nt was started in June 1916 and by October
had 1,000 in the ranks. Colonel Hayward was the only white officer, the
Negro commission-holders at that time being Captain Marshall, Captain
Fillmore, Lieutenant Lacey, Lieutenant Reed and Lieutenant Europe. The
latter was attached to the Machine Gun section but became later the
famous musician of the outfit. He was the only Negro officer who
remained with the regiment throughout, the others being superseded or
transferred after several months service in France.

Early in 1917, the Federal government said it would recognize the
regiment if it could muster fifty-one officers. As recruiting had been
slow and a Negro regiment in New York was looked upon as an experiment,
Colonel Hayward was obliged to secure the needed officers from among his
friends in the 7th New York, the Motor Battery, Squadron A and other
organizations. By this time the enlisted strength had grown to 1,200. On
April 8, 1917, two days after the United States entered the war, the
regiment was inspected by Federal officers and a week later was
recognized as a regular unit of the Federal Guard.

But, as the Colonel expressed it, they were a "street urchin of a
regiment." They had no armory, no place to drill except in the open and
no place where more than a single company at a time could meet. In his
post-war observations, the Colonel has noted that when the regiment
returned to these shores and was feasted and entertained by the people
of New York in the 71st regiment armory, it was the first occasion on
which the old 15th was ever assembled under one roof.

After its Federal recognition the regiment was sent to the Peekskill
rifle range to learn to shoot, a valuable experience as developed later.
Many of the boys became expert marksmen, a skill that became of precious
value to them and their comrades.

In June, 1917, they went to a war strength of 2,000 men and 56
officers. One battalion did pioneer work at Camp Upton, another at Camp
Dix. A third guarded 600 miles of railroads in New York, New Jersey and
Pennsylvania. The Machine Gun company guarded 2,000 interned spies and
pro-German prisoners at Ellis Island. Colonel Hayward has pointed with
pride to the fact that in all their territory there was not a wreck, an
explosion, an escaped prisoner or any other trouble. Two battalions
later went to Spartanburg for training, but remained there only a couple
of weeks.

"I wonder what got those colored boy