A century after more than 100 Black soldiers were court-martialed — and 19 executed — following a racially motivated riot in Houston in the midst of World War I, the Army acknowledged Monday that the troops were the victims of a legal system that was stacked against them.
On Monday, Army Secretary Christine Wormuth agreed to set aside the convictions for the 110 soldiers of the all-Black 3rd Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, also known as the Buffalo Soldiers. She ordered that their personnel records be corrected to characterize their military service as honorable.
“After a thorough review, the [Army Board for Correction of Military Records] has found that these soldiers were wrongly treated because of their race and were not given fair trials,” Ms. Wormuth said. “By setting aside their convictions and granting honorable discharges, the Army is acknowledging past mistakes and setting the record straight.”
The so-called Houston Riot, also known as the “Camp Logan Mutiny,” began on Aug. 23, 1917, after the Black soldiers were ordered to guard the construction of Camp Logan, a training base west of downtown Houston. Tensions were already high: The soldiers had been the victims of months of racial provocations from local police and other officials, and on the fateful day, local Houston police officers beat and arrested Corp. Charles Baltimore, who had been acting in his official capacity as a military police officer.
“Even after Baltimore was returned alive but bloodied to camp, the increasing anger and fear resulting from this latest episode of racist violence fed into the tension that gripped the 3rd Battalion camp that dark and rainy August night,” law professor Dru Brenner-Beck and historian John Haymond wrote in a recent essay for the National Institute of Military Justice.
The Army noted in its statement that, “following the assaults, and amid rumors of additional threats to soldiers, a group of more than 100 Black soldiers seized weapons and marched into the city where clashes erupted. The violence left 19 people dead.”
In October 2020, Ms. Brenner-Beck, a retired military lawyer, and Mr. Haymond petitioned the Army for posthumous clemency for all 110 soldiers convicted following the riot.
The first set of executions occurred in complete secrecy and within a day of sentencing. The executions were technically legal because the U.S. was at war at the time, but historians said the decision to carry out the hangings with no judicial review or opportunity to seek clemency violated longstanding Army traditions.
The incident led the Army to prohibit future executions without the review by the War — now Defense — Department and the president.
Undersecretary of the Army Gabe Camarillo on Monday praised the decision to address the injustices done to the soldiers of the 3rd Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment.
“We cannot change the past; however, this decision provides the Army and the American people an opportunity to learn from this difficult moment in our history,” Mr. Camarillo said.
Army investigators said they pushed to set aside the convictions after the Army Board for Correction of Military Records investigated the case of each soldier convicted by court-martial for his role in the Houston riot. The cases were permeated by “significant deficiencies” that led the board to conclude the legal proceedings against them were fundamentally unfair, the Army said.
“With the support of our experts, our dedicated board members looked at each record carefully and came up with our best advice to Army leaders to correct a miscarriage of justice,” said Deputy Assistant Army Secretary Michael Mahoney, who oversaw the legal review. “We’re proud of the hard work we did to make things right in this case.”
The Army said relatives of convicted soldiers may be entitled to benefits now that their records are cleared. The Department of Veterans Affairs has been involved with the case and is prepared to assist family members, officials said.
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.