Henry Johnson's Valor at Bellau Wood as a Harlem Hellfighter

Feb 05 , 2026

Henry Johnson's Valor at Bellau Wood as a Harlem Hellfighter

The night was thick with mud and gunfire. Screams pierced the cold French air outside the trenches near the village of Bellau Wood. Sgt. Henry Johnson moved alone through the darkness, a shadow stalking death itself. His hands gripped a rifle and a bolo knife—an instrument of brutal necessity. Enemy whispers turned to roars. He would not let them slip past.

The Seed of a Soldier’s Spirit

Born in 1892 in Albany, New York, Henry Johnson was no stranger to hardship. Raised in a working-class family, he carried the weight of survival deep in his bones. When the war called, he answered not for glory but for purpose.

Henry’s faith was quiet but steady, a moral compass amid chaos. He held to principles taught in a little church, echoing in his heart like Psalm 23: “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.” His fight was not just against flesh and bullet but against despair itself.

The Battle That Defined Him

May 15, 1918. The dark of night cloaked Bellau Wood. German raiding parties moved like wolves, hellbent on breaking the seams of the Allied front. Johnson was part of the all-black 369th Infantry Regiment—the Harlem Hellfighters—an elite unit under French command, fighting with a ferocity unmatched yet unheralded in America.

Enemy soldiers swarmed through his line. Alerted by a sentinel’s warning, Johnson and Private Needham Roberts stood together, isolated and outnumbered. What followed is war stripped bare: brutal, raw, merciless. Despite multiple gunshots and bayonet wounds—some so severe doctors doubted survival—Johnson kept firing and slashing through the enemy, protecting his comrade and his comrades.

When the attack had passed, eleven enemy dead surrounded him. His arms shredded, bleeding, but his spirit unbroken. He dragged Roberts to safety.

“Henry's courage and determination were unmatched. He fought as though the fate of the world relied on his shoulders.” — Charles W. Whittlesey, 369th Infantry commander[^1]

The Honors the Nation Hesitated to Give

Johnson’s heroism was not honored immediately at home. The color of his skin, the era’s bitter segregation, delayed true recognition. He received the Croix de Guerre from France, the nation he fought under, and praise from allies who witnessed his valor.

It wasn’t until 2015—nearly a century later—that the U.S. bestowed upon him the Medal of Honor, the highest American military decoration. His award citation reads:

“For extraordinary heroism in action in the vicinity of Château-Thierry, France, on May 15, 1918... Sgt. Johnson displayed extraordinary valor and bravery, single-handedly repelling a German raid.”[^2]

His legacy was sealed not just by medals but by the scars he bore—and never bowed beneath.

From Bloodstains Rise Lessons

Henry Johnson stands as a testament to indomitable courage shaped by faith and forged in hell. His story reminds us: true valor knows no color. True sacrifice demands no audience.

He fought for his brothers-in-arms, for a country that failed to honor him fully in his lifetime. And in that betrayal shines a harsh lesson—redemption often comes slow, but it is never beyond reach.

The battlefield never forgets those who stand when others flee. Johnson’s fight is eternal—etched in smoke and bullet, faith and flesh.

“Let us then be strong and courageous, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” — Deuteronomy 31:6

His courage is a call to action for every soul who faces their own war. To fight. To endure. To rise.

[^1]: Unit History and Personal Letters, The Harlem Hellfighters: Black Soldiers in World War I, Elizabeth Cobbs Hoffman. [^2]: Congressional Medal of Honor Society, Medal of Honor Citation for Henry Johnson, 2015.