of the workmen are 
 Negroes, especially in the cigar factories. In the tanneries 
 of Pinar del Rio most of the workmen are colored, also in 
 the saddle factories of Havana, Guanabacoa, Cardenas, and 
 other places. Although the insurgent army is not yet dis- 
 banded, the sugar-planters get plenty of help from their 
 ranks by offering fair wages. New York Sun. 
 
345 
 FACTS ABOUT PORTO RICO TOLD IN SHORT PARAGRAPHS. 
 
 Porto Rico, the beautiful island which General Miles is 
 taking under the American flag, has an area of 3,530 square 
 miles. It is 107 miles in length and 37 miles across. It 
 has a good telegraph line and a railroad only partially 
 completed. 
 
 The population, which is not made up of so many Ne- 
 groes and mulattoes as that of the neighboring islands, is 
 about 900,000. Almost all of the inhabitants are Roman 
 Catholics. 
 
 It is a mountainous island, and contains forty-seven navi- 
 gable streams. The roads are merely paths beaten down 
 by cattle. 
 
 Exports in 1887 were valued at $10,181,291; imports, 
 $10,198,006. 
 
 Gold, copper, salt, coal and iron abound. 
 
 The poorer classes live almost entirely on a variety of 
 highland rice, which is easily cultivated, as it requires no 
 flooding. 
 
 One of the principal industries is grazing. St. Thomas 
 is the market for fresh meat. 
 
 Corn, tobacco, sugar, coffee, cotton and potatoes consti- 
 tute the principal crops. 
 
 There are no snakes, no beasts of prey, no noxious birds 
 nor insects in the island. 
 
 The trees and grass are always green. 
 
 Rats are the great foe of the crops. 
 
 The natives often live to be one hundred years old. 
 
 The most beautiful flower on the island is the ortegon, 
 which has purple blossoms a yard long. 
 
346 
 
 Hurricanes are frequent on the north coast and very de- 
 structive. 
 
 Mosquitoes are the pest of the island. 
 
 Spanish is the language spoken, and education is but 
 little esteemed. 
 
 Every man, no matter how poor, owns a horse and three 
 or four game cocks. 
 
 The small planter is called " Xivaro." He is the proud 
 possessor of a sweetheart, a game cock, a horse, a hammock, 
 a guitar and a large supply of tobacco. He is quick tem- 
 pered but not revengeful, and he is proverbially lazy. 
 
 Hospitality is the rule of the island. The peasants are 
 astonished and hurt when offered money by travellers. San 
 Juan Harbor is one of the best in the West Indies, and is 
 said to be the third most strongly fortified town in the 
 world, Halifax being the strongest and Cartagena, Spain, 
 the second. 
 
 Ponce de L,eon, between 1509 and 1518, killed off the 
 natives. 
 
 The De Leon palace, built in 1511, is of great interest to 
 tourists. 
 
 The climate is warm but pleasant. At night thick cloth- 
 ing is found comfortable. 
 
 All visiting and shopping is done after sundown. 
 
 Slavery was abolished in 1873. 
 
 The woman are rather small and delicately formed. 
 Many of them are pretty and they are all given to flirtation. 
 
 Men and women ride horseback alike. Wicker baskets, 
 to carry clothes or provisions, are hung on either side of 
 the horse's shoulders. Back of these baskets'the rider sits. 
 
347 
 
 It is the custom of travellers on horseback to carry a 
 basket-handled sword a yard and a quarter long, more as 
 an ornament than as a means of defense. 
 
 The observance of birthdays is an island fashion that is 
 followed by everyone. 
 
 A Governor, appointed by the Crown, manages affairs. 
 His palace is at San Juan, the capital, a town that has 
 24,000 inhabitants. 
 
 Upon the Rio Grande are prehistoric monuments that 
 have attracted the attention of archaeologists. 
 
 Following the Spanish custom, men are imprisoned for 
 debt. 
 
 In the towns, houses are built with flat roofs, both to 
 catch water and to afford the family a small roof garden. 
 
 All planters have town houses where they bring their 
 families during the carnival season. 
 
 San Juan is filled with adventurers, gamblers, speculators 
 and fugitives from justice. J\eiv York World. 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 LIST OF COLORED REGIMENTS THAT DID ACTIVE SERVICE 
 
 IX THE SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR, AND 
 
 VOLUNTEER REGIMENTS. 
 
 Regulars. Section 1104 of the Revised Statutes of the 
 United States Congress provides that " the enlisted men of 
 two regiments of Cavalry shall be colored men," and in 
 compliance with this section the War Department main- 
 tains the organization of the Ninth and Tenth Cavalry, 
 both composed of colored men with white officers. 
 
 Section 1108 of the Revised Statutes of Congress pro- 
 vides that " the enlisted men of two regiments of Infantry 
 shall be colored men ; " and in compliance with this section 
 the War Department maintains the organization of the 
 Twenty-fourth and Twenty-fifth Infantry, both composed 
 of colored men with white officers. 
 
 The above regiments were the only colored troops that 
 were engaged in active service in Cuba. There is no stat- 
 ute requiring colored artillery regiments to be organized, 
 and there are, therefore, none in the regular army. 
 
 A LIST OF VOLUNTEER REGIMENTS. 
 
 Third North Carolina All colored officers. 
 
 Sixth Virginia White officers. Finally the colored offi- 
 cers resigned "under pressure," after which there was much 
 trouble with the men, as they claimed to have enlisted 
 
349 
 
with the understanding that they were to have colored 
 officers. 
 
 Ninth Ohio All colored officers ; Colonel, Chas. Young, 
 graduate of West Point. 
 
 Twenty-third Kansas Colored officers. 
 
 Eighth Illinois Under colored officers, and did police 
 duty at San Luis, Cuba. 
 
 Seventh U. S. Volunteers. 
 
 Tenth U. S. Volunteers. 
 
 Eighth U. S. Volunteers. 
 
 Ninth U. S. Volunteers. 
 
 The conduct of the colored volunteers has been harshly 
 criticised, and it is thought by some that the conduct of 
 the volunteers has had some influence in derogation of the 
 good record made by the regulars around Santiago. This 
 view, however, we think unjust and ill-founded. There 
 was considerable shooting of pistols and drunkenness among 
 some regiments of volunteers, and it was not confined by 
 any means to those of the colored race. The white volun- 
 teers were as drunk and noisy as the colored, and shot as 
 many pistols. 
 
 The Charlotte Observer has the following editorial con- 
 cerning some white troops that passed through Charlotte, 
 N. C.: 
 
 " Mustered-out West Virginia and New York volunteer 
 soldiers who passed through this city Saturday night be- 
 haved, on the train and here, like barbarians, disgracing 
 their uniforms, their States and themselves. They were 
 drunk and disorderly, and their firing of pistols, destruction 
 
352 
 
 of property and theft of edibles was not as bad as their out- 
 rageous profanity and obscenity on the cars in the hearing 
 of ladies. Clearly they are brutes when sober and whiskey 
 only developed the vileness already in them." 
 
 By a careful comparison of the reports in the newspapers 
 we see a slight excess of rowdyism on the part of the whites, 
 but much less fuss made about it. In traveling from place 
 to place, if a white volunteer company fired a few shots in 
 the air, robbed a fruit stand, or fussed with the bystanders 
 at railroad stations, or drank whiskey at the car windows, 
 the fact was simply mentioned in the morning papers, but 
 if a Negro company fired a pistol a telegram was sent ahead 
 to have mobs in readiness to " do up the niggers " at the 
 next station, and at one place in Georgia the militia was 
 called out by a telegram sent ahead, and discharged a vol- 
 ley into the car containing white officers and their families, 
 so eager were they to "do up the nigger." At Nashville 
 the city police are reported to have charged through the 
 train, clubbing the colored volunteers who were returning 
 home, and taking anything in the shape of a weapon away 
 from them by force. In Texarkana, or thereabouts, it was 
 reported that a train of colored troopers was blown up by 
 dynamite. The Southern mobs seemed to pride themselves 
 in assaulting the colored soldiers. 
 
 While the colored volunteers were not engaged in active 
 warfare, yet they attained a high degree of discipline, and 
 the cleanest and most orderly camp among any of the vol- 
 unteers was reported by the chief sanitary officer of the 
 government to be that of one of the colored volunteer regi- 
 ments stationed in Virginia. It is to be regretted that the 
 
353 
 
 colored volunteers, especially those under Negro officers, 
 did not have an opportunity to show their powers on the 
 battlefield, and thus demonstrate their ability as soldiers, 
 and so refreshen the memory of the nation as to what Ne- 
 gro soldiers once did at Fort Wagner and Milikin's Bend. 
 The volunteer boys were ready and willing and only needed 
 a chance to show what they could do. 
 
 POLICED BY NEGKOES. 
 
 White Immunes Ordered out of Santiago, and a Colored Regiment Placed in 
 
 Charge. 
 
 WASHINGTON, D. C., Aug. 17, 1898. 
 EDITOR COLORED AMERICAN : The Star of this city 
 published the following dispatch in its issue of the i6th 
 inst. The Washington Post next morning published the 
 same dispatch, omitting the last paragraph ; and yet the 
 Post claims to publish the news, whether pleasing or other- 
 wise. The selection of the 8th Illinois colored regiment 
 for this important duty, to replace a disorderly white regi. 
 ment, is a sufficient refutation of a recent editorial in the 
 Post, discrediting colored troops with colored officers. The 
 Eighth Illinois is a colored regiment from Colonel down. 
 The Generals at the front know the value of Negro troops, 
 whether the quill-drivers in the rear do or not. 
 
 CHARLES R. DOUGLASS. 
 
 The following is the dispatch referred to by Major 
 Douglass. The headlines of the Star are retained. 
 
354 
 
 Immunes Made Trouble General Shatter Orders the Second Regiment Outside 
 
 the Cify of Santiago Colored Troops From Illinois Assigned to the 
 
 Duty of Preserving Order and Property. 
 
 SANTIAGO DE CUBA, Aug. 16. General Shafter to-day 
 ordered the Second Volunteer Regiment of Immunes to 
 leave the city and go into camp outside. 
 
 The regiment had been placed here as a garrison, to 
 preserve order and protect property. There has been fir- 
 ing of arms inside of the town by members of this regi- 
 ment, without orders, so far as known. Some of the men 
 have indulged in liquor until they have verged upon 
 acts of license and disorder. The inhabitants in some 
 quarters have alleged loss of property by force and intimi- 
 dation, and there has grown up a feeling of uneasiness, if 
 not alarm concerning them. General Shafter has, there- 
 fore, ordered this regiment into the hills, where discipline 
 can be more severely maintained. 
 
 In place of the Second Volunteer Immune Regiment, 
 General Shafter has ordered into the city the Eighth Illi- 
 nois Volunteer Regiment of colored troops, in whose so- 
 briety and discipline he has confidence, and of whose sturdy 
 enforcement of order no doubt is felt by those in command. 
 
 SKETCH OF SIXTH VIRGINIA VOLUNTEERS. 
 
 The Sixth Virginia Volunteer Infantry, U. S. V., con- 
 sisted of two battalions, first and second Battalion Infantry 
 Virginia Volunteers (State militia), commanded respectively 
 by Maj. J. B. Johnson and Maj. W. H. Johnson. In April, 
 1898, the war cloud was hanging over the land. Gover- 
 
MAJOR JOHN R. I,YNCH, PAYMASTER IN U. S. ARMY. 
 
 355 
 
357 
 
 nor J. Hoge Tyler, of Virginia, under instructions from 
 the War Department, sent to all Virginia Volunteers in- 
 quiring how many men in the respective commands were 
 willing to enlist in the United States volunteer service in 
 the war against Spain. 
 
 How many would go in or out of the United States. 
 
 COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, 
 ADJUTANT GENERAL'S OFFICE, 
 RICHMOND, VA., April ipth, 1898. 
 General Order No. 8. 
 
 I. Commanding officers of companies of Virginia Vol- 
 unteers will, immediately, upon the receipt by them of this 
 order, assemble their respective companies and proceed to 
 ascertain and report direct to this office, upon the form 
 herewith sent and by letter, what officers and enlisted men 
 of their companies will volunteer for service in and with 
 the volunteer forces of the United States (not ii the regu- 
 lar army) with the distinct understanding that such volun- 
 teer forces, or any portion thereof, may be ordered and re- 
 quired to perform service either in or out of the United 
 States, and that such officer or enlisted man so volunteer- 
 ing, agrees and binds himself to, without question, prom- 
 ptly obey all orders emanating from the proper officers, 
 and to render such service as he may be required to per- 
 form, either within or beyond the limits of the United 
 States. 
 
 II. The Brigade Commander and the Regimental and 
 Battalion Commanders will, without delay, obtain like in- 
 
358 
 
 formation and make, direct to this office, similar reports, 
 to those above required, with regard to their respective 
 field, staff and non-commissioned staff officers and regi- 
 mental or battalion bands, adopting the form herewith sent 
 to the regiments. 
 
