2019

Surrounded by The
Enemy.
MICHAEL WHITE
HIS-240-Q6215
 The 369th Infantry Regiment of The New York Army National Guard Known as the Black

Rattlers, the Men of Bronze, and most famously the Harlem Hellfighters, an epithet earned from

The Germans. In the more modern history, The Hellfighters have become a name known to many,

featured in video games, graphic novels, and movies. A stunning symbol of black pride, and the

tenacity of African Americans, the Hellfighters are arguably one of the most famous names to

emerge from The First World War. Held up with the likes of the Red Baron and Conrad von

Hötzendorf, this brave unit comprised of Blacks, Puerto Ricans, and Native Hawaiians were barred

from the victory parade following the conclusion of the Great War. The war for the 369th did not

end on the banks of the River Marne, nor did it end in on the passes of The Vosges Mountains.

The war against bigotry, racism, and hatred started far before the first man wore the naval blue

patch emblazoned with a defiant silver snake.

Before Archduke Franz Ferdinand was shot by a nineteen-year-old Gavrilo Princip, Before

the first German boots had stepped onto the fields of France, Jim Crow had started its era in the

United States with the fiercest of racial abuses following the reconstruction of the south. The Jim

Crow Era named after a famous song and dance routine preformed in black face by actor Thomas

D. Rice. The era originated in part with the utilize voter suppression of blacks in the rural southern

states. In a span of 10 years following the implementation of many Jim Crow style voter

requirement laws, Louisiana saw a total of 730 eligible black voters despite being much of the

population within the state. Many racial atrocities would occur during this time frame, many of

which saw widespread violence and murder against African Americans. Some notable examples

of these atrocities include the Wilmington Race Riots (14 Dead), the 1906 Atlanta Riots (25-100

Dead), and the Slocum Texas Massacre (8-200 Dead).

littered with the deaths of many hardworking and honest men and women. These actions would

not be a bane to the patriotism and bravery of many black men. The military history of African

Americans can be traced back to the Revolutionary War, Crispus Attucks, an iconic symbol of

American patriotism was shot and killed by British Troops during The Boston Massacre. The war

of 1812 saw Hannibal Collins, a freed slave fought in the battles of Lake Erie and Rhode Island at

the side of Oliver Perry. The blood of African Americans had been spilled many times in the name

of The United States, and the injustices of Jim Crow would not stop this tradition. In the early half

of the 1910s, many black men would go forth and enlist into the United States military to fight on

foreign soil for the first time in the name of democracy. These men would go forth into the heart

of a European conflict while leaving their own wars against white supremacy behind them.

Two hundred thousand African Americans crossed the great ocean that once carried their

ancestors in chains this time as a liberator in the face of Germany. Forty thousand of these men

would be divided into two divisions fit for combat, the rest being relegated to servitude as cooks,

porters, and personal stewards. The two combat divisions, the 92nd and 93rd of which the Harlem

Hellfighters would originate from. The 369th combat unit of the New York National Guard was

called into federal service on July 25th, 1917. Organized into a unit at Camp Whitman in New

York, the unit would learn basic military procedure and skills but at this point and at no point in

the future would they be trained in combat specific skills or tactics They would be tasked with

various guard duties in the New York Area before being transferred on October 8, 1917 to Camp

Wadsworth in Spartanburg, South Carolina. South Carolina being the first state to secede from the

union in the run up to the Civil War was a hotbed of white supremacy and discriminatory practices.
 The enlisted men of the 369th Unit were exempt from these practices with many businesses

refusing to sell goods or provide services to the African American troops. The 27th Division, also

stationed at Wadsworth and comprised entirely of white troops developed a comradery with the

black soldiers of the 369th. This comradery would come to a peak with the 27th forming a boycott

of any business that refused to do business with soldiers of the 369th. The businesses in the area

would be ran out of town if they continued the bigoted practices. This sort of camaraderie was

special in it being formed in training and living amongst each other. The tight confines of the camp,

and the day to day activities of training allowed many white troops to see black troops as brothers

in arms and not in the veil of white supremacist ideology. This comradery would not be carried

over to the American troops in Europe. Without the day to day interactions between sister units

many American troops still viewed blacks as an inferior race to their own. When the 369th deployed

to Europe on December 27th they would be faced with another battle.

Upon arrival in Europe the 369th would not receive the combat training as other units

would. They would instead be assigned to basic labor duties being used as cooks, porters, and basic

physical labor. This continued until April 8, 1918 when the 369th was loaned to the French Army.

The men would be supplied with French weapons, ammunition and helmets but retaining the

American brown doughboy uniform. The reasoning behind this loan was due to many American

troops refusing to fight alongside minorities. The white troops saw minorities as inferior and a

liability to fight alongside. The French in desperate need of reinforcement had no issues with taking

the 369th. While the French held little to no bigotries towards the blacks, The American

commanders at large could not allow for The French’s generally humane treatment of black troops.

