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African American Soldiers in World War I
A letter from First Lieutenant James W. Alston to H. H. Brimley praising black soldiers, September 3, 1918.

A letter from First Lieutenant James W. Alston to H. H. Brimley praising black soldiers, September 3, 1918.

James William Alston was a First Lieutenant in the 372nd Infantry, an all-black regiment, during World War I. Alston was born in Wake County, NC on January 16, 1876. In 1907, he started working as a janitor and messenger for the State Museum, later the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. During the war, Alston wrote several letters to H. H. Brimley, who was white. Brimley was a curator and the first director of the State Museum.

Transcript:

S.P. 179 France

Sep. [[object Object]] 3, 1918

My Dear Mr Brimley

I sure was glad to get your letter and to know that all is well in the good old North State. Everything is moveing [[object Object]] fine over here so far and I think we have Fritz on the run, thanks to the good work of the people back home, and I hope we can keep him on the go until we can get a strangle holt [[object Object]] on him, and then [[object Object]] God help him. I want to see some of the German towns completely destroyed as I have seen the French.

[[object Object]]

He sure has put [[object Object]] the part of France that he held on the bumb [[object Object]], but the French will repay him in a not far distant date. France is one continaus[[object Object]] camp and the troops are coming in all the time and every one moves forward all the time, and no one gets to the rear except the wounded, even the Eugmcus [[object Object]] in the rear of the line are constantly deserting [[object Object]] to go to the front, so much so that when they are given leave they go to the front, so you see that the whole movement is constantly towards Berlin. I have seen none of the boys from Raleigh as yet

[[object Object]]

but hope to when we all get together near Berlin. I am glad to know that my people are doing their bit to win the war, they sure make good soldiers and seem to take delight in sticking Fritz with a bayonet or clubbing him with the butt end of a rifle, but their main weapon is the hand grenade. I would send you some relics [[object Object]] for the Museum but there is a limited amount of transportation here and I am afraid that it would never reach you, but perhaps before I come back I can get something for you.

[[object Object]]

I wish if you write again that you would send me Bobs adress [[object Object]] as I would like to write to him and go to see him if I ever get close to his outfit. We have a captain Swift of Waynesville N.C. in our outfit he is commanding the Mehi [[object Object]] Gun. I have been commanding my company since July 30th and it is some job believe me. I took command while in the front line and have been in the front line all the month of August except 8 days. I hope to get a new Captain soon and if it is a white Capt. Let him be from

[[object Object]]

the south is my prayer. There is some friction between the officers over him but wherever it is known to exist the one in fault is promptly relieved, and wherever it exist it is generaly [[object Object]] among the ones from the north. The officers from the south that I have met are good fellows one and all as a rule. I am writing to the new comdr. [[object Object]] to-day asking for special duty as patrol officer and I hope I can get it as it affords a fellow a better chance for promotion and excitement all his own and then I have

[[object Object]]

a score to pay Fritz for leaving a scar on my face, and I want to get him where I can fix him to my own taste [[object Object]]. My best regards to Mrs Brimley, Mr & Mrs Adiekes [[object Object]] and all my friends, and write when you have the time to

yours very respectfully

James W Alston

372 R. J. N. [[object Object]] S.

S.P. 179 France

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Citation Information
Alston, James W., “Letter: James W. Alston to H. H. Brimley, Sept. 3, 1918,” Digital Public Library of America, https://dp.la/item/cd72cc29b2354de0b7db9c49daa14582.
Note: These citations are programmatically generated and may be incomplete.
Courtesy of North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources via North Carolina Digital Heritage Center.

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Item 7 of 11 in the Primary Source Set African American Soldiers in World War I

Previous ItemNext Item
A photograph of African American soldiers with French children in France, ca. 1915-1920.
A photograph of an African American woman, Kathryn M. Johnson, in France posing with African American soldiers, ca. 1918-1920.
A photograph of African American soldiers in France, some playing board games, ca. 1914-1918.
A glass plate slide of African American soldiers in Georgia, ca. 1918.
An excerpt from a 1921 memoir by Horace Pippin that provides a 1918 journal entry from his time fighting in France.
A letter from First Lieutenant James W. Alston to H. H. Brimley on November 1, 1918 about being only black officer in a hotel in France.
A letter from First Lieutenant James W. Alston to H. H. Brimley praising black soldiers, September 3, 1918.
A letter from First Lieutenant James W. Alston to H. H. Brimley on October 6, 1918 about being shot by a machine gun in the war.
An excerpt from Complete History of the Colored Soldiers in the World War, ca. 1919, discussing Sergeant Henry Johnson.
A 2004 proclamation from Spartanburg, SC, honoring the 369th regiment Harlem Hellfighters.
An excerpt from Colored Soldiers, a 1923 work of fiction by W. Irwin MacIntyre about black soldiers during the war.

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