If The Brownsville Raid Had Never Happened
The 25th United States Infantry was stationed in Fort Brown after fighting in the Spanish-American War and the Philippine-American War in the late 1800's. There was racial tension between the white townspeople and what the United States Army called the "United States Colored Troops."
Shortly after midnight on August 14, 1906, gunshots echoed through the streets of Downtown Brownsville. After a chilling silence filled the air, a white bartender was killed and a Hispanic police lieutenant was injured by what witnesses claimed were African-American soldiers.
Spent shell casings were found littered along the streets. The shell casings appeared to come from US Army issued rifles. The town insisted the troops be removed from Brownsville at once. Although there would be an investigation, none of the troops stationed at Fort Brown would be indicted for the shooting.
After an official army investigation, and based in no small part on the pressure being placed on the army by the town, President Theodore Roosevelt, who had served with several members of the 25th Infantry during the Spanish-American War, ordered all 167 African-American troops dishonorably discharged.
Whether the troops were targeted because of an alleged attack on a white woman two nights before the shooting, or because of escalating racial tensions, further research and investigation would prove the shooting to be a frame job. No troops were ever off post the night of the alleged raid.
However, the incoming Taft administration would not reverse Roosevelt's decision to dishonorably discharge the soldiers. It would not be until 1972 when new research on the bungled army investigation would prompt a California Congressman to convince President Nixon to reverse the discharges. Nixon would change the 25th Infantry's discharges to honorable ones. Unfortunately by that time, only one soldier from the original 167 was still alive to receive his honorable discharge.
If only the Brownsville Raid had not happened, it is quite possible Brownsville would have a thriving African-American community to this day. Perhaps soldiers after their enlistments would have stayed in Brownsville. Maybe the army would have continued to garrison African-American troops in Brownsville until the fort was officially deactivated in 1945. By then there would have been plenty of African-American families living in Brownsville.
Had all that happened, maybe the Fort Brown National Cemetery wouldn't have been relocated and a whole lot of bodies wouldn't have been exhumed from their individual graves and buried in a mass grave in Louisiana. Maybe our city's namesake would still be buried at Fort Brown.
But we'll never know because the racial prejudices that still plague this nation today caused 167 innocent soldiers and combat veterans to hang their heads in shame, blamed for a crime they did not commit.
Today there's a big bare spot where the controversial Jefferson Davis memorial once stood in Washington Park. It would be nice if a city Commissioner would propose a monument be erected honoring the accomplishments of the United States Colored Troops of the 25th Infantry to take the ill-fated Davis rock's place.
In a time when monuments are being torn down, it'd be nice to see an appropriate one go up.
Comments
Post a Comment