Feb 04 , 2026

Sgt. Henry Johnson and the night a Harlem Hellfighter held the line

Sgt. Henry Johnson’s hands bled, his ribs shattered, but he kept fighting—when most men would have fallen. A wild night in the Argonne Forest, 1918. German raiders swarmed, but Johnson stood alone, a living wall between death and his unit’s camp. Darkness all around. His rifle jammed. So he grabbed a bolo knife and carved a path through the enemy. The night was soaked with blood and grit, but Henry held the line. Not because he was unbreakable—because he had no other choice.

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Background & Faith

Born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 1892, Henry Johnson grew up in hardship, but he carried a warrior’s spirit rooted in honor and faith. Moving north to Albany, New York, he answered the call to serve, enlisting in the New York National Guard’s 15th Infantry Regiment—the famed Harlem Hellfighters.

He carried the weight of his faith like armor, grounded in Psalm 23: “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.” For Johnson, this verse was no abstraction. It was a lifeline––his compass when chaos swallowed all certainty.

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The Battle That Defined Him

The night of May 15, 1918, near the village of Apremont, France, the nightmare began. The Germans launched a surprise raid aimed at wiping out Johnson’s unit. Outnumbered and without backup, Johnson reacted instantly.

His rifle malfunctioned. Ammunition empty. So he used a bolo knife—a weapon not standard-issue, but one he mastered.

He fought all night—one man against a company of enemies.

Shrapnel and bullets tore into his body. His left arm shattered, ribs broken, face slashed. Despite agonizing pain, he refused to retreat. Twice he knocked down attackers, disarmed others, and saved a fellow soldier from being dragged away. When the sun rose, over two German soldiers lay dead, and numerous others wounded.

Johnson’s actions saved his entire unit from being overrun. His brutal defense bought time for reinforcements to arrive and pushed back the enemy advance.

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Recognition

For decades, Sgt. Henry Johnson’s heroism was overlooked by the U.S. military—shunned partly because of racism prevalent at the time. He was awarded the French Croix de Guerre with a gold palm in 1918, France’s highest honor for valor.

But it took nearly a century for the United States to catch up. In 2015, President Barack Obama presented Johnson’s Medal of Honor posthumously, acknowledging his extraordinary courage.

“Henry Johnson fought with a ferocity that few men could match,” said Lieutenant James Reese Europe, Johnson’s unit commander. “He saved our lives that night when the world seemed hell-bent on swallowing us whole.”[^1]

His citation reads, in part: “Although severely wounded, Sgt. Johnson continued to engage the enemy and refused to abandon his post, resulting in the protection of his fellow soldiers.”

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Legacy & Lessons

Henry Johnson’s story is carved in the crucible of war and cloaked in redemption. His scars tell of sacrifice made without fanfare. His legacy sits at the crossroads of valor and injustice.

He showed what courage looks like when there is no safety net. When all was broken, he fought through fear and pain—a reminder that heroism often demands grit, endurance, and faith.

His fight continues to inspire veterans and civilians alike: courage is not the absence of fear, but standing firm despite it. Redemption can come even after years of silence and neglect.

His life—marked by battle and belief—calls us to honor the forgotten, to understand the cost of liberty, and to see every soldier as a bearer of sacrifice.

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“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction.” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

Sgt. Henry Johnson bled for a nation that barely saw him. Today, his wounds remind us: redemption is possible. Valor is timeless. And a single man, armed with nothing but faith and a blade, can stop history’s darkest night from swallowing the dawn.

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[^1]: NY Historical Society, Henry Johnson and the Harlem Hellfighters; U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Citation, Sgt. Henry Johnson, 1918.

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