Stowers, Corporal Freddie – Medal of Honor – World War I
By
John C Abercrombie
Corporal Freddie Stowers is an American Army he hero, first and foremost. Stowers was recognized for his heroism 70 years after he gave his life during World War I. Which raises the question of how did a man of such great accomplishment go unnoticed for 70 years?
Stowers was the first Black to win the Medal of Honor in World War I. Born in Sandy Springs, South Carolina, a community in Anderson County. Here he and his wife Pearl were raising a daughter, Minnie Lee. He was drafted in 1917 and assigned to the all-Black Company C, 1st Battalion, 371st Infantry regiment and trained at Camp Jackson, (now Fort Jackson) in South Carolina.
As the America forces were enroute to Europe, the commanding officer General JJ (Blackjack) Pershing) made the bold statement that all of the American troops would fight under one flag, the flag of the United States of America. However, he “gave away” the Black troops to the French who had suffered devastating loss. It must be noted that the French were grateful as they had previously seen the courage of the Senegalese troops under combat conditions and were impressed.
Senegal officially the Republic of Senegal is a country in West Africa.
They were required to give up some of the American issued equipment and issued lesser French equipment, meaning that they were using equipment that they had not trained with, including rifles. The unit was redily accepted on an equal basis by the French who soon discovered that they had to be careful praising the Black troops around the arrogant White American troops who were greatly incensed at hearing about the abilities of the Black troops. This distasteful practice was continued by the White troops during World War II.
While Black troops answered the call of their country, many were relegated to the same conditions that they faced at home, being given the most arduous work, the most backbreaking, and dangerous tasks that were beneath the White soldiers. This was based on nothing more than the color of their skin and without regard to their desires or qualifications.
The numerical designation of troop assignment was also based on color with numbers in the 300s and 600s being used so that they were not integrated with White soldiers. Racism runs very deep in the history of America.
The Black troops fought longer than any other unit during the war with 191 straight days. They never gave up an inch of ground. This is something that should be broadcast from the tops of mountains, yet we are kept in the dark. They do not want to give anyone else credit for something good and certainly not equal rights.
Serving as a squad leader of Company C, 371st Infantry Regiment, 93rd Infantry Division, his company was in the lead during an attack on Hill 188.
As the unit attacked, the enemy stopped firing and stood up in the motion of surrender, however this was only a trick and as the Black members of Company C advanced, the Germans launched a massive attack on these soldiers who were honoring the surrender. This massive attack started when the American soldiers were a bit over one hundred yards away and took out over half of the Black soldiers. Many of the casualties were due to interlocking bands of machine gun fire and mortars.
The officers leading the charge suffered causalities and it is at this point that Corporal Stowers took charge. His personal bravery and leadership inspired his men to follow with a vengeance and follow him in the attack. Stowers extraordinary heroism and complete disregard of personal danger in the face of such a devastating barrage of machine and mortar fire, the machine gun nest was completely destroyed and disabled.
Other combatants continued to assault Stowers and his unit. While crawling into the attack they attacked a second trench line and was gravely wounded. Corporal Freddie Stowers was mortally wounded but pressed on urging the members of the squeal until he died of his injuries.
Inspired by the heroism and display of bravery of Cpl. Stowers, his company continued the attack against incredible odds, contributing to the capture of Hill 188 and causing heavy enemy casualties. Cpl. Stowers’ conspicuous gallantry, extraordinary heroism, and supreme devotion to his men were well beyond the call of duty, follow the finest traditions of military service, and reflect the utmost credit on him and the United States Army.
The family was invited to the white House by President George Herbert Walker Bush the 41st president of the United States where his three sisters were honored.
It was during a review of the records looking for people of color that the paperwork for Corporal Stowers was uncovered. Whether by oversight or something else, it was 70 years late. While it is better later than never, there are benefits that his survivors could have taken advantage of. These are the same advantages given to other Medal of Honor recipients. History has gone lacking because of the oversight.
Anderson County, South Carolina is to be commended for the work they have done with the family in acknowledging recognition of this brave man. Take a look at the videos that follow this post. Also, the family is to be commended for the work they are continuing to this very day. They have authored a book, see the first book below for information on ordering. They are strong advocates of education and are active in community work. My hat is off to them!
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Corporal Freddie Stowers
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Freddie Stowers, An American Hero
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Book by Dr RiCha Ri Sancho for educators
Dr Sancho is a well respected educator who has written the following book aimed at educators. Teachers, take note!
Corporal Freddie Stowers Book written by his family.
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Book About Corporal Freddie Stowers Written by a family member
There is no better way to learn about a person than to read a book by a person who knew him.
Amazing Book About Corporal Freddie Stowers – First Black to win the Medal of Honor – World War I
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Men Of Honor – Freddie Stowers & Alvin York
A documentary featuring one of Anderson County’s own, Corporal Freddie Stowers, and Sargent Alvin York. Stories of courage and sacrifice in WWI.
