Conditions Governing Use

This collection is in the public domain. Visit our Permissions and Publishing page (https://www.library.virginia.edu/special-collections/services/publishing) for more information about use of Special Collections materials. The library can provide copyright information upon request, but users are responsible for making their own determination about lawful use of collections materials.

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research use.

Preferred Citation

MSS 16896, 165th Depot Brigade Band photograph, Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Purchased with the Kerchof Library Fund, 2024/2025. Acquired by Krystal Appiah.

Biographical / Historical

The role of depot brigades was to receive and organize recruits, provide them with uniforms, equipment and initial military training, and then send them to France fight on the front lines. The depot brigades also received soldiers returning home at the end of the war and completed their demobilization. There were seventeen major U.S. depot brigades organized for World War I that remained active until after post-war demobilizationactive, eight of which were in the south and included the 165th at Camp Travis, Texas.

While Latinos and Native Americans were intermixed with the white soldiers, the African American soldiers at Camp Travis were segregated, being assigned to the camp depot brigade. The 165th Depot Brigade at Camp Travis was an all African American brigade. Because of systemic racism and discrimination, most African American troops were assigned to support roles and did not participate in combat.

The 165th Depot Brigade included a band which was known at the time as "the First Group Colored Minstrel 165 Depot Brigade". While this band was meant to be devoted exclusively to African-American troops, other photographs exist in which several members of the group appear in blackface.

Reference List:

E. O. (Eugene Omar) Goldbeck Papers and Photography Collection: Banquet Negatives and Prints finding aid. (2016). E. O. (Eugene Omar) Goldbeck: An Inventory of His Banquet Negatives and Prints at the Harry Ransom Center. Harry Ransom Center. https://norman.hrc.utexas.edu/fasearch/findingAid.cfm?eadid=01136

Fahey-Flynn, A. (2015). Patriotic Labor: America during World War I, African American Soldiers. Digital Public Library of America. https://dp.la/exhibitions/america-world-war-i/building-army/african-american-soldiers

White, L.J. (2020). Camp Travis: A Historical Overview of Its Role in World War I. Texas State Historical Association. https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/camp-travis

162d Depot Brigade (United States). (2024). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/162d_Depot_Brigade_(United_States)

Scope and Contents

This collection contains a black and white photograph of Black army musicians of the 165 Depot Brigade, Camp Travis, Texas. A typed caption pasted on the back of the photo reads, "#263 Negro Band, Frist [sic] Group, 165 Depot Brigade, Camp Travis, Texas. Taken just outside Army Y.M.C.A. Building No. 1, devoted exclusively to negro troops. (Negro Secretaries in charge.)" Publicity Bureau National War Work Council, Y.M.C.A. Northeastern Dept. 352 Little Bldg. Boston, Mass is stamped in ink on the back. The picture depicts twenty-one men seated and two standing in uniform outside the Y.M.C.A building. The men hold their instruments, which include trumpets, French horns, saxophones, clarinets, trombones, tuba, and drums. The role of Depot Brigades was to receive and organize recruits, provide them with uniforms, equipment, and initial military training, and then send them to France to fight on the front lines. The depot brigades also received soldiers returning home at the war's end and completed their outprocessing and discharges.

Related Material

The same print is found in the University of Minnesota Libraries in a collection of images of the Y.M.C.A. building.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• African American musicians
• African American soldiers
• Camp Travis (Tex.)
• United States. Army. Depot Brigade, 165th
• World War, 1914-1918 -- African Americans

Content Warning

This material may contain offensive or harmful language or imagery. This material contains references to outdated terminology for African Americans. The purpose of this note is to give users the opportunity to decide whether they need or want to view these materials, or at least, to mentally or emotionally prepare themselves to view the materials.