A Soldier's Play

Act II opens with “Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree,” which fades as Davenport finishes dressing and speaks to the audience. He explains that by 1944, with talk of invading Europe, the Black military men were hoping to finally see some action. Davenport adds that they’ve been fighting the entire time in these Southern racist towns that didn’t want them. Even Davenport can’t arrest a lower-rank white man unless he has a white officer there. Nevertheless, he is feeling optimistic enough about his two suspects to tell Colonel Nivens to send a white officer, as long as it isn’t Taylor.

Nivens gives Davenport permission to question the two men, but first, Davenport wants to learn more about Waters from his men. Henson is next. He is surprised when Davenport asks about Waters and CJ, as Henson didn’t expect an officer to know anything about conflicts between the lower-ranked enlisted men. Henson is uncomfortable talking unless Davenport makes it an order, so Davenport obliges. Henson says that Waters didn’t like CJ and took every opportunity to degrade him. He had attacked CJ the night that a shooting happened, which Davenport hasn’t heard about; he presses Henson to continue.

The scene flashes back. Henson explains that he was out drinking and has returned to the barracks, ready to pass out. The other men are asleep in their bunks, and there is a series of gunshots. Suddenly, a figure steals into the barracks and hides something under CJ’s bunk before darting out. Cobb and Smalls wake briefly, then go back to sleep. Henson just sits there, drunk and confused about what just happened. Waters enters with Wilkie and noisily wakes everyone up. He tells the men that a shooting happened at the pay phone, and two Black men and one white MP have been killed. The Black soldier tried to jump ahead in line, and he shot the MP. Then the white men started firing wildly and killed two Black men.

The man who killed the MP has escaped, and Waters is determined to find the “vicious, murderin’ piece of black trash” (63). Waters orders Wilkie to search the barracks, expressing hope that one of them is the perpetrator so he has an excuse to get rid of some of the Southern Black men. Suddenly, Wilkie finds a pistol in CJ’s belongings. Everyone is shocked, and CJ protests immediately.

CJ swears that he hates guns, but Waters places him under arrest, although Peterson defends him, and Henson asserts that he saw someone sneak in to hide something. Waters discounts Henson as drunk, relishing in insulting CJ and pointing out that CJ murdered a white boy. The weight of the situation leaves CJ speechless for a moment, and then he panics, pulling away from the men who are holding him and hitting Waters hard enough in the chest to knock him to the floor. CJ freezes, and Waters smiles coldly and states that he has now committed a crime by striking a noncommissioned officer. Waters exits, trailed by Wilkie, who pulls CJ, now limp with shock, out of the barracks.

Henson insists that he saw someone come in. Peterson says CJ was sleeping, but Waters is so high on the little bit of power he’s been granted by white men that he’s willing to sell out his fellow Black men. Peterson asserts, “Someone’s going to kill him” (67). Peterson, Smalls, and Cobb get dressed to go try to clear CJ’s name as the scene switches back to the present. Davenport questions whether the person Henson saw could have been someone who lived in the bunk, and whether Wilkie was the only man who was out at the time. Henson agrees with both statements.

Davenport calls for Ellis and orders him to fetch Wilkie and Peterson. Meanwhile, Davenport questions Cobb. Cobb explains that he didn’t know Waters very well, but he was good friends with CJ, as they had both come from Mississippi and played in the Negro League. As to the arrest, Cobb was upset. He knew that CJ wouldn’t have killed anyone, and Waters provoked him to make CJ hit Waters. CJ fell apart in the stockade, becoming claustrophobic in his cell.

The scene flashes back on Cobb visiting CJ in his cell, who is panicking. Cobb tries to reassure him, but it is no use. CJ tells Cobb that Waters came to see him last night. The scene flashes back to Waters taunting him for what is going to happen to him for hitting an officer. Pleading, CJ swears that the gun wasn’t his, but Waters states that they’re all aware that CJ didn’t shoot anyone—they caught the real culprit. CJ is now being charged for hitting a superior officer. This revelation surprises Davenport.

Waters goes on, telling CJ that the Nazis aren’t entirely wrong, as some people can’t fit into the world that is going to change after the war. Now, someone like CJ only reminds the white men who Black men used to be. Waters is pleased to have finally gotten CJ and to have “one less fool for the race to be ashamed of” (73). He swears that he’s going after Cobb next (this remark catches Davenport’s attention). CJ tells Cobb that he knows he’ll never be released and starts talking and singing wildly about his home in Mississippi. Cobb tells Davenport that he tried to calm CJ down, but nothing worked: The next day, CJ hanged himself in his cell. In retaliation, the baseball team purposely lost their last game, throwing away the chance to play with the Yankees. The team was disbanded after that, and the men were reassigned to their current Smoke Company. Waters started acting odd, drinking all the time, and talking to himself. Cobb says that Waters never came after him, and now he wonders if he really told CJ that he would.

Davenport asks about the night of the murder. Cobb states that he was in the barracks by 9:30 with Henson, and Smalls and Peterson were the last in after finishing guard duty. Taylor enters, and Davenport dismisses Cobb.

Taylor expresses pleased surprise that Davenport will interrogate Byrd and Wilcox. Taylor asks if Nivens mentioned that Taylor would be helping him, and Davenport replies that he specifically asked for anyone but Taylor. Taylor comments that Nivens assigned him to avoid letting Davenport think that Nivens would give him anything he wanted. He adds that Nivens is concerned about the sworn statements that he and other officers signed confirming Byrd’s and Wilcox’s alibis, and how any discrepancies might give Davenport the wrong idea. Taylor insists that he wants to help bring the killer of his sergeant to justice, as he was responsible for his safety. He adds that Byrd and Wilcox are waiting in his office.

Taylor wonders why Davenport didn’t inform Nivens that he had placed Taylor under arrest for obstructing the investigation, and Davenport replies that it didn’t seem necessary. Davenport asks about CJ and whether his arrest and charges were ever investigated. Taylor answers that he questioned him, but he confessed and then died by suicide before the investigation could go further. Davenport states that Waters may have deliberately tricked CJ into striking him. Taylor doesn’t believe that’s possible, asserting that Waters was uneducated and not one to concoct schemes, adding, “And colored soldiers aren’t devious like that” (78). Davenport challenges this statement, and Taylor stammers, but they’ve arrived at his office.

Taylor introduces Captain Davenport to Byrd and Wilcox, stressing his rank. Byrd questions Davenport’s credentials, and Davenport shuts him down. Incredulous, Byrd turns to Taylor, but Taylor orders him to answer his questions. Davenport asks about the night Waters died. Byrd comments that he didn’t kill Waters, but he should have after Waters spoke so disrespectfully to them.

To Byrd’s irritation, Wilcox speaks respectfully to Davenport, explaining that Waters was drunk and exclaiming that he wasn’t going to follow the orders of white men anymore, blaming Byrd and Wilcox for his Blackness and his inability to eat or sleep. Waters ranted that he had killed someone, although he didn’t say who it was. Byrd interjects that Waters had been flat-out disrespectful, and that Black people don’t speak to white people that way where he comes from. Davenport asks if that was why Byrd killed him, but Byrd vehemently denies the accusation. Davenport continues, accusing Byrd of beating him up and then coming back later and shooting him. Incensed, Byrd threatens to kill Davenport.

Taylor attempts to intervene. Byrd and Wilcox admit that they had weapons, since they were just getting off bivouac duty, but Wilcox explains that they didn’t fire them, which was proven when they turned them in. This is news to Taylor, but Wilcox informs him that Colonel Nivens had been worried that Taylor might take the issue to Washington and turn it into a publicity stunt about racial tensions. Wilcox swears that they left Waters on the ground but certainly alive.

Taylor announces that they’re under arrest, but Davenport disagrees and says they’re free to go. To Taylor, Byrd states, “I expected more from a white man, Captain” (83). Taylor threatens them both and they leave silently. Taylor is angry but Davenport isn’t finished investigating, and he isn’t convinced that they’re murderers. Taylor accuses Davenport of being scared, guessing that Davenport expected to come in and accuse the Klan and be done, but that accusing two white officers would follow him one day when Davenport goes up for a promotion. Davenport replies, “I’m not afraid of white men, Captain” (84), insisting again that he still hasn’t heard all the facts of the case.

Ellis enters and informs Davenport that Wilkie is waiting for him in the barracks, but he hasn’t been able to locate Peterson. Peterson went on detail with Smalls, and neither has shown up. Taylor notes that Davenport already questioned Wilkie and Peterson, and Davenport tells him to back off. Taylor accuses Davenport of treating him like “some red-neck cracker” and Davenport retorts, “I’m not your yessirin’ colored boy either!” (86)

Davenport exits and finds Wilkie waiting. Davenport immediately questions when Wilkie lost his stripes. Nervously, Wilkie replies that it was right after Waters was assigned to the company, noting that he was wondering why Davenport wanted to question him again. Davenport confirms that Waters demoted him for being drunk while on duty, and Wilkie agrees, adding that Waters reported him to Taylor. Davenport reminds Wilkie that he had described Waters as a good guy and a close friend, asking if a “good guy” would have turned in a friend. Wilkie concurs that the answer is no, and Davenport accuses him of lying when he called Davenport a good guy. Wilkie stammers until Davenport pushes him to admit that Waters wasn’t a nice guy or a good friend. He could have punished Wilkie with extra duty or insulted him, but instead he took away his rank and destroyed 10 years of hard work.

