Worcester, Philadelphia, and Memorial Day

                                             

Worcester, Philadelphia, and Memorial Day

Writing about the missing Honor Roll of Colored Soldier of Worcester has brought up memories of other troopers including my dad, grandfather, father in law, sister in law, cousin, and nephew. They and millions of others have served honorably in  the United States Armed Forces. This column is dedicated to them.

Memorial Day started in the Southern United States near the end of the American Civil War. Many historians attribute the first Memorial Day to the ceremony and decoration of graves of Union soldiers by freed black people. This took place in South Carolina on May 1, 1965. Later in that year soldiers buried in Robert E. Lee’s plantation (now Arlington National Cemetery) were also honored by the United States. This tradition has continued to present day.

Throughout the Southern United States towns began to decorate the graves of Confederate soldiers in May of the year. These events were called Decoration Day. About 30 towns claim to be the originators of Decoration Day from which Memorial Day evolved. Virginia still call the day Decoration Memorial Day.

Memorial Day did not become a national holiday until 1970s. To some extent the day is a national day of remembrance for all deceased loved ones. 

For this Memorial Day I will remember African American soldiers and sailors. I promise to write about other military personnel for future Memorial Days.

Revolutionary War

   African American soldiers fought on both sides of the Revolutionary War. About twenty percent of the American armed forces were African Americans.

    The British who promised emancipation for all formerly enslaved Black soldiers had about 20 000 African Americans in their armed forces. The British promised an end to the institution of slavery should they retain control of the American colonies in rebellion.

War of 1812

   

  After their victory over the British, the American government forbade African American enlistments in the Army. Interestingly this forbiddance did not extend to the U. S. Navy. During the War of 1812 the majority of the American sailors were Black.

Civil War

   

The prohibition against colored troops in the U.S. Army existed until 1862 when segregated regiments were formed. The Union army was constantly in need of soldiers during this conflict in which possibly one million lives were lost.

Curiously the Confederacy in 1865 also tried to form segregated units of enslaved Black men with the promise of emancipation.

     The 54^th and 55^th Massachusetts were Black regiments. The men enlisted in these regiments were mainly from New England, but included men from other states that had no Colored Regiments. Black men from Philadelphia area made up a significant proportion of the 54^th Massachusetts.

  

                           

                                        Civil War Memorial Worcester Commons

        Many Native Indians joined the Colored Regiments as like African American there was a prohibition against their enlistment in the White regiments.

There is a Worcester connection to the Colored Regiments. These are some of the soldiers from Worcester. I recognize the name Toney whose family is still in Worcester.

John S. Brown 18 laborer

George L. Brown 23 barber

William HH Ebbits 22 yeoman

Alexander F. Hemmenway  28 barber

John H. Johnson  23 upholsterer

Philip Lee 21 yeoman

George R. Rome 29 foreman

Henry Toney 32 stonecutter

Elisha Toppin 43 paper hanger

Scouts

   

     There was a special service of the Army which existed until the 1940s. It was Scouts Service.

     Scout have been dramatized on TV and in the movies which depict Native Indians scouts, such as the Apache Scouts fighting against other Native Indians.    

  Not so well know are the Black Seminoles Scouts. These African Americans escaped slavery by seeking refuge with the Seminole Indians of Florida. Florida was rule by Spain until 1821.

   Most of the Black Seminoles were forced by the Indian Removal Act of 1836 to Oklahoma.  In 1849 a group of Black Seminoles migrated to Mexico when they were threatened with enslavement by plantation owners.

    The U.S. Army convinced this group of Black Seminoles to move back to the United States and their men to become Indian Scouts. The Black Seminoles Scouts were disbanded in 1914.

                                 

                                      Philippine Scout and family circa 1945

   

     However the Scout Service continued overseas in the Philippines, where the United Stated took control of that country from Spain in 1898.  After defeating the Spanish the American colonialists fought the native government in Luzon and then Muslim people in Mindanao. 

The new units were Philippine Scouts. They fought with the 10^th Calvary in the Philippine American Wars.

