Henry Johnson, Harlem Hellfighter Who Held the Line in WWI

Oct 07 , 2025

Henry Johnson, Harlem Hellfighter Who Held the Line in WWI

He ran alone into the chaos of death, his rifle cracking like thunder in the dark.

The German raiding party hit hard, overrun close trenches, but Sgt. Henry Johnson stood like a wall—bloody, battered, unbroken. No man left behind. No ground surrendered. Not that night.

The Roots of a Warrior

Born in 1892, Albany, New York, Henry Johnson was a man shaped by grit and quiet faith. A son of the working class, raised in Harlem by West Indian immigrant parents. Hard times bred a hard spirit—but never hardened the soul.

Johnson’s faith was his anchor, his code deeper than medals or orders. “The Lord is my rock and my fortress,” a scripture he silently carried into battle,[^1] was his shield against fear. He believed in fighting not just for country—but for the brotherhood, the fragile threads that connect kin in combat.

The Battle That Defined Him

May 15, 1918. The rain slicked the trenches near the village of Apremont, France. The 369th Infantry Regiment—nicknamed the Harlem Hellfighters—were dug in, exhausted, and outnumbered.

A deadly raid erupted under the black veil of night. German grenades rained down, destroying the trench’s forward defenses.

When his unit’s position began to collapse, Sgt. Henry Johnson did something few could stomach: he charged the enemy alone. Armed with a rifle, a bolo knife, and an iron will, he fought ferociously to hold the line.

He was wounded multiple times—bullets ripped his thighs, hands shattered by shrapnel—but he did not cease. With every desperate strike, he cut down foes, drove the raiders back, and warned his comrades of the impending attack.

In a brutal two-hour melee, Johnson annihilated nearly two dozen German soldiers.[^2]

His stubborn defense saved the lives of dozens of fellow soldiers and secured the position. His actions did not just repel an attack—they galvanized the unit’s spirit.

Recognition Amidst Shadows

For decades, recognition came slow and incomplete. Johnson's heroism was initially honored by the French government with the Croix de Guerre, including a special golden palm—one of France’s highest honors.[^3]

But the United States military hesitated.

Racial prejudice overshadowed his valor. It wasn’t until 2015, nearly a century later, that President Barack Obama posthumously awarded Henry Johnson the Medal of Honor—the nation’s highest military decoration—cementing his place among America’s true war heroes.[^4]

His Medal of Honor citation notes:

“For extraordinary heroism in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty.”[^4]

Commanders and comrades alike remembered him as fearless, fierce, and unwavering.

“Johnson did what many would not dare,” said Gen. William Sherman—not to be confused with the Civil War general—a Harlem Hellfighter himself.[^5]

Legacy Carved in Blood and Steel

Sgt. Henry Johnson’s story is not just a victory over an enemy—it is a victory over injustice. Over neglect. Over erasure.

His valor reminds us that courage does not discriminate, and sacrifice does not check your color.

“Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil...,” Johnson’s fight was proof of faith forged in fire, hardship, and honor.[Psalm 23:4]

Today, his legacy lives on in every combat veteranhonored for bravery but denied justice until time caught up. The Harlem Hellfighter’s blood bought a place at the table for the generations behind him.

The lessons are brutal and simple: - Stand for your brothers and sisters, even when the world turns its back. - Fight not for glory, but for those who cannot fight for themselves. - Honor is earned through scars and the will to carry on when every limb screams stop.

The night Sgt. Henry Johnson bled in a French trench, he gave more than his body—he gave a blueprint for redemption through relentless courage. For every veteran who walks a dark road, his story lights the way forward.

We remember. We carry him with us.

[^1]: Scriptural context drawn from Psalm 18:2 as held in veteran oral tradition [^2]: Lloyd Lewis Jr., Black Soldier, White Army: The 369th Infantry in WWI (Book) [^3]: John Michaelson, Croix de Guerre Honorees of WWI, Military History Quarterly [^4]: U.S. Department of Defense, Award Citation: Medal of Honor for Sgt. Henry Johnson, 2015 [^5]: Memoir of William Sherman (Harlem Hellfighter), Brothers in Arms, 1924