With many being afraid of the repercussions of these men returning home after being treated as

equals in Europe.
 In response to these fears The Expeditionary Force Headquarters persuaded French Colonel

J.L.A. Linard to write and release a propaganda pamphlet for distribution amongst the French

military and general public entitled "Secret Information Regarding Black American Troops." The

pamphlet was an egregious exercise in racism. The document included many racist myths such as

blacks being more inclined to sexual violence. The document even went so far as to claim that

“The black American troops in France have by themselves given rise to as many complaints for

attempted rape as all the rest of the army.” This racist rhetoric was also given with explicit

instructions towards treatment of African American troops including the refusal of handshakes,

and the decree to stop fraternization between white and black troops. The French Army however

fully disregarded this text, with many French civilians also treating black soldiers with more

respect then they found at home.

In spite of the mistreatment, the 369th would go on to become one of the most decorated

units of The Great War, One man in particular, known as the Black Death amongst the French

troops would carve his way into the history books with a bolo knife drenched in German blood.

Private Henry Johnson of New York tasked with guarding the parameter of the French Line would

be faced with a 24-man German Patrol. After himself and his trench mate, Private Needham

Roberts expended all ammunition given to them, and with both suffering severe wounds at the

hands of German fire. Private Henry Johnson armed only with a bolo knife and the blunt end of

his rifle would go onto to kill four German soldiers, and stop an infiltration into the Allied lines.

Private Henry Johnson’s valor would be ignored in the eyes of America until President Barack

Obama awarded him posthumously the Medal of Honor. The French we’re not so slow to react

awarding Johnson, The Croix De Gurre making him the first American to receive such decorations.
 The Helllfighters became one of the most decorated units in the war, France themselves

awarding 170 members of the Hellfighters with The Croix De Guerre as well a unit citation given

to the regiment. The Hellfighters’ achievements we’re not always positive in nature with the

Hellfighters having served 191 days under enemy fire without losing a foot of ground or having a

man taken as prisoner, this long stand under fire and terrible replacement system led to a total of

1,500 casualties taken by the regiment, the highest of any US unit during the war. The decoration

would not be limited to military actions, James Reese Europe was band leader of the 369 th

Regiment Marching band. This band was highly renowned and regarded within Europe. The band

was known as an instant boost to the morale of fighting troops and is cited as introducing jazz to

the European Continent as a whole.

This decoration would not supersede the racist ideologies of The American Army,

Disallowing the Helllfighters renowned band from playing when the unit boarded ships to return

home. This snub continued upon crossing back to America, while most units we’re allowed into

the main victory parade the 369th, a unit who gave the most lives for this victory would not be due

to the segregation of units. This injustice however would not stop the Hellfighters from holding

their heads high. On February 17, 1919 upon returning to New York, The Hellfighters marched

through the streets of Harlem to the fanfare of thousands of people. Many black school children

would be released early to watch the parade marching from the majority white neighborhoods up

fifth avenue to the pack streets of Harlem. The 369th continued this tradition for many years

following the war, marching from their armory to the train station to attend their annual summer

camp then back upon their return.

embraced as heroes and veterans. The African American troops returned to the same system of

racism and bigotry. On December 15th a white police officer stormed into the shack of Charles

Lewis. Lewis, a black combat veteran having recently discharged from Camp Sherman following

his return from Europe had be accused of robbery by the police officer. Lewis had claimed the

rights of a soldier which would allow him to be tried by a military court but was refused and

captured. The black solider refusal to submit to white authority had triggered many of the locals.

Lewis’ cell was mobbed by around 100 masked men he had a noose placed around his neck and

was hung from a tree. When the sun rose in Hickman Kentucky many gathered to view the

veteran’s body. Many of the enlisted troops had joined the armed forces in hopes of bringing a true

democracy and equality to the US, and many of these men died in service of these ideals and this

country. Many soldiers returning home from the equality of treatment in France would resist the

treatment of the local whites. They disrupted the status quo of racial injustice leading to the race

riots in Chicago, Washington D.C. and many others. The summer of 1919 would be known as the

“Red Summer” with 76 African Americans being lynched by mobs of white, several of these men

would be veterans with some still wearing the uniforms they fought in. In 1965 Lyndon B. Johnson

would sign into law the Voting Rights Act. It would 47 years after Henry Johnson held the line

against the Germans with nothing but a bolo knife and his tenacity as a man would Jim Crow

finally start to die.

Harris, Stephen L. Harlem’s Hell Fighters: The African American 369th Infantry in World
War I. Washington, D.C.: Brasseys, 2003.

Slotkin, Richard. Lost Battalions: The Great War and the Crisis of American Nationality.
New York: John Macrae Books, 2005.

W.E.B. DuBois, “Returning Soldiers,” The Crisis, XVIII (May 1919), p. 13.

"James Reese Europe, 1881-1919." The Library of Congress. Accessed August 05, 2019.
https://www.loc.gov/item/ihas.200038842/.

The New York times. [New-York N.Y] (New York, NY), Feb. 23, 1919.
https://www.loc.gov/item/sn78004456/1919-02-23/ed-1/.

"Sergeant Henry Johnson: Medal of Honor Recipient: The United States Army." Sergeant
Henry Johnson | Medal of Honor Recipient | The United States Army. Accessed August 05, 2019.
https://www.army.mil/medalofhonor/johnson/.