Historical Romance of the American Negro

by Charles Henry Fowler

Then we wiped our tears away, and every man, woman and understanding child, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and from the Lakes to the Gulf, arose and took an oath that that cruel and bloody nation of Spaniards should leave this hemisphere, bag and baggage, and that we should make them! Then the shout, "Remember the Maine!" was heard all over the land. Congress demanded Spain's withdrawal from American waters; or else that war should be levied on her forthwith. Now did the regent mother country send letters to all the magnates of Europe, begging them to intercede, and make peace between the Americans and Spaniards. But from all quarters came the same reply, "You and the Americans help yourselves; this is not our war. Hold the Ever-faithful Isle—if you are able!"

While the war clouds were gathering the Spaniards still ran around Europe, praying and screeching for help. Uncle Sam went swiftly to work laid down fifty million dollars instantly, and quickly bought up a number of newly-built and powerful men-of-war from foreign nations—bought and hired swift and powerful merchant vessels, and swiftly clad them round their sides and all over their decks with steel-mail, so that they might boldly plough the waves, and do as useful service as the very best of iron-clads of effete Old Spain. Uncle Sam made two swift calls for troops, and almost every white and colored man replied, "We come, we come!" So terrible, indeed, was the impression produced by the loss of our poor ship, and the murder of 266 men at Havana, that almost every colored and white man in this nation seemed even to sigh and thirst to go and fight with Spain! Women by thousands and tens of thousands offered themselves as nurses, and to be used in any way that the Government pleased. Our colored men, once slaves, or the children of slaves, but now loyal freemen, came forward almost to a man, and with quite as much patriotism as their white brethren, at least, offered themselves as ready, quite ready to march to the war. Uncle Sam's great difficulty lay in his having too many offers on his hands, so he picked and chose, and did his best. The fleet, of course, encountered a little more difficulty in filling up; but the flower of our youth—even the sons of millionaires among the rest—came trooping on in thousands, and our fleet was manned splendidly. Men were sent South by thousands and tens of thousands; the trains carried them down every day, accompanied with immense loads of ammunition, and all the appliances of war. Our new and old war vessels were gathered about Key West, etc., and others were placed near our great harbors, which harbors were defended by torpedoes and other means of offense and defense. By this time our demand upon Spain to get out of the West Indies had been received by the proud Dons, and had been refused by them, as we expected. So we moved on with the war, and our own four regiments of regular colored United States troops, the Ninth and Tenth Cavalry, and the Twenty-fourth and Twenty-fifth Infantry, which had been brought from the far West to Chickamauga Park, were brought down to Key West, in order to be at hand to sail over to Cuba along with their white brothers when the "Ever-Faithful Isle—Fair Cuba, the Queen of the Antilles," should be invaded by all the boys in blue.

I am not aware that even the most rabid misanthrope in the United States believed in his heart that there was one colored man who was not willing to go to the war, and also able to do yeoman service in knocking down the Spaniards, if he were allowed to get at them. It is true that charges were made against some of us, but charges were also made in the same way against the whites. It is true that some of our men made their marching to war conditional on their now having their own colored officers; but that demand was right, and they only asked their own.

Our hereditary enemies are not all dead by any means, yet! Either they are less formidable, or we ourselves are growing more independent. The small pettifogging journalist tried to make the usual capital out of our men holding out for his most undoubted rights, for what would a white regiment, indeed, think, if the law was that none but colored officers should be placed over white men? And yet, that was the very thing that certain men—white men—in our nation demanded, namely, that none but white officers should be placed in command of colored soldiers!

BATTLE OF SAN JUAN HILL.

It is very true there were a few colored officers in the ranks, and colored chaplains; but, like angels' visits, they were few and far between. But the Spanish war was on, and colored men had to go or stay. Some demanded officers of their own race, seeing they were competent to fill such positions as the whitest of men. It was only the dregs of slavery in the bottom of the cup that were left. It was only the difference between a dark skin and a light one, don't you know. Well, quite a number of the governors granted the colored regiments their petitions; gave them all the officers of their own race, from Colonel down, and it has been proven that they have acted and succeeded as well as white officers could ever have possibly done. Other governors hesitated about granting their just demands, and claimed that white officers ought to be placed over colored men.

But, as I said before, the war was now under way, and as too much time could not be lost in wrangling in this unseemly manner over a matter, after all, no greater than the color of the skin, our brave fellows in some of the States said they were willing to give way, and go and fight the Spaniards under command of white officers. In some States there was no dispute. It is a well-known fact that colored men have often been greatly attached to their white officers, and in like manner, these officers have been greatly attached to their own soldiers, and thus they have got along harmoniously together at all times. At the same time, this knotty point has been settled once for all in many a State, and the men—colored men, I mean—have been allowed to have the officers of their own choice. No doubt the time will come when all these "trumpery distinctions" will be done away! The dregs of slavery washed out of the cup! The time will come in the United States when white men will be led by colored officers, and colored men will be led by white officers. Life is really too short for such foolishness as squabbling over small trifles like these. One thing I know, the Bible tells us that God has made of one blood all the races that dwell upon earth.

The readings in the public papers about the enthusiasm of colored men for the war against the Spaniards was most refreshing. Taken as a whole, white men of every walk in life, awarded them the very highest possible praise for their love of drilling—for their great willingness to be drilled, and for the great progress they made in drilling. Some of them, indeed, seemed to be drilling both in season and out of season, because even after their officers had given them all their needful drilling for the passing day, they would themselves get together and drill themselves for a whole hour, or for an hour and a half at a time. I must not forget a most unusually lively letter I saw from Key West at the time that our four regiments of regulars (United States) were lying there in readiness to sail over to Cuba. This letter stated that they were regiments of grand men; tall, powerful, splendid fellows; full of life, humor and enthusiasm, and that they looked as if they would be able to lick three or four Spaniards apiece! No doubt our glorious fellows were far more than a match for the Spaniards, who only weighed about 130 pounds apiece, stood five feet, six inches in height, and few of them seem able to shoot straight; while our men stand six feet, are powerful, and can hit the mark almost every time.

Thus time passed on, while the entire colored race all over the land took the deepest interest in the war, calling upon the war department, or sending to the President, whenever there was occasion for the same. A Conference of the Zion A. M. E. Church, at the commencement of the war, sat in Baltimore, at which time a notice was sent forth throughout the nation that ten new cadets, for some military reason or other, were to be brought forward. The Conference here stepped forward, and did the right thing. They drew up a most respectful and patriotic address upon the subject to the President, and asked that three cadets out of those ten should be men of color. The address was then sealed up, and sent to McKinley. At Baltimore, also, under the leadership of Dr. Bryant, a regiment of colored men was organized and drilled in good earnest. At first many of these young volunteers were awkward enough, but we are all awkward in the beginning. So they persevered, and in the course of time became quite proficient; and I have no doubt, had the war lasted, and they had gone to the front, and met the Spaniards in the open field, that they would have whipped them hip and thigh, as other colored troops did later on. The spirit of all our people was most excellent; we were determined to see ourselves righted, and there were none but a few old soreheads that stood in our way.