Everybody knows what a record the 15th New York Colored Regiment made
in the war, how splendidly it fought, the heroism it displayed and the
honors it received, but not everyone knows what adversities it had
to contend with before it could get to France. The Colonel of that
remarkable regiment (which revived the memory of the Civil War military
reports that “the colored troops fought nobly”), Col. William D.
Hayward, has given a humorous account of those difficulties. This was
in one of the many talks Hayward—who has put off the title of Colonel
and returned to the civilian simplicity of “Mister”—has been compelled
to make in response to public requests. He said, broadly smiling:
“The first thing I ever did in my life that anybody approved of was
getting up that regiment. After I gathered my crowd of Harlem waiters,
bellhops, indoor chauffeurs, and elevator boys I thought I’d never get
them across. When the minute finally came for sailing I think every
elevator on Riverside Drive stopped automatically.
[Illustration:
_Drawn by Joseph Cummings Chase._