1917-10-15 On this date in 1917, the first Black enlistees from West Point graduated from military duty at Fort Des Moines, Iowa. In May 1917 the first black officer candidates arrived at Fort Des Moines. There were 1,000 black college graduates and faculty from Howard, Tuskegee, Harvard and Yale universities. Two hundred fifty non-commissioned officers (sergeants) from the army’s four black standing units—the 9th and 10th Cavalry “Buffalo Soldiers” and the 24th and 25th Infantry—would also attend the camp. (The term Buffalo Soldiers was used to identify all-black military units that were formed after the Civil War in 1866). The 1,250 candidates made up the 17th Provisional Training Regiment. Des Moines’ 5,000 black residents were astounded at the highly educated black cadets. The white community was, for the most part, receptive. The white merchants were especially friendly to the black cadets who were paid $75 in gold coin. When it came time to assign a commander for the black soldiers, Lt. Col. Charles C. Ballou was awarded the job. Ballou had political connections that probably helped him get the position. He was also white. Many people thought a black officer, Col. Charles Young, should have been given the post. He was a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and had made a name for himself as a Buffalo Soldier. But Col. Young was forcibly retired by the army for “high blood pressure.” Col. Young later rode his horse all the way to Washington, D.C., to prove he was fit to serve. But his experience and remarkable service record were overlooked. After race riots at Camp MacArthur, Texas, and East St. Louis, Illinois, and fearing white community reaction in Des Moines, Col. Ballou organized a “White Sparrow Patriotic Ceremony” at Drake University stadium in July 1917. At the event the black cadets marched and sang Negro spirituals for a crowd of 10,000 spectators. Leaders Among the Cadets A number of important national and local leaders were among the cadet class, including Elder Watson Diggs who had co-founded Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity in 1911. Frank Coleman and Edgar Love had done the same with Omega Psi Phi Fraternity the same year. Cadet lawyers Samuel Joe Brown, Charles Howard and James Morris would co-found the National Bar Association in 1925. After 90 days of rigorous technical and physical training, 638 captains and lieutenants received their commissions on October 15th and were dispatched for basic training at a variety of camps including Camp Dodge. The all-black Alabama enlisted regiment at Camp Dodge across town received a different welcome from the Des Moines community. Paid in government script and often illiterate, they regularly faced discrimination. In June 1918 the Fort Des Moines officers reunited at Hoboken, New Jersey, for transportation to France and combat against Germany. They were the 3rd Battalion, 92nd Division of the American Expeditionary Force. They would fight bravely across France and in the bloody Meuse-Argonne sector. The final battle of World War I was at the historic French city of Metz where the Germans had built a great fortress. For the first time in U.S. military history, a black regiment under the command of black officers from Fort Des Moines led the attack in a major battle. Flanked by the American 56th Regiment and the French 8th Army, the 92nd fought to within 800 yards of the German fortress when the bugle was blown announcing the war’s end. In 1919 the returning Fort Des Moines officers were greeted by racial violence that flared across the nation. In spite of the racism and violence, they flourished and set the stage for a changing nation. The black officers of Fort Des Moines demonstrated their ability to perform and opened the door for all who came afterwards including legendary officers Gen. “Chappie” James and Gen. Colin Powell. Famous black Iowans who graduated the Fort Des Moines camp and survived combat in France included noted journalist, civil rights activists and lawyers Charles Howard and James B. Morris, who published the Iowa Bystander newspaper from 1922-1972. James Wardlaw Mitchell’s Community Pharmacy anchored the historic Center Street business district in Des Moines for many years. In 1997 the grandson of cadet James Morris founded a memorial park honoring the WWI camp. Robert V. Morris created a 4.6 acre museum and grounds called the Fort Des Moines Memorial Park. Reference: Library of Congress 101 Independence Avenue S.E. Washington D.C. 20540
Posted on: Wed, 15 Oct 2014 14:18:01 +0000
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