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minutes after the attack began, the enemy ceased firing and began climbing up onto the parapets of the trenches, holding up their arms as if wishing to surrender. The enemy's actions caused the
American forces to cease fire and to come out into the open. As the company started forward and when within about 100 meters of the trench line, the enemy jumped back into their trenches and greeted Corporal Stowers' company with interlocking bands of machine-gun fire and mortar fire causing well over fifty percent casualties. Faced with incredible enemy resistance, Cpl. Stowers took charge, setting such a courageous example of personal bravery and leadership that he inspired his men to follow him in the attack. With extraordinary heroism and complete disregard of personal danger under devastating fire, he crawled forward leading his squad toward an enemy machine-gun nest, which was causing heavy casualties to his company. After fierce fighting, the machine-gun position was destroyed and the enemy soldiers were killed. Displaying great courage and intrepidity Cpl. Stowers continued to press the attack against a determined enemy. While crawling forward and urging his men to continue the attack on a second trench line, he was gravely wounded by machine-gun fire. Although Cpl. Stowers was mortally wounded, he pressed forward, urging on the members of his squad, until he died. 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 above and beyond the call of duty, follow the finest traditions of military service, and reflect the utmost credit on him and the United States Army.
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460:, for instance, might have received three or four, instead of two, total Medals of Honor, or he might have received only one, if the actions for which they were awarded had occurred only a few years earlier or later than they did. Many possibly deserving whites and persons of color were denied medals, while some possibly less deserving people received them. In Stowers' case, the official position is that his recommendation was "misplaced," which is plausible given that the other three MOH recommendations for black soldiers were at least processed, even if the decision to award the DSC remains controversial and possibly racism-related.
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Cpl. Stowers, distinguished himself by exceptional heroism on
September 28, 1918 while serving as a squad leader in Company C, 371st Infantry Regiment, 93d Infantry Division. His company was the lead company during the attack on Hill 188, Champagne Marne Sector, France, during World War I. A few
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By contrast, Stowers was part of a new division that, by the end of the war, included a commissioned
African-American officer, and saw sustained combat. Due to compromises with the institutionalized racism of the day, this combat did not take place under American command: although his unit had
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fire. Stowers then reorganized his force and led a charge against the second German line of trenches. During this assault, Stowers was struck by fire from an enemy machine gun, but kept going until he was struck a second time. He collapsed from loss of blood, but ordered his men not to be
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conducted a review and the
Stowers recommendation was uncovered. Subsequently, a team was dispatched to France to investigate the circumstances of Stowers' death. Based on information collected by this team, the Army Decorations Board approved the award of the Medal of Honor. On April 24,
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Shortly after his death, Stowers was recommended for the Medal of Honor; however, this recommendation was never processed. Three other black soldiers were recommended for Medals of Honor, but were instead awarded the next highest award, the
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discouraged and to keep going and take out the German guns. Inspired by
Stowers' courage, the men forged ahead and successfully drove the Germans from the hill and into the plain below. Stowers, meanwhile, succumbed to his wounds on
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If
Stowers is forgotten today, this lesson was not. The outcome of the Stowers review led to a new Army study in 1992, which found that several African American and other minority Distinguished Cross (DSC) recipients from
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were actually deserving of Medals of Honor that had not been awarded because of bias on the part of the
Decorations Board. Their DSCs were upgraded to Medals of Honor which were presented to living recipients
448:; however, the criteria for the Medal of Honor were becoming stricter during this time period, partly due to a perception that it was being awarded too frequently, especially to members of the
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Stowers began crawling toward a German machine gun nest and shouted for his men to follow. The platoon successfully reached the first German trench line and reduced the machine guns by
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Stowers
Elementary School on Fort Benning, Georgia, and the Corporal Freddie Stowers Single Soldier Billeting Complex on Fort Jackson, South Carolina, are both named in his honor.
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southern farm boys who were drafted into the U.S. Army and earned the Medal of Honor for their extraordinary and inspirational courage under fire on the
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1991—seventy-three years after he was killed in action, Stowers' surviving sisters, Georgina and Mary, received the medal from
President
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Beattie, Taylor V. "Personality: Seventy-three years after his bayonet assault on Hill 188, Freddie
Stowers got his Medal of Honor."
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person. Before the war, he worked as a farmhand. He married a woman named Pearl, with whom he had one daughter, Minnie Lee.
