Sergeant William Henry Johnson, A Soldier's Story
Sergeant William Henry Johnson, A Soldier's Story
William Henry Johnson was believed to have been born on July 15, 1892, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Like many African Americans of his generation, he moved north in search of opportunity, settling in New York City, where he worked as a Red Cap porter at Grand Central Terminal. It was hard, often invisible labor, but it placed him at the heart of a city on the brink of global change.
On July 15, 1917, Johnson enlisted in the New York National Guard’s 15th Infantry Regiment, answering the call to service as the United States entered World War I. The regiment was later redesignated as the 369th Infantry Regiment, an all-Black unit that would come to be known as the Harlem Hellfighters.
Because of entrenched racism within the U.S. Army, the 369th was “loaned” to the French Army under John J. Pershing, serving alongside France’s 161st Division. Outfitted with French weapons and helmets, the Harlem Hellfighters spent more time in combat than any other American regiment and earned widespread respect from their French counterparts, even as they continued to face discrimination from their own countrymen.
In the early morning hours of May 14, 1918, while on guard duty at Outpost 20 in the Argonne Forest, Johnson and fellow soldier Needham Roberts came under attack by a German raiding party estimated at roughly two dozen men. When Roberts was wounded, and Johnson’s rifle jammed, Johnson refused to retreat. He fought hand-to-hand using grenades, the butt of his rifle, a bolo knife, and finally his fists, driving the enemy back despite sustaining at least 21 wounds.
That night, Sergeant Johnson earned a fearsome battlefield reputation, reportedly being referred to by German troops as “Black Death.” For his actions, he became the first American soldier of World War I to receive France’s Croix de Guerre with Gold Palm for bravery.
Johnson’s courage made him briefly famous at home. His story appeared in The Saturday Evening Post under the title “Young Black Joe.” He joined a lecture tour intended to celebrate American heroism—until he spoke candidly about the racism and unequal treatment Black soldiers endured in the trenches. For that honesty, his tour was abruptly ended, and a warrant was reportedly issued for his arrest.
Struggling with injuries and lacking sustained support, Johnson’s health declined. He contracted tuberculosis, likely linked to gas exposure during the war, and died on July 1, 1929, at just 36 years old. For decades, his heroism faded from public memory, even as others were elevated.
In time, recognition came. Sergeant William Henry Johnson was buried at Arlington National Cemetery, and the American Legion later named him one of the five bravest Americans of World War I. In 2015, nearly a century after his actions in the Argonne, Johnson was posthumously awarded the Medal of 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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