court martial took place in the organization from the beginning and no efficiency boards sat in judgement of the men. This was one of the very few units in which Negroes were promoted: one to Major, four to Captain, three to First Lieutenant, and eleven to Second Lieutenant.
Near the end of the war, thirty-five Lieutenants commissioned at Camp Taylor, arrived in France and were sent to school near Nantes. These officers were subjected to many indignities by American White officers. They were compelled to enter the class-room after the Whites. These officers were refused leaves to town and reprimanded for conversing with the women of the city. The women were anxious to be kind and sympathetic to the obviously oppressed strangers. Notwithstanding, besides all this, the men made good records and joined their command after the Armistice.
THE 317TH ENGINEERS
At Camp Sherman, the 317th was assembled in December of 1917 with 1,350 officers and men. There were two battalions. All the officers were Black, except four field officers. From the beginning, the Commanding officers were determined to get rid of the Negroes. On May 10th, the Black captains were relieved and sent to the 365th and 366th Regiments. The regiment came to France in June of 1918 and were trained near Bourbonne-les Bains until July 20. On July 22, all the remaining Black officers - with the exception of two Lieutenants, the chaplain and medical officers - were relieved at the repeated requests of Colonel Brown of Georgia and others. The regiment went to the Vosges in August and then to Argonne. They did excellent technical work in building and construction. All but one company were attached to the Fourth French Army Corps until December 22. Only Company "E" remained with the 92nd Division.
THE 366TH FIELD HOSPITAL
The 366th Field Hospital was a Black American unit with only two or three White Americans. It handled 10,000 cases before and during the Metz drive which lasted four weeks. They wee rated best in the American Expeditionary Force. Lieutenant Wright, the Black physician in charge, was promoted to Captain.