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of the French Army, called the "Red Hand Division". Over 70 years later, he posthumously received the
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African-American US Army corporal and Medal of Honor recipient killed in action in WWI
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America's Heroes: Medal of Honor Recipients from the Civil War to Afghanistan
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and President George H.W. Bush at the Medal of Honor presentation ceremony
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Lieutenant Colonel Taylor Voorhis Beattie, in his article for the
836:"Congressional Medal of Honor Society's entry on Freddie Stowers"
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takes pride in presenting the Medal of Honor posthumously to
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compared Stowers to the famous World War I soldier, Sergeant
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188, a tall, heavily defended hill overlooking a farm near
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188. He is buried, along with 133 of his comrades, at the
676:"Seven Black World War II Heroes Receive Medals of Honor"
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military units in 1866, these did not participate in the
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Stowers' sisters, Georgina Palmer and Mary Bowens, with
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Flag of the French 157th Infantry Division commanded by
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American flag section commemorating the service of the
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444:. This decision may have partly been motivated by
603:List of African American Medal of Honor recipients
281:While the United States had established permanent
1442:American military personnel killed in World War I
613:List of Medal of Honor recipients for World War I
35:Stowers' grave at Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery
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213:(January 12, 1896 – September 28, 1918) was an
674:William, Rudi, American Forces Press Service.
654:"Freddie Stowers,Corporal, United States Army"
633:"Freddie Stowers,Corporal, United States Army"
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781:United States Army Center of Military History
742:United States Army Center of Military History
1462:World War I recipients of the Medal of Honor
1457:United States Army non-commissioned officers
1452:United States Army Medal of Honor recipients
700:: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
413:Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery and Memorial
1467:United States Army personnel of World War I
1427:People from Anderson County, South Carolina
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718:. Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation
535:Stowers' Medal of Honor citation reads:
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228:while serving in an American unit under
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391:. Corporal Stowers, trained to lead a
240:Early life and induction into the Army
1395:Military history of African Americans
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350:US infantry regiment in the division.
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520:) or their next of kin by President
873:"Freddie Stowers Elementary School"
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779:from websites or documents of the
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236:and Purple Heart for his actions.
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608:List of Medal of Honor recipients
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316:arrived in France as part of the
1437:African Americans in World War I
792:August, 2004. Volume 21, No. 3.
775: This article incorporates
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744:. August 3, 2009. Archived from
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224:who was killed in action during
170:157th Red Hand Division (France)
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88:Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery
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547:President of the United States
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246:Sandy Springs, South Carolina
54:Sandy Springs, South Carolina
937:United States Colored Troops
796:Willbanks, James H. (2011).
716:"Stowers, Freddie. Citation"
318:American Expeditionary Force
287:American Expeditionary Force
272:U.S. 371st Infantry Regiment
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738:"Medal of Honor recipients"
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442:Distinguished Service Cross
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1334:Second Battle of the Marne
678:. DoD News. Archived from
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72:Ardeuil-et-Montfauxelles
1339:Meuse–Argonne offensive
1301:Pancho Villa Expedition
1275:Philippine–American War
984:25th Infantry Regiment
531:Medal of Honor citation
417:Romagne-sous-Montfaucon
415:east of the village of
230:157th Infantry Division
188:Meuse-Argonne offensive
162:371st Infantry Regiment
1364:Wham Paymaster Robbery
1125:William Othello Wilson
979:24th Infantry Regiment
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1025:George Ritter Burnett
974:10th Cavalry Regiment
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682:on September 23, 2015
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248:, the grandson of an
133:Years of service
1344:Oise-Aisne Offensive
1149:American Indian Wars
1100:William H. Thompkins
969:9th Cavalry Regiment
879:on December 20, 2013
244:Stowers was born in
1005:Edward L. Baker Jr.
748:on October 18, 2008
499:. Both were poor,
379:, raking them with
1388:United States Army
1369:Brownsville Affair
1030:Louis H. Carpenter
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127:United States Army
64:September 28, 1918
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1202:Victorio Campaign
1162:Texas–Indian wars
817:978-1-5988-4394-1
574:George H. W. Bush
493:Military History,
474:George H. W. Bush
306:military advisors
293:. Some of these "
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1212:Bannock Uprising
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1139:Notable battles
1110:George H. Wanton
923:Buffalo Soldiers
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930:Predecessors
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1374:Bisbee Riot
1321:World War I
1222:Bear Valley
1197:Apache Wars
1141:(1866–1918)
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1085:Thomas Shaw
1080:Isaac Payne
1065:Isaiah Mays
1010:Dennis Bell
998:(1866–1918)
996:recipients
883:October 29,
478:White House
395:of a rifle
322:French Army
226:World War I
183:World War I
1411:Categories
1293:Border War
1192:Wichita II
1182:North Fork
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1035:John Denny
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846:October 5,
765:References
752:January 6,
659:October 5,
638:October 5,
563:Citation:
497:Alvin York
269:segregated
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1172:Wichita I
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371:, in the
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696:cite web
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581:See also
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308:near
291:NAACP
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848:2010
812:ISBN
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702:link
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