Preliminary Situation

The Assignment

The 3/24th IN BN under the command of Colonel(COL)

William Newman were assigned to guard the construction
of Camp Logan in Houston, Texas.

Camp Logan was located on the outskirts of Houston.

Texas was a hostile environment to black soldiers and

against the advice of COL. Newman the soldiers were
assigned the duty.

th
20

Century Texas & Race

Relations

Texas was an especially

hostile environment for
Buffalo and black soldiers.

The white citizens did not

want black soldiers stationed
in Texas and would write to
the War Department
complaining about the
soldiers and request that the
soldiers be removed from
their cities.

In 1898, members of the 10th

Cavalry while travelling on a
train from Huntsville to San
Antonio received sniper fire.

Causes

Camp Logan

Two incidents minor in scope that occurred at Logan could

have turned into major incidents : refusal of black soldiers to
drink out of the colored water barrels and the refusal of the
soldiers to stop a fight between white and black workers.

28 July 1917- Soldiers from Camp Logan went to Houston

for entertainment. In their attempt to return to Camp on
time, the soldiers disregarded the Jim Crow laws of Texas.
Their actions were rude, boorish and offended the white
citizenry of Houston.

Jim Crow Houston

White Houstonians did not like having to produce

identification to black soldiers. This can be best summed up
by SGT. William Nesbit who reported to his commander
those [white] people out there wouldnt obey and said they
werent taking orders from niggers.

The soldiers grew tired of being disrespected and began to

speak back to white Houstonians . The soldiers began to
have less contact with whites.

Houston Police Department

Bad relations between HPD and the soldiers.

HPD was a racist organization and devoid of leadership.

Chief Clarence Brock was new and did not have the respect
of the officers of his department.

More than any other organization, the HPD made life

uncomfortable for the soldiers of 24th IN BN.

The soldiers also had problems with the treatment of black

Houstonians by HPD.

August 18- 23, 1917

August 18

Soldiers of Camp Logan had went to HPD to file a

complaint with the desk sergeant of the San Felipe district in
regards to officers of the district calling them niggers and
the arrest of a soldier who was arrested for riding the white
section of a streetcar.

Private (PVT) Alonzo Edwards witnessed the mistreatment

of a black Houston housewife and tried to intervene.
Edwards was pistol-whipped and arrested by Officer Lee
Sparks of the San Felipe District.

Edwards & Baltimore

Corporal (CPL) Baltimore went to inquire on PVT Edwards.

Baltimore was pistol-whipped, shot at and arrested by Ofc.
Sparks.

Sparks claimed that Baltimore cursed at him was the reason

for his actions.

Chief Brock suspended Sparks for his actions but it was too
late for a rumor had arrived to Camp Logan that Baltimore
had been shot dead.

Mutiny or Riot?

Chaos

James Divins , a member of the 24th while talking to his

commander is interrupted by a soldier who rushed in saying
there is a mob coming, get your gun.

Soldiers fired indiscriminately for 30 minutes before some

semblance of order was restored.

Major (MAJ) Snow commander of Camp Logan ordered all

ammunition and weapons to be turned in. Some of the
soldiers obeyed these orders.

A group of 150 soldiers formed up and began to fire into

white Houstonians homes.

The Riot

Soldiers attacked white Houstonians and moved towards

Heiner and San Felipe.

At Heiner and San Felipe streets, SGT. Nesbit led 50 soldiers

back to Camp Logan. Other soldiers involved continued to
march towards Houston while others hid in the black
community of San Felipe.

The riot lasted for 2 hours with the deaths of both blacks and
whites.

The Investigation &

Court-Martial
Repercussions

The Investigation

There were findings that white men who were not soldiers
were firing into Camp Logan. Some bullets found on Camp
Logan were not military issued.

Because those who participated in the riot were

disorganized , the group disintegrated quickly after the
soldiers realized the severity of their actions.

The Army investigators ran into roadblocks and were only

able to make progress after offering immunity to some of the
participants.

The Army implicated 1SG Vida Henry as the leader of the

mutiny.

First Sergeant Henry

Was a convenient for he was found dead of a self-inflicted

gun wound and was not able to defend himself.

No evidence of Henry was involved in the orchestration of

the mutiny.

In a back-handed defense MAJ Snow and COL Newman

said that 1SG Henry was not smart enough to organize a
mutiny.

Court-Martial

Those involved in the riot were charged with violating four

Articles of War:

64th Willfully disobeying a superior officer

66th Mutiny breaking out of Camp and attacking the city of
Houston.
92nd Willful and premeditated murder
93rd Assaulting a civilian.

Three separate trials were held with the first one held on
November on November 1, 1917.

The Largest Murder Trial In

US History

Convening Authority was at Fort

Sam Houston, Texas. The trial
began on November 1, 1917 at
the Gift Chapel and ended on
November 28, 1917.

The Army and the military

justice system was not
prepared for a trial of this
size and magnitude.

The accused only had one

lawyer who they did not trust
or cooperate with.

Results of the trial of the 117

soldiers tried, 110 were
convicted with 19 executed.

Uniform Code
of Military
Justice
The verdict was reached on Dec. 9,
1917 and 13 soldiers were executed on
the morning of Dec. 11, 1917 without
the sentences being reviewed.
Caused a problem in the black
community and would change UCMJ
death penalties.
The actions of the prosecution
attorneys as well as the defense
attorney were highly questionable
and leads one to challenge the
fairness of the trials.

Conclusion

Inspector General
Investigation

Conducted after the trial and recommended that three Army

officers be court-martialed for their actions during the trial.

Could not definitively state that the actions of the soldiers at

Camp Logan were premeditated.

There were whites who wanted to start a race riot.

End of Mission

The riot in Houston was not a conspiracy but a result of the

black soldiers assigned to Camp Logan being disrespected
by the local white populace and the police.

The end result for Houston was that blacks left Houston by
the hundreds and race relations deteriorated because those
in leadership positions failed to lead in a time of crisis.