 III. By reason of the necessity in this matter, this order 
 is sent direct, with copies to intermediate commanders. 
 
 By order of the Governor and Commander-in- Chief. 
 
 WM. NALLEE, 
 Adjutant-General. 
 
 The companies of the First Battalion of Richmond and 
 Second Battalion of Petersburg and Norfolk were the first 
 to respond to the call and express a readiness to go any- 
 where in or out of the States with their own officers, upon 
 these conditions they were immediately accepted, and the 
 following order was issued : 
 
 COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, 
 ADJUTANT-GENERAL'S OFFICE, 
 
 RICHMOND, VA., April 23, 1898. 
 General Orders No. 9. 
 
 The commanding officers of such companies as will 
 volunteer for service in the volunteer army of the United 
 States will at once proceed to recruit their respective com- 
 panies to at least eighty-four enlisted men. Any company 
 volunteering as a body, for such service, will be mustered 
 in with its own officers. 
 
 By order of the Governor and Commander-in-Chief. 
 (Signed) W. NALLEE, 
 
 Adjutant-General. 
 
359 
 
 Under date of June i, 1898, S. O. 59, A. G. O., Rich- 
 mond, Va., was issued directly to the commanding officers 
 of the First and Second Battalion (colored), who had been 
 specially designated by the President in his call, ordering 
 them to take the necessary steps to recruit the companies 
 of the respective battalions to eighty-three men per com- 
 pany, directing that care be taken, to accept only men of 
 good repute and able-bodied, and that as soon as recruited 
 the fact should be reported by telegraph to the Adjutant- 
 General of the State. 
 
 July 15, 1898, Company "A," Attucks Guard, was the 
 first company to arrive at Camp Corbin, Va. t ten miles 
 below Richmond. The company had three officers ; Capt 
 W. A. Hawkins, First Lieutenant J. C. Smith, Lieutenant 
 John Parham. 
 
 The other companies followed in rapid succession. Com- 
 pany U B" (Carney Guard), Capt. C. B. Nicholas ; First 
 Lieutenant, L. J. Wyche ; Second Lieutenant, J. W. Gilpin. 
 Company " C " (State Guard), Capt. B. A. Graves ; First 
 Lieutenant, S. B. Randolph ; Second Lieutenant, W. H. 
 Anderson. Company "D" (Langston Guard), Capt. B. W. 
 Gould ; First Lieutenant, Chas. H. Robinson, Second Lieu- 
 tenant, Geo. W. Foreman. Company "E" (Petersburg 
 Guard), Capt. J. E. Hill; First Lieutenant, J. H. Hill; 
 Second Lieutenant, Fred. E. Mangrum. Company " F " 
 (Petersburg), Capt. Pleasant Webb ; First Lieutenant, Jno. 
 K. Rice ; Second Lieutenant, Richard Hill. Company " G," 
 Capt. J. A. Stephens ; First Lieutenant, E. Thomas Walker, 
 Second Lieutenant, David Worrell. Company " H," Capt. 
 Peter Shepperd, Jr.; First Lieutenant, Jas. M. Collins ; Sec- 
 
3 6 
 
 ond Lieutenant, Geo. T. Wright. The regiment consisted 
 of only eight companies, two battalions, commanded respect- 
 ively by Major J. B. Johnson and Major W. H. Johnson, 
 commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Richard C. Croxton, of 
 the First United States Infantry. First Lieutenant, Chas. 
 R. Alexander, was Surgeon. Second Lieutenant, Allen J. 
 Black, Assistant Surgeon. 
 
 Lieutenant W. H. Anderson, Company " C," was detailed 
 as Adjutant, Ordinance Officer and Mustering Officer. 
 
 Lieutenant J. H. Gilpin, Company " B," was detailed as 
 Quartermaster and Commissary of Subsist ance. 
 
 On Monday, September 12, 1898, the command left 
 Camp Corbin, Va., and embarked for Knoxville, Tenn., 
 about 10 o'clock, the men travelling in day coaches and the 
 officers in Pullman sleepers. The train was in two sections. 
 Upon arrival at Knoxville the command was sent to Camp 
 Poland, near the Fourteenth Michigan Regiment, who were 
 soon mustered out. A few days after the arrival of the 
 Sixth Virginia the Third North Carolina arrived, a full 
 regiment with every officer a Negro. While here, in order 
 to get to the city, our officers, Wagons and men had to pass 
 the Camp of the First Georgia Regiment, and it was quite 
 annoying to have to suffer from unnecessary delays in stores 
 and other things to which the men were subject. 
 
 After the review by General Alger, Secretary of War, 
 the Colonel of the Sixth Virginia received permission from 
 headquarters of Third Brigade, Second Division, First 
 Army Corps, General Rosser commanding, to move the 
 camp a point nearer to the city, which was granted. Soon 
 after the arrival of the Third North Carolina Regiment 
 
MAJOR B. R. WRIGHT, PAYMASTER IN U. S. ARMY. 
 
 361 
 
363 
 
 the First Georgia seemed disposed to attack the colored 
 soldiers, so on a beautiful September evening some shots 
 were fired into their camp by the First Georgia men and 
 received quick response. After the little affair four Geor- 
 gians were missing. The matter was investigated, the 
 First Georgia was placed under arrest. 
 
 After the removal to a new portion of Camp Poland 
 orders were received from the headquarters First Army 
 Corps, Lexington, Ky., ordering a board of examiners for 
 the following officers of the Sixth Virginia : Maj. W. H. 
 Johnson, Second Battalion ; Capt. C. B. Nicholas, Capt. J. 
 E. Hill, Capt. J. A. C. Stevens, Capt. E. W. Gould, Capt. 
 Peter Shepperd, Jr., Lieutenants S. B. Randolph, Geo. T. 
 Wright and David Worrell for examination September 20, 
 1898, each officer immediately tendered his resignation, 
 which was at once accepted by the Secretary of War. 
 
 Under the rules governing the volunteer army, when 
 vacancies occurred by death, removal, resignation or other- 
 wise, the Colonel of a regiment had the power to recom- 
 mend suitable officers or men to fill the vacancies by pro- 
 motions, and the Governor would make the appointment 
 with the approval of the Secretary of War. Many of the 
 men had high hopes of gaining a commission ; many of the 
 most worthy young men of the State, who left their peace- 
 ful vocations for the rough service of war, for they were 
 students, bookkeepers, real estate men, merchants, clerks 
 and artists who responded to their country's call all look- 
 ing to a much desired promotion. But after many con- 
 flicting stories as to what would be done and much parley- 
 ing on the part of the recommending power, who said that 
 
3 6 4 
 
 there was none in the regiment qualified for the promotion. 
 And thereupon the Governor appointed white officers to 
 fill the vacancies created. A copy of the following was 
 sent to the Governor of Virginia through u military chan- 
 nels " but never reached him ; also to the Adjutant-General 
 of the army through military channels : 
 
 SIXTH VIRGINIA VOLUNTEER INFANTRY, 
 
 SECOND BATTALION, COLORED, 
 CAMP POLAND, TENN., October 27, 1898. 
 To the Adjutant-General, U. S. Army, 
 
 Washington, D. C. 
 
 SIR We, the undersigned officers of the Sixth Virginia 
 Volunteer Infantry, stationed at Camp Poland, Knoxville, 
 Tenn., have the honor to respectfully submit to you the 
 following : 
 
 Nine officers of this command who had served the State 
 militia for a period ranging from five to twenty years were 
 ordered examined. They resigned for reasons best known 
 to themselves. We, the remaining officers, were sanguine 
 that Negro officers* would be appointed to fill these vacan- 
 cies, and believe they can be had from the rank and file, as 
 the men in the various companies enlisted with the distinct 
 understanding that they would be commanded by Negro 
 officers. We now understand through various sources that 
 white officers have been, or are to be, appointed to fill these 
 vacancies, to which we seriously and respectfully protest, 
 because our men are dissatisfied. The men feel that the 
 policy inaugurated as to this command should remain, and 
 we fear if there is a change it will result disastrously to one 
 
365 
 
 of the best disciplined commands in the volunteer service. 
 They are unwilling to be commanded by white officers and 
 object to do what they did not agree to at first. That is 
 to be commanded by any other than officers of the same 
 color. We furthermore believe that should the appoint- 
 ments be confirmed there will be a continual friction be- 
 tween the officers and men of the two races as has been 
 foretold by our present commanding officer. We express 
 the unanimous and sincere desire of seven hundred and 
 ninety-one men in the command to be mustered out rather 
 than submit to the change. 
 
 We therefore pray that the existing vacancies be filled 
 from the rank and file of the command or by men of color. 
 To all of which we most humbly pray. 
 
 (Signed) J. B. JOHNSON, Major 6th Va. Vol. Inf, 
 
 PLEASANT WEBB, Capt. 6th Va. Vol. Inf. 
 
 BENJ. A. GRAVES, Capt. 6th Va. Vol. Inf. 
 
 JAS. C. SMITH, 6th Va. Vol. Inf., ist Lt. 
 
 L. J. WYCHE, ist Lt. 6th Va. Vol. Inf. 
 
 CHAS. H ROBINSON, ist. Lt. 6th Va. Vol. 
 
 JOHN H. HILL, ist Lt. 6th Va. Vol. Inf. 
 
 JNO. K. RICE, ist Lt. 6th Va. Vol. Inf. 
 
 EDWIN T. WALKER, ist Lt. 6th Va. Vol. 
 
 C. R. ALEXANDER, ist Lt. and Surg. 6th Va. 
 Vol. Inf. 
 
 JOHN PARHAM, 2d Lt. 6th Va. Vol. Inf. 
 
 JAS. ST. GILPIN, 2d Lt. 6th Va. Vol. Inf. 
 
 W. H. ANDERSON, 2d Lt. 6th Va. Vol. Inf. 
 
 GEORGE W. FOREMAN, 2d Lt. 6th Va. Vol. Inf. 
 
 FREDERICK E. MANGRUM, 2d Lt. 6th Va. 
 Vol. Inf. 
 
 RICHARD HILL, 2d Lt. 6th Va. Vol. Inf. 
 
 JAMES M. COLLIN, 2d. Lt. 6th Va. Vol. Inf. 
 
3 66 
 
 FIRST ENDORSEMENT. 
 
 HEADQUARTERS 6th VA. VOL. INF. 
 
 SECOND BATTALION, COLORED, 
 CAMP POLAND, TENN., f Oct. 28, 189$. 
 Respectfully forwarded. 
 
 I have explained to the officers who signed this paper 
 that their application is absurd, but they seem unable to 
 see the points involved. 
 
 The statement within that 791 men prefer to be mus- 
 tered out rather than serve under white officers is based 
 upon the alleged reports that each First Sergeant stated 
 to his Captain that all the men of the company were of 
 that opinion. The statement that the men " enlisted with 
 the understanding that they would be commanded entirely 
 by Negro officers," seems to be based upon the fact that 
 when these companies were called upon by the State au- 
 thorities they volunteered for service, etc., u with our pres- 
 ent officers." These officers (9 of them) have since re- 
 signed and their places filled by the Governor of Virginia 
 with white officers. 
 
 These latter have not yet reported for duty. 
 Further comment seems as unnecessary as the applica- 
 tion itself is useless. 
 
 (Signed) R. C. CROXTON, 
 
 Lt. Col. 6th Va. Vol. Inf. Com'd'g. 
 
367 
 SECOND ENDORSEMENT. 
 
 HEADQUARTERS THIRD BRIGADE, 
 SECOND DIVISION, FIRST ARMY CORPS, 
 CAMP POLAND, TENN., Oct. 29, 1898. 
 
 Respectfully forwarded. Disapproved as under the law 
 creating the present volunteer forces the Governor of Vir- 
 ginia is the only authority who can appoint the officers of 
 the 6th Va. Vol. Inf. 
 
 (Signed) JAMES H. YOUNG, 
 
 Col. 3d N. C. Vol. Inf. Com'd'g. Brigade. 
 
 THIRD ENDORSEMENT. 
 
 HEADQUARTERS SECOND DIVISION, 
 
 FIRST ARMY CORPS, 
 CAMP POLAND, KNOXVILLE, TENN., Oct. 31, 1898. 
 
 Respectfully returned to the Commanding General, 
 Third Brigade. 
 
 The enclosed communication is in form and substance 
 so contrary to all military practice and traditions that it is 
 returned to file at Regimental Headquarters, 6th Va. Vol. 
 Infantry. 
 
 By command of Col. Kuert. 
 
 (Signed) Louis V. CAZIARC, 
 
 Assistant Adjutant-General. 
 
368 
 
 FOURTH ENDORSEMENT. 
 