Davenport accuses Wilkie of hiding the gun under CJ’s bunk, and Wilkie first denies it, then admits that he did so on Waters’s orders. Waters had promised to give him his stripes back, claiming that he just wanted to scare CJ because he hated him, but Waters hadn’t expected him to die by suicide.

The scene flashes back to Waters, who explains in a monologue why he can’t stand CJ. Waters tells Wilkie that during World War I, the white soldiers told the girls in France that Black men had tails like monkeys. There was one Black soldier who allowed the white soldiers to pay him to strip naked, wear a tail, and jump around and dance for their amusement. Later, Waters and some of the other Black soldiers cut the man’s throat. Before he died, the man still didn’t understand what he had done wrong to cause his fellow Black soldiers to turn on him. Waters asserts that one foolish Black man (like CJ) causes enormous damage to the progress of the whole race, and he has made it his mission to stamp it out.

Davenport asks why Waters never came after Peterson, since they clashed. Wilkie replies that Waters respected Peterson and even promoted him. When CJ died, Peterson was as upset as everyone else, and he had organized the protest of losing the game.

Davenport asks about the night Waters was killed, and Wilkie says he was in the barracks by 9:45. Wilkie adds that he didn’t intend to do what he did, but Waters promised to give his stripes back. Abruptly, there is the sound of gunfire, a cannon, and a celebratory bugle. Davenport informs Wilkie that he’s under arrest.

Ellis enters, ecstatic, announcing that they finally got the orders from Washington that the Black company will be shipping out with everyone else to fight in the war. Davenport returns his excitement, momentarily forgetting about Wilkie. The other men enter, yelling gleefully and celebrating. To everyone’s surprise, Davenport tells Ellis to take Wilkie to the stockade. Davenport asks about Smalls and Peterson, learning that Smalls is already in the stockade for leaving when he was on duty.

Davenport goes off to speak to Smalls. He asks Smalls why he went AWOL. Smalls claims that he got drunk and fell asleep at the bus station, but Davenport demands to know where Peterson was, accusing them of trying to escape together before Davenport could figure out that they killed Waters. Smalls starts to weep, admitting that Peterson killed Waters while he watched, and he has been haunted and unable to sleep since.

The scene flashes back to the beginning of the play, with Waters drunk and ranting. Waters has been beaten and is struggling to stand up. Smalls explains that he and Peterson were returning from guard duty when they came upon Waters. Instead of the shadowy figures from the opening scene, Peterson enters and starts to taunt Waters. He pretends that he’s helping Waters up, and when Waters gratefully accepts the assistance, Peterson kicks him instead. Smalls begs him to stop. Peterson challenges whether Smalls would kill Waters if he were a Nazi or Japanese or Hitler himself. Waters is raving about CJ, claiming he wouldn’t have survived. Peterson draws his pistol as Smalls tries to reason with him, stating that this is justice. Declaring that this is “for CJ and everybody,” Peterson shoots Waters twice.

Davenport asks Smalls if he agrees that Peterson was handing out justice, and he exclaims that he doesn’t, but he was too afraid of Peterson to intervene. Peterson made him help move the body, reassuring Smalls that everyone would think that white people had killed him. He told him to keep their secret.

Smalls apologizes. Davenport stares at him, revolted, and starts to leave without saluting. Smalls says, “Sir?” (99) and salutes. Davenport remembers himself and returns his salute. Tiredly, Davenport addresses the audience, explaining that Peterson was caught in Alabama after a week of running. Colonel Nivens was pleased to learn that there hadn’t been anyone white involved, describing the murder as “the usual, common violence any commander faces in Negro Military units” (99). Davenport finds the entire thing disheartening: Two dead Black soldiers and two Black soldiers who are headed to prison means four fewer soldiers in the fight overseas.

Davenport finds the entire thing petty and unnecessary. He says there was a clerical error that led to Waters’s family hearing that he had been killed in action. Therefore, Waters was believed by many to be the first Black person in his county to become a casualty in the war, and he was revered as a hero in his hometown. The rest of the company was killed at once in the Ruhr Valley while fighting the Germans.

Taylor enters, hanging back quietly until Davenport acknowledges him. Taylor asks if Davenport will allow him to praise him for a job well done. Davenport gives a sardonic response, but Taylor admits that he was wrong about Black officers, stating, “I guess I’ll have to get used to it.” Davenport replies, “Oh, you’ll get used to it—you can bet your ass on that. Captain—you will get used to it” (100). The song “Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree” plays as the lights fade out.