The 369th Infantry Regiment, a.k.a.the Harlem Hellfighters, Sechault, France Sept. 29, 1917. In December of 1917, the men of the 15th Infantry, New York National Guard, arrived in Brest, France, and were redesignated as the 369th US Infantry Regiment and immediately put to work off-loading cargo from the ships at port. Col. William Hayward finally protested to Gen. John Pershing that he had brought "fighting troops, not stevedores," but the law at the time would not allow white and black troops to serve together. Because they were the first and only all-black regiment to arrive they were given one of two choices; return home or be reassigned to the French army. They chose the latter--having been trained in New York for many months with nothing but broom handles for weapons they were eager to fight. In April, the 269th was loaned to the 161st division of the French Fourth Army, thus becoming the first regiment in US history to serve with a foreign army. Reglular Edition: 1200 Size: 22" x 15½" |
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