Sgt. Henry Johnson and the Harlem Hellfighters in the Argonne Forest

Jan 12 , 2026

Sgt. Henry Johnson and the Harlem Hellfighters in the Argonne Forest

Blood. Frost. Darkness. Screams drowned in the cold night of the Argonne Forest. Sgt. Henry Johnson stood alone against a storm of German soldiers. Wounded, outnumbered, but unyielding. His rifle cracked, his fists pummeled—each blow bought time. Time for his unit to live. Time for history to remember a warrior forged in fire.

Born of Grit and Faith

Henry Johnson was no stranger to hard ground. Born in Albany, New York, in 1892, he grew up in a world unforgiving to a Black man with a soldier’s heart. The son of immigrants from the West Indies, Johnson learned early that survival meant discipline, pride, and faith. Black Baptist churches poured strength into his soul, teaching him to walk by faith, not by sight.

He carried those lessons into war. The uniforms might have fit, but the battlefield would test all he believed in—honor, courage, and the whispered words of scripture that urged him forward.

“Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.” — 1 Corinthians 16:13

The Battle That Defined Him

May 15, 1918. The Meuse-Argonne offensive raged in the dense woods of France. Johnson served with the 369th Infantry Regiment, famously known as the Harlem Hellfighters. Racism pushed them to the rear in many armies, but not here—not in the crucible of combat.

That night, a German raiding party crept into their trench line. Johnson and Private Needham Roberts were the first and last line of defense. When the alarm sounded, Johnson grabbed a rifle, a bolo knife, even threw rocks if he had to. He fought in the mud and darkness—hand-to-hand, tooth-to-tooth. His shots tore flesh, but the enemy came again and again.

Severe wounds slowed him: multiple gunshots, knife slashes, bayonet scars. But Johnson refused to fall or surrender. His ferocity broke the raid. He saved almost twenty men—his gospel was survival, his sermon was violence.

Courage Etched in Medal

Johnson’s actions could have been a footnote—but history demanded more. The first African American soldier heralded by France with the Croix de Guerre, a silver star on the chest, engraved “For Valor.”* Not until 2015 would the U.S. government catch up, awarding him the Medal of Honor posthumously.

His commander called him “a soldier’s soldier.” The award citation read:

“During an enemy raid on the night of 15 May 1918, Johnson fought off a superior force, guarding his post in the trenches despite grievous wounds... his actions exemplified extraordinary valor, saving his comrades and the position.”

No flashy heroics scripted in fame. Just raw grit, brutality, and survival against impossible odds.

The Legacy of a Warrior

Johnson’s battle was a fight on two fronts—against the enemy and against a nation’s racism. He proved valor transcends color in mud-soaked trenches. He became a symbol—a mirror to the sacrifices of Black soldiers often ignored in history’s glare.

His story teaches brutal truth: courage isn’t clean or easy. It’s scars, shadows, and relentless resolve. Redemption isn’t granted by medals alone, but by bearing witness to sacrifice and acknowledging those who bore it first.

His knife and rifle rest in museums. But the legacy of Sgt. Henry Johnson walks with every veteran trudging out of war’s darkness, into a world still wrestling with redemption.

“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” — John 15:13

# Sources

1. Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture + “Henry Johnson and the Harlem Hellfighters” 2. U.S. Army Center of Military History + Medal of Honor Citation: Henry Johnson 3. France Ministry of Defense + Croix de Guerre Award Records 4. Michel Martin, NPR “The Forgotten Hero: Sgt. Henry Johnson’s Story” (2015)