WWI Draft by Design

Black History Month

By Eilene Lyon

Genealogists and historians rely on many different record sets in their research. Often, we focus on the variable information on a form, items that identify our ancestors and relatives: name, birth date, address, occupation, physical description. It’s also important to learn about the record source itself.

The World War I draft forms provide a wealth of such vital statistics. When I was looking at the draft form for my great-uncle Benjamin Alton Crandall, something else caught my eye. Something printed on the form itself, down in the lower left corner:

There were three draft cycles during the war and different forms printed for each. The first two cycles had these tear-off corners. The third just had boxes to check for race. In sum, 24 million American men registered for the WWI draft.

With a stack of completed forms in hand, a draft board employee could quickly flip through and pull out the ones belonging to Blacks. Not to recruit them, but the opposite. This was a continuation of discrimination as usual. At the beginning of the war, the quota for Black enlistees was quickly filled and they were turned away from recruitment centers.

Blacks have served in every armed conflict in this nation’s history, from the Revolutionary War onward. In the military, they were relegated to segregated regiments led by white officers.

After the Civil War, Black troops were consolidated into two infantry regiments—the 24^th and 25^th—and two cavalry regiments—the 9^th and 10^th. They were collectively known as Buffalo Soldiers (there are many speculations as to how the name came about), and were primarily deployed in the West and Southwest. There, they were often engaged in the Indian Wars.

In the early 20^th century, at the height of the Jim Crow era, Blacks saw military service as a way to earn respect in their communities. Out West, the Buffalo Soldiers were generally well regarded, even treated as heroes, in the communities they served. Unfortunately the South, in particular, did not want them to sign up. Planters did not want their primary labor source heading off to Europe, for one thing.

That began to change as casualties mounted and the French were desperate for troops to combat the Germans. Draft boards (comprised of all white men) soon began accepting more registrations from Blacks.

Blacks were inducted separately, segregated during training, sometimes not given a change of clothing, and forced to sleep in tents instead of barracks. Then they wound up in labor battalions, rather than assigned to combat. This caused enough agitation among Black recruits that the Army eventually relented and formed two combat divisions, the 92^nd and 93^rd.

During the course of the war, 2.8 million American men served and about 380,000 of them were Black. Though Blacks were about 10% of the population, they made up 13.5% of those who served. Those in labor battalions worked extraordinarily long hours: unloading ships, transporting equipment, and serving in menial positions such as janitors. Despite the necessary and difficult work they performed, they were treated poorly.

By war’s end, Black troops served in just about every role and unit type, though very few were admitted into the commissioned officer ranks, usually only as high as First Lieutenant. The two combat divisions had very different experiences. Some were forced into doing labor, such as building railroads, instead of serving on the front.

The 92^nd division suffered from racism at the top of the chain of command, and as a consequence did not receive adequate training or integration with companies already on the battlefield. The 93^rd division (four regiments) received orders to integrate with the French troops, who generally treated them as equals.

One regiment in particular, the 369^th, comprised primarily of men from the North, many from National Guard units, distinguished themselves on the battlefield. This regiment went by several nicknames, the best known being the “Harlem Hellfighters.”

This entire unit received France’s highest military honor, the Croix de Guerre, and many received individual commendations for valor. The other three regiments in the 93^rd division also received high honors.

Unfortunately, when the Black soldiers returned home with high hopes of receiving respect in their home communities, they were soon disillusioned. Though the 369^th did have a New York City parade in their honor and accolades, most were subjected to the same discrimination and violence they had left behind when they went to Europe.

Black troops were not fully integrated into the American armed services until the Korean War.

Feature image: Members of the “Harlem Hellfighters” from New York, in France during WWI (National Archives)

Sources:

https://armyhistory.org/fighting-for-respect-african-american-soldiers-in-wwi/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_history_of_African_Americans

https://www.uso.org/stories/2125-black-world-war-i-troops-fought-to-fight-for-their-country

https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/United_States_World_War_I_Draft_Records