Once again, THEY (whoever THEY is), cheated. This is one two-sided sign, that covers one subject, that THEY count as two! This Historical Marker is located on the corner of W.O. Ezell Boulevard and Blackstock Road on the Westside of Spartanburg and honors the 15th New York Infantry and The Harlem Hellfighters. Which are the same thing. But THEY count it as two Historical Markers. The 15th New York Infantry (the Harlem Hellfighters) was also the 369th Infantry Regiment. Confused yet?
The marker reads: “15th N.Y. INFANTRY The 15th N.Y. Infantry, a volunteer National Guard unit of African American soldier, arrived here Oct. 10th 1917, to train at Camp Wadsworth. Race riots that summer in East St. Louis and Houston raised the fears of Spartanburg’s whites about the potential for racial violence if Northern black soldiers trained here. Though the 15th N.Y. was ordered not to respond to any insults or physical abuse by local whites, tensions rose for the next two weeks. (Continued on other side) Harlem Hellfighters The War Dept., fearing that minor incidents would soon escalate, ordered the unit back to N.Y. on Oct. 24th and on to France. As the 369th U.S. Infantry, it joined the 4th French Army and its band won acclaim all over France for its concerts. It was the first American in combat, and was soon nicknamed the Harlem Hellfighters. It was at the front for 191 days, longest of any American Unit of World War I.”
The 15th was known as the first African American unit in the U.S. Army, but it also included a number of Puerto Ricans. Prior to its formation, if an African American wished to fight in the war, he would have to join the French or Canadian Army.
The Harlem Hellfighters became one of the most decorated units of WWI and one of its most celebrated members was Henry Johnson. Johnson single-handedly fought off a German raid with only his rifle butt and his bare hands. It is believed that he killed four German soldiers and held off approximately 30 more! He was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously in 2015. The History Channel did a brief piece on his story.
The Harlem Hellfighters marching band was loved all over Europe, largely due to the fact that they introduced the French and British soldiers to the new American music genre known as Jazz.
Author Max Brooks (World War Z, The Great Wall, and The Zombie Survival Guide) penned a graphic novel based on the exploits of the Harlem Hellfighters. Sony and Will Smith acquired the film rights to the book and it’s currently in production.
There is a lot more to this fascinating story, and I encourage you to read more about it.
And I still say that this should only count as one marker!