 HEADQUARTERS THIRD BRIGADE, 
 SECOND DIVISION, FIRST ARMY CORPS. 
 Respectfully transmitted to C. O., 6th Virginia, inviting 
 attention to preceding Inst. 
 By order of Col. Young. 
 
 4 (Signed) A. B. COLLIER, 
 
 Captain Assistant Adjutant-General. 
 
 A NEW LIEUTENANT FOR THE SIXTH VIRGINIA. 
 
 October 31, 1898, the monthly muster was in progress. 
 There appeared in the camp a new Lieutenant Lieutenant 
 Jno. W. Healey formerly Sergeant-Major in the regular 
 army. This was the first positive evidence that white of- 
 ficer would be assigned to this regiment. This was about 
 9 o'clock in the morning, and at Knoxville later in the day, 
 there were more arrivals. Then it was published that the 
 following changes and appointments were made : 
 
 Company D, First Battalion, was transferred to the Sec- 
 ond Battalion ; Company F, of the Second Battalion, trans- 
 ferred to the First Battalion. 
 
 Major E. E. Cobell commanding Second Battalion, 
 
 Captain R. L. E. Masurier, commanding Company D. 
 
 Captain W. S. Faulkner, commanding Company E. 
 
 Captain J. W. Bentley, commanding Company G. 
 
 Captain S. T. Moore, commanding- Company H. 
 
 First Lieutenant John W. Healey to Company H. 
 
 First Lieutenant A. L. Moncure to Company G. 
 
369 
 
 Second Lieutenant Geo. W. Richardson, Company G. 
 
 First Lieutenant Edwin T. Walker transferred to Com- 
 pany C. 
 
 November ist officers attempted to take charge of the 
 men, who offered no violence at all, but, by their manner 
 and conduct, it appeared too unpleasant and unsafe for 
 these officers to remain, so tendered their resignations, but 
 they were withheld for a day. 
 
 The next day, November 2, 1898, it was thought best 
 that the colored Captains and Lieutenants should drill the 
 companies at the 9 o'clock drill. While on the field " re- 
 call " was sounded and the companies were brought to the 
 headquarters and formed a street column. General Bates, 
 commanding the corps, and his staff; Col. Kuert, com- 
 manding the brigade, and brigade staff ; Maj. Louis V. Ca- 
 ziarc, Assistant Adjutant-General ; Lieut-Col. Croxton and 
 Maj. Johnson were all there and spoke to the men. CoL 
 Kuert said : " Gentlemen, as commanding officer of the 
 brigade, I appear before you to-day asking you to do your 
 duty ; to be good soldiers, to remember your oath of elist- 
 ment, and to be careful as to the step you take, for it might 
 cost you your life ; that there are enough soldiers at my 
 command to force you into submission should you resist. 
 Now, if you intend to accept the situation and submit to 
 these officers placed over you, at my command, you come 
 to a right shoulder, and if you have any grievance, imagi- 
 nary or otherwise, present through proper military chan- 
 nels, and if they are proper, your wrongs will be adjusted. 
 Right shoulder, arms ! " 
 
370 
 
 Did not a man move. He then ordered them to be taken 
 back to their company street and to "stack arms." 
 
 Before going to the company street Major Caziarc spoke 
 to the men as follows : " Forty years ago no Negro could 
 bear arms or wear the blue. You cannot disgrace the blue, 
 but can make yourselves unworthy to wear it." 
 
 Then Major J. B. Johnson spoke to the men and urged 
 upon them to keep in mind the oath of enlistment (which 
 he read to them) in which they swore that they would 
 "obey all officers placed over them;" that since the ap- 
 pointments had been made, there was nothing for them to 
 do but to accept the situation. 
 
 At the conclusion of Major Johnson's talk to the men, 
 Private Badger, regimental tailor, stepped to the front and 
 gave the " rifle salute " and asked permission to say a word. 
 It was granted. He said : " When we enlisted we under- 
 stood that we would go with our colored officers anywhere 
 in or out of this country, and when vacancies occurred we 
 expected and looked for promotion as was the policy of the 
 Governor of Virginia toward other Virginia regiments. He 
 was told that if the men had any grievance they could 
 present it through military channels and it would be looked 
 into." 
 
 They never accepted Major Johnson's advice, returned to 
 their company streets and were allowed to keep their guns. 
 The ordnance officer was ordered to take all ammunition 
 to the camp of the Thirty-first Michigan and place it in the 
 guard-house. 
 
 The men had the freedom and pass privilege to and from 
 the city. 
 
MAJOR J. B. JOHNSON. 
 
 371 
 
373 
 
 November i9th the command was ordered to Macon, Ga., 
 arriving at Camp Haskell next day, with 820 men and 27 
 officers. 
 
 Near the camp of the Sixth Virginia was that of the 
 Tenth Immune Regiment, in which were many Virginia 
 boys, some of whom had been members of some of the com- 
 panies of the Sixth. 
 
 Some irresponsible person cut down a tree upon which 
 several men had been lynched. The blame naturally fell 
 upon the Sixth Virginia. The regiment was placed under 
 arrest and remained so for nineteen days. The first day 
 the Third Engineers guarded the camp, but General Wil- 
 son, the Corps commander, removed them and put colored 
 soldiers to guard them. On the night of November 2Oth. 
 at a late hour, the camp was surrounded by all the troops 
 available, while the men were asleep and the regiment was 
 disarmed. 
 
 While all this was going on the Thirty-first Michigan 
 Regiment had been deployed into line behind a hill on the 
 north and the Fourth Tennessee had been drawn up in 
 line on the east side of the camp, ready to fire should any 
 resistance be offered. 
 
 The men quietly submitted to this strange procedure, 
 and did not know that Gatling guns had been conveniently 
 placed at hand to mow them down had they shown any 
 resistance. The Southern papers called them the muti- 
 nous Sixth, and said and did everything to place discredit 
 
 upon them. 
 
 They were reviewed by General Breckinridge, General 
 Alger, Secretary of War, and President McKinley, who 
 applauded them for their fine and soldierly appearance. 
 
374 
 WHAT PRESIDENT CHARLES FRANCIS MESERVE SATS. 
 
 President Charles Francis Meserve, of Shaw University, 
 says: 
 
 " I spent a part of two days the latter part of December 
 at Camp Haskell, near Macon, Ga., inspecting the Third 
 North Carolina colored regiment and its camp and sur- 
 roundings. The fact that this regiment has colored offi- 
 cers and the knowledge that the Colonel and quite a num- 
 ber of officers, as well as many of the rank and file, were 
 graduates or former students of Shaw University, led me to 
 make a visit to this regiment, unheralded and unannounced. 
 I was just crossing the line into the camp when I was stop- 
 ped by a guard, who wanted to know who I was and what 
 I wanted. I told him I was a very small piece of Shaw Uni- 
 versity, and that I wanted to see Col. Young. After that 
 sentence was uttered, and he had directed me to the head- 
 quarters of the colonel, the regiment and the camp might 
 have been called mine, for the freedom of everything was 
 granted me. 
 
 The camp is admirably located on a sandy hillside, near 
 pine woods, and is dry and well drained. It is well laid 
 out, with a broad avenue in the centre intersected by a 
 number of side streets. On one side of the avenue are the 
 tents and quarters of the men and the canteen, and on the 
 opposite side the officers' quarters, the hospital, the quar- 
 termasters' stores, the Y. M. C. A. tent, etc. 
 
 Although the weather was unfavorable, the camp was 
 in the best condition, and from the standpoint of sanita- 
 tion was well-nigh perfect. I went everywhere and saw 
 everything, even to the sinks and corral. Part of the time 
 
377 
 
 I was alone and part of the time an officer attended me. 
 There was an abundant supply of water from the Macon 
 water works distributed in pipes throughout the camp. 
 The clothing was of good quality and well cared for. The 
 food was excellent, abundant in quantity and well pre- 
 pared. The beef was fresh and sweet, for it had not been 
 "embalmed." The men were not obliged to get their 
 fresh meat by picking maggots out of dried apples and 
 dried peaches as has been the case sometimes in the past 
 on our " Wild West Frontier." There were potatoes, Irish 
 and sweet, navy beans, onions, meat, stacks of light bread, 
 canned salmon, canned tomatoes, etc. These were not all 
 served at one meal, but all these articles and others go 
 to make up the army ration list. 
 
 The spirit and discipline of officers and men was admir- 
 able, and reflected great credit upon the Old North State. 
 There was an enthusiastic spirit and buoyancy that made 
 their discipline and evolution will nigh perfect. The 
 secret of it all was confidence in their leader. They believe 
 in their colonel, and the colonel in turn believes in his men. 
 Col. James H. Young posesses in a marked degree a qual- 
 ity of leadership as important as it is rare. He probably 
 knows by name at least three-quarters of his regiment, and 
 is on pleasant terms with his staff and the men in the ranks, 
 and yet maintains a proper dignity, such as befits his official 
 rank. 
 
 On the last afternoon of my visit of inspection Col. 
 Young ordered the regiment drawn up in front of his 
 headquarters, and invited me to address them. The Col- 
 onel and his staff were mounted, and I was given a position 
 
378 
 
 of honor on a dry goods box near the head of the beautiful 
 horse upon which the Colonel was mounted. Besides 
 Colonel James H. Young, of Raleigh, were near me Lieu- 
 tenant Colonel Taylor, of Charlotte ; Lieut. H. C. Christ- 
 mas, of Raleigh ; Major Walker, of Wilmington ; Major 
 Hay wood, of Raleigh; Chief Surgeons Bellinger, of Greens- 
 boro ; Assistant Surgeons Pope, of Charlotte, and Alston, 
 of Asheville ; Capt. Durham, of Winston ; Capt. Hamlin, 
 of Raleigh ; Capt. Hargraves, of Maxton ; Capt. Mebane, 
 of Elizabeth City; Capt. Carpenter, of Rutherfordton ; 
 Capt. Alexander, of Statesville ; Capt. Smith, of Durham ; 
 Capt. Mason, of Kinston, who served under Colonel Shaw 
 at Fort Wagner; Capt. Leatherwood, Asheville; Capt. 
 Stitt, of Charlotte ; Capt. York, of Newbern ; and Quart- 
 ermaster Lane, of Raleigh. That highly respected citizen 
 of Fayetteville, Adjutant Smith, was in the hospital suffer- 
 ing from a broken leg. I told them they were on trial, 
 and the success or failure of the experiment must be deter- 
 mined by themselves alone ; that godliness, moral character, 
 prompt and implicit obedience, as well as bravery and un- 
 flinching courage, were necessary attributes of the true 
 soldier. 
 
 The Y. M. C. A. tent is a great blessing to the regiment, 
 and is very popular, and aids in every possible way the 
 work of Chaplain Durham. 
 
 The way Col. Young manages the canteen can not be 
 too highly recommended. Ordinarily the term canteen is 
 another name for a drinking saloon, though a great variety 
 of articles, such as soldiers need, are on sale and the profits 
 go to the soldiers. But the canteen of the third North Caro- 
 
PROF. CHARGES F. MESERVE, 
 
 OF SHAW UNIVERSITY, RALEIGH, N. C. 
 
 (Who investigated and made report on the Third N. C. Volunteers.) 
 
 379 
 
lina is a dry one. By that I mean that spirituous or malt 
 liquors are not sold. Col. Young puts into practice the 
 principles that have always characterized his personal hab- 
 its, and with the best results to his regiment. 
 
 I had the pleasure of meeting Capt. S. Babcock, Assis- 
 tant Adjutant General of the Brigade, who has known this 
 regiment since it was mustered into the service. He 
 speaks of it in the highest terms. I also met Major John 
 A. Logan, the Provost Marshal, and had a long interview 
 with him. He said the Third North Carolina was a well- 
 behaved regiment and that he had not arrested a larger 
 per. cent of men from this regiment than from any other 
 regiment, and that I was at liberty to publicly use this 
 statement. 
 
 While in the sleeper on my way home I fell in with 
 Capt. J. C. Gresham, of the Seventh Cavalry. Capt. Gres- 
 ham is a native of Virginia, a graduate of Richmond Col- 
 lege and West Point, and has served many years in the 
 regular army. He was with Colonel Forsyth in the bat- 
 tle with the Sioux at Wounded Knee, South Dakota. I 
 had met him previously, when I was in the United States 
 Indian service in Kansas. He informed me that he mus- 
 tered in the first four companies of the Third North Caro- 
 lina, and the Colonel and his staff, and that he had never 
 met a more capable man than Colonel Young. 
 
 The Third North Carolina has never seen active service 
 at the front, and, as the Hispano-American war is practi- 
 cally a closed chapter, it will probably be mustered out of 
 the servi :e without any knowledge of actual warfare. I 
 thought, however, as I stood on the dry goods box and 
 
3S2 
 
 gave them kindly advice, and looked down along the line, 
 that if I was a soldier in a white regiment and was pitted 
 against them, my regiment would have to do some mighty 
 lively work to " cleam them out." 
 