Tenth Calvary and Spanish American War

     The Tenth Calvary was one of four original “Buffalo Soldiers” regiments. It fought in the Indian Wars. It was the main force in the defeat of the Spanish Army at the battles of San Juan and Kettle Hills. Although Theodore Roosevelt and the “Rough Riders” claim other wise

                      

                   

                      10th Cavalry in Cuba.

World War I

   This war was known as the Great War or the War to End All Wars. The two Black or Colored Divisions to see combat in World War I were the 92^nd and 93^rd Divisions. These division had about 40, 000 soldiers.

World War II

     In World War II many Worcester Citizens served in the armed forces.

     The following names are found on the Honor Roll of Colored Citizens in the armed forces. Many of their descendants are still living in Worcester today.

Adamson, Elijah	Harrison, Percy	Prince, Daniel J
Adamson, James	Hawley, Arthur V Jr	Prince, Walter A
Aikens, Mattie	Hawley, Erill	Randall, Geraldine W
Anderson, Kenneth A Jr	Hawley, William L	Richardson, Roland A
Anderson, Roger B	Hazzard, George W	Robbins, Alfred F
Bates, Ernest E	Hazzard, John H	Saunders, Kenneth B
Bates, Frederick S	Hazard, Leon	Schuyler, Webster W
Battle, John A	Hazzard, Leonard	Scott, Lyman E
Benjamin, Theodore R	Hencey, John E Jr	Shropshire, Louis T Jr
Benson, Eugene F	Hencey, Harry W	Smith, Carroll
Benson, William B	Higginbotham, Charles W Jr	Smith, Clarence E Jr
Black, Harold T	Higginbotham, Forrest I	Smith, James M
Boone, Frank	Higginbotham, Gordon H	Smothers, Tolbert Jr
Bostic, Edward S	Hogan, John H Jr	Spence, George O
Bradshaw, Andrew	Hogan, Thaddeus G	Spring, Ellis
Bradshaw, Wesley	Hoose, Howard F	Spring, Eugene R
Brevard, Ernest	Hopewell, Andrew C	Storms, Donald E
Brevard, Paul S	Hopewell, James H	Taylor, Waverly
Brevard, Robert D Jr	Hopewell, Robert D	Teixerla, Edward
Brisbane, James M	Howard, Alonzo E	Tolson, Joseph
Brown, Hadlin H	Jarrett, Robert	Toney, Albert M
Byard, John A	Jarrett, Willard	Toney, Frank A
Carlos, Stanley H	Jenkins, Rozell	Toney, Frederick L
Cato, Roy W	Johnston, Sidney W	Trusedell, Joseph N
Chatfield, Edward L	Johnson, William O	Tyrance, Leslie L
Clark, Robert C	Joyner, John A Jr	Vickers, Edward
Cole, Robert A	Kelley, Harry C	Wade, Robert A
DeBois, Joseph	Kelley, James W	Walley, Reginald H
Delgado, Antone J	Kennard, Henry C	Ward, James G
DeWitt, Arthur	Kennedy, Alfred Jr	Ward, James H
Downes, Clarence	Kennedy, Carlyle M	Wheaton, Bernard A
Dupree, Zack	Lane, Marvin A	White, James R
English, James L	Laws, John S	White, Wilmore H
Farrell, John W	Levicie, Lester P	Wicks, Luther B
Fisher, Earl F	Majors, George E	Williams, James D
Gaylord, Calvin D	Marshal, Ralph	Wilson, Charles F
Goldsberry, John J	Marshal, Robert	Wilson, Ellsworth
Gray, Holmes C	McCorn, William M	Wilson, Elwood P
Hadley, George L	Monroe, Henry D Jr	Wilson, Frank H
Hall, Eugene E	Nelson, William A	Wilson, Franklyn L
Hampton, Everett B Jr	Nevins, John J	Wilson, George M Jr
Hampton, Heywood	Nichols, Walter D Jr	Wilson, Herbert D
Hampton, Mahlon F	Perkins, Leroy D	Wilson, John D
Harper, Wesley H	Perkins, Leslie	Wilson, Leslie M, Jr
Harris, Harold L Jr	Perkins, Walter W	Wilson, Oliver U
Harris, Richard L	Pope, David F	Wilson, Ralph J
Harris, Waverly	Price, George W	Wilson, Robert W
Harris, Willie J	Price, Henry L	Wright, Carroll S
		Wright, Robert C

