![]() ![]() Hamilton Fish, according to the Harris book. “They had no place to put the regiment,” said infantry Capt. They were committed to fighting the Germans and winning the war. “Second, he wouldn’t have to worry about what to do with black soldiers, particularly when he might have to mix them in with white troops.”īut the 15th Regiment’s soldiers had not signed up for labor. “First, Pershing would have a source of cheap labor,” Harris wrote. The African-American regiment was a quick and easy source of labor, according to author Stephen Harris in his 2003 book "Harlem’s Hell Fighters." Nazaire, the New York National Guard soldiers learned they would work to prepare the docks and railway lines to be a major port of entry for the hundreds of thousands of forces yet to arrive in France. These troops performed essential duties for the American Expeditionary Force, building roads, bridges and trenches in support of the front-line battles. But more than half of those who deployed were assigned to labor and stevedore battalions. More than 380,000 African-Americans served in the Army during World War I, according to the National Archives. However, at first, the African-American troops were ordered to unload supply ships at the docks for their first months in France, joining the mass of supply troops known as stevedores, working long hours in the port at St. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |