History of the American Negro in the Great World War Part 32

A wonderful work was done by "Y" secretaries among the illiterates. Its fruits are already apparent and will continue to multiply. They found men who hardly knew their right hand from their left. Others who could not write their names are said to have wept with joy when taught to master the simple accomplishment. Many a poor illiterate was given the rudiments of an education and started on the way to higher attainments.

Headquarters of the overseas work was at Paris, France, and was in charge of E.C. Carter, formerly Senior Student secretary in America, and when war was declared, held the position of National Secretary of India. Much of the credit for the splendid performance of the "Y" workers abroad belonged to him and to his able aid, Dr. John Hope, president of Morehouse college, Atlanta, Ga. The latter went over in August, 1918, as a special overseer of the Negro Y.M.C.A.

Three distinguished Negro women were sent over as "Y" hostesses, with a secretarial rating, during the war. Their work was so successful that twenty additional women to serve in the same capacities were sent over after the close of hostilities. They were to serve as hostesses, social secretaries and general welfare workers among the thousands of Negro soldiers who had been retained there with the Army of Occupation and the Service of Supply.

The first Negro woman to go abroad in the Y.M.C.A. service was Mrs. Helen Curtis of 208 134th Street, New York, in May, 1918. For a number of years she had been a member of the committee of management of the Colored Women's Branch of the Y.M.C.A., and had a.s.sisted at the Camp Upton hostess house. Her late husband, James L. Curtis, was minister resident and consul general for the United States to Liberia. Mrs. Curtis lived in Monrovia, Liberia, until her husband's death there. She had also lived in France, where she studied domestic art for two years. Being a fluent speaker of the French language, her appointment was highly appropriate.

So successful was the appointment of Mrs. Curtis that another Negro secretary in the person of Mrs. Addie Hunton of 575 Greene Avenue, Brooklyn, N.Y., followed the next month. Her husband was for many years senior secretary of the International Committee of the Y.M.C.A. Negro Men's Department, and her own work had always been with the organization.

A short time later Miss Catherine Johnson of Greenville, Ohio, followed in the wake of Mrs. Curtis and Mrs. Hunton. She is a sister of Dr. Johnson of Columbus, Ohio, appointed early in 1919 minister to Liberia.

No less successful at home than abroad was the work of the Y.M.C.A. among the Negroes in cantonments and training camps. It is known that the services rendered by the a.s.sociation to the officers' training camp at Fort Des Moines had much to do with making that inst.i.tution such a remarkable success. From that time on comment was frequent that the best work being done by the a.s.sociation in many of the camps was done by Negro secretaries.

The heroic exploit of Professor Cook, the "Y" secretary, which secured him a recommendation for the Distinguished Service Cross, is mentioned elsewhere. It was only equalled by the valiant performance of A.T. Banks of Dayton, Ohio, a Negro "Y" secretary who went over the top with the 368th Infantry. Secretary Banks, during the action, tarried to give aid to a wounded soldier. The two were forced to remain all night in a sh.e.l.l hole. During the hours before darkness and early the following morning they were targets for a German sniper. The secretary succeeded in getting the wounded man back to the lines, where he then proceeded to organize a party to go after the sniper. They not only silenced him, but rendered him unfit for any further action on earth. Mr. Banks returned to America with the sniper's rifle as a souvenir. His work was additionally courageous when it is considered that he was a non-combatant and not supposed to engage in hostilities. Had he been taken by the Germans he would not have been accorded the treatment of a prisoner of war, but undoubtedly would have been put to death.

Were the records sufficiently complete at the present time to divulge them, scores of examples of valorous conduct on the part of the "Y" workers, Red Cross and other non-combatants who ministered to Negro soldiers could be recounted. The work of all was of a n.o.ble character. It was accompanied by a heroic spirit and in many cases by great personal bravery and sacrifice.

CHAPTER XXVII.

NEGRO IN ARMY PERSONNEL.

HIS MECHANICAL ABILITY REQUIRED-SKILLED AT SPECIAL TRADES-VICTORY DEPENDS UPON TECHNICAL WORKERS-VAST RANGE OF OCCUPATIONS-NEGRO MAKES GOOD SHOWING-PERCENTAGES OF WHITE AND BLACK-FIGURES FOR GENERAL SERVICE.

In 1917 and 1918 our cause demanded speed. Every day that could be saved from the period of training meant a day gained in putting troops at the front.

Half of the men in the Army must be skilled at special trades in order to perform their military duties. To form the units quickly and at the same time supply them with the technical ability required, the Army had to avail itself of the trade knowledge and experience which the recruit brought with him from civil life. To discover this talent and a.s.sign it to those organizations where it was needed was the task of the Army Personnel organization.

