Brownsville Raid (1859)

The Brownsville Raid, also known as the Brownsville Affair, was a racially charged incident that occurred on the night of August 13-14, 1906, in Brownsville, Texas. Members of the all-Black 1st Battalion, 25th Infantry Regiment, stationed at Fort Brown, were accused of shooting up the town, resulting in the death of one civilian and the wounding of a police officer.

Despite conflicting accounts and a lack of conclusive evidence identifying the soldiers involved, President Theodore Roosevelt ordered the dishonorable discharge of 167 soldiers of the 25th Infantry Regiment. This included soldiers who had served honorably for many years, some with exemplary records, and those who maintained their innocence. Roosevelt justified his decision based on the "conspiracy of silence" among the soldiers, claiming they were protecting the guilty parties.

The case became a national controversy, drawing criticism from civil rights advocates and some members of Congress who believed the soldiers were unjustly punished based on racial prejudice. Investigations were conducted, but the discharges remained in effect for decades.

In the 1970s, after years of advocacy, the Army Board of Inquiry reopened the case. In 1972, the board found that the original investigation was flawed and that the soldiers had been unjustly accused. The board recommended that all the affected soldiers be granted honorable discharges posthumously.

President Richard Nixon reversed Roosevelt's decision and granted honorable discharges to the 167 soldiers. While none were alive to receive the honor, their families were compensated, and the Brownsville Raid became a symbol of racial injustice within the United States military. The incident highlighted the pervasive racism of the era and the vulnerability of African American soldiers to discriminatory practices.