It gives me great pleasure to write a word of introduction to this interesting and important book that Mr. Williams has written. The story of the Negro soldier is one of the romances of American history. Even in the days of the Revolution and the War of 1812 he played an honorable part; but it was the Civil War that gave him his first large opportunity, and at Port Hudson, Fort Wagner, or Fort Pillow he passed through the baptism of fire, striving that the emancipation of his people might be guaranteed and the integrity of his country preserved. We also remember another war, and Santiago and San Juan Hill, and not only how Negro men went gallantly to the charge but also how the soldiers in a black regiment faced pestilence and fever that their white comrades might be saved. Then came Carrizal, strange prelude of the great conflict to come; and once more, at an unexpected moment, the soul of the nation was thrilled by the courage of the Tenth Cavalry. “Theirs not to make reply; theirs but to do and die.” So in the face of odds they obeyed orders and died beneath the Mexican stars.
The recent World War, however, brought to the Negro people of the United States an interest and an anxiety surpassed only by the expectant hope in the days of the Civil War. They had come to the end of an era, and all the incidents and problems of their life in America were suddenly brought to the testing. Vast forces beyond their control were changing the destinies of thousands—in migration, in economic freedom, and even in spiritual outlook; and unhappy events at East St. Louis and Houston but made the situation more critical. They were eager to serve, but at once they came face to face with questions that concerned the very foundations of their citizenship. Would the men of the race, or would they not, be permitted to train and serve as officers? If so, would they be dealt with as a distinct and separate race, as was the case with no other race in the country, or simply on the basis of physical and mental fitness? Why, moreover, on the registration card for the draft should the Negro be singled out for a special corner? To some people such questions may have seemed unimportant, but to the Negroes themselves they meant nothing less than life itself, and they followed the fortunes of their sons and their husbands accordingly.
In the recent war then, as in no other, the social as well as the military phases of the life of the soldier assumed a new importance. Wherever he went, with whomever he came in contact, in America or in France—in the life of cantonment cities, in his dealing with his comrades in arms, in his contact with the people of France—the Negro in uniform met situations that had definite bearing upon his health, his conduct, and his morale. Frequently these came to the attention of the War Department, and sometimes also they received prominence in the public press. Of such sort were the vexatious discussions that sometimes arose in the Y. M. C. A. and other welfare organizations, the reports reflecting on the character of Negro men, and the complaints not only about the actual operation of the draft but also about the conditions under which the soldiers, especially those in stevedore units, sometimes lived and worked. Of distinct service to the country accordingly was the decision of the Federal Council of Churches of Christ in America, working in co-operation with the Phelps-Stokes Fund, to appoint two field secretaries, one to study the situation in so far as it had to do with Negro churches, and the other to study and report on every phase of the life of the Negro soldier in camps and cantonment cities, both in the United States and abroad.
For this latter service Mr. Charles H. Williams was chosen. His work for several years as Physical Director at Hampton Institute had not only brought him to the very front in his chosen field, but had also given him special insight into the temperament, the physical prowess, and the social outlook of Negro men. His special task moreover had not only the approval but also the co-operation of the Secretary of War and the Adjutant General of the Army of the United States, and in the course of his work he spent a total of eighteen months visiting every place where Negro soldiers were gathered, in both America and France. His endeavor was as painstaking as his mission was unique.
Something of the result of this first-hand study will be found in the pages that follow. Mr. Williams, it will be observed, has not undertaken to write a history of Negro soldiers in the war. Instead he has given us “Sidelights”; and I think the reader will agree with me that what is more unpretentious than a history is also of more interest than many a formal work, and valuable by reason of the authority with which the author speaks. Before one has finished reading he will probably be impressed with the fact that the work is indeed not only a consideration of the Negro soldier but also a vital contribution to the social history of the Negro people in America. It has been eagerly awaited by those who knew of the unusual opportunity for study that Mr. Williams had, and now that it is given to the people of the country I bespeak for it a generous welcome.
BENJAMIN BRAWLEY.
Cambridge, January 1, 1923.