Tampa Bay Riot Of 1898 -- Spanish-American War History

Encampment at Port Tampa

“The Tampa riot was a confrontation between white soldiers from the state of Ohio and black troops (known at Buffalo Soldiers) from the Twenty-fourth and Twenty-fifth Infantry Regiments on 6–7 June 1898. The riot occurred the day before their embarkation to Cuba to fight the Spanish in the Spanish American War. The riot highlighted the racial divide that existed in the United States and the discrimination they faced as soldiers.”

History Note:

With a few exceptions, the African American press of the day was not eager to see blacks sent off to fight for Cuban freedom when they were lacking the guarantee of these same freedoms in America. It seems ironic, from the perspective of the twenty-first century, that the country could ask its black citizens to risk life and limb for the freedom of Cuba but deny the same to its own black population.

As historian Rayford Logan has noted, the 1890s marked the nadir of race relations in the United States and was the decade with the highest number of recorded incidents of violence against African Americans.

At the same time the United States was asking its “colored soldiers” to help liberate Cuba, it tolerated the passing of the Grandfather Clause in Louisiana, the growth of Jim Crow laws everywhere in the South, and the approval of the Sheats law in Florida, which punished white teachers for attempting to educate black students

(Pamela N. Gibson & Joe Knetsch. "White Caps and Nightmares: Prelude to Violence against Blacks in Florida during the Spanish-American War." Tampa Bay History: Vol. 24 : Iss. 1 , Article 6. 2010.)

Before the Spanish-American War, the black troops of the 24th and 25th Infantry and the 9th and the 10th Cavalry were primarily deployed out west to protect settlers from the American Indians being forcibly displaced. Historians say the American Indians then named these African-Americans "Buffalo Soldiers" because they fought like the sturdy beasts.

"They moved straight ahead and pounded," Fred Hearns, a historian of Tampa's African-American history said. "And their hair was compared to wool by Native Americans. It reminded them of buffalo hair."

 Buffalo Soldiers bide their time in Tampa while awaiting deployment to Cuba during the Spanish-American War in 1898. Unaccustomed to it when they served in the American West, the troops faced racism here. [Tampa Bay History Center]

A majority of the black troops considered participation in the military struggle an obligation of citizenship and manifested an intense pride in the black units of the regular army called to take up “the white man’s burden” in Cuba. Yet, they recognized the irony and incongruity of a policy to liberate a foreign people, especially “little brown brothers,” when so many “Americans of color” remained oppressed. Although African-Americans hoped that a display of patriotism would help dissipate prejudice against them, they were never free of misgivings about a war launched in the name of humanity by a nation so enamored of Anglo-Saxon supremacy.

(Washington Colored American. April 9, May 23, June 25, 1898.)

During the brief Spanish-American War, Tampa served as a point of departure for troops heading to Cuba. Scarcely had the first companies of black soldiers arrived in the Tampa area when white citizens began to lodge complaints against them.

The experience of black soldiers stationed in Florida in 1898 only served to increase their doubts about the war blotting out prejudice against black Americans. Indicative of the atmosphere in Tampa was the hostile attitude of the local press.

There was little inclination by whites to accord either a semblance of the tolerance shown the white soldiers. The four units that arrived in Tampa were confronted with the discrimination of the Jim Crow South. The mere sight of smartly dressed, precision drilled black soldiers was sufficient, it seemed, to arouse envy and hostility among some whites.

The Tampa press was especially critical of the black soldiers, and frequently published stories painting them as undisciplined and riotous. Within a few days after the arrival of the African-American troops, the Tampa Morning Tribune reported:

“The colored troopers are splendid horsemen and show off to great advantage. The colored infantrymen stationed in Tampa and vicinity have made themselves very offensive to the people of the city. The men insist upon being treated as white men are treated and the citizens will not make any distinction between the colored troops and the colored civilians.”

(Tampa Morning Tribune. May 5, 1898.)

Other sensational accounts of “rackets” and “riots” by “these black ruffians in uniform”
appeared regularly in dailies throughout the South.

In a letter to a friend, a black infantryman in Tampa declared:

“Prejudice reigns supreme here against the colored troops. Every little thing that is done here is chronicled as Negro brazenness, outlawry, etc. An ordinary drunk brings forth scare headlines in the dailies. Some of our boys were refused a drink at one of the crackers’ saloons … and they politely closed him up. That was put down as a ‘n-word riot’ and the commanding general was appealed to in the interest of the
‘respectable white citizens.’”

(Quoted in Baltimore Ledger. June 4, 1898.)

John Bigalow, white captain of a black cavalry unit, claimed that the white Floridians’ lack of subtlety in race relations was the principal cause of friction with the black troops. He insisted that if whites treated colored soldiers with civility, “however much they might discriminate against them,” there would be little trouble.

