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The Brownsville Affair

Dorsie Willis, 1974

Minneapolis: It was a smiling 87-year-old Dorsie Willis that talked to reporters, 1/10, after he received a check for $25,000 from the U.S. Government for being the sole survivor of the Brownsville Massacre. In 1906, Willis and 166 other black soldiers were dishonorably discharged from the Army following a racial incident. Early last year the secretary of the Army ordered all of the discharges changed to honorable. 'I'm very grateful (for the check),' said Willis. 'It's a great birthday present. But it comes too many years too late.'

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1. Dorsie Willis, 1974 Minneapolis: It was a smiling 87-year-old Dorsie Willis that talked to reporters, 1/10, after he received a check for $25,000 from the U.S. Government for being the sole survivor of the Brownsville Massacre. In 1906, Willis and 166 other black soldiers were dishonorably discharged from the Army following a racial incident. Early last year the secretary of the Army ordered all of the discharges changed to honorable. 'I'm very grateful (for the check),' said Willis. 'It's a great birthday present. But it comes too many years too late.'

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2. Dorsie Willis, 1974 Minneapolis: It was a smiling 87-year-old Dorsie Willis that talked to reporters, 1/10, after he received a check for $25,000 from the U.S. Government for being the sole survivor of the Brownsville Massacre. In 1906, Willis and 166 other black soldiers were dishonorably discharged from the Army following a racial incident. Early last year the secretary of the Army ordered all of the discharges changed to honorable. 'I'm very grateful (for the check),' said Willis. 'It's a great birthday present. But it comes too many years too late.'
3. 25th Infantry at Fort Missoula, circa 1900
4. Chaplain T. G. Steward
5. Buffalo soldiers of the 25th Infantry, some wearing buffalo robes, Ft. Keogh, Montana
9. Senator Joseph Foraker, 1908 Senator Foraker was primarily a friend to big businesses, and a supporter of de-regulation and laissez faire economics. However, he insisted to his death that his championing of the Brownsville soldiers, although prompted by political interests, was a fight to see justice done. His continued efforts to reverse the President’s decision, long after his allies in congress had abandoned him, supports his words.
10. 25th Infantry Bicycle corps, 1896
12. Sergeant Mingo Sanders, Fort Missoula, 1895
22. Springfield 1903 rifle

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The 25th Infantry Regiment, one of four regiments of Black soldiers established after the Civil War, had an exemplary service record. However, to many, the soldiers were Black men first and United States soldiers second, and the regiment endured being sent to the least desirable postings, being issued equipment already rejected by white regiments, and the racist attitudes of civilians in the towns they served. In 1906, in Brownsville, Texas, a shooting attributed to the soldiers of the 25th Infantry culminated in one of the most egregious examples of racism against Black soldiers in United States Army history.

Begin with "The 25th Infantry Regiment"
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Newspaper archive
The Legacy of the Brownsville Affair Ultimately, Roosevelt’s handling of the Brownsville affair did not cost his party the support of the Black community in the 1908 election. Roosevelt’s Secretary of War, William Taft, won the presidency, although by a much slimmer margin than previous elections. Although Taft had been instrumental in upholding the Brownsville verdict, his opponent in the race was Democrat William Jennings Bryan, whose progressive platform was marred by virulent anti Black racism. Caught between the naked racism of the Democrats and the breadcrumbs offered by the Republicans, many Black voters felt that they had no choice but to support Taft.

The affair was largely forgotten after 1908, and the Brownsville citizens’ narrative became written into history books as fact. Not until 1970 did anyone seriously re examine the case. Published in a much different political climate, John Weaver’s detailed account of the event and subsequent investigations pulled no punches in exposing the holes in the accepted narrative. Weaver’s book, titled simply The Brownsville Raid , prompted a new federal investigation, and in 1972 President Richard Nixon officially pardoned the soldiers and updated their records to show honorable discharge. Only one of the 167 men was still alive to witness the apology, Private Dorsie Willis. In an official ceremony, Willis received an apology and a pension of $25,000. He died in 1977, and was buried with full honors at the U.S. Military Cemetery at Fort Snelling, MN.


Begin with "The 25th Infantry Regiment"	Image gallery	Newspaper archive