 CHARLES FRANCIS MESERVE. 
 Shaw University, 
 
 Raleigh, N. C., Jan. 25, 1899. 
 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 THE TWENTY-FOURTH UNITED STATES INFANTRY. 
 
 BY SERGEANT E. D. GIBSON. 
 
 The Twenty-fourth United States Infantry was organized 
 by act of Congress July 28, 1866. Reorganized by consoli- 
 dation of the 38th and 4ist regiments of infantry, by act of 
 Congress, approved March 3, 1869. Organization of regi- 
 ment completed in September, 1869, w i^ headquarters at 
 Fort McKavett, Texas. 
 
 Since taking station at Fort McKavett, headquarters of 
 the regiment have been at the following places : 
 
 1870-71, Fort McKavett, Tex.; 1872, Forts McKavett 
 and Brown, Texas ; 1873-74, Forts Brown and Duncan 
 Texas; 1875-76, Fort Brown, Tex.; 1877-78, Fort Clark, 
 Tex.; 1879, Fort Duncan, Tex.; 1880, Forts Duncan and 
 Davis, Tex.; 1881-87, Fort Suyply, Ini. Terr.; 1888, Forts 
 Supply and Sill, Ind. Terr., and Bayard, N. M.; 1889 to 
 1896, Forts Bayard, N. M., and Douglas, Utah; 1897, Fort 
 Douglas, Utah ; 1898, Fort Douglas, Utah, till April 20, 
 when ordered into the field, incident to the breaking out of 
 the Spanish- American war. At Chickamauga, Park, Ga., 
 April 24 to 30 ; Tampa, Fla., May 2 to June 7 ; on board 
 transports S. S. City of Washington, enroute with expidition 
 (Fifth Army Corps) to Cuba, from June 9 to 25 ; at Siboney 
 and L,as Guasimas, Cuba, from June 25 to 30 ; occupied the 
 immediate block-house hill at Fort San Juan, Cuba, July i 
 
386 
 
 to 10, from which position the regiment changed to a place 
 on the San Juan ridge about one forth of a mile to the left 
 of the block-house, where in remained until July 15, when 
 it took station at yellow fever camp, Siboney, Cuba, remain, 
 ing until August 26, 1898 ; returned to the United States 
 August 26, arriving at Montauk Pt., L. L, September 2, 
 1898, where it remained until September 26, when ordered 
 to its original station, Fort Douglas, Utah, rejoining Octo- 
 ber i, 1898. 
 
 FIELD AND STAFF OFFICERS. 
 
 Colonel. Henry B. Freeman, under orders to join. 
 
 Lieutenant- Colonel.* Emerson H. L,iscum, Brig.-Gen. 
 Vols. On sick leave from wounds received in action at Fort 
 San Juan, Cuba, July i, 1898. 
 
 Majors. J. Milton Thompson, commanding regiment 
 and post of Fort Douglas, Utah. Alfred C. Markley, with 
 regiment, commanding post of Fort D. A. Russell, Wyoming. 
 
 Chaplain. Allen Allen worth, Post Treasurer and in 
 charge of schools. 
 
 Adjutant. Joseph D. Leitch, recruiting officer at post. 
 
 Quartermaster. Albert L,aws. 
 
 On July i, 1898, our regiment was not a part of the firing 
 line, and was not ordered on that line until the fire got so 
 hot that the white troops positively refused to go forwaad. 
 When our commander, Lieutenant-Colonel E. H. Liscum, 
 was ordered to go in he gave the command "forward, march," 
 and we moved forward singing u Hold the Fort, for we are 
 coming," and on the eastern bank of the San Juan river we 
 
38? 
 
 walked over the Seventy- first New York Volunteer Infantry- 
 After wading the river we marched through the ranks of 
 the Thirteenth (regular) Infantry and formed about fifty 
 yards in their front. We were then about six hundred 
 yard from and in plain view of the block-house and Span- 
 ish trenches. As soon as the Spaniards saw this they con- 
 centrated all of their fire on us, and, while changing from 
 column to line of battle (which took about eight minutes), 
 we lost one hundred and two men, and that place on the 
 river to-day is called "bloody bend." We had only one 
 advantage of the enemy that was our superior marksman- 
 ship. I was right of the battalion that led the charge and 
 I directed my line against the center of the trench, which 
 was on a precipice about two hundred feet high. 
 
 I was born December 4, 1852, in Wythe county, Virginia, 
 and joined the army in Cincinnati Ohio, November 22, 1869, 
 and have been in the army continuously since. I served 
 my first ten years in the Tenth Cavalry, where I experienced 
 many hard fights with the Indians. I was assigned to the 
 Twenty-fourth Infantry by request in 1880. 
 
 E. D. GIBSON, 
 
 Sergeant Co. G, 24th U. S. Infantry ', 
 PRESIDIO, CALIFORNIA. 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 GENERAL ITEMS OF INTEREST TO THE RACE. 
 
 John C. Dancy, re-appointed Collector of Port Wilming- 
 ton, N. C. Salary $3,000. 
 
 The appointment of Prof. Richard T. Greener of New 
 York, as Consul to Vladivistock. 
 
 Hon. H. P. Cheatham, appointed as Register of Deeds 
 of the District of Columbia. Salary $4,000. 
 
 Hon. George H. White elected to Congress from the 
 Second Congressional District of North Carolina, the only 
 colored Representative in that body. 
 
 The Cotton Factory at Concord, N. C., built and oper- 
 ated by colored people, capitalized at $50,000, and estab- 
 lished a new line of industry for colored labor, is one of 
 the interesting items showing the progress of the colored 
 race in America. 
 
 B. K. Bruce re-appointed Register of the Treasury, and 
 on his death Mr. Judson W. Lyons, of Augusta, Georgia, 
 became his successor, and now has the honor of making 
 genuine Uncle Sam's greenbacks by affixing thereto his 
 signature. Salary $4,500. 
 
 Bishop H. M. Turner visits Africa and ordains an Afri- 
 can Bishop, J. H. Dwane, Vicar of South Africa, with a con- 
 ference composed of a membership of 10,000 persons. This 
 act of the Bishop is criticised by some of the Bishops and 
 
MR. JUDSON W. I,YONS, REGISTER OF THE TREASURY, AND SIGNS 
 U. S. "GREENBACKS" TO MAKE THEM GOOD. 
 
 389 
 
members of the A. M. E. Church in America on the 
 grounds that Bishop Turner was acting without authority 
 in making this appointment. 
 
 Mr. James Deveaux, Collector of Port Brunswick, Ga.; 
 H. A. Rucker, Collector of Internal Revenue for Georgia, 
 $4,500 (the best office in the State); Morton, Postmaster at 
 Athens, Ga., #2,400 ; Demas, naval officer at New Orleans, 
 $5,000 ; Lee, Collector of Port at Jacksonville, $4,000 (the 
 best office in the State); Hill, Register of the Land Office 
 in Mississippi, $3,000; Leftwich, Register of the Land 
 Office in Alabama, $3,000; Casline, Receiver of Public 
 Moneys in Alabama, $2,000; Jackson, Consul at Calais, 
 $2,500 ; Van Horn, Consul in the West Indies, $2,500 ; 
 Green, Chief Stamp Division, Postoffice Department, 
 
 $2,000. 
 
 MISS ALBERTA SCOTT AND OTHERS. 
 
 Miss Alberta Scott is the first Negro girl to be graduated 
 from the Harvard annex. Her classmates and the pro- 
 fessors of the institution have congratulated her in the 
 warmest terms and in the literary and the language club 
 of Boston her achievement of the M. A. degree has been 
 spoken of with high praise. Miss Scott is but the fifth 
 student of the Negro race to obtain this honor at the col- 
 leges for women in Massachusetts. Two received diplomas 
 from Wellsley, one from Smith College and one from 
 Vassar. Miss Scott is 20 years old. She was born in 
 Richmond, Va., having graduated from the common 
 schools in Boston. Miss Scott's teachers spoke so encour- 
 
392 
 
 agingly of her work that the girl was determined to have 
 a college education. She paid particular attention to the 
 study of language and literature, and she is now a fluent 
 linguist and a member of the Idier and German clubs. She 
 has contributed considerably to college and New England 
 journals. 
 
 THE DISCOVERY OF THE GARNES FAMILY. 
 
 A picture of which is herein placed, will do much to confound 
 those bumptious sociologists who make haste to rush into 
 print with statistics purporting to show that the Negro race 
 in America is u fast dying out." The aim of this class of 
 people seems to be to show that the Negro race withers 
 under the influence of freedom, which is by no means true. 
 It is possibly true that filth and disease does its fatal work 
 in the Negro race the same as in other races among the 
 filthy and corrupt, but the filthy and corrupt in the Negro 
 race, as a class are growing fewer every year, for which we 
 can thank the philanthropy of the American people who 
 are doing something to better the condition of the Negro 
 rather than hurling at him enervating criticism and com- 
 plaints. 
 
 " Their home " is at Brodie, in the country, about twenty 
 miles from Henderson, N. C. The father's name is Gillis 
 Games. He is about fifty years of age, and the mother says 
 she is about forty-eight. The oldest child is a daughte', 
 aged twenty-eight, and the youngest is also a daughter, 
 three years of age ; that you see seated in her mother's 
 arms. They are all Baptists, and thirteen of the family 
 are members of the church, I had this photograph taken 
 
393 
 
395 
 
 at Henderson, on April 8th. There are seventeen children, 
 all living, of the same father and mother. A. J. Games 
 spends quite a part of the time in teaching in his native 
 county. When he is not teaching he is at home, and every 
 evening has a school made up of children of the family. 
 A. J. Games is the tall young man in the back-ground at 
 the right, who is a former student of Shaw University, as 
 well as one of the sisters represented in the picture. Prof. 
 Charles F. Meserve, in the Baptist Home Mission Monthly. 
 
 "A COLORED WONDER" ON A BICYCLE. 
 
 NEW YORK, August 27. Major Taylor, the colored 
 cyclist, met and defeated " Jimmy'' Michael, the little 
 Welshman, in a special match race, best two out of three, 
 one mile pace heats, from a standing start, at Manhattan 
 Beach cycle track this afternoon. 
 
 Michael won the first heat easily, as Taylor's pacing 
 quint broke down in the final lap, but on the next two 
 heats Michael was so badly beaten and distanced that he 
 quit each time in the last lap. 
 
 MARVELOUS WORK. 
 
 Taylors work was wonderful, both from a racing and 
 time standpoint, and he established a new world's record 
 which was absolutely phenomenal, covering the third heat 
 in 1:41 2-5. 
 
 Michael was hissed by the spectators as he passed the 
 stand, dispirited and dejected by Taylor's overwhelming 
 victory. 
 
396 
 
 Immediately after the third heat was finished, and before 
 the time was announced, William A. Bradley, who cham- 
 pioned the colored boy during the entire season, issued a 
 challenge to race Taylor against Michael for $5,000 or 
 $10,000 a side at any distance up to one hundred miles. 
 
 THE COLORED YOUTH LIONIZED. 
 
 This declaration was received with tumultuous shouts 
 by the assemblage, and the colored victor was lionized 
 when the time was made known. 
 
 Edouard Taylore, the French rider, held the world's 
 record of 1:45 3-5 for the distance, in a contest paced from 
 a standing start. 
 
 THE WORLD'S RECORD LOWERED. 
 
 The worlds record against time from a standing start, 
 made by Platt Betts, of England, was 1:43 2 '5- Michael 
 beat Tay lore's record by i 2-5 seconds in the first heat, 
 but Major Taylor wiped this out and tied Bett's record 
 against time in the second heat. As Taylor was on the 
 outside for nearly two and a half laps, it was easily seen 
 that he rode more than a mile in the time, and shrewd 
 judges who watched the race said that he would surely do 
 better on the third attempt. 
 
 That he fully justified this belief goes without saying. 
 
 PALE AS A CORPSE. 
 
 The Welsh rider was pale as a corpse when he jumped 
 off his wheel and had no excuse to make for his defeat. 
 Taylor's performance undoubtedly stamps him as the 
 
397 
 
 premier 'cycle sprinter of the world, and, judging from 
 the staying qualities he exhibited in his six day's ride in 
 the Madison Square Garden, the middle distance champion- 
 ship may be his before the end of the present season. 
 
 A NEGRO MILLIONAIRE FOUND AT LAST. 
 
