che had become too wary. They had
cultivated a healthy respect for the colored men and called them
"blutlustige schwartze manner," meaning "blood-thirsty black men."
Another nickname they had was "Hell Fighters."

When the 93rd division was brigaded with the French on the Aisne, at
least two of the component regiments were under a French general having
in his command several thousand Moroccan Negroes. He placed them on the
other side of the river fearing they would quarrel over religious
differences. However, it was impossible to keep them from fraternizing.
There were no religious disputes, nor is it of record that the Americans
attempted to convert the Mohammedans. But they did initiate their
turbaned comrades into the mysteries of a certain American game and it
is said that the disciples of Allah experienced considerable hard luck.

Most of the 93rd division was under fire from the early days of May,
1918, until the close of the war. The 369th, which left New York with 56
officers and 2,000 men, returned with only 20 officers and 1,200 men of
the original organization. A few had been transferred to casual
companies and other commands, but many will never come back; their
bodies being part of the soil of France--killed in action, died of
wounds or disease.

The tale of the 93rd is full of deeds of valor, laughter in the face of
death, of fearful carnage wrecked upon the foe, of childlike pride in
the homage their Allies paid them, and now and then an incident replete
with the bubbling Negro humor that is the same whether it finds its
outlet on the cotton-fields of Dixie or the battlefields of France.

Between the French and the colored troops the spirit was superb. The
French poilu had not been taught that the color of a man's skin made a
difference. He had no prejudices. How could he have, coming from a
nation whose motto is LIBERTY, FRATERNITY, EQUALITY? He formed his
judgment from bravery and Manhood and Honor. The Negro soldiers ate,
slept and drank with the poilus. They were happy together.

An incident of the valor of the 93rd division was in the fight at Butte
de Mesnil, as tough a spot as any in the line between the sea and
Switzerland. The ground had been fought over back and forth, neither
side holding it for long. The French said it was the burying place of
200,000 of their troops and Germans, and that it could not be held
permanently. The Negro boys tackled the job. In four days they had
advanced four