Whether or not his analysis was correct, there seems to have been little inclination for white merchants to accept his substitute, “we don’t deal with colored people,” for their more customary, “we don’t sell to damned (n-word).”

(John Bigelow. Reminiscences of the Santiago campaign. 1899.)

Regular encounters with such prejudice solidified the determination of black troops to force whites to respect them as soldiers and as men. A black soldier in Tampa wrote a friend: 'Our fellows think it is hell to have a fight in defense of people who are so
prejudiced. They are determined to make these crackers walk Spanish while here or else be treated as men.”

History Note:

Many erroneously believed that African Americans were naturally immune to tropical diseases or at least were better suited for service in the tropics. Booker T. Washington wrote the Secretary of the Navy that Cuba’s climate was “peculiar and danger[o]us to the unaclimated [sic] white man. The Negro race in the South is accustomed to this climate.”

Other black leaders lobbied in Washington to reserve all ten regiments for their race. Although they lacked the political clout to accomplish that lofty goal, President McKinley was well aware that most states had refused to accept black volunteers, and he wanted to recognize the martial spirit of the minority that staunchly supported his Republican party.

On 26 May, the adjutant general’s office issued General Orders, No. 55, indicating that five of the “Immune” regiments would be composed of “persons of color.” Shortly thereafter, that number was reduced to four, and the 7th through the 10th U.S. Volunteer Infantry (USVI) were designated for black enlisted men and lieutenants. Company commanders and “field and staff” officers were to be white, a policy that angered most African Americans.

(LTC Roger D. Cunningham, USA Ret. “The Black 'Immune' Regiments in the Spanish-American War.” armyhistory.org.)

The Riot

A disturbance on the night of June 6, 1898, came as a climax to the tension that had been steadily mounting for over a month. The arrival in the city of large contingents of
freewheeling white volunteer regiments only served to worsen the situation. Although the war department’s heavy handed censorship of military news made it difficult to ascertain the details of the riot, the story ultimately seeped through the censor and appeared in the press throughout the nation.

Here is an account by Williard B. Gatewood for Tampa Bay History:

“Letters from black soldiers in Tampa published in African-American newspapers
presented their version of the affair. The riot was apparently triggered by a group of intoxicated white volunteers from Ohio who 'decided to have some fun' with a two-year-old African-American boy.

“The child was snatched from his mother by a white soldier who entertained his comrades by holding him in one hand and spanking him with the other. Then, held at arm’s length with his head down, the child served as a target for several soldiers to demonstrate their marksmanship. Presumably, the winner was the soldier who sent a bullet through the sleeve of the boy’s shirt.

“Having had their 'fun,' the soldiers returned the dazed child to his hysterical mother. (The boy was unharmed but the soldier who won the 'marksmanship contest' reportedly shot a bullet through the boy's shirt.) Already angered by an accumulation of 'outrages,' the black troops of the Twenty-fourth and Twenty-fifth Infantry regiments viewed the behavior of the Ohio volunteers as anything but sporting. In fact, the incident set them off on a wild destructive rampage. They stormed into the streets firing their pistols indiscriminately, wrecking saloons and cafes which had refused to serve them, and forcing their way into white brothels.

(The riot then quickly turned into a confrontation, not only between white civilians but also the white soldiers in the city. The Tampa police attempted to stop the riot but they were too few in number to effectively stop the regiments engaged in the riot. The riot went on well into the night and early morning before troops of the Second Georgia Volunteer Infantry arrived in the city and forcefully quelled the riot.) Twenty-seven black troops and several soldiers from the Second Georgia were transferred because of serious injuries and corroborating reports that a bloody riot had occurred.)

“The reaction of the Tampa Morning Tribune to reports that black soldiers had 'outraged' white prostitutes was ironic in view of its disregard for the legal rights of African-Americans. 'While these women are of the lowest type,' the Tribune editorialized, 'the law gives them protection.'”

(Williard B. Gatewood. "Black Troops in Florida during the Spanish-American War,"
Tampa Bay History: Vol. 20 : Iss. 1 , Article 4. https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1438&context=tampabayhistory. 1998.)

The relish with which the Georgia soldiers performed the task was equaled only
by their deadly efficiency. The Tampa paper which published the highlights of the disturbance came to regret the publicity given the affair, apparently out of fear that it would reflect adversely upon the city. The newspaper later denied that there had been any riot and classified as “sheer rot” reports that the streets of Tampa “ran red with negro blood.”

(Atlanta Constitution. June 11, 1989.)

