The Colored Regulars in the United States Army

In Short

Written by an army chaplain, this historical study details the service, courage, and organizing power of African American military units from the American Revolution through the Spanish-American War of 1898. It traces how formerly enslaved men built community networks, secured military enlistment, and formed the regular 9th and 10th Cavalry and 24th and 25th Infantry regiments. The book climaxes with their vital charges at Guasimas, El Caney, and San Juan Hill, alongside their labor in yellow fever camps. It endures as a primary record of black military excellence written from inside the ranks.

The Story

The book opens with an examination of African American life leading up to the Civil War, describing how enslaved communities developed survival skills, discipline, and complex social networks despite severe legal restrictions. Early efforts at national organization, such as the 1830 Colored Convention in Philadelphia led by figures like Hezekiah Grice, demonstrate a long-standing drive toward self-assertion, political literacy, and collective action. The narrative highlights early slave rebellions, including Nat Turner's uprising, framing them as initial, if tragic, manifestations of a military spirit seeking liberation.

When the Civil War breaks out, black soldiers secure their place in the Union forces, proving their combat worthiness at battlefields like Port Hudson and suffering tens of thousands of casualties. Following the war, Congress establishes permanent regular army units composed of black men—the 9th and 10th Cavalry and the 24th and 25th Infantry. These regiments spend decades on the Western frontier, developing deep tactical experience and iron discipline.

The core of the book addresses the Spanish-American War in 1898. The regular regiments deploy to Tampa and embark for Cuba under difficult maritime conditions. Upon landing at Daiquiri and Siboney, these units quickly enter heavy fighting. At the Battle of Las Guasimas, the 10th Cavalry advances under intense fire, coming to the assistance of the Rough Riders. At El Caney, the 25th Infantry marches in machine-like formation up steep hills under fire from concealed Spanish blockhouses, storming the stone fort and capturing it alongside other forces. During the assault on San Juan, the 9th and 10th Cavalry and the 24th Infantry form under direct enemy fire, cross rivers, and charge up ridges to secure the position.

After the surrender of Santiago, the fight shifts to disease. The 24th Infantry volunteers to garrison yellow fever hospitals at Camp Siboney, enduring severe casualties to care for sick comrades. The book concludes with an analysis of volunteer units, the systemic refusal of the War Department to commission black officers above the rank of lieutenant despite their decades of regular service, and a call for full military recognition.

How It Unfolds

Building the foundation Early chapters trace the physical stamina and organizational resilience forged during slavery, emphasizing how escaped slaves and free black leaders established national conventions and self-reliance networks.

The test of the Civil War The transition from chattel slavery to union soldiery takes place on dozens of battlefields, proving black tactical competence and establishing a legal precedent for permanent regular regiments.

Mobilization for Cuba The four black regular regiments assemble in southern camps and board overcrowded transports, facing near-collisions and delays before landing on the Cuban coast.

First blood at Guasimas The dismounted 10th Cavalry pushes along narrow Cuban trails under invisible fire from smokeless powder, advancing alongside volunteer troops to drive back Spanish defenders.

The assault on El Caney The 25th Infantry advances under relentless fire to storm the stone fort at El Caney, taking heavy casualties while maintaining alignment and forcing the garrison's surrender.

Charging San Juan Ridge Under direct fire while crossing rivers and forming lines in tall grass, the 9th, 10th, and 24th Regiments charge up San Juan Hill to break the primary Spanish defensive position.

Suffering in the fever camps Following the Spanish surrender, the 24th Infantry takes over nursing duties at the Santiago fever hospitals, facing devastating outbreaks of yellow fever, malaria, and dysentery with steady resolve.

The struggle for commissions The closing chapters document the achievements of state volunteer units while exposing how War Department policies systematically block experienced black sergeants from attaining higher officer ranks.

The People

• T. G. Steward — The author and chaplain of the 25th U.S. Infantry. He seeks to chronicle the operational truth of black soldiers' achievements, using official reports, personal diaries, and regimental records to build an unassailable historical record.
• Hezekiah Grice — A six-foot-tall organizer from the Maryland-Virginia region who conceives and drives the first Colored Convention in 1830. He wants to unify free black Americans across state lines to coordinate anti-slavery strategy and Canadian emigration.
• Nat Turner — A literate, deeply disciplined leader who orchestrates a famous slave insurrection. Though his revolt fails, his natural leadership abilities and refusal to show cowardice under capture illustrate the innate military capacity latent in the enslaved population.
• Sergeant Major E. L. Baker — A senior non-commissioned officer in the 10th Cavalry whose field diary details the daily hardships, sea transport blunders, and combat action in Cuba, serving as a primary voice for the regular soldier.
• Lieutenant Colonel A. S. Daggett — The commander of the 25th Infantry at El Caney who advocates for his regiment's priority in capturing the stone fort, writing formal reports to ensure his black regular troops receive full military credit.

In Its Own Voice

"Whereas, Slavery has left us in possession of strong and healthy bodies."

This resolution from a post-Civil War conference of ex-slaves emphasizes the physical toughness and stamina the newly freed population brought to national service.

"To my mind, the Divine Providence surely directed the move, as the delay enabled the force to be swelled several thousand, every one of whom was needed before Santiago."

Sergeant Major Baker reflects on a frustrating naval delay off Tampa Bay that kept their transport anchored while Spanish fleets were rumored nearby.

"The ground, though wet, was hard, and slow progress was made, having only their bayonets for picks and their bare hands for shovels."

This report describes the night-long labor of the 25th Infantry as they dug trenches near Santiago in wet grass without proper tools or rations.

What It's Really About

The central argument of the book is that citizenship, military duty, and human dignity are inextricably linked. Steward argues that African Americans have earned full civil equality through continuous, brave military service in every American conflict from the Revolutionary War onward.

Underneath the military history lies a sharp critique of institutional racism. The book contrasts the professional competence, physical resilience, and valor of black regular troops with the institutional barriers that deny them officer commissions and public credit. By detailing specific battalion movements, official casualty lists, and dispatches, the text dismantles arguments claiming black men lack leadership ability or military discipline.

Why Read It Today

This work appeals to readers of military history, Reconstruction-era social studies, and African American history. It offers an eyewitness and near-contemporary perspective on the Spanish-American War, stripped of modern revisions and unencumbered by modern military romanticism. The narrative reads with the steady, measured tone of a military record punctuated by vivid field reports, official dispatches, and personal journal entries.

Reading the book requires patience with early twentieth-century formatting, lengthy reprinted official reports, and periodic lists of casualties or military acts. The author uses the racial terminology standard for educated writers of 1904, which reflects the historical context of its era.

What stays with the reader is the stark contrast between the extraordinary discipline of the black regular regiments—who marched into invisible gunfire and volunteered for deadly fever ward duty—and the quiet, pervasive discrimination they returned home to face. It remains a valuable, authoritative document of American military history.