 After a search of many years, at last a Negro millionaire, 
 yes, a multi-millionaire has been found. He resides in the 
 city of Guatemala, and is known as Don Juan Knight. It 
 is said he is to that country what Huntington and other 
 monied men are to this country. He was born a slave in 
 the State of Alabama. He owns gold mines, large coffee 
 and banana farms, is the second largest dealer in mahog- 
 ony in the world, owns a bank and pays his employes 
 $200,000 a year. His wealth is estimated at $70,000,000. 
 He was the property of the Uptons, of Dadeville, Ala. He 
 contributes largely to educational institutions, has erected 
 hospitals, etc. He is sought for his advice by the govern- 
 ment whenever a bond issue, etc., is to be made. He lives 
 in a palace and has hosts of servants to wait on his family. 
 He married a native and has seven children. They have 
 all been educated in this country. Two of his sons are in 
 a military academy in Mississipi and one of his daughters 
 is an accomplished portrait painter in Boston. He visited 
 the old plantation where he was born recently and em- 
 ployed the son of his former master as foreman of his 
 mines. Finding that the wife of his former master was 
 sick and without money, he gave her enough money to 
 live on the balance of her life. He employes more men 
 than any other man in Guatemala and is the wealthiest one 
 there. Maxton Blade. 
 
398 
 
 UNCLE SAM'S MONEY SEALER WHO COULD STEAL MILLIONS 
 IF HE WOULD. 
 
 There is only one man in the United States who could 
 steal $10,000,000 and not have the theft discovered for six 
 months. 
 
 This man has a salary of $1,200 a year. He is a Negro 
 and his name is John R. Brown. 
 
 Mr. Brown's interesting duty is to be the packer of cur- 
 rency under James F. Meline, the Assistant Treasurer of 
 the United States, who says that his is a place where auto- 
 matic safeguards and checks fail, and where the govern- 
 ment must trust the honesty of the official. 
 
 All the currency printed at the Bureau of Engraving and 
 Printing is completed in the Treasury Building by having 
 the red seal printed on it there. It comes to the Treasury 
 Building in sheets of four notes each, and when the seal 
 has been imprinted on the notes they are cut apart and put 
 into packages to dry. John Brown's duty is to put up the 
 packages of notes and seal them. 
 
 Brown does his work in a cage at the end of the room in 
 which the completion of the notes is accomplished the 
 room of the Division of Issues. 
 
 The notes are arranged in packages of one hundred be- 
 fore they are brought into the cage. Each package has 
 its paper strap, on which the number and denomination is 
 given in printed characters. Forty are put together in 
 two piles of twenty each and placed in a power press. This 
 press is worked by a lever, something like an old-style cot- 
 ton press. There are openings above and below through 
 
399 
 
401 
 
 which strings can be slipped after Brown has pulled the. 
 lever and compressed the package. 
 
 These strings hold the package together while stout ma- 
 nilla paper is drawn around it. This paper is folded as 
 though about a pound of tea and sealed with wax. Then 
 a label is pasted on it, showing in plain characters what is, 
 within. 
 
 The packages are of uniform size and any variation from 
 the standard would be noticed. But a dishonest man in 
 Brown's position could slip a wad of prepared paper into 
 one of the packages and put the notes into his pocket. 
 
 If he did this the crime might not be known for six 
 months or a year, or even longer. Some day there would 
 come from the Treasurer a requisition for package of notes^ 
 of a certain denomination. The doctored package would 
 be opened and the shortage would be found. However,, 
 the government has never had to meet this situation. 
 
 There have been only two men engaged in packing and 
 sealing currency since the Treasury Department was or- 
 ganized. 
 
 John T. Barnes began the work. He was a delegate ta 
 the Chicago Convention which nominated Lincoln and 
 he received his appointment on the recommendation of 
 Montgomery Blair in 1861. In 1862 he was assigned to- 
 making up the currency packages and fulfilled that duty 
 until his death, in 1894. No mistake was ever discovered 
 in his work, though he handled every cent of currency is- 
 sued by the government for thirty-two years so many 
 millions of dollars that it would take a week to figure them 
 up. 
 
402 
 
 Mr. Barnes' duties were filled temporarily until Novem- 
 ber i, when John R. Brown was appointed to the place. 
 
 Barnes at the time of his death was receiving only $1,400 
 a year and Brown draws only $ 1,200. 
 
 Ordinarily the Bureau of Engraving and Printing de- 
 livers to the Issue Division about fifty-six packages of paper 
 money of 1,000 sheets each, four notes on a sheet, making, 
 when separated, 224,000 notes. These notes range in value 
 from #i to $20, and their aggregate is usually about 
 $1,000,000. The government, however, issues currency in 
 denominations of $50, $100, $500, $1,000. The largest 
 are not printed often, because the amount issued is small. 
 
 If it it could happen that 224,000 notes of $1,000 each 
 were received from the bureau in one day, the aggregate 
 of value in the fifty-six packages would be $224,000,000. 
 As it is, a little more than 10 per cent, of this sum repre- 
 sents the largest amount handled in one day. 
 
 That is, the packer has handled $25,000,000 in a single 
 day, and not one dollar has gone astray. 
 
 John R. Brown is a hereditary office-holder. His father 
 was a trusted employee of the Treasurer's office for ten 
 years prior to his death, in 1874. The son was appointed 
 assistant messenger in 1872. He became a clerk through 
 competitive examination and was gradually promoted. 
 
 The man who has the largest interest in John Brown's 
 integrity and care probably does not know Brown's name. 
 Yet, if a thousand dollars were missing from one of the 
 packages in the storage vault, Ellis H. Roberts, Treasurer 
 of the United States, would have to make it good. Mr. 
 Roberts has given a bond to the government in the sum 
 
403 
 
405 
 
 of $500,000. Twenty years hence the sureties on that 
 bond could be held for a shortage in the Treasurer's office, 
 if it could be traced back to Mr. Roberts' term. 
 
 Not one of the employes under Mr. Roberts gives a 
 bond, though they handle millions every day. But the 
 Treasurer's office is one which every responsible employe 
 has been weighed carefully. Its clerks have been in ser- 
 vice many years and have proved worthy of confidence. 
 
 HOWELLS DISCOVERS A NEGRO POET. 
 
 Mr. Paul Lawrence Dunbar has been until recently an 
 elevator-boy in Dayton, Ohio. While engaged in the ups 
 and downs of life in that capacity he has cultivated his 
 poetical talents so successfully that his verse has found 
 frequent admission into leading magazines. At last a little 
 collection of these verses reached William Dean Howels, 
 and Mr. Dunbar's star at once became ascendant. He is 
 said to be a full-blcoded Negro, the son of slave-parents, 
 and his best work is in the dialect of his race. A volume 
 of his poems is soon to be published by Dodd, Mead & Co., 
 and in an introduction to it Mr. Howells writes as follows : 
 
 " What struck me in reading Mr. Dunbar's poetry was 
 what had already struck his friends in Ohio and Indiana, 
 in Kentucky and Illinois. They had felt as I felt, that 
 however gifted his race had proven itself in music, in ora- 
 tory, in several other arts, here was the first instance of an 
 American Negro who had evinced innate literature. In 
 my criticism of his book I had alleged Dumas in France, 
 
406 
 
 and had forgotten to allege the far greater Pushkin in 
 Russia; but these were both mulattoes who might have 
 been supposed to derive their qualities from white blood 
 vastly more artistic than ours, and who were the creatures 
 of an environment more favorable to their literary develop- 
 ment. So far as I could remember, Paul D unbar was the 
 only man ot pure African blood and American civilization 
 to feel the Negro life esthetically and express it lyrically. 
 It seemed to me that this had come to its most modern con- 
 sciousness in him, and that his brilliant and unique achieve- 
 ment was to have studied the American Negro objectively, 
 and to have represented him as he found him to be, with 
 humor, with sympathy, and yet with what the reader must 
 instinctively feel to be entire truthfulness. I said that a 
 race which come to this effect in any member of it had at- 
 tained civilization in him, and I permitted myself the 
 imaginative prophecy that the hostilities and the prejudices 
 which had so long constrained his race were destined to 
 vanish in the arts ; that these were to be the final proof 
 that God had made of one blood all nations of men. I 
 thought his merits positive and not comparative; and I 
 held that if his black poems had been written by a white 
 man I should not have found them less admirable. I ac- 
 cepted them as an evidence of the essential unity of the 
 human race, which does not think or feel black in one and 
 white in another, but humanly in all." 
 
 The Bookman says of Mr. Dunbar : 
 
 "It is safe to assert that accepted as an Anglo-Saxon 
 poet, he would have received little or no consideration in 
 a hurried weighing of the mass of contemporary verse. 
 
408 
 
 PAUI, I,AWRANCE DUNBAR, THE NEGRO POET. 
 
409 
 
 " But Mr. Dunbar, as his pleasing, manly, and not un- 
 refined face shows, is a poet of the African race ; and this 
 novel and suggestive fact at once placed his work upon a 
 peculiar footing of interest, of study, and of appreciative 
 welcome. So regarded, it is a most remarkable and hope- 
 ful production." 
 
 We reproduce here one of Dunbar's dialectic poems en- 
 titled 
 
 WHEN DE CO'N PONE'S HOT. 
 
 Dey is times in life when Nature 
 
 Seems to slip a cog an' go 
 Jes' a-rattlin' down creation, 
 
 Lak an ocean's overflow ; 
 When do worl' jes' stahts a-spinnin' 
 
 Lak a picaninny's top, 
 An' you 1 cup o' joy is brimmin' 
 
 'Twel it seems about to slop, 
 An' you feel jes' lak a racah 
 
 Dat is trainin' fu' to trot 
 When you' mammy ses de blessin' 
 
 An' de co'n pone's hot. 
 
 When you set down at de table, 
 
 Kin' o' weary lak an' sad, 
 An' you'se jest a little tiahed, 
 
 An' purhaps a little mad 
 How you' gloom tu'ns into gladness, 
 
 How you' joy drives out de doubt 
 When de oven do' is opened 
 
 An' de smell comes po'in out ; 
 
4io 
 
 Why, de 'lectric light o' Heaven 
 
 Seems to settle on de spot, 
 When yo' mammy ses de blessin' 
 
 An' do co'n pone's hot. 
 
 When de cabbage pot is steamin' 
 
 An' de bacon good an' fat, 
 When de chittlin's is a- sputter 'n' 
 
 So's to show yo' whah dey's at ; 
 Take away yo' sody biscuit, 
 
 Take away yo' cake an' pie. 
 Fu' de glory time is comin', 
 
 En' it's proachin' very nigh, 
 An' you' want to jump an' hollah, 
 
 Do you know you'd bettah not, 
 When you mammy ses de blessin' 
 
 An' de co'n pone's hot. 
 
 I have heerd o' lots o' sermons, 
 
 An' I've heerd o' lots o' prayers ; 
 An' I've listened to some singin' 
 
 Dat has tuck me up de stairs 
 Of de Glory I/an' an' set me 
 
 Jes' below de Mahster's th'one, 
 An' have lef my haht a singin' 
 
 In a happy aftah-tone. 
 But dem wu's so sweetly murmured 
 
 Seem to tech de softes' spot, 
 When my mammy ses de blessin', 
 
 An' de co'n pone's hot. 
 
 Taken from the Literary Digest. 
 
FILIPINO LADY OF MANILA. 
 
 411 
 
413 
 DISFRANCHISEMENT OF COLORED YOTERS. 
 
 While the Northern and Western portions of the United 
 States were paying tributes to the valor of the Negro sol- 
 diers who fought for the flag in Cuba, the most intense 
 feeling ever witnessed, was brewing in some sections of the 
 South notably in the North Carolina Legislature 
 against the rights and privileges of Negro citizenship, 
 which culminated in the passage of a " Jim Crow " car law, 
 and an act to amend the State Constitution so as to dis- 
 franchise the colored voters. It was noticeable, however, 
 that although the "Jim Crow Car" law got through that 
 body in triumph, yet the "Jim Crow Bed" law, which 
 made it a felony for whites and colored to cohabit together 
 
 DID NOT PASS. 
 
 The Washington Post, which cannot be rated as gener- 
 ally partial to the colored citizens of the Union, and which 
 is especially vicious in its attacks on the colored soldiers, 
 has the following to say as to the proposed North Carolina 
 amendment, which is so well said that we insert the same 
 in full as an indication to our people that justice is not yet 
 dead though seemingly tardy : 
 
 SUFFRAGE IN NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 [Washington Post, February 20, 1899.] 
 
