Black Soldiers, White Laws - by John A Haymond (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

The first full and definitive narrative of one of the most shocking and largely unknown events of racial injustice in US history: the execution of nineteen Black soldiers in Texas

On the sweltering, rainy night of August 23, 1917, one of the most consequential events affecting America's long legacy of racism and injustice began in Houston, Texas. Inflamed by a rumor that a white mob was arming to attack them, and after weeks of police harassment, more than 100 African American soldiers of the 3rd Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, took their weapons without authorization and, led by a sergeant, marched into the largely Black San Felipe district of the city. Violent confrontations with police and civilians ensued and nineteen lives were lost.

The Army moved quickly to court-martial 118 soldiers on charges of mutiny and murder, even though a majority of the soldiers involved had never fired their weapons. Inadequately defended en masse by a single officer who was not a lawyer and had no experience in capital cases, in three trials undermined by perjured testimony and clear racial bias, and confronted by an all-white tribunal committed to a rapid judgment, 110 Black soldiers were found guilty--despite the fact that no mutiny had, in fact, taken place. In the predawn darkness of December 11, thirteen of them were hanged at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio--hastily and in secret, without any chance to appeal. News of the largest mass execution in the Army's history outraged the country and inspired preventive legislation; and yet six more Black soldiers were executed in early 1918 and the rest were sentenced to life in prison.

The Houston Incident, as it became known, has remained largely untold, a deep stain on the Army's record and pride. Award-winning historian and Army veteran John A. Haymond has spent six years researching the events surrounding the Incident and leading the efforts that ultimately led, in November 2023, to the largest act of retroactive clemency in the Army's history when the verdicts were overturned and honorable discharges awarded to all the soldiers involved. His dramatic chronicle of what transpired--situated amongst the rampant racism in Texas and the country--is a crucially important and harrowing reminder of our racially violent past, offering the promise that justice, even posthumously, can prevail.

Review Quotes

Praise for Black Soldiers, White Laws:

"A vivid, thoroughgoing account of the largest mass execution of American soldiers in U.S. Army history . . . [A] testimonial to the arc of justice's slow turning, and a somber, ably told story of race and racism in America."--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Brilliant, heartfelt, powerful, and sad! Salute to John Haymond for documenting the truth of this tragedy in American history that saw 110 Buffalo Soldiers' rights trampled, including the unjust execution of 19 of those men. John paints another clear image illustrating the arc of the moral universe bending towards justice."--Brigadier General Ronald D. Sullivan, Chief Judge, U.S. Army Court of Criminal Appeals (Oct 2021 - May 2024)

"This is a story of American Soldiers put in a nearly impossible situation, whose leadership failed them, and who suffered unspeakable consequences. It is also a story of committed modern-day soldiers and patriots who waged a campaign to, at least in some way, right a wrong that never should have occurred."--Paul T. Mikolashek, Lieutenant General (retired), former The Inspector General of the Army

"Until now the Camp Logan narrative has been based largely on the courts-martial and other government sources. Haymond has placed these documents on trial and exposed massive miscarriages of justice. More than a new interpretation, this compelling book is a game changer."--Garna Christian, Professor Emeritus, University of Houston Downtown, author of Black Soldiers in Jim Crow Texas, 1899-1917

"John Haymond tells a compelling and a complicated, yet historical, story. I highly recommend this book."--Gracus K. Dunn, Brigadier General, U.S. Army (retired)

About the Author

JOHN A. HAYMOND is an award-winning historian who researches and writes on topics of conflict history, the history of military law, and social justice issues. He teaches history in Tacoma, Washington. In 2018, he served as the lead historian at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas, on a military project to commemorate the 1917 Houston Mutiny courts-martial and executions. He is the coauthor and lead historian of the Houston Incident Clemency Petition sponsored by the NAACP, a 120-page historical and legal study that was submitted to the Secretary of the Army in 2020. He is also a veteran of twenty-one years in the US Army.