AMERICA'S COLOURED TROOPS

Evening Post, Volume XCVI, Issue 65, 13 September 1918, Page 7

AMERICA'S COLOURED TROOPS

900,000 NEGROES AVAILABLE.

A Washington correspondent of The Times writes: "Under arms to-day in the American army are 185,000 negroes. If the man-power of the United States is wholly put into the field, on the same scale as in Europe, 9C0,000 black soldiers will appear in France and Flanders. It is not in the ranks alone that'the negro fighter is found.' There are 650 commissioned officers, all men of college education, among them, commanding coloured troops, and fresh promotions are frequently made. And, in addition, 225 V negroes are serving as doctors 4md dentists, which implies that they hold diplomas from colleges. In the black regiments, since the beginning of the war, about 200 veteran N.C.O.'s have been given commissioned rank. Before the institution of the selective draft, but after the declaration of war on Germany, 29,000 negroes joined the volunteer army, and 7000 went into the National Guard units, joining their 7000 comrades who were in the regular army before the war. Since then 143,000 negroes have been enrolled in the selective service army."