While fighting these battles, they served nearly six months on the front lines and earned many distinguished awards. For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty: Private Johnson distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a member of Company C, 369th Infantry Regiment, 93rd Division, American Expeditionary Forces, during combat operations against the enemy on the front lines of the Western Front in France on May 15, 1918. n.p., Army & Navy Union, [1921]. Henry Lincoln Johnson, a former Albany, New York, rail station porter, who earned the nickname "Black Death" for his actions in combat in France. In 1916, New York Gov. Henry Johnson - American Hero of World War I - an inspiration to our fighting men today, True Sons of Freedom: Colored Men, The First Americans Who Planted Our Flag on The Firing Line, 369th Infantry Regiment's photographs held by the National Archives Since damage to the ship was well above the waterline, the ship's captain admitted that there was no danger of sinking. In re-capping the story of the 369th Arthur W. Little, who had been a battalion commander, wrote in the regimental history From Harlem to the Rhine, that it was official that the outfit was 191 days under fire, never lost a foot of ground or had a man taken prisoner, though on two occasions men were captured but they were recovered. T. W. Taylor. It earned several unit citations along with many individual decorations for valor from the French government. But in March 1918, they were reorganized as the 369th Infantry and loaned to the French Army. More than 2,000 Soldiers took part in the parade up Fifth Avenue. The regiment was nicknamed the Harlem Hellfighters and . In France, the 369th was treated as if they were no different from any other French unit. 2023 New York State Military Museum and Veterans Research Center. It was a New York National Guard unit for African-Americans in a segregated Army and National Guard. Needham Roberts, were attacked by a 12-man German raiding party. The Unmatched Bravery of the Harlem Hellfighters [26], For the 1890 Medal of Honor recipient, see, "Memorial Day: Correcting the Story of World War I Medal of Honor Recipient Sgt. A National Guard regiment, the 369th recruited out of New York City in large numbers, and German soldiers who witnessed their battlefield prowess quickly dubbed them the Harlem Hellfighters. [3] He was the first American to receive the award. Charles S. Whitman authorized the creation of the 15th New York Infantry to be manned by African-Americans -- with white officers -- and headquartered in Harlem where 50,000 of the 60,000 black residents of Manhattan lived in 1910. Members of New York's famous 369th Infantry Regiment wave as they come back home from France. A country hungry for war news and American heroes discovered the 369th. In 2002, the U.S. military awarded him the Distinguished Service Cross. He told me about being about to deploy to Vietnam in 1968 and having to go in the back door of a Dairy Queen to get a burger, and then, in military uniform, having to enter the bus taking him to Fort Benning through the back door. Sgt. The Hellfighters were composed mostly of New Yorkers who lobbied hard to persuade Gov. They were deployed in logistics and support roles. [20] He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery on July 6, 1929. Narrow roads wind between forgotten villages of the Champagne-Ardenne region, their church spires beckoning, their deserted streets emptied by the steady exodus of commerce and young people to bigger towns. Many months were to pass by, however, before they were to see combat. The 185th Infantry Brigade was assigned on 5 January 1918 to the 93rd Division [Provisional]. Additional Veterans Bureau records refer to Johnson receiving monthly compensation and regular visits by Veterans Bureau medical personnel until his death.[19]. The Harlem Hellfighters: The most storied Black combat unit of World But when the unit showed up in Spartanburg, South Carolina, to train, the Soldiers met discrimination at every turn. The regiment was relieved on 12 December 1918 from assignment to the French 161st Division. Musicians like Europe continued to play while serving abroad, touring thousands of miles to perform. Later the 369th was reassigned to Gen. Lebouc's 161st Division to participate in the Allied counterattack. How Harlem Hellfighter James Reese Europe Became a Ragtime - HistoryNet After several delays, the 15th left Hoboken on December 12, arriving in Brest, France on December 27 and were transported to St. Nazaire. After 100 years, Harlem Hellfighters nickname is official But the glory was short-lived, as was the breakthrough. But because National Guard units are often reorganized and realigned, it is possible for a company of a battalion to have a different historical lineage and have its own traditional nickname, he said. The 369th Infantry began as the 15th Infantry Regiment in Harlem. And we won't buy from men who treat them unfairly.". He was finally awarded the Purple Heart in 1996. [9] Johnson was then paid to take part in a series of lecture tours. "There were roars of welcome that made all the music of the day shrink into itself," the Sun reporter wrote. In World War I, African American 'Hellfighters from Harlem,' Fought The regiment's commander, Col. William Hayward, lobbied hard for his Soldiers to be part of the American Expeditionary Force, and they shipped out in 1917. If they hadnt traded watches, Cuffees great nephew said, he felt it would have been him and not Ruby.. This year marks the centennial of the United States entrance into World War I a conflict that claimed millions of lives, redrew the world map, and changed war forever. [14] The