 The amendment to the Constitution of North Carolina, 
 which has for its object the limitation of the suffrage in the 
 State, appears to have been modeled on the new Louisiana 
 laws and operate a gross oppression and injustice. It is 
 easy to see that the amendment is not intended to disfran- 
 chise the ignorant, but to stop short with the Negro ; to 
 
414 
 
 deny to the illiterate black man the right of access to the 
 ballot box and yet to leave the way wide open to the equally 
 illiterate whites. In our opinion the policy thus indicated 
 is both dangerous and unjust. We expressed the same 
 opinion in connection with the Louisiana laws, and we see 
 no reason to amend our views in the case of North Carolina. 
 The proposed arrangement is wicked. It will not bear the 
 test of intelligent and impartial examination. We believe 
 in this case, as in that of Louisiana, that the Federal Con- 
 stitution has been violated, and we hope that the people 
 of North Carolina will repudiate the blunder at the polls. 
 We realize with sorrow and apprehension that there are 
 elements at the South enlisted in the work of disfranchis- 
 ing the Negro for purposes of mere party profit. It has 
 been so in Louisiana, where laws were enacted under which 
 penniless and illiterate Negroes cannot vote, while the 
 ignorant and vicious classes of whites are enabled to retain 
 and exercise the franchise. So far as we are concerned 
 and we believe that the best element of the South in every 
 State will sustain our proposition we hold that, as be- 
 tween the ignorant of the two races, the Negroes are pre- 
 ferable. They are conservative ; they are good citizens ; 
 they take no stock in social schisms and vagaries ; they 
 do not consort with anarchists ; they cannot be made the 
 tools and agents of incendiaries ; they constitute the solid, 
 worthy, estimable yeomanry of the South. Their influence 
 in government would be infinitely more wholesome than 
 the influence of the white sansculotte, the riff-raff, the 
 idlers, the rowdies, and the outlaws. As between the 
 Negro, no matter how illiterate he may be, and the " poor 
 
GEN PIO PILAR, 
 In charge of the Insurgent forces which attacked the American troops. 
 
 415 
 
white/' the property-holders of the South prefer the former. 
 Excepting a few impudent, half-educated, and pestiferous 
 pretenders, the Negro masses of the South are honest, 
 well-meaning, industrious, and safe citizens. They are 
 in sympathy with the superior race ; they find protection 
 and encouragement with the old slave-holding class ; if left 
 alone, they would furnish the bone and sinew of a secure 
 and progressive civilization. To disfranchise this class 
 and leave the degraded whites in possession of the ballot 
 would, as we see the matter, be a blunder, if not a crime. 
 The question has yet to be submitted to a popular vote. 
 We hope it will be decided in the negative. Both the 
 Louisiana Senators are on record as proclaiming the un- 
 constitutionality of the law. Both are eminent lawyers, 
 and both devoted absolutely to the welfare of the South. 
 We can only hope, for the sake of a people whom we ad- 
 mire and love, that this iniquitous legislation may be over- 
 ruled in North Carolina as in Louisiana. 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 SOME FACTS ABOUT THE PHILIPINOS. 
 
 WHO AGUINALDO IS. 
 
 Kmilio Aguinaldo was born March 22, 1869, at Cavite, 
 Vie jo. 
 
 When twenty-five years old he was elected Mayor of 
 Cavite. 
 
 On August 21, 1896, Aguinaldo became leader of the 
 insurgents. The revolution started on that day. 
 
 He fought four battles with the Spaniards and was vic- 
 torious in all ; He lost but ten men to the Spaniards 125. 
 
 On December 24, 1897, a peace was established between 
 Aguidaldo and the Spanish. 
 
 Aguinaldo received #400,000, but the rest of the con- 
 ditions of peace were never carried out. 
 
 In June last Aguinaldo issued proclamation, expressing 
 a desire for the establishment of a native administration 
 in the Philippines under an American protectorate. 
 
 In an interview with a World correspondent at that time 
 he expressed himsel as grateful to Americans. 
 
 In July he issued a proclamation fixing the i2th day of 
 that month for the declaration of the independence of the 
 Philippines. 
 
 In November Aguinaldo defied General Otis, refusing to 
 release his Spanish prisoners. 
 
KMIUO AGUINALDO, MILITARY DICTATOR OF THK FILIPINOS. 
 
 419 
 
421 
 
 The Cabinet on December 2, cabled General Otis to de- 
 mand the release of the prisoners 
 
 AGUINALDO THE MAN. 
 
 In his features, face and skull Aguinaldo looks more like 
 a European than a Malay. 
 
 He is what would be called a handsome man, and might 
 be compared with many young men in the province of 
 Andalusia, Spain. If there be truth in phrenology he is a 
 man above the common. Friends and enemies agree that 
 he is intelligent, ambitious, far-sighted, brave, self-con- 
 trolled, honest, moral, vindictive, and at times cruel. He 
 possesses the quality which friends call wisdom and ene. 
 mies call craft. According to those who like him he is 
 courteous, polished, thoughtful and dignified ; according 
 to those who dislike him he is insincere, pretentious, vain 
 and arrogant. Both admit him to be genial, generous, 
 self-sacrificing, popular and capable in the administration 
 of affairs. If the opinion of his foes be accepted he is one 
 of the greatest Malays on the page of history. If the 
 opinion of his friends be taken as the criterion he is one of 
 the great men of history, irrespective of race. The Review 
 of Reviews. 
 
 FACTS FROM FELIPE AGONCILLO'S LETTER IN LESLIE'S 
 MAGAZINE. 
 
 Sixty per cent, of the inhabitants can read and write. 
 
 The women in education are on a plane with the men. 
 
 Each town of 5,000 inhabitants has two schools for chil- 
 dren of both sexes. The towns of 10,000 inhabitants have 
 three schools. There are technical training schools in 
 
422 
 
 Manila, Iloilo and Bacoler. " In these schools are taught 
 cabinet work, silversmithing, lock- smithing, lithography, 
 carpentering, machinery, decorating, sculpture, political 
 economy, commercial law, book-keeping, and commercial 
 correspondence, French and English; and there is one 
 superior college for painting, sculpture and engraving. 
 There is also a college of commercial exports in Manila, 
 and a nautical school, as well as a superior school of agri- 
 culture. Ten model farms and a meteological observatory 
 are conducted in other provinces, together with a service 
 of geological studies, a botanical garden and a museum, a 
 laboratory and military academy and a school of telegraphy. 
 
 Manila has a girl's school (La Ascunsion) of elementary 
 and superior branches, directed by French, English and 
 Spanish mothers, which teaches French, English litera- 
 ture, arithmetic, algebra, trigonometry, topography, physics, 
 geology, universal history, geography, designing, music, 
 dressmaking and needle-work. The capital has besides a 
 municipal school of primary instruction, and the following 
 colleges : Santa Ysabel, Santa Catolina, La Concordia, Santa 
 Rosa de la Looban, a hospital of San Jose, and an Asylum 
 of St. Vincent de Paul, all of which are places of instruction 
 for children. There are other elementary schools in the 
 State of Camannis, in Pasig, in Vigan and Jaro. 
 
 The entire conduct of the civilization of the philipines 
 as well as local authorities are in the hands of the Philipi- 
 nos themselves. They also had charge of the public offices 
 of the government during the last century. 
 
 There is a medical school and a school for mid-wives. 
 
 U A11 the young people and especially the boys, belong- 
 
423 
 
 ing to well-to-do families residing in the other islands go 
 to Manila to study the arts and learn a profession. Among 
 the natives to be ignorant and uneducated, is a shameful 
 condition of degredation. 
 
 " The sons of the rich families began to go to Spain in 
 1854" to be educated. 
 
 When the Spaniards first went to the islands " they found 
 the Philipinos enlightened and advanced in civilization." 
 " They had foundries for casting iron and brass, for mak- 
 ing guns and powder. They had their special writing with 
 two alphabets, and used paper imported from China and 
 Japan." This was in the early part of the sixteenth cen- 
 tury. The Spanish government took the part of the na- 
 tives against the imposition of exorbitant taxes, and the 
 tortures of the inquisition by the early settlers. 
 
 The highest civilization exists in the island of Luzon 
 but in some of the remote islands the people are not more 
 than "enlightened." The population embraced in Agui- 
 naldo's dominion is 10,000,000, scattered over a terri- 
 tory in area approaching 200,000 square miles. The Ameri- 
 cans up to this time have conquered only about 143 square 
 miles of this territory. 
 
 What takes place in the South concerning the treatment 
 of Negroes is known in the Philippines. The Philip i no 
 government on the 2jth day of February, 1899, issued from 
 Hong Kong the following decree warning the Philipino 
 people as follows : 
 
 "Manilla has witnessed the most horrible outrages, the 
 confiscation of the properties and savings of the people at 
 the point of the bayonet, the shooting of the defenceless, 
 
4 2 4 
 
 accompanied by odious acts of abomination repugnant bar- 
 barism and social hatred, worse than the doings in the 
 Carolinas." 
 
 They are told of America's treatment of the black popu- 
 lation, and are made to feel that it is better to die fighting 
 than become subject to a nation where, as they are made 
 to believe, the colored man is lynched and burned alive in- 
 discriminately. The outrages in this country is giving 
 America a bad name among the savage people of the world, 
 and they seem to prefer savagery to American civilization, 
 such as is meted out to her dark-skinned people. 
 
FELIPK AGONCILLO, 
 Emissary of the Filipinos to the United States. 
 
 425 
 
CHAPTER XI. 
 
 RESUME. 
 
 Should the question be asked " how did the American 
 Negroes act in the Spanish- American war?" the foregoing 
 brief account of their conduct would furnish a satisfactory 
 answer to any fair mind. In testimony of their valiant 
 conduct we have the evidence first, of competent eye wit- 
 nesses ; second, of men of the white race ; and third, 
 not only the white race, but men of the Southern white 
 race, in America, whose antipathy to the Negro " with a 
 gun " is well known, it being related of the great George 
 Washington, who, withal, was a slave owner, but mild in 
 his views as to the harshness of that system that on his 
 dying bed he called out to his good wife : " Martha, Martha, 
 let me charge you, dear, never to trust a ( nigger * with a 
 gun." Again we have the testimony of men high in 
 authority, competent to judge, and whose evidence ought 
 to be received. Such men as General Joseph Wheeler, 
 Colonel Roosevelt, General Miles, President McKinley. 
 If, on the testimony of such witnesses as these, we have 
 not "established our case," there must be something 
 wrong with the jury. A good case has been established, 
 however, for the colored soldier, out of the mouth of many 
 witnesses. The colored troopers just did so well that praise 
 could not be withheld from them even by those whose 
 education and training had bred in them prejudice against 
 Negroes. It can no longer be doubted that the Negro 
 
428 
 
 soldier will fight. In fact such has been their record in 
 past wars that no scruples should have been entertained on 
 this point, but the (late) war was a fresh test, the result of 
 which should be enough to convince the most incredulous 
 " Doubting Thomases." 
 
 The greater portion of the American people have confi- 
 dence in the Negro soldier. This confidence is not mis- 
 placed the American government can, in the South, 
 organize an army of Negro soldiers that will defy the 
 combined forces of any nation of Europe. The Negro can 
 fight in any climate, and does not succumb to the hardships 
 of camp life. He makes a model soldier and is well nigh 
 invincible. 
 
 The Negro race has a right to be proud of the achieve- 
 ments of the colored troopers in the late Spanish- American 
 war. They were the representatives of the whole race in 
 that conflict ; had they failed it would have been a calamity 
 charged up -to the whole race. The race's enemies would 
 have used it with great effect. They did not fail, but did 
 their duty nobly a thousand hurrahs for the colored 
 troopers of the Spanish-American war ! ! 
 
 In considering their successful achievements, however, 
 it is well to remember that there were some things the 
 Negro had to forget while facing Spanish bullets. The 
 Negro soldier in bracing himself for that conflict must 
 needs forget the cruelties that daily go on against his 
 brethren under that same flag he faces death to defend ; he 
 must forget that when he returns to his own land he will 
 be met not as a citizen, but as a serf in that part of it, at 
 least, where the majority of his people live ; he must forget 
 
429 
 

 that if he wishes to visit his aged parents, who may perhaps 
 live in some of the Southern States, he must go in a u Jim 
 Crow " car ; and if he wants a meal on the way, he could 
 only get it in the kitchen, as to insist on having in in the 
 dining-room with other travelers, would subject him to 
 mob violence ; he must forget that the flag he fought to 
 defend in Cuba does not protect him nor his family at 
 home ; he must forget the murder of Frazier B. Baker, who 
 was shot down in cold blood, together with his infant babe 
 in its mother's arms, and the mother and another child 
 wounded, at Lake City, S. C., for no other offense than 
 attempting to perform the duties of postmaster at that place 
 a position given him by President McKinley ; he must 
 forget also the shooting of Loftin, the colored postmaster a 
 Hogansville, Ga., who was guilty of no crime but being a 
 Negro and holding, at that place, the postoffice, a position 
 given him by the government ; he must forget the Wil- 
 mington massacre^ in which some forty or fifty colored 
 people were shot down by men who had organized to take 
 the government of the city in charge by force of the Win- 
 chester where two lawyers and a half dozen or more 
 colored men of business, together with such of their white 
 friends as were thought necessary to get rid of, were ban- 
 ished from the city by a mob, and their lives threatened in 
 the event of their return all because they were in the 
 way as Republican voters " talked too much," or did not 
 halt when so ordered by some members of the mob ; they 
 must forget the three hundred Negroes who were the vic- 
 tims of mob violence in the United States during the year 
 1898 ; they must forget that the government they fought 
 for in Cuba is powerless to correct these evils, and does not 
 correct them. 
 