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Torchbearers of Democracy: African American Soldiers in the World War I Era (The John Hope Franklin African American History and Culture)
For the 380,000 African American soldiers who fought in World War I, Woodrow Wilson’s charge to make the world “safe for democracy” carried life-or-death meaning. Chad L. Williams reveals the central role of African American soldiers in the global conflict and how they, along with race activists and ordinary citizens, committed to fighting for democracy at home and beyond. Using a diverse range of sources, Torchbearers of Democracy reclaims the legacy of African American soldiers and veterans and connects their history to issues such as the obligations of citizenship, combat and labor, diaspora and internationalism, homecoming and racial violence, “New Negro” militancy, and African American memories of the war.
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Centennial Commemoration of Corporal Freddie Stowers
The 2018 Centennial Commemoration of Corporal Freddie Stowers. Corporal Freddie Stowers is the first African-American to be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor and the Purple Heart posthumously after his service in WWI. Corporal Stowers is from Sandy Springs, SC in Anderson County.
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Unjustly Dishonored: An African American Division in World War I (American Military Experience Book 1)
For nearly one hundred years, the 92nd Division of the U.S. Army in World War I has been remembered as a military failure. The division should have been historically significant. It was the only African American division of the American Expeditionary Forces in France. Comprised of nearly twenty-eight thousand black soldiers, it fought in two sectors of the great battle of the Meuse-Argonne, the largest and most costly battle in all of U.S. history. Unfortunately, when part of the 368th Infantry Regiment collapsed in the battle’s first days, the entire division received a blow to its reputation from which it never recovered.
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Corporal Freddie Stowers Sculpture Dedication Ceremony
Corporal Freddie Stowers, from Anderson County, was the first African American South Carolinian to receive the Medal of Honor for his service in World War I. Anderson University dedicated a statue in his honor this Veterans Day.
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White War, Black Soldiers: Two African Accounts of World War I
Strength and Goodness (Force-Bonté) by Bakary Diallo is one of the only memoirs of World War I ever written or published by an African. It remains a pioneering work of African literature as well as a unique and invaluable historical document about colonialism and Africa’s role in the Great War. Lamine Senghor’s The Rape of a Country (La Violation d’un pays) is another pioneering French work by a Senegalese veteran of World War I, but one that offers a stark contrast to Strength and Goodness. Both are made available for the first time in English in this edition, complete with a glossary of terms and a general historical introduction. The centennial of World War I is an ideal moment to present Strength and Goodness and The Rape of a Country to a wider, English-reading public. Until recently, Africa’s role in the war has been neglected by historians and largely forgotten by the general public. Euro-centric versions of the war still predominate in popular culture, Many historians, however, now insist that African participation in the 1914-18 War is a large part of what made that conflict a world war.
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Corporal Freddie Stowers – WW1 Medal of Honor Hero – September 1918
The Story of Freddie Stowers, the First African American Recipient of the WWI Medal of Honor – awarded seventy-three years after his death. “It’s been said that the ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience but where he stands at times of challenge,” said President George H.W. Bush at the posthumous presentation of the Medal of Honor. “On Sept. 28, 1918, Cpl. Freddie Stowers stood poised on the edge of such a challenge and summoned his mettle and his courage.”
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The Unknown Soldiers: African-American Troops in World War I
During World War I 370,000 African Americans labored, fought, and died to make the world safe for a democracy that refused them equal citizenship at home. The irony was made more bitter as black troops struggled with the racist policies of the American military itself. The overwhelming majority were assigned to labor companies; those selected for combat were under-trained, poorly equipped, ad commanded by white officers who insisted on black inferiority. Still, African Americans performed admirably under fire: the 369th Infantry regiment was in continuous combat loner than any other American unit, and was the first Allied regiment to cross the Rhine in the offensive against Germany.The Unknown Soldiers, the only full-scale examination of the subject, chronicles the rigid segregation; the limited opportunities for advancement; the inadequate training, food, medical attention, housing, and clothing; the verbal harassment and physical abuse, including lynchings; the ingratitude, unemployment, and unprecedented racial violence that greeted their return. The Unknown Soldiers is an unforgettable, searing study of those wartime experiences that forced African Americans to realize that equality and justice could never be earned in Jim Crow America, but only wrested from its strangling grip.
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Corporal freddie stowers
Veterans Day 2020 (Nov. 11), the Family for Corporal Freddie Stowers held “The Veterans e-15,” a 15-minute virtual presentation to honor U.S. veterans. This video is a recording of the LIVE Zoom presentation on that day.
Join his Great Niece and I Sunday May 29th at 4:00 pm Eastern, 1:00 pm Pacific using the following information for interessting and informative discussion
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Corporal Freddie Stowers is a man of great character and demonstrates the best of America in the face of adversity. He distinguished himself at great cost, fighting for freedom of others that him and his race were not granted in America. He is truly worthy of the Medal of Honor and the admiration of all. His family has committed fully not only to honor him but have dedicated themselves to education which is essential to our future. Anderson County, South Carolina and Anderson University are also deserving of great praise for the work they are doing to share the heroism of Corporal Freddie Stowers. Army Strong!