Army overturns convictions of Black soldiers in 1917 Houston riots
- The WWI-era riots took place as Black soldiers were stationed in Texas
- 110 soldiers were convicted in courts martial found to have deficiencies
- 19 soldiers were executed in the largest mass execution in Army history
Scene during Court Martial of 64 members of the 24th Infantry United States of America on trial for mutiny and murder of 17 people at Houston, Texas August 23, 1917. Trial held in Gift Chapel Fort Sam Houston. Trial started November 1, 1917, Brigadier General George K. Hunter presiding. Colonel J.A. Hull, Judge Advocate, Council for Defense, Major Harvy S. Grier. Major D.V. Sutphin, Assistant Advocate. Prisoners guarded by 19th Infantry Company C, Captain Carl J. Adler. (National Archives)
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(NewsNation) — The Army is setting aside convictions and retroactively granting honorable discharges to more than 100 Black soldiers convicted after the World War I-era Houston riots.
Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth approved the recommendation to set aside the convictions of 110 Black soldiers who served in the 3rd Battalion of the 24th Infantry Regiment.
“After a thorough review, the Board has found that these Soldiers were wrongly treated because of their race and were not given fair trials,” said Wormuth. “By setting aside their convictions and granting honorable discharges, the Army is acknowledging past mistakes and setting the record straight.”
Also known as Buffalo Soldiers, the battalion was stationed at Camp Logan in Texas for training in 1917. While many of the soldiers were familiar with Jim Crow laws that segregated the South, many also expected equal treatment because of their service in the military.
On Aug. 23, 1917, Houston police arrested a Black woman and beat and arrested a soldier who attempted to intervene in the incident. When a military policeman went to ask about the arrest of the soldier, police fired on him.
He escaped, but a rumor that he had been shot and killed led to a group of soldiers taking up arms and begin marching to the jailhouse. A total of 19 people were killed in the violence.
The Army convicted 110 soldiers in the riots, leading to the largest mass execution of American soldiers by the Army, when 19 men were executed. After the first executions happened in secrecy, within a day of sentencing, leading to a change prohibiting executions without review from the War Department and the president.
Historians characterized the courts martial where the soldiers were convicted as having “numerous irregularities.” Three separate courts martial were held, with the first trial including 63 defendants represented by one attorney, who was given two weeks to prepare. There were 169 witnesses for the prosecution but only 29 for the defense and some witnesses may have been coerced. Thirteen of the men from that trial were sentenced to death by hanging.
After reviewing the cases, the Army Board for Correction of Military Records found deficiencies in the cases, leading them to conclude the proceedings were unfair due to the race of the soldiers. The board recommended the convictions be set aside and, where possible, military records be updated to reflect honorable conduct.
Relatives of the soldiers could be entitled to benefits after the change in status. Family members can find records at https://arba.army.pentagon.mil/abcmr-app.html and apply for benefits at https://arba.army.pentagon.mil/online-application.html.