432 
 
 WHY THE AMERICAN GOVERNMENT DOES NOT PROTECT ITS 
 COLORED CITIZENS. 
 
 The failure of the American government to protect its 
 colored citizens is due to the peculiar and complicated 
 construction of the laws relating to States Rights. The 
 power to punish for crimes against citizens of the different 
 States is given by construction of the Constitution of the 
 United States to the courts of the several States. The 
 Federal authorities have no jurisdiction unless the State 
 has passed some law abridging the rights of citizens, or the 
 State government through its authorized agents is unable 
 to protect its citizens, and has called on the national gov- 
 ernment for aid to that end, or some United States official 
 is molested in the discharge of his duty. Under this subtle 
 construction of the Constitution a citizen who lives in a 
 State whose public opinion is hostile becomes a victim of 
 whatever prejudice prevails, and, although the laws may in 
 the latter, afford ample protection, yet those who are to 
 execute them rarely do so in the face of a hostile public 
 sentiment ; and thus the Negroes who live in hostile com- 
 munities become the victims of public sentiment. Juries 
 may be drawn, and trials may be had, but the juries are 
 usually white, and are also influenced in their verdicts by 
 that sentiment which declares that " this is a white man's 
 government," and a mistrial follows. In many instances 
 the juries are willing to do justice, but they can feel the 
 pressure from the outside, and in some instances the jurors 
 chosen to try the cases were members of the mob, as in 
 the case of the coroner's jury at Lake City. 
 
 It is the duty of a State Governor, when he finds public 
 
433 
 
 sentiment dominating the courts and obstructing justice, 
 to interfere, and in case he cannot succeed with the sheriff 
 and posse comitatus, then to invoke National aid. But 
 this step has never yet been taken by any Governor of the 
 States in the interest of Negro citizenship. Some of the 
 State Governors have made a feeble demonstration by way 
 of threats of enforcing the law against those who organize 
 mobs and take the law into their own hands : and some of 
 the mob murderers have been brought to trial, which, in 
 most cases, has resulted in an acquittal for the reason that 
 juries have as aforestated, chosen to obey public sentiment, 
 which is not in favor of punishing white men for lynching 
 Negroes, rather than obey the law ; and cases against the 
 election laws and for molesting United States officials have 
 to be tried in the district where these offenses occur, and 
 the juries being in sympathy with the criminals, usually 
 acquit, or there is a mistrial because they cannot all agree. 
 
 That molocracy is supreme in most parts of the Union 
 is no longer a mooted question. It is a fact ; and one that 
 forebodes serious consequences, not only to the Negro but 
 to any class of citizens who may happen to come into dis- 
 favor with some other class. 
 
 What the Aegro should do under such circumstances 
 must be left to the discretion of the individuals concerned. 
 Some advise emigration, but that is impracticable, en- 
 masse, unless some suitable place could be found where 
 any considerable number might go, and not fare worse. 
 The colored people will eventually leave those places where 
 they are maltreated, but " whether it is better to suffer the 
 ills we now bear than flee to those we know not of," is the 
 
434 
 
 question. The prevailing sentiment among the masses 
 -seems to be to remain for the present, where they are, and 
 through wise action and appeals to the Court of Enlight- 
 ened Christian Sentiment, try to disarm the mob. There 
 is no doubt a class of white citizens who regret such occur- 
 rences, and from their natural horror of bloodshed, and 
 looking to the welfare and reputation of the communities 
 in which such outrages occur, and feeling that withal the 
 Negro makes a good domestic and farm hand, will, and do 
 counsel against mob violence. In many places where mobs 
 Slave occurred such white citizens have been invaluable 
 ^aids in saving the lives of Negroes from mob violence ; 
 and trusting that these friends will increase and keep up 
 their good work the Negro had seldom ever left the scene 
 of mob violence in any considerable numbers, the home 
 ties being strong, and he instinctively loves the scene of 
 his birth. He loves the white men who were boys with 
 him, whose faces he has smiled in from infancy, and he 
 would rather not sever those friendly ties. A touching 
 incident is related in reference to a colored man in a certain 
 town where a mob was murdering Negroes right and left, 
 who came to the door of his place of business, and seeing 
 the face of a young white man whom he had known from 
 his youth, asked protection home to his wife and five chil- 
 dren; the reply came with an oath, ( 'Get back into that 
 house or I will put a bullet into you." The day before this 
 these two men had been "good friends," had "exchanged 
 cigars " but the orders of the mob were stronger in this 
 instance than the ties of long years of close friendship. An- 
 other instance, though, will show how the mob could not 
 
435 
 
 control the ties of friendship of the white for the black. It 
 was the case of a colored man who was black listed by a 
 mob in a certain city, and fled to the home of a neighbor- 
 ing white friend who kept him in his own house for several 
 days until escape was possible, and in the meantime, sum- 
 moned his white neighbors to guard the black man's 
 family threatening to shoot down the first member of the 
 mob who should enter the gate, because, as he said, " you 
 have no right to frighten that woman and her children to 
 death." Such acts as this assuie the Negroes in places 
 where feeling runs against them that perhaps they may 
 be fortunate enough to escape the violence of this terrible 
 race hatred that is now running riot in this country. In 
 this connection it is well to remark that kindness will win 
 in the long run with the Negro Race, and make them the 
 white man's friend. Georgia and those States where 
 Negroes are being burned are sowing to the wind and will 
 ere long reap the whirlwind in the matter of race hatred. 
 Criminal assaults were not characteristic of the Negro in 
 the days of slavery, because as a rule there was friendship 
 between master and slave the slave was too fond of his 
 master's family but to do otherwise than protect it ; but the 
 situation is changed instead of kindness the Negro sees 
 nothing but rebuff on every hand ; he feels himself a hated 
 and despised race without country or protection anywhere, 
 and the brute-spirit rises in those, who, by their make-up 
 and training, cannot keep it down then follows murder, 
 outrage, rape. It is true that only a few do these things, 
 but those few are the natural products of the Southern 
 system of oppression and the wonder is, when the question 
 
436 
 
 is viewed philosophically, that there are so few. The con- 
 clusion here reached is that Georgia will not get rid of her 
 brutes by burning them and taking the charred embers 
 home as relics, but rather by treating her Negro population 
 with more kindness and showing them that there is some 
 hope for Negro citizenship in that State. The Negroes know 
 that white men have been known'to rape colored girls, but 
 that never has there been a suggestion of lynching or 
 burning for that, and they feel despondent, for they know 
 the courts are useless in such cases, and this jug-handle en- 
 forcement of lynch law is breeding its own bad fruits on 
 the Negro race as well as making more brutal the whites. 
 My advice, then, to our white friends is to try kindness as 
 a remedy for rape in the South, and I am convinced of 
 the force of this remedy from what I know of the infre- 
 quent occurence of assaults and murders in those States 
 where the Negroes are made to feel that they are citizens 
 and are at home. 
 
 WHAT COURAGE! WHAT AN EXAMPLE OF FAITHFULNESS 
 
 TO DUTY. 
 
 Did the colored troopers exhibit in forgetting all these 
 shortcomings to themselves and race of their own gov- 
 ernment when they made those daring charges on San 
 Juan and El Caney ! ! They were possessed with large 
 hearts and sublime courage. How they fought under such 
 circumstances, none but a divine tongue can answer. It 
 was a miracle, and was performed, no doubt, that good 
 might come to the race in the shape of the testimonials 
 given them as appears heretofore in this book. Their deeds 
 
<#&' ' I *. I v f 1 1 ' '. I r -f x" X 
 
 CHURCH AT SAN SEBASTIANO, MANILA. 
 
 437 
 
439 
 
 must live in history as an honor to the Negro Race. Let 
 them be taught to the children. Let it be said that the 
 Negro soldier did his duty under the flag, whether that 
 flag protects him or not. The white soldier fought under 
 no such sad reflections he Hid not, after a hard-fought 
 batt'e, lie in the trenches at night and dream of his aged 
 mother and father being run out of their little home into 
 the wintry blasts by a mob who sought to u string them 
 up " for circulating literature relating to the party of Wm. 
 McKinley the President of the United States this was 
 the colored soldiers' dream, but he swore to protect the flag 
 and he did it. The colored soldier has been faithful to his 
 trust ; let others be the same. If Negroes who have other 
 trusts to perform, do their duty as well as the colored sol- 
 diers, there will be many revisions in the scale of public 
 sentiment regarding the Negro Race in America many 
 arguments will be overthrown and the heyday towards 
 Negro citizenship will begin to dawn there are other bat_ 
 ties than those of the militia. 
 
 THE SOLUTION OF THE PROBLEM IS MAINLY IN THEl 
 RACE'S OWN HANDS. 
 
 They must climb up themselves with such assistance as; 
 they can get. The race has done well in thirty years of 
 freedom, but it could have done better ; banking on the 
 progress already made the next thirty years will no doubt 
 show greater improvement than the past TIME, TIME V 
 TIME, which some people seem to take so little into ac- 
 count, will be the great adjuster of all such problems in the 
 future as it has been in the past. Many children of the 
 
440 
 
 white fathers of the present day will read the writing of 
 their parents and wonder at their short-sightedness in at- 
 tempting to fix the metes and bonds of the American Ne- 
 gro's status. We feel reluctant to prophesy, but this much 
 we do say, that fifty years from now will show a great 
 change in the Negro's condition in America, and many 
 of those who now predict his calamity will be classed with 
 the fools who said before the Negro was emancipated that 
 they would all perish within ten years for lack of ability to 
 feed and clothe themselves. The complaint now with many 
 of those who oppose the Negro is not because he lacks 
 ability, but rather because he uses too much and sometimes 
 gets the situation that they want. This is pre-eminently 
 so from a political standpoint and the reported arguments 
 used to stir the poorer class of whites to rally against the 
 Negroes in Wilmington during the campaign just before 
 the late MASSACRE there in the fall of 1898, was a recital 
 by impassioned orators of the fact that Negroes had 
 pianos and servants in their houses, and lace curtains to 
 their windows this outburst being followed by the ques- 
 tion, "HOW MANY OF YOU WHITE MEN CAN 
 AFFORD TO HAVE THEM?" So as to the problem 
 of the Negro's imbiding the traits of civilization, that point 
 is settled by what he has already done, and the untold ob- 
 stacles which are being constantly put in his way by those 
 who fear his competition. The question then turns not so 
 much on what shall be done with the Negro as upon 
 WHAT SHALL BE DONE WITH THE WHITE 
 MEN who are so filled with prejudice that neither law nor 
 religion restrains their bloody hands when the Negro re- 
 
441 
 
 fuses to get into what he calls "his place," which place is 
 that of a menial ; and often there seems no effort even to 
 put the Negro in any particular place save the grave, as 
 many of the lynchings and murders appear to be done 
 either for the fun of shooting some one, or else with ex- 
 termination in view. There is no attempt at a show of 
 reason or right. The mob spirit is growing prejudice is 
 more intense. Formerly it was confined to the rabble, 
 now it has taken hold of those of education and standing. 
 Red shirts have entered the pulpits, and it is a matter 
 boasted of rather than condemned the South is not the 
 only scene of such outrages. Prejudice is not confined to 
 one section, but is no doubt more intense in the Southern 
 State, and more far-reaching in its effects, because it is 
 there that the Negroes, by reason of the large numbers in 
 proportion to the other inhabitants, come into political 
 competition with the whites who revolt at the idea of 
 Negro officers, whether they are elected by a majority of 
 citizens or not. The whites seem bent on revolution to 
 prevent the force and effect of Negro majorities. Whether 
 public sentiment will continue to endorse these local revo- 
 lutions is the question that can be answered only by time. 
 Just so long as the Negro's citizenship is written in the 
 Cpnstitution and he believes himself entitled to it, just so 
 long will he seek to exercise it. The white man's revolu- 
 tion will be needed every now and then to beat back the 
 Negro's aspirations with the Winchester. The Negro 
 race loves progress, it is fond of seeing itself elevated, it 
 loves office for the honor it brings and the emoluments 
 thereof, just as other progressive races do. It is not effete, 
 
442 
 
 looking back to Confucius ; it is looking forward ; it does 
 not think its best days have been in the past, but that they 
 are yet to come in the future ; it is a hopeful race, teach- 
 able race ; a race that absorbs readily the arts and accom- 
 plishments of civilization ; a race that has made progress in 
 spite of mountains of obstacles ; a race whose temperament 
 defied the worse evils of slavery, both African and American; 
 a race of great vitality, a race of the future, a race of des- 
 tiny. 
 
 In closing this resume of this little work it is proper that 
 I should warn the younger members of the race against 
 despondency, and against the looseness of character and 
 habits that is singularly consequential of a despondent 
 spirit. Do not be discouraged, give up, and throw away 
 brilliant intellects, because of seeming obstacles, but rather 
 resolve to BE SOMETHING AND DO SOMETHING 
 IN SPITE OF OBSTACLES. 
 
 " It was not by tossing feather balls into the air that the 
 great Hercules gained his strength, but by hurling huge 
 bowlders from mountain tops " that his name became the 
 synonym of manly strength." So the harder the struggle 
 the greater the discipline and fitness. If we cannot reach 
 success in one way, let us try another. u If the mountain 
 will not come to Mahomet let Mahomet go to the moun- 
 tain." 
 
 Self made men are usually strong characters the race 
 needs strong characters, it needs reliable men who will 
 help live down the reputation that has already been made 
 for us by the lick-spittle and jig dances. When high 
 character marks the majority of the race sentiment will 
 
443 
 
 change in our favor, and we will no longer be measured 
 by the vices of the vicious, but by the virtues of the ma- 
 jority. Nothing tells for progress like self respect. Money 
 without it will not solve the problem, let there be both. 
 
 THE SOUTH IS A GOOD PLACE FOR THE 
 NEGRO TO LIVE, provided, however, the better class of 
 citizens will rise up and demand that lynchings and mobs 
 shall cease, and that the officers of the law shall do their 
 duty without prejudice. The only way to suppress mob 
 violence is to make punishment for the leaders in it, sure 
 and certain. The reason we have mobs is because the 
 leaders of them know they will not be punished. The en- 
 forcement of the law against lynchers will break it up. 
 
 The white ministers should take up the cause of justice 
 rather than endorse the red shirts, or carry a Winchester 
 themselves. They should be the counselors of peace and 
 not the advocates of bloodshed. Most of them, no doubt, 
 do regret the terrible deeds committed by mobs on helpless 
 and innocent people, but is a question as to whether or 
 not they would be suffered by public sentiment to " cry 
 aloud'' against them. It takes moral courage to face any 
 evil, but it must be faced or dire consequences will follow 
 of its own breeding. Our last word then, is an appeal to 
 our BROTHERS IN WHITE, in the pulpit, that they 
 should rally the people together for justice and condemn 
 mob violence. The Negroes do not ask social equality, 
 but civil equality ; let the false notions that confound civil 
 rights with social rights be dispelled, and advocate the civil 
 equality of all men, and the problem will be solved. 
 
 Edmund Burke says that u war never leaves where it 
 found a nation." Applying this to the American nation 
 with respect to the Negro it is to be hoped that the late 
 war will leave a better feeling toward him, especially in 
 view of the glorious record of the Negro soldiers who par- 
 ticipated in that conflict. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 THE TWO BLACK REGIMENTS. 
 
 THE FIELD OFFICERS ARE SELECTED FROM THE REGULAR 
 ARMY LINE OFFICERS ARE AFRO -AMERICANSIS AMES OF 
 OFFICERS FIRST BLOOD FOR THE AFRO-AMERICAN PRESS. 
 
 (FROM THE NEW YORK SUN.) 
 
 WASHINGTON, Sept. 9. An order for the organization 
 of two Negro regiments of volunteers was issued by the 
 War Department this afternoon, and the officers selected 
 were announced. All the field officers, Colonels, Lieuten- 
 ant-Colonels and Majors, are from the regular army, and 
 were in the Santiago campaign except Col. Duval. All 
 the Captains, First Lieutenants and Second Lieutenants 
 are colored men. 
 
 The regiments will be designated as the Forty- eighth 
 and Forty-ninth Regiments of Infantry, United States Vol- 
 unteers. The Forty-eigth Regiment will be organized at 
 Fort Thomas, Ky., and the Forty-ninth at Jefferson Bar- 
 racks, Mo. 
 
 The appointments are as follows : 
 
 To be Colonel of the Forty-eighth Regiment, William P. 
 Duvall, Captain First Artillery ; to be Lieutenant- Colonel, 
 Thaddeus W. Jones, Captain Tenth Cavalry ; to be Majors, 
 Sedgwick Rice, First Lieutenant Seventh Cavalry ; Alex- 
 ander L. Dade, First Lieutenant Third Cavalry and John 
 Howard, First Lieutenant Nineteenth Infantry. 
 
445 
 
 To be Captains. John Buck, First Sergeant Troop B. 
 Tenth Cavalry ; Thomas Campbell, late First Lieutenant 
 Company L. Seventh United States Volunteers; William 
 H. Brown, Sergeant- Major Ninth Cavalry ; Carter P. John- 
 son, Tenth Cavalry ; Thomas Grant, late First Lieutenant, 
 Company F, Tenth United States Volunteers ; Robert R. 
 Rudd, late Captain Company A, Ninth Battalion Ohio 
 Volunteers ; James E. Hamlin, late Captain Third North 
 Carolina Volunteers; Pleasant Webb, late Captain Sixth 
 Virginia Volunteers; Wm. A. Hankins, late Captain Sixth 
 Virginia Volunteers; Leon W. Denison, late Captain Com- 
 pany K, Eighth Illinois Volunteers; Stephen Starr, late 
 Second Lieutenant Ninth United States Volunteer Infan- 
 try ; Alexander Richardson, late First Lieutenant Ninth 
 United States Volunteer Infantry. 
 
 To be First Lieutenants. L. M. Smith, First Sergeant 
 Troop M, Tenth Cavalry ; Peter McCowan, First Sergeant 
 Troop E, Tenth Cavalry; William H. Allen, Sergeant 
 Company A, Ninth Cavalry ; John H. Anderson, Squadron 
 Sergeant-Major Ninth Cavalry ; Charles O. Thorns, late 
 Lieutenant Eighth United States Volunteer Infantry; Jerry 
 M. White, late First Lieutenant Twenty-third Kansas; Jas. 
 F. Powell, late Second Lieutenant Indiana Volunteers ; H. 
 B. grown, late First Lieutenant Third North Carolina ; H. 
 J. Parker, late First Sergeant Tenth United States Volun- 
 teer Infantry ; Jacob C. Smith, late Second Lieutenant 
 Ninth United States Volunteer Infantry; John W. Brown, 
 late Second Lieutenant Ninth United States Volunteer 
 Infantry; Charles C. Caldwell, late First Lieutenant Com- 
 pany B, Ninth Battalion Ohio Volunteers. 
 
446 
 
 
 
 To be Second Lieutenants. Walter Green, First Sergeant 
 Company K, Tenth Cavalry; C. B. Turner, Commissary 
 Sergeant Tenth Cavalry; Joseph Moore, First Lieutenant 
 Company B, Eighth United States Volunteer Infantry; J. 
 B Coleman, late First Lieutenant Company E. Seventh 
 United States Volunteer Infantr) ; Lincoln Washington, 
 Sergeant-Major Ninth Cavalry; David B. Jeffers, late Sec- 
 ond Lieutenant Tenth United States Volunteer Infantry ; 
 Wilson Ballard, late Second Lieutenant Ninth Battalion 
 Ohio Volunteers; Joseph C. Andrews, private, Company L, 
 Sixth Massachusetts Volunteers; Frank R. Chisholm, late 
 private, Company L, Sixth Massachusetts Volunteers ; 
 John K. Rice, late First Lieutenant Sixth Virginia Volun- 
 teers; George W. Taylor, non-commissioned officer Third 
 North Carolina Volunteers ; Green F. Marion, late Sergeant 
 Third Alabama Volunteers. 
 
 To be Colonel Forty-ninth Regiment, William H. Beck, 
 Captain Tenth Cavalry; to be Lieutenant-Colonel, Arthur 
 
 C. Ducat, Captain Twenty-fourth Infantry; to be Majors, 
 Ernest Hinds, First Lieutenant Second Artiller} ; George 
 W. Kirkman, Captain Twenty-third Infantry, and James 
 E. Brett, Captain Twenty-fourth Infantry. 
 
 To be Captains. William E. Edwards, Sergeant Com- 
 pany A, Tenth Cavalry; Charles W. Jefferson, First Ser- 
 geant Company B, Ninth Cavaln ; Floyd H. Crumbly, late 
 First Lieutenant Company A, Tenth United States Volun- 
 teer Infantry; Edward L. Baker, Late Lieutenant Company 
 B, Tenth United States Volunteer Infantry; John O. Proctor, 
 late First Lieutenant Eighth United States Volunteer In- 
 fantry; Emanuel D. Bass, late First Lieutenant Company 
 
 D. Ninth Battalion Ohio Volunteers; W. M. Hawkins, late 
 Captain Twenty-third Kansas Volunteers; Benjamin Graves, 
 late Captain Sixth Virginia Volunteers; William R. Staff, 
 
M7 
 
 Sergeant-Major Twenty-fourth Infantry; Frank R. Steward, 
 late Second Lieutenant Eighth United States Volunteer 
 Infantry; Robert G. Wocd, late Second Lieutenant Ninth 
 United States Volunteer; Infantry; Robert Gage, late Cap- 
 tain Third Alabama Volunteers. 
 
 To be First Lieutenants. Charles Perry, First Sergeant 
 Troop L, Tenth Cavalry ; L. H. Jordan, First Lieutenant 
 Company K. Seventh United States Volunteer Infantry; 
 Charles S. Spurlock, Sergeant Company E, Tenth Cavalry; 
 Eber W. Maden, Sergeant Company E, Ninth Cavalry;' 
 Charles H. Robinson, First Lieutenant Sixth Virginia 
 Volunteers; Jas. H. Thomas, late First Lieutenant Indiana 
 Volunteers; Divid J. Gilmer, late Captain Third North 
 Carolina Volunteers ; Robt. Blakeman, late First Sergeant 
 Company H. Eighth Illinois Volunteers ; Hamilton H. 
 Blunt, late First Lieutenant Ninth United States Volun- 
 teer Infantry ; Thomas C. Butler, late Second Lieutenant 
 Ninth United States Volunteer Infantry ; Macon Russell, 
 late Second Lieutenant Eighth United States Volunteer In- 
 fantry; late Quartermaster Sergeant L. A. Tilman, Seventh 
 United States Volunteer Infantry. 
 
 To be Second Lieutenants. A. M. Ray, Sergeant Com- 
 pany F, Tenth Cavalry; Robert L. Gough, Company D, 
 Twenty-fourth Infantry; Wyatt Huffman, late Second Lieu- 
 tenant Eighth United States Volunteer Infantry ; Beverly 
 Peaca, late First Lieutenant Seventh United States Volun- 
 teer Infantry; Henry F. Walls, Commissary Sergeant Ninth 
 Cavalry ; William Blaney, late Second Lieu'enant Tenth 
 United States Volunteer Infantry ; Horace F. Wheaton, 
 Private, Company L, Sixth Massachusetts Volunteers ; 
 Frederick C. Wilson, private, Company L, Sixth Massa- 
 chusetts Volunteers; George E. Payne, Second Lieutenant 
 Twenty- third Kansas; Leander W. Hayes, late Sergeant 
 Third North Carolina Volunteers; Gilford E. Campbell, late 
 Sergeant Eighth Illinois Volunteers ; Edward B. Johnson, 
 Tenth Cavalry. TV^. T. Age. 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 William McKinley 202 
 
 General Fitzhugh Lee 211 
 
 General Antonio Maceo 215 
 
 Miss Evangelina Cosio y Cisneros 219 
 
 U. S: S. Maine 223 
 
 Eddie Savoy 229 
 
 Jose Maceo 233 
 
 Sergeant Frank W. Pullen 239 
 
 Charge on El Caney 247 
 
 Corporal Brown 251 
 
 'George E. Powell 262 
 
 Col. Theodore B. Roosevelt. 269 
 
 Gen. Nelson A. Miles 280 
 
 Sergeant Berry 284 
 
 General Maximo Gomez 291 
 
 First pay-day in Cuba for the Ninth and Tenth Cavalry 299 
 
 First President of the Cuban Republic 307 
 
 Cubans Fighting from Tree Tops 315 
 
 Investment of Santiago by U. S. Army 327 
 
 General Russell A. Alger, Secretary of War 334 
 
 Cuban Women Cavalry 339 
 
 Officers of the Ninth Ohio 349 
 
 Major John R. Lynch 355 
 
 Major R. R. Wright 361 
 
 Major J. B. Johnson 371 
 
 Third North Carolina Volunteers and Officers 375 
 
 President Charles F. Meserve 379 
 
 Photo Officers 23d Kansas U. S. Volunteer Infantry 383 
 
 Mr. Judson W. Lyons 389 
 
 The Games Family 393 
 
 Coleman Cotton Factory 399 
 
 John R. Brown, Uncle Sam's Money Sealer 403 
 
 Paul Lawrence Dunbar, Negro Poet 408 
 
 A Philipino Lady 411 
 
 Gen. Pio Pilar 415 
 
 Emilio Aguinaldo, Military Dictator of the Filipinos 419 
 
 Felipe Agoncillo 425 
 
 Convent at Cavite, Aguinaldo's Headquarters 429 
 
 Church at San Sebastino, Manila 437 
 
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