The Houston Riots of August 23, 1917

While, once again, we are not doing a "1917 day by day", particularly as the story of the Punitive Expedition can't be run day by day on a centennial basis, we are still in the same era and we do note some things. Today we note a terrible event.

On this day in 1917, in Houston Texas, two policemen arrested a black soldier for interfering with the arrest of a black woman.  In the afternoon a military policeman, or as we should note a black military policeman, Cpl. Charles Baltimore, inquired of a white city policeman of the arrest. The white policeman took offense, there was an exchange of heated words, the white policeman assaulted Cpl. Baltimore who then fled, and was shot, but not killed, while making his retreat.  Baltimore was shot at three more times, took refuge in an unoccupied house, was arrested, and then released.

In spite of Baltimore's release, a rumor rapidly spread through nearby Camp Logan that Baltimore was being held and the soldiers of the all black 24th Infantry began to arm themselves in order to march downtown and secure his release.  Their officers first discounted anything occurring but then took steps to secure arms. A rumor then circulated that a white mob was marching on Camp Logan and the riot was off and running.  Led by Sgt. Vida Henry, who had first alerted his superiors of the planned raid prior to the riot, about 100 soldiers of the 24th Infantry marched on downtown, killing fifteen (white) Houstonians, including four policeman.  Twelve other Houstonians were wounded, including one policeman who later died.  Four soldiers were killed as well, two of whom were friendly fire incidents.  After the mutineers shot Cpt. Joseph Mattes, Illinois National Guard, by mistake their cohesion broke down and Sgt. Henry advised them to slip back into Camp Logan.  He then killed himself.

The Army indicted 118 enlisted men of I Company, 24th Infantry (the only company to participate in the riot) for mutiny and rioting.  110 were found guilty. Nineteen were hanged and sixty-three received life sentences. One was judged incompetent to stand trial. Two of their white officers faced courts-martial but they were released. No Houstonians were tried.

The military court martial was joint in nature and constitutes the largest murder trial, in terms of defendants, in U.S. history.  It was aided by seven soldiers turning states evidence against their fellows early on.

The event left a lasting mark on race relations of the time but it did lead to reforms in military court martials that imposed more executive oversight over them, stemming from a feeling that the Army had reacted too harshly.  It oddly also lead to a smoother transition into integration in Houston years later as one of the city politicians of that era had witnessed the events as a young boy, and privately and effectively urged integration on a private basis.