Private Henry Johnson was on watch in the French trenches of the Argonne Forest on May 15, 1918, when a grenade exploded nearby.
With his fellow soldier Needham Roberts badly injured, Johnson faced an approaching German patrol on his own. He shot down one soldier and clubbed another with the end of his rifle. Wounded, Johnson fell to the ground. He seized a grenade and tossed it, and several more, at the Germans.
By the time he was through, the former porter for the New York Central Railroad had single-handedly wounded or killed as many as 20 enemy soldiers . . . with just a knife and a gun. He had more than 20 wounds of his own. The American press called the incident “the Battle of Henry Johnson.”
Two days later, the French presented Johnson with the Croix de Guerre, their country’s highest military decoration for bravery. He was the first U.S. soldier to receive the honor during World War I. When asked about his actions, Johnson said, “There isn’t so much to tell. Just fought for my life. A rabbit would’ve done that.”
When President Woodrow Wilson said, “The world must be made safe for democracy” in April 1917, many black Americans struggled with the call to support the war effort. African Americans faced daily discrimination and segregation in the United States. Still, more than 380,000 black Americans enlisted to serve in the army during World War I. They hoped that their military service would improve civil rights for all African Americans in the United States.
This story is from the May/June 2017 edition of Cobblestone American History Magazine for Kids.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the May/June 2017 edition of Cobblestone American History Magazine for Kids.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Putting the Pieces Together
Americans needed to begin to put the past behind them, come together, and plan for the future in the spring of 1865. But Abraham Lincoln, the man best equipped to lead them and who had hoped to restore the country as smoothly and peacefully as possible, had been assassinated.
LAST SHOTS
The last Confederate forces in the Civil War didn’t surrender in the spring of 1865 or on a battlefield.
AND IN OTHER 1865 NEWS
A group of African Americans stop at the White House’s annual public reception on January 1, where they shake hands with President Abraham Lincoln.
A Plot to Kill President the
For several months, actor John Wilkes Booth’s band of conspirators had plotted to capture President Abraham Lincoln and hold him hostage in exchange for Confederate prisoners.
Let the Thing Be Pressed
In June 1864, Union Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant began a nearly 10-month campaign in Virginia.
HEALING THE NATION
President Abraham Lincoln took the oath of office for the second time on March 4, 1865.
A Helping Hand
The spring season is hard in any agricultural society. Plants and animals are too small to eat.
WAR SHERMAN-STYLE
As far as Union Major General William T. Sherman was concerned, the Civil War had gone on long enough.
PEACE TALKS
The fall of Fort Fisher made clear that the Confederacy’s days were numbered. Southerners were tired and hungry.
FORT FISHER'S FALL
Outnumbered Confederate soldiers inside Fort Fisher were unable to withstand the approach of Union troops by land and the constant Union naval bombardment from the sea.
