The Project Gutenberg EBook of My Service in the U.S. Colored Cavalry, by
Frederick W. Browne

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Title: My Service in the U.S. Colored Cavalry
A Paper Read before the Ohio Commandery of the Loyal Legion,
March 4, 1908

Author: Frederick W. Browne

Release Date: April 13, 2010 [EBook #31972]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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MY SERVICE IN THE U. S.
COLORED CAVALRY

A PAPER READ BEFORE
THE OHIO COMMANDERY OF THE LOYAL LEGION
MARCH 4, 1908

BY
FREDERICK W. BROWNE, SECOND LIEUT.
1ST U. S. COLORED CAVALRY

Paper
of
Frederick W. Browne,
Second Lieut. 1st U. S. Colored Cavalry
of
Cincinnati, Ohio,

Read before The Ohio Commandery
of The Loyal Legion,

March 4, 1908.

MY SERVICE IN THE U. S. COLORED CAVALRY

Having served over two years in a good, hard-fighting infantry regiment,
and being encamped at Newport News, Va., holding the dignified rank of
Sergeant, I one day met our little fighting Major John G. Chambers who
asked me if I would like a commission in the 1st U. S. Colored Cavalry,
then forming at Fort Monroe, to which I made answer that I would, and two
or three days thereafter I received an order, mustering me out of the
service and also an order to report to Colonel Garrard for duty as an
officer of the new regiment. Early the next morning, going down to the
wharf to embark for Ft. Monroe, I showed to the sentry on the wharf (as my
authority for leaving) the order mustering me out. He looked it over and
said in a home-sick way, "I would give $800 for that paper." I reported to
Colonel Garrard, and for the first time saw this officer with whose
reputation as a brave and efficient Major of the 3d N. Y. Cavalry I had
been well acquainted in the Department of North Carolina. This regiment,
being the first colored cavalry regiment, had in its ranks a rather better
class of men than the i