Found 22 collections related to African American soldiers

Military records documenting Melvin McCaw's career as a non-commissioned officer in the 9th Regiment of the U.S. Cavalry from 1896 to 1917, and the activities of this segregated African American regiment at West Point after 1907. The collection consists of McCaw's certificates of discharge and reenlistment, including his 1917 memorandum regarding his retirement; letters from military and civilian authorities commenting favorably on the behavior of troops at West Point and on their efficiency and good spirit; military reports; McCaw's certificates of marksmanship (1896) and of proficiency in Cavalry and Drill, Outpost Duty and Army Regulations (1905); and newspaper articles relating to activities of the Lincoln League of Colored Citizens in Newburgh, New York, in 1908. The collection includes both original and photocopies. less

The memoirs are written in a narrative form, and begin at the point that Dyer decided to enlist in the Army, through the Armistice, his return to the States and discharge from the Army. Dyer briefly discusses the period spent at Ft. Des Moines and Camp Funston and the voyage to France. He gives his impressions of the people and his surroundings in Brest, France where his Division landed, and other cities and towns where they traveled as they made their way to the Western Front. Once at the front he describes some of his experiences there, which are also impressionistic. There are no descriptions of battles, only of the death and destruction caused by the bombings and battles. He barely discusses his medical duties, makes some mention of racial incidents and the existence of segregation and racism in the Army. less

Journalist. Personal and professional correspondence and printed matter relating to Clark's employment by the United States Information Agency as an information specialist, and his employment as a journalist with the AMSTERDAM NEWS and the Philadelphia TRIBUNE. Clark's correspondents include Langston Hughes and Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. less

Benjamin F. Seldon was State Supervisor of Negro Adult Education for the New Jersey Works Progress Administration from 1938 to 1941. He served in World War I, then completed his education in Europe where he studied the economic, social and political conditions of several countries. He also taught in France, and in 1928 at the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute. The Benjamin F. Seldon Papers consist of correspondence pertaining to various aspects of his career and personal life, and a scrapbook Seldon maintained containing news clippings relating primarily to African Americans in World War I. Many letters relate to Seldon's experiences as the State Supervisor of Negro Adult Education for the New Jersey Works Progress Administration in which he had 136 teachers under his supervision. Letters also pertain to the Civilian Conservation Corps. Additional correspondence is with religious, political, educational and social organizations, and several prominent people including Adam Clayton Powell, Sr., Bertha B. Randolph (wife of A. Philip Randolph) and L. Hollingsworth Wood. There is also personal correspondence with Seldon's family and friends. A few letters are written in French and Spanish. less

This collection contains personal correspondence to Cheatham's siblings (Mamie and Charles) describing his military experience while serving in the Philippine Islands as well as correspondence relating to military regulations during World War I. Also included in the collection is correspondence pertaining to funeral arrangements for Cheatham addressed to his brother Charles Cheatham. There are also programs, an obituary for Cheatham, a speech (possibly by former Congressman Cheatham), and announcements/flyers for an appearance by the congressman. less

Correspondence, reports, rosters listing names of troops, ledgers, performance evaluations, and discharge papers, relating to Rudd's command of I Company, 48th Infantry, an all African-American unit fighting in the Spanish-American War, and the administration of Benguet Province in the Philippines. Includes a map of the province and notes on its agriculture. less

An African American career soldier, Jesse J. Johnson authored eight books and several plays about the military service of black men and women in the United States Army, Air Force, Navy and Marines from 1619 to the late 20th century. The Jesse J. Johnson Military Collection consists primarily of secondary sources and printed material, copies of documents held in public repositories, along with typescripts of his plays and one of his books. Johnson collected material about black men and women in the U.S. military, and in wars ranging from the Revolutionary War to the Vietnam War, all branches of service, and a wide selection of related subjects. The bulk of the collection is research material about these topics. There are also interviews Johnson conducted in the 1970s-1980s with retired African-American servicemen. less

The Levi C. Hubert papers pertain to Hubert's research on black soldiers in the United States Armed Forces and other topics in African American history and include manuscript drafts, correspondence, reproductions of photographs, news clippings, notes and printed material. Most of the material is devoted to his manuscripts "In the Name of Congress: Inspiring Stories of 47 Negroes Awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor," (1966-1967) which discusses awardees from the Civil War era to the War in Vietnam; and "Their Muskets Flashed the Dawning: Regimental Histories of the United States Colored Troops During the Civil War." There are drafts for both manuscripts as well as research material. Drafts for short articles Hubert wrote can be found in this collection, and printed copies of his articles for the Federal Writers' Reporting Project are contained in a scrapbook. Included are notes, correspondence and printed material regarding the filmstrip entitled "History of the American Negro (1619-1865)." There is also genealogical material concerning Hubert's family. less