award was received by Herman A. Johnson, one of the Tuskegee Airmen of WWII, on behalf of Henry Johnson, then believed to be his father; the mistake was not clarified until 2015, a decade after the younger Johnson's death, as part of the further research done leading up to the senior Johnson's Medal of Honor. The monument to the 369th Infantry Regiment at the edge of Schault. The New York Times noted that the band boasted five kettle drums presented to the unit by the French Army "as a mark of esteem." Harlem Hellfighters, byname of 369th Infantry Regiment, originally 15th New York (Colored) Infantry Regiment, nickname given to the 369th Infantry Regiment of the United States Army during World War I. The post was renamed in Johnson's honor in a ceremony on June 5, 2023. Outnumbered and under fire, the two men fought off the initial attack, but after Roberts was badly wounded. After 191 days of continual combat, the 369th never lost a foot of ground nor had a man taken prisoner. The infantry was called into Federal service on 25 July 1917 at Camp Whitman, New York. Its marching band, formed under the bandleader James Reese Europe, brought new jazz rhythms to France. Army.mil: African-Americans in the U.S. Army, Hell Fighters got heroes' welcome 100 years ago in New York. Soon afterwards, a warrant was issued for Johnson's arrest for wearing his uniform beyond the prescribed date of his commission and paid lecturing engagements dried up. Henry Johnson and Pvt. All rights reserved. 1-86-NARA-NARA or 1-866-272-6272, National Archives and Records Administration, DocsTeach: Our Online Tool for Teaching with Documents, Education Programs at Presidential Libraries. Throughout much of April and May, the 369th was in the forward positions, and immediately impressed the French with their skill and courage in combat. The Hellfighters quickly learned the tricks of trench warfare from their French counterparts, according to author Peter N. Nelsons A More Unbending Battle: The Harlem Hellfighters Struggle for Freedom in WWI and Equality at Home.. Cuffee vowed to name his first child after Garnett and he did, naming his eldest daughter Ruby Garnett after his fallen friend. At a time when Frances universalist social model, which refuses to quantify or categorize citizens by race or religion, is often criticized in the United States as little more than a camouflage for discrimination against Muslims or people of color, the story of the 369th is a reminder that prejudice knows no boundaries. Vol. People crammed themselves onto the sidewalk and into the windows of the buildings along the route to see their Soldiers come home. Those tricks included cutting off the tails of their overcoats so they wouldnt get weighed down with mud and water; carving grooves in the mud wall with shovels to make it easier to climb out of the trenches; or curling up balls of barbed wire during the day, so that at night they could be carried with ease and then quickly unfurled to reinforce the defenses. He appointed Colonel Hayward to carry out the task of organizing the unit, and Hayward gave Fillmore a commission as a captain in the 15th Infantry Regiment, New York National Guard. And in 2015, Johnson became the second African-American to receive the Medal of Honor for actions during World War I, presented by President Barack Obama during a posthumous award ceremony at the White House. The soldiers promised not retaliate and maintained their composure, but after much taunting and several attacks, the 15th was removed in less than two weeks and sent to Camp Mills on Long Island to train with 42nd Division. Oral History Program Veteran Interviews - A, Oral History Program Veteran Interviews - B, Oral History Program Veteran Interviews - C, Oral History Program Veteran Interviews - D, Oral History Program Veteran Interviews - E, Oral History Program Veteran Interviews - F, Oral History Program Veteran Interviews - G, Oral History Program Veteran Interviews - H, Oral History Program Veteran Interviews - I, Oral History Program Veteran Interviews - J, Oral History Program Veteran Interviews - K, Oral History Program Veteran Interviews - L, Oral History Program Veteran Interviews - M, Oral History Program Veteran Interviews - N, Oral History Program Veteran Interviews - O, Oral History Program Veteran Interviews - P, Oral History Program Veteran Interviews - Q, Oral History Program Veteran Interviews -R, Oral History Program Veteran Interviews - S, Oral History Program Veteran Interviews - T, Oral History Program Veteran Interviews - U-V, Oral History Program Veteran Interviews - W, Oral History Program Veteran Interviews - X, Y, and Z, Finding Aids for selected archival collections, New York State Awards, Decorations, and Medals, Medal Of Honor Recipients Affiliated With New York, Research Guide: New York in the Revolutionary War, Research Guide: New York in the War of 1812, Research Guide: New York in the Mexican-American War, 1846-1848, Research Guide: New York in the Civil War, Research Guide: New York in the Spanish-American War, Research Guide: New York in the Mexican Punitive Campaign, 1916, Research Guide: New York in the World War One, Research Guide: New York in the World War Two, Research Guide: Guide to finding New York National Guard Records, Research Guide: Guide to finding US Military Records, Report on the activities in the World War of 369th United States Infantry (15th New York), Scott's official history of the American Negro in the World War, https://catalog.archives.gov/search?q=369th%201918&f.materialsType=photographsandgraphics, Teaching With Documents Lesson Plan: Photographs of the 369th Infantry and African Americans during World War I, NYS Division of Military and Naval Affairs.