Abstract
African Americans endured a long and difficult road to acceptance as combat troops in World War I. Even as they earned the right to fight for their country, racism and neglect left them largely unprepared for conditions on the Western Front. The 92d and 93d Divisions both fought in the Meuse‐Argonne region in the autumn of 1918, but with widely differing results. The 93d Division, fighting under French command, served with distinction in the Champagne. The 92d Division, however, performed poorly on the western edge of the Argonne Forest in the last days of September – largely because of the difficulty of its mission, and the incompetence of its white officers. Instead of evaluating the division's performance objectively, the army scapegoated several black officers while covering up for their white counterparts. These actions, fueled by racism, had repercussions for African American civilians and soldiers for decades to come.