Found 12 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

The collection primarily consists of photocopied secondary sources, newspaper clippings, and programs collected by James R. Europe, Jr. to document his father's accomplishments. The contents also include bibliographies, magazine articles, a chronology of the Europe family from 1847 to 1947, a folder of WWI records, with Europe's military discharge records, a certified copy of the incorporation of the Clef Club of New York City, the "Memoirs of Lieutenant Jim Europe," by Noble Sissle, 1920, (which are actually reminiscences about Europe by Sissle and housed in the Manuscripts collection at LC), and excerpts from a biography, "James Reese Europe: A Life in Racetime" written by Reid Badger, in 1995. 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

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

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

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

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