The Colored Enterprise was a weekly newspaper launched in Asheville, NC, by Thomas L. Leatherwood on February 8, 1896. It was a four-page publication that operated for approximately two years, with contents frequently reprinted in the white-owned Asheville Citizen-Times.

The first issue of this newspaper, edited by Asheville’s Thomas L. Leatherwood, appeared February 8, 1896; it ran until at least until May 1898.

In 2015, the December 18, 1897 edition (above image) of the paper was discovered in a time capsule that had been placed beneath the Vance Monument. It is preserved by the North Carolina Western Regional Archives. This is the only surviving copy of Asheville’s The Colored Enterprise, dated December 18, 1897.

Source: Courtesy of the State Archives of North Carolina.
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From: Post by Zoe Rhine North Carolina Room librarian - Buncomb County Library, North Carolina

Did your African American Ancestor March From Asheville to Volunteer in the Spanish American War?

Thomas L. Leatherwood was also, Capt. Thomas L. Leatherwood who lead the Maceo Volunteers, a company of colored men under that left Asheville, North Carolina in July 1898 for Cuba. The name Maceo Volunteer’s comes from Jose Maceo, a military and Cuban patriot.

The Maceo Company of volunteers was one of three North Carolina Volunteer regiments that were raised to go to Cuba in the war with Spain. The company was mustered in June 23, 1898 as Co. K, Third North Carolina Volunteers. All African Americans, it was made up almost entirely of Asheville men.

“During the regiment’s term of service, it lost one officer killed in an accident, thirteen enlisted men who died of disease, and two enlisted men who were murdered. In addition, twelve men were discharged on disability and fourteen men deserted.“ [From: A Brief History of the 3rd North Carolina Volunteer Infantry, Compiled By: William R. Navey.

“Only three states of the American union provided military regiments that consisted exclusively of black enlisted men and officers. North Carolina was the only southern state to recruit an all-black regiment for service in the Spanish-American War.” [From North Carolina’s Role in the Spanish-American War by Joseph F. Steelman, 1975. Ref. N.C. 973.894 S814N.]

The History of the Negro Soldiers in the Spanish American War by Edward A. Johnson, 1899 says that “no colored volunteers were engaged in active warfare, yet they attained a high degree of discipline.” [Reference NC 973.894 J66H] The Third North Carolina Regiment consisted of all “colored officers.” The book mentioned above contains several complimentary comments about the this regiment by officers who were there at the time. The photograph above was published in this book.

The war lasted one hundred and fourteen days. The returning soldiers were given a banquet in the ballroom of the Swannanoa Hotel on April 27, 1899.—That is, at least, those soldiers from Company F First North Carolina Volunteers.

The Welcome Home, as stated in the newspaper coverage was given for for Company F, and although no other companies are mentioned, the paper reads, “The soldiers of the Asheville company and men who went from Asheville to fill up other companies of the regiment are expected to reach home Sunday . . .” Would this have been a segregated event? And if it was, was there a separate celebration given to the men who served in the African American companies such as Co. K, Third North Carolina Volunteers? The Asheville Times and its precursor the Asheville Daily Gazette generally had more coverage of the African American residents than the Asheville Citizen, but the coverage was the same for this event. And none of the coverage referred to black military companies serving in Cuba.

Although newspaper accounts following the return of the military groups who served from Asheville only mention the Maceo Volunteers, in terms of African Americans, articles at the time of the conflict refer to the Asheville Quicksteps as the first group of African Americans to organize here. The captain was H. T. (Hayman T.) Scott, Samuel Taylor as first lieutenant and John C. Ford as quartermaster. These volunteers left Asheville with 60 men on June 30, 1898. No company list has been found. Scott was from Cheraw, S.C. and had come to Asheville to open a dye house. Reportage from the Asheville Citizen-Times October 21, 1898 says that he accidently mortally shot himself at Knoxville, age 42.