Henry Johnson the Harlem Hellfighter Who Fought Alone in 1918

Jan 16 , 2026

Henry Johnson the Harlem Hellfighter Who Fought Alone in 1918

Blood in the Night. A single man, torched with bullets and bayonets, stands between death and a dozen enemy soldiers clawing for his unit. A force unmatched, consumed by fire and fury.

This was Henry Johnson in the mud and shadow of the Argonne Forest, 1918. No retreat. No surrender. Just raw defiance.

The Roots of Steel

Henry Johnson was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, in 1892. Raised in the segregated South, his path to the front was paved with prejudice and stubborn dignity. He enlisted in the New York National Guard’s 15th Infantry Regiment—soon known as the Harlem Hellfighters—the first African American regiment to see combat in World War I.

His faith was quiet but unshakable. A belief in something greater than himself kept him relentless. A warrior with a soul anchored in scripture. Johnson carried Psalm 23 with him, whispered on cold nights:

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.”

Faith wasn’t a crutch but a shield. His courage wasn’t a story of will alone but of conviction.

The Battle That Defined Him

On May 15, 1918, during a moonless night on the Western Front, Johnson and fellow soldier Needham Roberts were on sentry duty near the village of Longueval. A German raiding party descended, brutal and determined.

When Roberts was seriously wounded early in the fight, Johnson fought alone. Armed only with a rifle, a bolo knife, and bare hands, Johnson repelled the attack. He reportedly bayoneted several enemy soldiers and fought relentlessly for hours, even as he suffered 21 wounds—bullet holes, bayonet stabs, and slashes.

Every man knew the price of retreat, and Henry paid it with blood. He saved his comrade and prevented the destruction of the unit’s position.

Chronicles from that night say he smashed the enemy officer’s skull with his rifle butt and sustained hits that would have felled lesser men. His resolve was iron against the ravages of a merciless war.

Recognition in the Fog of War

Despite his heroic deeds, the scars Johnson carried were more visible than his medals. The U.S. Army awarded him the Distinguished Service Cross—the nation’s second-highest military honor—yet the Medal of Honor eluded him for decades, hindered by racial discrimination.

The citation reads: "For extraordinary heroism in action near Château-Thierry, France... alone and armed only with a rifle and grenades he beat off a much larger enemy force."[[1]](Sources)

Veterans who fought alongside him spoke of his “exceptional bravery” and “indomitable spirit” breaking through the fog of prejudice and combat alike.

It wasn’t until 2015—nearly a hundred years later—that President Barack Obama posthumously awarded Johnson the Medal of Honor. A long-overdue reckoning, a nation finally whispering thanks to the man who stood alone in the dark.

The Undying Lesson of Henry Johnson

Henry Johnson’s story is blooded in sacrifice and stained by the neglect of those he saved. His fight wasn’t just against the enemy in the trenches but against the hatred within his own country.

His courage teaches that valor does not ask for permission. It bursts from the soul, weaponized by faith and purpose.

Johnson’s legacy is not just war scars or medals pinned posthumously—it is a testament to those who fight unseen battles every day for justice and dignity.

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” — Joshua 1:9

The warrior’s prayer does more than echo in battle. It lives in the marrow of redemption and honor.

Sgt. Henry Johnson stands as the eternal vanguard for all forgotten heroes—those crushed beneath the weight of history’s silence. A flame burning bright, even in the deepest dark.

His story demands that we remember: true courage is never extinguished. It only grows, carried in the hearts of those who dare to stand when all others fall.

Sources

1. U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients: World War I 2. PBS, Henry Johnson: The Harlem Hellfighter 3. National Archives, 15th New York Infantry, The Harlem Hellfighters – Unit History 4. The New York Times, “Henry Johnson Awarded Medal of Honor,” February 2015 5. Congressional Medal of Honor Society, Citation for Sgt. Henry Johnson