Korean Conflict

    In 1948 President Harry S. Truman had issued his executive order desegregating the U.S. armed forces. This was not an Act of Congress nor a Constitutional amendment. Any President can re-segregate the armed forces at any time by another executive order.

  

                                                           My Dad with his comrades in Korea

    As with most bureaucracies the U. S. armed forces did not desegregate right away. The 8^th U.S. Army sent to Korea was mostly segregated. The 24^th Infantry regiment was the largest Black regiment to face combat.  

WOODS HOLE

Woods Hole

     Woods Hole is a section of the Cape Cod town of Falmouth. A "hole" is a passage way between lands. The term is unique to New England. Woods hole is the water passage between Woods Hole and  Elizabeth Island.

 Located there is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAH). Also located there is the Oceanographic Institute.

Diving Bell  at NOAH used to explore "smokers"

 A smoker is an underwater volcanic vent on which bacteria and other life forms live.

The inside of a smoker

The ship used to find the Titanic. It is now for sale.

Woods hole (sea passageway)

Lunch at the bridge separating Woods Hole from the rest of Falomouth

Sand sharks have filters and do not bite

Oceanographic Institute Library is mostly online now

Grey seals at the Aquarium

Water is a Human Right

Water is a Human Right    

 

The recent low water levels of Worcester’s water reservoirs brought back negative memories from the early 1960s when the east coast of the United States experience drought like conditions.  

The west coast of the United States has recently experienced something similar. A lot of people on the east coast are just too young feel anxiety about low reservoirs.

Yesterday the Worcester reservoirs were about 89 percent full. They should be 100 percent full and overflowing at this time of the year. Snowmelt and April showers have been historically the main source of water in the Spring.

The reservoirs are then drawn down by use over the summer and fall. The low levels of Worcester’s reservoirs today could mean water rationing later in the year.

I cannot say that this is due to Global Warming, but it is one of my fears.

When I was growing up in 1950s in the streets of Philadelphia, there was abundant water. Philadelphia got most of its water from the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. Because there was plenty of water, the City turned on the fire hydrants in the summer. We kids played in the flooded streets.

As the water basins for these rivers dried up, the salt from the Atlantic Ocean moved farther upstream. If this salt line had hit the water processing plants Philadelphia would have been out of water. There was some anger at New York City which took more and more water from the head waters of the Delaware River.

Each day then, I would buy the newspaper for my Dad and before giving it to him I would sneak a peek at the map of the salt line.  Today get the paper and look to see how full the reservoirs are.

Most people and organizations in the world believe that water is a human right.  Public water supply is almost the very definition of common good. The chair of Nestle, Peter Brabeck-Letmathe,  does not see water as a common good. He sees water as a commodity and a means to make a profit. He certainly puts a chill in my spine.

I suppose I should not be surprised. I have seen vendors sell water to very thirsty people on a hot day marching for justice for 4 dollars a little bottle. I have seen municipalities prohibit the capture of rain water from a private house roof.

In Worcester the City encourages people to capture roof water and it provides, for a price, rain barrows. The rain barrows can be order through the City website.

It is only rarely I drink bottled water, mostly when travelling.  I think water in plastic bottles to be energy inefficient and the plastic to be a hazard for some living things.

The City monitors its water supply and lets us know of hazards. Unlike the City, the water bottling companies take water from some unknown source and they never says much about the water quality.

My water bill came today.  I am always annoyed that it is so high. I suppose this is incentive to get that rain barrow and remodel with more efficient water use device.

Every so often images of water shortages, Global Warming, water hoarding, and wars for water gives me pause.