n that he had to be
properly commanded; in other words must have white officers. Never
having been given a conspicuous opportunity to demonstrate his capacity
for leadership in battle, until the formation of the 8th Illinois
infantry in the Spanish-American war, the Negro was forced to rest under
the imputation that as a follower he did fairly well, but as a leader he
was a failure.

Let anyone who still holds that view study the record of the 8th
Illinois, or the 370th, as it was rechristened when entering the service
of the general government in the recent war. Seventy-one War Crosses
with special citations for valor and merit, and twenty-one Distinguished
Service Crosses were awarded officers and men of the regiment. Many men
in the 370th were veterans of the Spanish-American war as well as the
campaign of 1916 on the Mexican border, which, while not an actual war,
was for some months a locality of service and hard service at that; the
regiment passing through it with great credit.

It was organized as a single battalion in 1891, increased to a regiment
and sent to Cuba in 1898, every officer and man in the regiment being a
Negro. Upon its return, over half of the city of Chicago turned out in
greeting. Until July 12th, 1918, the regiment had never had a white
officer. Then its Colonel, F.A. Denison, was relieved on account of
illness and a white officer in the person of Colonel Thomas A. Roberts
for the first time was placed in command. Shortly before the armistice
two other white officers were attached to the regiment, in the persons
of Major William H. Roberts, a brother of the colonel, and Captain John
F. Prout; Second Lieutenant M.F. Stapleton, white, also served as
adjutant of the First battalion.

The 370th received brief training at Camp Logan, Houston, Texas, and
landed in France April 22, 1918; going within a few weeks into actual
service. Like nearly all of the new regiments arriving at that time its
operations were confined mainly to trench warfare.

Trench warfare continued until July 6, when the men got their real
baptism of fire in a section of the Argonne and were in all the
important engagements of their portion of the Champagne and other
fronts, fighting almost continuously from the middle of July until the
close of the war, covering themselves with a distinction and glory, as
Knights in the warfare for Mankind, that will endure as long as the
story of valorous deeds are recorded.

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