COLUMBIA, SC — The museum is holding an African-American history program highlighting the forgotten story of the 371st Infantry Regiment. “They Never Flinched: African Americans in World War I” will examine African-Americans fighting overseas and on the homefront during the war, with particular emphasis on the untold history of the 371st Regiment. It will also include the contributions of African-American soldiers in other wars throughout history.
The program, which includes a gallery tour, will take place on Sunday, February 3, 2008 at 2:00. Speakers include Dr. W. Scott Poole, Associate Professor and Associate Director of Graduate Studies at College of Charleston, and Steven D. Smith, Associate Director for Applied Research at the SC Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology. Other experts on the subject will be speaking and 371st artifacts will be on display. Admission to the program and museum is $1.00 for age 21 and over, under 21 is free.
The story of the 371st regiment is part of the museum's "Forgotten Stories: South Carolina Fights the Great War" exhibit, which features a life-like sculpted mannequin representing a 371st soldier, uniforms, and other items from the regiment.
Founded in 1896, the SC Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum is the oldest museum in the Columbia area. The museum focuses on South Carolina’s military history from the Revolutionary War to the present War on Terror.
About the 371st Regiment
The 371st Infantry Regiment formed in August 1917 and consisted of African-American draftees mostly from South Carolina and white officers. After training at Camp Jackson, the unit arrived on the Western Front in April 1918. It was placed under the command of the French Army because of their desperate need for new troops, and out of fear that racial tension might erupt between African-American and white American soldiers. The unit was reorganized to fit the French army structure and spent the spring of 1918 training in French tactics. The regiment was put into battle to relieve the exhausted French and allied Italian units and fought until the end of the war.
A community reception was held in February, 1919 at Allen University in honor of the return of the 371st. The two flags of the regiment that were carried in France were presented to the community at that time. Those flags are now part of the collection of the SC Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum. Included in the exhibit, one of these flags is on display for the first time in the museum's history.