Description:

WORLD WAR I ALL-BLACK 93RD DIVISION 172 REGIMENT UNIFORM AND CAP
A VETERAN OF THE BATTLE OF THE SOMME An especially rare uniform once owned and worn by a member of the all-black 372nd Regiment of the 93rd Division, U.S. Army. The heavy green wool jacket has a lance corporal/PFC stripe sewn to the left sleeve, with a single gold overseas stripe at the bottom of the sleeve showing that the wearer had served at least six months in Europe. The left sleeve also bears a theater-made patch with the emblem of the 93rd, a French blue helmet against a black background. The French helmet was used to recognize the fact that these soldiers fought under the command of French officers during the war. Two collar discs are present, including the usual "U.S." disc and one showing that this soldier was attached to the 172nd Regiment. A pair of jodhpur-style wool uniform pants accompanies the jacket, with lace-up ankles, padded thighs and a button fly. A lighter weight green wool garrison cap is also included, bearing the same theater-made regimental patch and a brass "U.S." disc. A truly rare and highly desirable uniform. The 372nd Infantry Regiment was composed of the First Separate Battalion of the District of Columbia organized by Charles Remond Douglass, son of the great abolitionist Frederick Douglass, along with the 9th Separate Battalion of Ohio; the First Separate Company of Maryland; Separate Company G of Tennessee; Company L, Sixth Infantry of Massachusetts; and the First Separate Company of Connecticut---all these being National Guard troops, and 250 drafted men from Camp Custer, Michigan. In nine days of intense fighting in the Champagne region along the Somme in late 1918, the regiment took 600 prisoners, 15 cannon, 20 mine launchers, nearly 150 machine guns, secured an enormous amount of engineering material and artillery ammunition, and brought down three enemy aircraft.

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April 7, 2017 2:00 PM EDT
Brooklyn, NY, US

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $499 $20
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 + $10,000