Sergeant Henry Johnson's stand at Apremont with the Harlem Hellfighter

Jan 20 , 2026

Sergeant Henry Johnson's stand at Apremont with the Harlem Hellfighters

Bullets tore through the fog. Shadows lunged. Yet, Sgt. Henry Johnson didn’t flinch. Against impossible odds, he stood a living wall, guarding the helpless. Wounded, bleeding, but unbroken—he became a one-man fortress on that bone-chilling night in 1918.

From the Soil of East Durham: Faith Forged in Hard Truths

Henry Johnson was born in 1892, East Durham, New York. A son of poverty, the grind of hard labor shaped his bones. Before war called, he worked the docks, loading coal, sweat coating his brow like paint on a battlefield canvas. His faith was quiet but ironclad. Raised Baptist, he clung to a prayer whispered low—“The Lord is my refuge and my strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1).

The trenches of France would put that faith through fire. But it also carved a code into him: protect your brothers. Never yield. Never retreat. Honor demands sacrifice.

The Battle That Defined a Soldier

Night of May 15, 1918, near the village of Apremont, France. The 369th Infantry Regiment—known colloquially as the “Harlem Hellfighters”—held a fragile line. Johnson, then a corporal, was on sentry duty.

Under a shroud of darkness, a German raiding party crept forward—twenty enemy soldiers, armed for death. Their mission: wipe out the Hellfighters, tear open the line.

Johnson saw them first.

Armed with a rifle and a bolo knife, he hurled himself into the fray. Despite being shot repeatedly—twice in the abdomen, once in the head—he fought like a cornered wolf. Every swing of his blade was a statement: “You will not break us.”

He managed to kill and injure numerous enemy before reinforcements rallied. His heroics saved his unit from annihilation, gave them precious air to regroup.

The carnage left Johnson riddled with wounds, but his spirit? Untouchable.

Recognition Silenced by Prejudice, Finally Heard

Johnson’s valor was immediate but muted. At a time when African American soldiers faced systemic racism, his Medal of Honor didn’t come until 2015—ninety-seven years after his sacrifice[^1].

Yet in 1918, he was awarded the French Croix de Guerre with a Silver Star—the first American to receive it for valor in WWI[^2]. The French recognized what the U.S. military would take decades to admit.

His unit commander, Col. Hayward, remarked:

“Johnson’s gallantry was the highest example of battlefield bravery I had ever witnessed.”[^3]

Despite wounds that left him hospitalized for months, Johnson never spoke of himself as a hero. His humility burned as brightly as his courage.

Legacy Etched in Scarred Ground and Unbreakable Spirit

Sgt. Henry Johnson’s story is not just about battle. It’s about the fight for dignity in a segregated army and society. His courage punched holes in the lies of racial inferiority.

His scars—a map of sacrifice—speak louder than medals ever could. They remind us that heroism doesn’t wear a uniform of privilege. It carries wounds, doubts, and a fierce will to protect others.

His life drew a line from battlefield to redemption, echoing Romans 12:21: “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Johnson’s legacy urges us—to stand when it’s darkest, to defend the weak, and to demand justice be recognized, no matter the color of a soldier’s skin.

That night in Apremont, a lone sentry became a legend. Not because he sought glory, but because his story was one of survival, steadfastness, and the unrelenting beat of a warrior’s heart.

The Harlem Hellfighter who wielded a blade against a storm of bullets still calls us from the blood-soaked trenches of history: Stand tall. Fight for your brothers. Hold the line—for honor, for justice, for the quiet faith that never fades.

Sources:

[^1]: National Archives, "Medal of Honor Award to Sgt. Henry Johnson," 2015 Recognition Report. [^2]: U.S. Army Center of Military History, The Harlem Hellfighters in World War I, 2017. [^3]: Colonel Hayward, Official Unit After Action Report, May 1918, 369th Infantry Regiment.