The army could hardly have turned the tide of victory if it had been forced to train from the beginning any large proportion of the technical workers it needed. Every combat division required 64 mechanical draughtsmen, 63 electricians, 142 linemen, 10 cable splicers, 156 radio operators, 29 switchboard operators, 167 telegraphers, 360 telephone repairmen, 52 leather and canvas workers, 78 surveyors, 40 transitmen, 62 topographers, 132 auto mechanics, 128 machinists, 167 utility mechanics, 67 blacksmiths, 151 carpenters, 691 chauffeurs (auto and truck), 128 tractor operators and 122 truckmasters.

Besides these specialists each division required among its enlisted men those familiar with 68 other trades. Among the latter were dock builders, structural steel workers, bricklayers, teamsters, hostlers, wagoners, axemen, cooks, bakers, musicians, saddlers, crane operators, welders, rigging and cordage workers, stevedores and longsh.o.r.emen. Add to these the specialists required in the technical units of engineers, ordnance, air service, signal corps, tanks, motor corps and all the services of supply, and the impossibility of increasing an army of 190,000 in March 1917, to an army of 3,665,000 in November, 1918, becomes apparent unless every skilled man was used where skill was demanded. To furnish tables showing the number of Negroes which the selective draft produced for the various occupations mentioned was at the compilement of this work not practicable. In many cases the figures for white and black had not been separated. The Army Personnel organization did not get into the full swing of its work until well along in 1918.

A good general idea of the percentages of white and black can be gained from the late drafts of that year. Figures for white drafts were not available with the exception of that of September 3rd. But a very fair comparison may be made from the following table showing some occupations to which both whites and blacks were called. Take any of the three general service drafts made upon Negro selectives and it makes a splendid showing alongside the whites. Out of 100,000 men used as a basis for computation, it shows that among the Negro selectives an average of slightly over 25 percent were available for technical requirements, compared with slightly over 36 percent among the whites. It reveals a high number of mechanics and craftsmen among a race which in the minds of many has been regarded as made up almost entirely of unskilled laborers:

Supply per 100,000 in late Negro drafts for general service, compared with supply of white men in same occupations for the September 3rd draft.

Misc. Figures Sept. 3

Sept. 1 Sept 25 Upon Draft Occupation- Draft Draft 59,826 Men White

Mechanical engineer 7 30 8 25 Blacksmith 393 334 331 733 Dock builder ... ... 15 ...

Carpenter 862 571 670 2,157 Stockkeeper 161 176 140 562 Structural steel worker 463 326 351 334 Chauffeur 3,561 4,003 3,300 7,191 Chauffeur, heavy truck 1,304 1,356 987 2,061 Bricklayer 189 99 132 223 Hostler 3,351 1,433 2,062 3,559 Teamster or wagoner 8,678 12,660 9,534 13,691 Transit and levelman ... 4 2 47 Axeman logger 1,192 1,759 1,423 1,827 Clerical worker 603 395 324 4,159 Baker and cook 4,129 3,157 2,974 1,077 Musician 105 17 115 160 Alto horn 56 47 38 46 Baritone 21 21 15 16 Ba.s.s horn 35 21 18 16 Clarinet 21 64 25 66 Cornet 98 56 67 132 Flute 21 ... 5 29 Saxaphone 7 13 10 23 Trap drum 217 197 100 46 Trombone 42 69 40 67 Bugler 14 13 12 24 Saddler ... 26 3 12 Crane operator, hoistman 21 39 42 44 Crane operator, pile driver ... 13 12 7 Crane operator, shovel ... 13 5 30 Oxy-acetylene welder ... 21 8 44 Rigger and cordage worker 49 77 57 40 Stevedore, cargo handler 161 34 68 10 Longsh.o.r.eman 652 664 651 15 ---- ---- ---- ---- 26,413 27,708 23,544 38,473

Figures are for general service drafts and do not include the enlarged list of occupations for which both whites and Negroes were selected.

FIVE SEA TUGS PUs.h.i.+NG TRANSPORT "FRANCE" INTO DOCK. s.h.i.+P LADEN WITH MEMBERS OF NEW YORK'S "FIGHTING 15TH" (369TH INFANTRY) AND CHICAGO'S "FIGHTING 8TH" (370TH INFANTRY) NEGRO HEROES FROM BATTLEFIELDS OF EUROPE.

CHAPTER XXVIII.

THE KNOCKOUT BLOW.

WOODROW WILSON, AN ESTIMATE-HIS PLACE IN HISTORY-LAST OF GREAT TRIO-WAs.h.i.+NGTON, LINCOLN, WILSON-UPHOLDS DECENCY, HUMANITY, LIBERTY-RECAPITULATION OF YEAR 1918-CLOSING INCIDENTS OF WAR.

