Black Soldiers Stationed at Pisgah Forest in 1918

During World War I African American soldiers in the U.S. military faced an enormous degree of discrimination from the draft process throughout their service.  They were trained at separate camps and served in separate units commanded by white officers.  Those stationed in the U.S. were housed in inferior quarters and assigned to manual labor jobs, such as building roads and bridges, repairing railroads, hauling supplies and even digging graves.

Headquarter camp of the U.S. Army 328th Labor Battalion located
south of the entrance to the Pisgah National Forest.

The U.S. Army 328^th Labor Battalion, consisting of over 1,000 black soldiers, was stationed at Pisgah Forest from early June to late December 1918.  They were divided into companies of 250 soldiers, ten white non-commissioned officers and three white commissioned officers, spread a few miles apart along the Davidson River.  A headquarters camp was located near the forest entrance on the east side of the Davidson River.  Officers’ tents, an infirmary, a supply tent and corral were located across the river near present day Lowe’s. The commanding officer was Lt.         
   Nathaniel Golden.

In a letter to Mary Jane McCrary dated June 2, 1961 Golden shared his memories of the time.  Golden provided a basic description of the camps and key events that occurred.  It appears there was little interaction between local residents and soldiers, with the exception of a few officers.  A search of the Brevard News supported this as there was little mention of the encampment.

One incident that Golden touched on in just a few sentences was a mutiny in Company B.  The uprising stemmed from a general discontent with conditions—a continued food shortage, lack of entertainment and poor leadership. On the evening of July 17 Headley Braveboy cut in line for a second cup of lemonade.  When the mess sergeant tried to remove Braveboy and take him to the guard tent he resisted, a crowd gathered and things quickly got out of hand. This event lead to the court martial of 22 African American soldiers on charges ranging from disobeying orders to attempted murder.

Jan Hodges’ account “The Mutiny at Pisgah Forest” from the Summer 2013 issue of National Archives and Records Administration’s quarterly magazine, Prologue can be found online at www.archives.gov/files/publications/prologue/2013/summer/pisgah-forest.pdf or in the WWI archival file located in the Local History Room at the Transylvania County Library. A transcript of Golden’s letter to McCrary is also available.

Photographs and information for this column are provided by the Rowell Bosse North Carolina Room, Transylvania County Library. Visit the NC Room during regular library hours (Monday-Friday) to learn more about our history and see additional photographs. For more information, comments, or suggestions contact Marcy at marcy.thompson@transylvaniacounty.org or 828-884-1820.