San Antonio, TexasReliving Camp Logan 1917 Riot Mutiny At San Antonio September 29, 2018 San Antonio, TexasReliving Camp Logan 1917 Riot Mutiny At San Antonio September 29, 2018 San Antonio, TexasReliving Camp Logan 1917 Riot Mutiny At San Antonio September 29, 2018 San Antonio, TexasReliving Camp Logan 1917 Riot Mutiny At San Antonio September 29, 2018 San Antonio, TexasReliving Camp Logan 1917 Riot Mutiny At San Antonio September 29, 2018 San Antonio, TexasReliving Camp Logan 1917 Riot Mutiny At San Antonio September 29, 2018 San Antonio, TexasReliving Camp Logan 1917 Riot Mutiny At San Antonio September 29, 2018

It is important to tell our stories from our perspective.  What I have realized is that no one perspective is the same.  There is no wrong or right.  Our experiences and environment divides us on seeing eye to eye on many things especially on racial issues.  I had the pleasure and opportunity to participate and tour Fort Sam Houston on September 28, 2018, 100 years after the last six soldiers were hung at Camp Travis on September 17 and 24, 1918.  I sat in the very same place, Gift Chapel, where the first 63 soldiers of the Third Battalion of the all Black Twenty Fourth United States Infantry Regiment sat for their trial and received their convictions. 

Lieutenant General Jeffrey Buchanan spoke to the audience on the topic of good leadership versus bad leadership paralleling the subject with leadership regarding Black soldiers in Waco versus Houston.  The presentation was very insightful in regards to Houston's Commanding Officer, Major Kneeland S. Snow.  I had the honor of speaking to the audience after the General, followed by a local historian who lead the bus tour.  After completing the meet and greet in Gift Chapel, we loaded the Bowtie Boys bus for a bus tour throughout the base.  The group deboarded the bus at Hangman's Grove.  After a short lecture describing the events at the location, we proceeded to the 19 soldiers' first resting place after being hung.  I must say it was truly a chilling experience walking on such sacred ground.  The tour ended at the soldiers' final resting place, Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery.  

The Bowtie Boys were either placed behind a grave of given a flag to place in front of a headstone.  A wreath was placed on Private William D. Boone's grave site because he was the only soldier hung alone on September 24, 1918.  After Lieutenant General Jeffrey Buchanan remarks, I am more convinced than ever that the President of the United States should posthumous pardon the 4 soldiers killed on August 23, 1917, 109 soldiers initially convicted, and one soldier not prosecuted because of insanity.  These men were American Hero’s but because of the color of their skin were treated disrespectfully because many white southerners believed that African American soldiers were inferior and should not be allowed to wear the uniform.  Many of Houston, Texas whites including the police department resented the soldiers’ display of pride, exhibition of self-worth, and badge of authority of the United States uniform which they construed as arrogance and a threat to Jim Crowism. 

The men of the 3^rd Battalion of the 24^th US Infantry Companies I, K, L, and M unapologetically exhibited their pride, self-worth, and understood their value.  They believed that their contributions to the security of the country, the United States of America, had earned them the respect and recognition of their constitutional rights. The actions of these Colored soldiers have been miss characterized and historically blamed for the mutiny that they did not initiate.  The commanding officers, military, local, state, and federal government failed to protect the soldiers and remedy situations involving brutality on numerous occasions.  Therefore, faced with fear and imminent danger, the soldiers reacted as any reasonable person would when faced with possible death in a hostile environment regardless of orders from superiors.  They were acting out of fear in an effort to protect themselves from the gunfire fired into and outside the Negro Troop Barracks. 

The one hundred and fourteen soldiers were stripped of their honor, died, and lived in disgrace.  Given the circumstances and the time in which they lived and despite the situations still excelled.  If the Houston Police Officers involved in the riot can be held in a place of honor at the Police Memorial, then from a humanity perspective so should these soldiers.  Give them back their honor or take the honor away from the officers involved.  

The one hundred and fourteen soldier names are as follows:

1. Sergeant Vida Henry

2. Private Bryant Watson

3. Private Wily L. Strong

4. Private George Bivens

5. Sergeant William C. Nesbitt

6. Corporal Larsen J. Brown

7. Corporal James Wheatley

8. Corporal Jesse Moore

9. Corporal Charles W. Baltimore

10. Private First Class William Brackenridge

11. Private First Class Thomas Coleman Hawkins

12. Private First Class Carlos H. Snodgrass

13. Private Ira B. Davis

14. Private James Divins

15. Private Frank Johnson

16. Private Risley W. Young

17. Private Patrick Pat McWhorter

18. Private Earnest E. Adams

19. Private John Adams

20. Private Wash Adams

21. Bugler Reuben W. Baxter

22. Private Douglas T. Bolden

23. Private Fred Brown

24. Private Richard Brown

25. Private Robert Brownfield

26. Private Walter Burkett

27. Private Allie C. Buttler

28. Private Harrison Capers

29. Private Ben Cecil

30. Private James Coker

31. Private Abner Davis

32. Private Gerald Dixon

33. Cook William Frazier

34. Private Callie Glenn

35. Private Henry Green

36. Private James R. Hawkins

37. Private George Hobbs

38. Private Norman B. Holland

39. Private William J. Hough

40. Private First Class John H. Hudson, Jr.

41. Cook Nathan Humphreys, Jr

42. Private Thomas Jackson

43. Private First Class James R. Johnson

44. Private Walter T. Johnson

45. Private Richard Lewis

46. Private Douglas Lumpkins

47. Private Ben McDaniel

48. Private Dean New

49. Private George H. Parham

50. Private Stewart W. Phillips

51. Private Leroy Pinkett

52. Private Harry Richardson

53. Private Luther Rucker

54. Private Jesse Sullivan

55. Private Roy Tyler

56. Private Joseph Wardlow

57. Private Joseph Williams, Jr

58. Private Oliver Fletcher

59. Private First Class Alvin Pugh

60. Private Henry T. Walls

61. Private Walter B. Tucker

62. Private Babe Collier

63. Private Thomas McDonald

64. Private James Robinson

65. Private Joseph Smith

66. Private Albert D. Wright

67. Corporal John Washington

68. Corporal Robert M. Jones

69. Corporal Earl Clowers

70. Private Louie O’Neal

71. Private Ed McKenney

72. Private London Martin

73. Private Will Porter

74. Private John Smith

75. Private Eugene B. Taylor

76. Private Ernest Wilson

77. Private Charles Banks

78. Private William D. Boone

79. Private Henry L. Chenault

80. Corporal John Geter

81. Private John H. Gould

82. Corporal James H. Mitchell

83. Private Edward Porter

84. Private Robert Smith

85. Corporal Robert Tillman

86. Private Hezekiah C. Turner

87. Corporal Quiller Walker

88. Private Grant Anderson

89. Private Fred Avery

90. Private William Burnette

91. Private Isaac A. Deyo

92. Private William L. Dugan

93. Private James Gaffney

94. Private Charles J. Hattan

95. Private Albert T. Hunter

96. Private John Lanier

97. Private William Mance

98. Private Sherman V. Vetelcer

99. Private James E, Woodruff

100. Private Howard E. Bennett

101. Private Tom Bass

102. Private Glenn L. Hedrick

103. Private Doyle Lindsey

104. Private James V. Wofford

105. Private Warsaw Lindsay

106. Private Edie Maxwell

107. Private Samuel Riddle

108. Private Henry Thomas

109. Private John Jackson

110. Private Joe McAfee

111. Private David Wilson

112. Private Joseph T. Tatums

113. Private Grant Wells

114. Wilder P. Baker