National Cemetery Administration
Remembrance: Honoring Black Soldiers
On November 13, 2023, the Army Board for Correction of Military Records overturned the conviction of 110 Black soldiers charged with mutiny, murder and assault more than a century ago in the 1917 Houston Riot. These Veterans below were those soldiers of the 3rd Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment who died as a result of the largest mass execution of American soldiers by the U.S. Army. On January 17, 1918 — the result of flawed court martials and public response to immediate, secretive executions of these mutineers — the Army revised its appellate review process to require higher military review, forever changing military law.
The remains of seventeen of the executed soldiers were reburied at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in 1937, having been moved from their original graves at Salado Creek. The remains of two soldiers (denoted below) were returned to family by request. Graves of the executed are marked with standard government-issued General type, but are inscribed only with names and dates of death (Section PA, Graves 20–36).
These men are highlighted as notable Veterans by the NCA History Program and are featured on the Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery page. The Veterans Legacy Program (VLP) commemorates our nation's Veterans and Service Members through the discovery and sharing of their stories. NCA invites you to remember these Veterans and visit their memorial pages to celebrate their legacy, military service and sacrifice to our nation. You can also post tributes (comments), upload images, and share biographical information, historical documents and more.
View the 2023 interpretive sign: The Legacy of the Houston Mutineers
Read the 2022 featured history story: "Black Houston Mutineers Legacy" »