As this regiment was brigaded usually with the 372nd, a part of its' history follows: The official records show that the 372nd Infantry was organized at Camp Stuart, January 1, 1918, Colonel Glendie B. Young, Infantry, United States National Guard(U.S.N.G.), Commanding. Incorporated
THE 371ST AND 372ND REGIMENTS
In the regiment were the following National Guard units:1.First Seperate Battalion, District of Columbia, Infantry; 2.Ninth Battalion of Ohio, Infantry; Company L. Sixth Massachusetts, Infantry; and 3.one company each from Maryland, Tennessee, and Connecticut.
To these were added, later, 250 men from Camp Custer; excepting the staff, Machine Gun Headquarters and Supply companies, the regiment was officered by Black men.
The 370th regiment was brigaded with the 371st. The resulting unit was the 186th Infantry Brigade, a unit of the provinsional 93rd Division. It was understood that the 93rd Division, composed of all Negro soldiers, would be fully organized in France. When the 372nd arrived at St. Nazaire, April 14, 1918; the organization was placed under the command of the French. Four weeks later, the brigade was dissolved and the 93rd Division ceased to be mentioned. Its' four regiments were all subject to orders of the French G.Q.G., General Petain, Commanding.
The regiment spent five weeks in training and re-organizatin at Conde-en arrois(Meuse). It was a
unit of the 13th French Army of the 13th French Army Corps.. The men were trained in French methods by French officers and non-commissioned officers. French ordinance equipment was used in their training. These Black American soldiers developed so rapidly that a French Major exclaimed enthusiastically in the street: "These men are intelligent and alert! Their regiment will have a glorious career!" Thus, from the beginning, the worth of our troops was recognized by a veteran of the French Army.
The regimental training was not complete. It had to complete its training under actual war conditions. A quiet sector or sub-sector was chosen in Argonne West of France for this training. On June 8, the 371st Regiment moved to the sector and spent twenty days learning the organization of defensive positions and how to hold these positions under shell fire from the enemy. At the time of the training, the 371st was part of the 63rd French Division. During the last ten days, it was part of the 35th French Division. On July 2nd, the 372nd Infantry Regiment became perminently identified with the 157th French Division, General Goybet commanding. The Division consisted of two Black-American Regiments and one French Regiment of infantry. The artillery units, engineers, sanitary train, etc, were all French. During his first inspection tour at Vanquois, General Goybet asked one of our men if if he thought the Germans could pass through them if they started over the line? The little Black Private replied: "not if the boches can't do a good job in killing all of us!" The response pleased the new General very much. The General clinched fist in tribute. The act showed his confidence in the Black sildiers and acted as a salute to the black troops.
On July 13th, the regiment retired to a reserve position near the village of Locheres (Meuse). There they had a temporary rest so in-order-to help sustain the coming blow. The next day, Colonel Young was relieved of command by Colonel Herschel Tupes, a regular army officer. In the afternoon, the regiment was assembled and prepared for action. Later, they found out that they would not be needed. The German attack was launched near Rheims on the night of July 14th. The Next evening, the world read of the decisive defeat of the Germans by General Gourand's army.
On July 26, the regiment occupied sub-sector 304. The occupation of this sub-sector was marked by hard work and discontentment. The whole position had to be re-organized and in doing this, the men maintained their previous reputation for good work. The total stay in the sector was seven weeks. The regiment took part in two raids. Several individuals distinguished themselves: one man received a Croix de Guerre because he held his trench mortar between his legs to continue firing when the base had been damaged by a shell; on another occation, a Black soldier carried a wounded French comrade from "No Man's Land" under heavy fire, and was also decorated. Several days after a raid, the Germans were retaliating by shelling the demolished village of Montzeville, situated in the valley below the Post-of Command and occupied by some of the reserves; Private Rufus Pinckney rushed through the heavy fire and rescued a wounded French soldier.
On another occasion, Private Kenneth Lewis of the Medical Detachment, later killed at his post, displayed fine qualities of coolness and disdain for danger by sticking to duty until the end. Two post-mortem decorations; the Croix de Guerre with Palm and Medaille Militaire were awarded to him. The latter is a very distinguished recognition in the French Army.
So well had the regiment worked in the Argonne that it was sent to relieve the 123rd French Infantry Regiment in the sub-sector Vanquois, on July 28. An attack by the Germans in the valley of the Aire, of which Vanquois was a key, was expected at any moment. New defenses were to be constructed and old ones strengthened. The men applied themselves with a courageous devotion, night and day, to their tasks and after two weeks of watch working under fire, Vanquois became a formidable defensive system.
Besides the gallantry of Private Pinckney, Montzeville must be remembered in connection with the removal of Black officers from the regiment. It was there that a board of officers (all white) requested by Colonel Young and appointed by Colonel Tupes, sat on the cases of twenty-one Black officers charged with inefficiency. Only one out of that number was acquitted: he was later killed in action. The charges of inefficiency were based on physical disability, insufficient training, and unsuitability. The other Black officers who had been removed were either transferred to other units or sent to re-classification depots.
The Colonel told the Commanding General, through an interpreter,: "The colored officers in this regiment know as much about their duties as a child." The General was surprised and whispered to another French officer that the Colonel himself was not so brilliant and that he believed it was prejudice that caused the Colonel to make such a change. A few moments later, the Colonel told the General that he had requested that no more colored officers be sent to thr regiment. In reply to this the General explained how unwise it was because the colored officers had been trained along with their men at a great expenditure of time and money by the American and French governments; and, also, he doubted if well-qualified White officers could be spared the General from other American units. The General insisted that the time was at hand for the great autumn drive and that it would be a hinderance because he feared the men would not be pleased with the change. The Colonel heeded not his General and forwarded two requests for an anti-Black-officer regiment. He went so far as to tell the Lieutenant-Colonel that he believed the regiment should have white men for non-commissioned officers. Of course, the men would not have stood for this at any price. The Colonel often would tell the Adjutant to never trust a "damned Black clerk" and that he considered "one White man worth a million Negroes."
About September 8, the regiment was relieved by the 129th United States Infantry and was sent to the rear for a period of rest. Twenty-four hours after arrival in the rest area, orders were received to proceed farther. The nightly marches began. The regiment marched from place to place in the Aube, the Marne and the Haute Marne until it went into the great Champagne battle on September 27.
For nine days, the regiment helped push the Hun toward the Belgian frontier. Those days were hard, but these men did their duty and came out with glory. Fortunately, all the colored officers had not left the regiment and it was they and the brave sergeants who led the men to victory and fame. The new white officers had just arrived, some of them the night before the regiment went into battle, several of whom had never been under fire in any capacity, having just come out of training school at Langres. Nevertheless, the regiment was cited by the French and the regimental colors were decorated by Vice-Admiral Moreau at Brest, January 24, 1919.
After the relief on the battlefield, the regiment reached Somme Bionne (Marne) October 8. Congratulations came in from everywhere except American Headquarters. After a brief rest of three days, the regiment was sent to a quiet sector in Vosges on the frontier of Alsace. The Colonel finally disposed of the remaining colored officers, except the two dentists and the two chaplains. All the officers were instructed to carry their arms at all times and virtually to shoot any soldier on the least provocation. As a consequence, a corporal of Company L was shot and killed by First Lieutenant James B. Coggins, from North Carolina, for a reason that no one has ever been able to explain. The signing of the Armistice and the cessation of hostilities, perhaps, prevented a general, armed opposition to a system of prejudice encouraged by the Commanding Officer of the Regiment.
J.Linzy-21