When sufficient years have elapsed for the forming of a correct perspective, when the dissolving elements of time have swept away misunderstandings and the influences engendered by party belief and politically former opinions, Woodrow Wilson is destined to occupy a place in the Temple of Fame that all Americans may well be proud of. Let us a.n.a.lyze this and let us be fair about it, whatever may be our beliefs or affiliations.

Was.h.i.+ngton gave us our freedom as a nation and started the first great wave of democracy. Probably, had some of us lived in Was.h.i.+ngton's time, we would have been opposed to him politically. Today he is our national hero and is reverenced by all free people of the earth, even by the nation which he defeated at arms. Lincoln preserved and cemented, albeit he was compelled to do it in blood, the democracy which Was.h.i.+ngton founded. He did infinitely more; he struck the shackles from four million human beings and gave the Negro of America his first opportunity to take a legitimate place in the world. Lincoln's service in abolis.h.i.+ng slavery was not alone to the Negro. He elevated the souls of all men, for he ended the most degrading inst.i.tution that Satan ever devised-more degrading to the master who followed it, than to the poor subject he practiced it upon. Unitedly, we revere Lincoln, yet there were those who were opposed to him and in every way hampered and sneered at his sublime consecration to the service of his country. It takes time to obtain the proper estimate of men.

Enough light has already been cast on President Wilson and his life work to indicate his character and what the finished portrait of him will be.

We see him at the beginning of the European conflict, before any of us could separate the tangled threads of rumor, of propaganda, of misrepresentation, to determine what it was all about; before even he could comprehend it, a solitary and monitory figure, calling upon us to be neutral, to form no hasty judgments. We see him later in the role of peacemaker, upholding the principles of decency and honor. Eventually as the record of atrocities and crimes against innocents enlarges, we see him pleading with the guilty to return to the instincts of humanity. Finally as the ultimate aim of the Hun is revealed as an a.s.sault upon the freedom of the world; after the most painstaking and patient efforts to avoid conflict, during which he was subjected to humiliation and insult, we see him grasp the sword, calling a united nation to arms in clarion tones, like some Crusader of old; his s.h.i.+bboleth: DECENCY, HUMANITY, LIBERTY.

What followed? His action swept autocracy from its last great stronghold and made permanent the work which Was.h.i.+ngton began and upon which Lincoln builded so n.o.bly. This of Woodrow Wilson; an estimate-there can be no other thought, that will endure throughout history.

In the earlier chapters are sketched the main events of the great war up to the end of the year 1917, when the history of the Negro in the conflict became the theme. It remains to give an outline review of battles and happenings from the beginning of 1917 until the end of hostilities; culminating in the most remarkable armistice on record; a complete capitulation of the Teutonic forces and their allies, and a complete surrender by them of all implements and agencies for waging war. The terms of the armistice, drastic in the extreme, were largely the work of Marshal Ferdinand Foch, commander-in-chief of the Allied armies.

Early in 1918 it became evident that England, France and Italy were rapidly approaching the limit of their man power. It became necessary for America to hasten to the rescue.

Training of men and officers in the various cantonments of America was intensified and as rapidly as they could be brought into condition they were s.h.i.+pped to France. The troop movement was a wonderful one and before the final closing of hostilities in November there were more than 2,000,000 American troops in Europe. The navy was largely augmented, especially in the matter of destroyers, submarine chasers and lighter craft.

Our troops saw little actual warfare during the first three months of the year. Americans took over a comparatively quiet sector of the French front near Toul, January 21. Engagements of slight importance took place on January 30 and February 4, the latter on a Lorraine sector which Americans were holding. On March 1, they repulsed a heavy German raid in the Toul sector, killing many. On March 6, the Americans were holding an eight mile front alone.

On March 21 the great German offensive between the Oise and the Scarpe, a distance of fifty miles, began. General Haig's British forces were driven back about twenty miles. The French also lost much ground including a number of important towns. The Germans drove towards Amiens in an effort to separate the British and French armies. They had some successes in Flanders and on the French front, but were finally stopped. Their greatest advance measured thirty-five miles and resulted in the retaking of most of the territory lost in the Hindenburg retreat of the previous year. The Allies lost heavily in killed, wounded and prisoners, but the Germans being the aggressors, lost more.

While the great battle was at its height, March 28, the Allies reached an agreement to place all their forces from the Arctic Ocean to the Mediterranean, under one supreme command, the man chosen for the position being General Foch of the French. On March 29, General Pers.h.i.+ng placed all the American forces at the disposal of General Foch.

The Germans began a new offensive against the British front April 8 and won a number of victories in the La Ba.s.se ca.n.a.l region and elsewhere. The battle of Seicheprey, April 20, was the Americans' first serious engagement with the Germans. The Germans captured the place but the Americans by a counter attack recovered it.

