Corporal Freddie Stowers, A Soldier's Story
Corporal Freddie Stowers, A Soldier's Story
Corporal Freddie Stowers was born on January 12, 1894, in Sandy Springs, South Carolina. Before the war, he worked as a farm laborer, a life shaped by long days, physical endurance, and quiet responsibility.
In 1917, following the United States’ entry into World War I, Stowers was drafted into the U.S. Army. He was assigned to Company C, 1st Battalion, 371st Infantry Regiment, an African American unit that ultimately served under French command as part of the 157th Infantry Division, the famed “Red Hand” Division.
On September 28, 1918, near the French village of Ardeuil-et-Montfauxelles, Corporal Stowers’ company was ordered to assault heavily fortified German positions on Hill 188 (often referred to in records as Côte 188). As the advance began, enemy forces falsely signaled surrender and then opened fire at close range, inflicting devastating casualties and killing several officers.
With leadership shattered and the unit pinned down by machine-gun fire, Corporal Stowers rose and took command. Repeatedly exposing himself to enemy fire, he rallied his fellow soldiers, urging them forward and leading the assault uphill. Despite being wounded, Stowers continued advancing, directing grenades and rifle fire against enemy machine-gun nests.
Only after his unit had overrun the German positions and secured the hill did Corporal Stowers finally succumb to his wounds. His leadership and courage turned what could have been a catastrophic defeat into a successful assault.
For his conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty, Corporal Freddie Stowers was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, though not until 1991, more than seventy years after his death, a delay widely acknowledged as rooted in racial injustice.
Corporal Freddie Stowers is buried at Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery in France.
His legacy stands as both a testament to extraordinary battlefield courage and a reminder of the long-overdue recognition granted to African American soldiers who fought, and died, for a country that did not yet grant them equal honor.
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About the Author
a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller traveling through life
She shares her journeys at Take the Back Roads, explores new reads at Rite of Fancy, and highlights U.S. military biographies at Everyday Patriot.
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