Mar 21, 2024 - Sale 2663

Sale 2663 - Lot 431

Price Realized: $ 5,750
?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 2,500 - $ 3,500
(SPORTS--BASEBALL.) A.B. West. Diaries of a Buffalo Soldier in the Philippines, noting ballplayers Bullet Rogan and Oscar Charleston. 2 manuscript volumes, paged 43-132 and 297-375. Quarto notebooks, 10 x 8 inches, stitched at top, original "Olde Parchment Bond" front wrappers and cardboard at rear, moderate wear and soiling; moderate toning and minor wear to contents. Philippines, 1913-1914
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Additional Details

No crying in baseball? "Private Charlston, the pitcher of the team, cried because his team lost the cup and the championship."

This diary was written by a private in Company M of the 24th United States Infantry, one of the famed Buffalo Soldier regiments, while stationed at Camp McGrath near Batangas in the Philippines. The regiment saw some combat action during this period, but the diary's main interest may lie with West's reports on the regimental baseball team, renowned as the best in the Army, and perhaps the best in Black baseball at that time (see the preceding lot). The team featured two players later selected for the Hall of Fame and widely regarded as part of the Hall's inner circle: Oscar Charleston and Wilber "Bullet Joe" Rogan. Rogan served in the same Company M as our diarist. Baseball games and practices are mentioned on at least 18 occasions: on pages 60, 64, 65, 113, and 132 of the first diary, and pages 307, 318, 322, 324, 326, 327, 331, 333, 338, 340, 348, 359, and 369 of the second diary. Corporal Rogan is named as the pitcher, representing either the regiment, Camp McGrath, or Company M, on 20 February 1913 and 28 May 1913. Private Charleston of Company B is named as pitcher on 22 February 1913, and also features in the longest and most dramatic baseball account in the diary on 15 August 1914, on the "closing of the baseball series . . . one game to be played for the championship." Company M beat Company B, 3 to 2: "After the game was over and the cup was presented to M Company's team, they all serenaded B Company's team, and Private Charlston, the pitcher of the team, cried because his team lost the cup and the championship." The following week, Rogan's Company M team was treated to a reception featuring 150 men from the company and 175 guests.

Baseball aside, these diaries have good military content. The first diary was written from 8 February to 28 May 1913 during the final months of the suppression of the Moro Rebellion. A skirmish is described on 20 February 1913: "The enimies was seen with field glasses on a hill . . . and they was seen trying to flank around to our left, but K Co. flanked around on our left . . . in a half moon shape and then the entire force made a charge and open fire on the enimes, and the battle lasted about 20 minuets, and we had only two privits get hurt." Five days later, "they had to change to guide left and that cause the men to stampeen, and the two companies was masecreed, K and M Company, before they could get reinforcement from the main body. The battle lasted 30 minuets."

Several fights between soldiers are described (11 February, 1 March 1913), including one inter-racial brawl: "Pvt. Hollin of B Company 24th Inf. and a pvt. soldier of 13th Inf. Regt. had a fight with one another. The fight started when the white soldier walk on Pvt. Hollin feet, but neither one got hurt before they was seprated" (6 March 1913). A 21 April 1913 entry reminds us that the Army was not always a good guest in occupied countries. During a marksmanship contest, "the butts of the range was not sufficient to stop the bullet and . . . after the death of three or more natives from the bullits of our rifle by accident, the municiple law was compell to stop us from shooting."

The second diary, covering from 1 June to 1 September 1914 after the Moro Rebellion, has less military action, though more baseball and amusements. From 14 July onward, West notes several appearances of the "24th Infantry Minstril and Wide and Milton" show: "The house was pack to the utmost capacity, and all who went to the show highly enjoyed themselves and said it could not be beat." From 7 August onward, West provided regular news updates on the progress of the war in Europe, as well as domestic affairs in the United States.

Troop returns show that Albert West joined Company M in the Philippines in June 1912, and left the Philippines for the United States with his regiment in January 1915. Swann sold another later volume of West's diary (September and October 1914) in our 7 May 2020 auction, lot 331, from a different consignor.