Another great offensive was started by the Germans, May 27, resulting in the taking of the Chemin des Dames from the French and crossing the river Aisne. On the following day they crossed the Vesle river at Fismes. Here the Americans won their first notable victory by capturing the village of Cantigny and taking 200 prisoners. They held this position against many subsequent counter-attacks. By the 31st the Germans had reached Chateau Thierry and other points on the Marne, where they were halted by the French. They made a few gains during the first days of June. On June 6, American marines made a gallant attack, gaining two miles on a front two and one-half miles long near Veuilly la Poterie. On the following day they a.s.sisted the French in important victories. In the second battle northwest of Chateau Thierry, the Americans advanced nearly two and one-half miles on a six mile front, taking 300 prisoners. It was in these engagements that the Americans established themselves as fighters equal to any.

On June 9, the Germans began their fourth offensive, attacking between Montdidier and the river Oise. They advanced about four miles, taking several villages. In the operations of the following day which gained them several villages, they claimed to have captured 8,000 French. This day the American marines took the greater portion of Belleau wood and completed the capture of it June 11. The French at the same time defeated the Germans between Robescourt and St. Maur. There were other battles on the 12th and 13th, but on the 14th it became evident that the German offensive was a costly failure.

The fighting from this time until the end of June was of a less serious nature, although the Americans in the Belleau and Vaux regions gave the Germans no rest, attacking them continually and taking prisoners. The Americans at this time were also engaged in an offensive in Italy. July 2, President Wilson announced there were 1,019,115 American soldiers in France.

The Fourth of July was celebrated in England, France and Italy as well as in the United States. On that day Americans a.s.sisted the Australians in taking the town of Hamel and many prisoners. On the 8th and 9th the French advanced in the region of Longpont and northwest of Compiegne. On the 12th they took Castel and other strong points near the west bank of the Avre river. July 14, the French national holiday was observed in America, and by the American soldiers in France.

The fifth and last phase of the great offensive which the Germans had started in March, began July 15, in an attack from Chateau Thierry to Ma.s.signes, along a sixty-five mile front and crossing the Marne at several places. At Chateau Thierry the Americans put up a strong resistance but the enemy by persistent efforts finally succeeded in getting a footing on the south bank. The battle continued east and west of Rheims with the Allies holding strongly and the Germans meeting heavy losses.

While the Germans were trying to force their way regardless of cost, in the direction of Chalons and Epernay, General Foch was preparing a surprise in the Villers-Cotterets forest on the German right flank. In the large force collected for the surprise were some of the best French regiments together with the famed Foreign Legion, the Moroccan regiment and other crack troops including Americans. On the morning of July 18, a heavy blow was launched at the Germans all along the line from Chateau Thierry on the Marne to the Aisne northwest of Soissons.

The foe was taken completely by surprise and town after town fell with very little resistance. Later the resistance stiffened but the Allies continued to advance. Cavalrymen a.s.sisted the infantry and tanks in large numbers, helped to clean out the machine gun nests. The Americans who fought side by side with the French won the unbounded admiration of their comrades. Thousands of prisoners were taken with large numbers of heavy cannon, great quant.i.ties of ammunition and thousands of machine guns. By the 20th Soissons was threatened. The Germans finding themselves caught in a dangerous salient and attacked fiercely on both flanks, retreated hurriedly to the north bank of the Marne and still farther.

Meanwhile things were going badly for the Austrians. After its retreat in 1917 to the line of the Piave river, the Italian army had been reorganized and strengthened under General Diaz, who had succeeded General Cadorna in command. French and British regiments had been sent to a.s.sist in holding the line, and later some American forces.

The Austrians began an offensive June 15 along a 100-mile front, crossing the Piave in several places. For three days they made violent attacks on the Montello plateau, and along the Piave from St. Andrea to San Dona and at Capo Sile, twenty miles from Venice. Then the Italians, British, French and Americans counter-attacked and within three days had turned the great Austrian offensive into a rout, killing thousands, taking thousands of prisoners, and capturing an immense amount of war material including the Austrian's heavy caliber guns. The whole Austrian scheme to advance into the fertile Italian plains where they hoped to find food for their hungry soldiers, failed completely. It was practically the end of Austria and the beginning of the end for Germany. Bulgaria gave up September 26, due to heavy operations by the French, Italians and Serbians during July, August and September, in Albania, Macedonia and along the Vardar river to the boundaries of Bulgaria. They signed an armistice September 29 and the king of Bulgaria abdicated October 3. Turkey being in a hopeless position through the surrender of Bulgaria, and the success of the British forces under General Allenby, kept up a feeble resistance until the end of October when she too surrendered. The collapse of Austria-Hungary followed closely on that of Turkey. They kept up a show of resistance and suffered a number of disastrous defeats until the end of October when they raised the white flag. An armistice was signed by the Austrian representatives and General Diaz for the Italians, November 3.