Wallace Terry, Jr. (1938-2003) was an African-American journalist, author, documentarian, oral historian, and educator best known for his reporting on the experiences of black soldiers in the Vietnam War. The Wallace Terry papers consists of files chronicling his career as a journalist and published author; his work as a visiting professor of journalism; his education; and his posthumous acclaim. less

Lawrence D. Reddick served as curator of the Schomburg Collection of Negro Literature, 1939-1948. An African-American historian, Reddick was interested in the role of the black soldier in U.S. wars and published on this topic. Concerned that the role of black soldiers during World War II would not be portrayed accurately by the government, the mainstream or black press, Reddick initiated a campaign to document the experiences of blacks in the military using their first hand accounts. He placed an ad in newspapers served by the Associated Negro Press, requesting that letters written by black soldiers to their families be sent to the Schomburg Collection. In addition, he conducted interviews with black servicemen and women from 1944 to 1946, and collected memorabilia and other World War II related items. The Lawrence D. Reddick World War II Project Collection, 1943-1953 (bulk 1943-1945) consists of correspondence with black servicemen and women, summaries of interviews Reddick conducted, as well as research files maintained by him. The series Letters and Interviews, 1943-1945 consists of more than a hundred letters that black servicemen and officers, and a few black servicewomen, wrote principally to their families and friends relating the individuals' experiences. The servicemen were stationed in all of the theaters of operation, and some were stateside at various training camps throughout the United States. Of note is a letter Dwight Eisenhower wrote in 1947 in response to a letter from Reddick, stating his opposition to discrimination of American soldiers based upon color or race. Also included in the collection are summaries of interviews Reddick conducted between 1944 and 1946 in Harlem with former servicemen and officers. The interviewees were forthright in their discussions about their experiences with both black and white soldiers and officers, and the people in the countries where they served. There are also summaries of interviews with several black servicewomen and one white serviceman, as well as civilians. Individuals interviewed include William E. Artis (artist), Warren Cuney (writer), Benjamin O. Davis (Air Force General), Ewart Guinier (who later headed the first African-American Studies Department at Harvard University), William H. Hastie (civil rights attorney), Roi Ottley (author and journalist) Leigh Whipper (actor). less

This collection contains an advance draft of the "Utilization of Negro Manpower in the Army: A 1951 Study;" and a copy of The Reporter (December 1954) which includes Leo Bogart's article. There are also several reports: "The Army and its Negro Soldiers;" "The Utilization of Negro Troops in Korea: A Report on a Field Survey," June 1951; and "The Utilization of Negro Troops in Korea: A Supplementary Report," September 1951; and copies of correspondence between Bogart and officials concerning the declassification of the "Utilization of Negro Manpower.". less

James Reese Europe was an accomplished musician, composer, conductor, organizer, and recording artist. The collection primarily consists of photocopied secondary sources, newspaper clippings, and programs collected by James R. Europe, Jr. to document his father's accomplishments. less

The World War II letters from African-American Soldiers collection consists of letters from African-American servicemen to Elnora (Nora) Bing Williams and her husband, Edgar Thomas (Ned) Williams of Brooklyn, New York. The correspondents are relatives and friends, and the letters describe their social and recreational activities on and off U.S. military bases. The soldiers share news about other family members and friends back home as well as those also in the military. In only a few letters were their lives as African-American servicemen portrayed, or their relationships with white military men or townspeople described. The letters from friends also describe training to become non-commissioned officers. All of the servicemen had been drafted; a few men attained the rank of sergeant, corporal and lieutenant. Several were stationed in the Pacific and Europe, and obliquely wrote about general conditions there. less

The Berry family collection consists of seven pieces of correspondence, apparently written by members of the Berry family, dating from 1863-1918, and spanning three states and Europe. There is also one typescript entitled "My Bit in the World War or the Story of 2921486." The correspondence begins with James Tate in West Point Georgia, although his wife and children appear to be in Mobile, Georgia, or Alabama. The other writers appear to be his wife, son, and nephew, although their relationship to Tate is not indicated. The documents cover important periods and topics in African-American history. James Tate's letter, written in 1863, expresses the anguish and difficulties African Americans faced with trying to establish and maintain a family while enslaved. A letter dated June 20, 1868 documents the role of a Black church as "post office;" the writer indicates mail for him and news for other people in town can be sent care of the church pastor. The letter from Olivia Tate dated July 28, 1887 describes her excitement at the possibility of a "Great Colored National Fair" in Georgia to exhibit the "arts, mechanics and productions of colored people throughout the union." Both of the letters written by Henry S. Berry during World War I, in 1918, tell of his experience in the Army's Medical Unit, 331st Labor Bureau. He expresses his pride in being a soldier and tells how the army built character. The autobiographical typescript, "My Bit in the World War, or the Story of 2921486," is twenty-five pages long and follows Berry, a member of the American Expeditionary Forces, from the receipt of the telegram calling him to duty to being one of fifty men chosen for the Army Medical Department, through war torn France. The typescript seems not to have been finished. Throughout this piece as well, is the theme of pride in being a good soldier. less

