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Post by markland on Dec 12, 2007 3:05:03 GMT -6
I figured someone at this board will know the answer to this question. The 9th & 10th. Cavalry's line companies were entirely composed of black soldiers and non-commissioned officers with white officers commanding. However, does anyone know definitively about the regimental non-commissioned staff? The reason I ask is that Henry Miller, regimental saddler-sergeant died from exposure at Ft. Gibson, Indian Territory on 01/17/1873. The enlistment register shows his birthplace as Germany and indicates he had blue eyes, brown hair and a light complexion.
Thanks in advance....I'll have to dig my Leckie book out to see if that has the answer.
Be good,
Billy
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Post by Dark Cloud on Dec 12, 2007 7:30:59 GMT -6
I think the way it went - and of course, my half remembered memories are as gold and not to be laughed at too loudly - that while all the soldiers were 'colored', and all officers 'white', the NCO's could be either. The goal was that all NCO's would eventually be colored, but at the beginning they had some white NCO's as well and some may have lasted for a while. It's not like there was a huge supply of CW colored NCO's who wanted to stay. If they had advanced that far and been north, and been smart enough and therefore literate enough to be officer material, they'd have dropped the Army like a live grenade and moved on. Just like the whites.
I know I've read that. Whether true or not, cannot say.
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Post by conz on Dec 12, 2007 8:49:21 GMT -6
I think the way it went - and of course, my half remembered memories are as gold and not to be laughed at too loudly - that while all the soldiers were 'colored', and all officers 'white', the NCO's could be either. The goal was that all NCO's would eventually be colored, but at the beginning they had some white NCO's as well and some may have lasted for a while. It's not like there was a huge supply of CW colored NCO's who wanted to stay. If they had advanced that far and been north, and been smart enough and therefore literate enough to be officer material, they'd have dropped the Army like a live grenade and moved on. Just like the whites. I know I've read that. Whether true or not, cannot say. I think you are correct here...initially there were more white NCOs, especially in the key staff positions, and they transitioned to black NCOs as time went by, but there were probably always a few white NCOs their whole existence. Note that black officers also began arriving in the mid-70s, I believe. I remember Henry Flipper as our first alumni to graduate into the U.S. Cavalry...10th CAV regiment has always revered him as a member so he must have served there. Clair |
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Post by markland on Dec 16, 2007 11:13:50 GMT -6
I think the way it went - and of course, my half remembered memories are as gold and not to be laughed at too loudly - that while all the soldiers were 'colored', and all officers 'white', the NCO's could be either. The goal was that all NCO's would eventually be colored, but at the beginning they had some white NCO's as well and some may have lasted for a while. It's not like there was a huge supply of CW colored NCO's who wanted to stay. If they had advanced that far and been north, and been smart enough and therefore literate enough to be officer material, they'd have dropped the Army like a live grenade and moved on. Just like the whites. I know I've read that. Whether true or not, cannot say. I think you are correct here...initially there were more white NCOs, especially in the key staff positions, and they transitioned to black NCOs as time went by, but there were probably always a few white NCOs their whole existence. Note that black officers also began arriving in the mid-70s, I believe. I remember Henry Flipper as our first alumni to graduate into the U.S. Cavalry...10th CAV regiment has always revered him as a member so he must have served there. Clair Many thanks for clarifying the situation. It was just one of those loose ends that I was curious about. Be good, Billy |
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