History Note:

Ohio Militia Regiments – Spanish American War – stationed in Tampa:

First Ohio Infantry.-Official title, First Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Headquarters, Cincinnati. Organized as First Regiment, Ohio National Guard. June 21, 1875; as First Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantrv, April 25, 1898. Mustered in for war with Spain, May 6, 1898. Strength for war with Spain : 50 officers, 1.302 enlisted men. Commanded by Col. Charles B. Hunt during war operations. Stationed during war: (1) Chickamauga, Ga.; (2) Tampa, Fla.; (3) Fernandina, Fla.; (4) Jacksonville, Fla. Casualties during campaign: death of 10 men. The regiment was mustered out at Cincinnati, Oct. 25, 1898.

Third Ohio Infantry.-Official title, Third Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Headquarters, Springfield. Organized as Third Regiment, Ohio National Guard, July 21, 1875: as Third Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, April 25,1898. Alustered in for war with Spain. Slay 10,1898. Strength for war with Spain : 42 officers, 1,313 enlisted men. Commanded by Col. Charles Anthony during war operations. Stationed during war: (1) Tampa, Fla.; (2) Fernandina, Fla.; (3) Huntsville, Ala. Casualties during campaign : death of 2 officers and 8 men. The regiment was mustered out at Columbus, Ohio, Oct. 26.

 A black and white photo taken in 1898 of soldiers loading a ship at Port Tampa during the Spanish American War. Photo credit: Courtesy of the Special Collections Department, University of South Florida. Digitization provided by the USF Libraries Digitization Center.

Aftermath and War Service

News of the Tampa Riot elicited strong reactions among the public. Those who were already skeptical of the proficiency of black soldiers used this incident to claim that their mobilization was a mistake because it had allowed African Americans to "forget his place" in the larger social hierarchy of the United States. A West Virginian stated that he thought all African Americans should be sent to Cuba to die so a riot like what occurred in Tampa could never happen again.

(Williard B. Gatewood. "Black Troops in Florida during the Spanish-American War,"
Tampa Bay History: Vol. 20 : Iss. 1 , Article 4. https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1438&context=tampabayhistory. 1998.)

Within a week after the riot, the troops in Tampa embarked for Cuba. With the exception of a few units of new recruits which remained in Florida, the black regiments formed a part of the invasion force. Even on board the transports, arrangements were made for the segregation of the black soldiers, who were invariably assigned to the lowest decks.

Despite such conditions, or perhaps because of them, African-American troops distinguished themselves in combat during the Santiago campaign. Their performance, according to Professor Rayford W. Logan, “not only gave to Negroes a much needed feeling of pride” but also gained from “some other Americans a respect for Negroes that was rarely manifested.”

(Rayford W. Logan. The Great Betrayal of the Negro from Rutherford B. Hayes to Woodrow Wilson. New York.1965) 

The Battle of Quasimas, near Santiago, June 24, 1898; the 9th and 10th Colored Calvary in support of Rough Riders (1898) 

Few black Americans, however, were misled by the momentary praise heaped upon the black troops for their part in the Santiago campaign and insisted that words of commendation would have meaning only if followed by promotions and rewards. Convinced that black soldiers failed to receive recognition commensurate with their combat record, many African-Americans despaired that patriotism and valor counted for so little in improving the plight of the race.

(Hiram Thweat. “What the Newspapers Say of the Negro Soldier in the Spanish-American War.” New York Age. May 11, 1899.)

In fact, a black Georgian insisted that the bravery of African-American soldiers in the war had intensified, rather than lessened, prejudice against black people. To support his contention he had only to call attention to the situation in Florida at the time of the black soldiers’ return from Cuba. White volunteers stationed in Jacksonville, Miami, and other cities in the state, who were disappointed at being denied opportunities to share in the glory of combat, seemed to take out their frustrations upon black civilians.

(Savannah Tribune. March 18, 1899.)

A black paper in Jacksonville, noted that “the cry of ‘lynch him’ is heard often here issuing from the throats of certain U. S. volunteer soldiers in this city.” White volunteers in Miami virtually terrorized the black population of the city. Reports claimed that they “had shot down Negroes like dogs and driven others from their homes.”

(Florida Evangelist quoted in Cleveland Gazette, August 27, 1898.)

On August 17, 1898, all of the Buffalo Soldiers were transferred out of Florida due to pressure from the white citizens of Tampa. The Tampa Riot and its fallout had a powerful effect on the minds of both black and white Americans. It showed both the soldiers and many other African Americans outside of the South the horrors of Jim Crow and lessened optimism that displays of patriotism would strengthen their claim "to all the privileges of citizenship." The event only strengthened Southern commitment to Jim Crow and the use of intimidation to ensure African Americans did not interfere with the new social order they had created.

(Williard B. Gatewood. "Black Troops in Florida during the Spanish-American War,"
Tampa Bay History: Vol. 20 : Iss. 1 , Article 4. https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1438&context=tampabayhistory. 1998.)