In 1985, "A Common Destiny: Blacks and American Society" was published by the Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences of the National Research Council. The work was prepared by the Committee on the Status of Black Americans which was charged by the Commission to "...marshall descriptive data on the changing position of blacks in American society since 1940; ...and explore the consequences, anticipated and unanticipated, of public and private initiatives to ameliorate the position of blacks in America." Topics included health, racial attitudes, identity, political participation and economics, education, and crime. Authors of these papers included Derrick Bell, Clayborne Carson, Henry Louis Gates, Henry F. Jackson, Martin Kilson, Julianne Malveaux and Richard J. Powell. The chair of the committee was Robin M. Williams, Jr. and Gerald David Jaynes was the study director; both served as editors of the final report. The National Research Council. Committee on the Status of Black Americans Working Papers consists of thirty-three essays prepared by prominent scholars in several fields as background for the publication "A Common Destiny: Blacks and American Society" (National Academy Press, 1989). Correspondence and other administrative material are located in the National Academy of Sciences archives. less

Harriet Pickens joined the WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) in 1944 as a member of the Women's Reserves in the U.S. Naval Reserve. She was one of two African American women to be sworn in as an officer, and she was commissioned as a lieutenant following her training, the first to receive this high rank. The Harriet Pickens papers primarily contain documentation regarding her military service as a lieutenant in the WAVES (1944-1946) and her public service work. less

During World War II, Charles Edward Harris was in the all-Black 57th Ordnance Ammunition Company, whose duty was the procurement, storage, and distribution of ammunition. The Charles E. Harris World War II memorabilia collection includes two handwritten and typed histories of the 57th Ordnance Ammunition Company, love letters, two handkerchiefs, and a booklet. less

The 167th Field Artillery Brigade, formed in November 1917 as a component of the 92nd Division, was the first brigade of Black artillery regiments of ever organized. It consisted of two regiments of light artillery (the 349th and the 350th) and one regiment of heavy artillery, the 351st. The 351st Field Artillery was trained at Camp Meade, Maryland, and in June 1918, it sailed with the rest of the 167th Brigade from Hoboken, New Jersey to Brest, France, where the troops received additional artillery training. As part of the U.S. 2nd Army's drive toward Metz, France in November 1918, the 351st attacked six towns within a week. In February and March 1919, the 351st returned to the United States. The 351st Field Artillery Collection contains a few of documents pertaining to field conditions in France. An order issued in French calls for the mandatory evacuation of the town Le Maire de Ville-à-Mousson, July 13, 1918, where the 3rd Battalion saw action. Included are schedules for the firing of weapons during training by the 351st Field Artillery in France, August-September 1918, and sanitary reports of field conditions. Many of the reports in this collection were certified by Captain Henry J. Meyer, U.S. Army surgeon. Additionally, the collection includes rosters of officers and enlisted men in the Sanitary Detachment with names, addresses, and discharge information. There is a passenger list of the army units which embarked from Brest, France in 1919, and a list of enlisted soldiers in the medical detachment who were discharged at Fort Dix, New Jersey, as well as a list of promotions for this detachment. Of particular interest are several statements indicating that no venereal disease or vermin were found among the troops. Other medical records for the troops to be discharged include cards with names and ranks of soldiers, issued by the infirmary at Camp Meade, listing cause of admission and disposition (transfer to hospital or return to duty), February-March 1919; and lists of the sick and wounded with names, rank, company, nature of illness, and place of treatment. There are also reports of sanitary inspections of conditions on board the U.S. Louisville and medical inspections of soldiers en route from Brest to Hoboken, as well as reports about the condition of supplies. A photocopy of a portion of a 1942 reunion program forms part of the collection. less

The Corps d'Afrique was officially known as the Louisiana Native Guards. The First Louisiana Native Guards was raised in August 1862 by Union general Benjamin Butler and mustered in on September 27, 1862. It was the first Black regiment in the United States. The Second Louisiana Native Guards was mustered in on October 1862, and the Third in November 1862. This collection includes a muster and payroll for the First Regiment of Engineers under Colonel Justin Hodge. The roll contains the names and ranks of officers, a musician, and individual soldiers in the regiment, and date and place of enrollment. less