Patrick McWhorter

Submitted by: Johnette Brooks {WWI Colored Troops Genealogist}

Patrick McWhorter was born around 1893. Patrick McWhorter served in World War 1 with the United States Army. The enlistment was in 1913 and the service was completed in 1917.

Story of Service

Pat(rick) McWhorter, a rifle-toting soldier was born the son of Henry McWhorter (originally Taliefero Co) and Julia Washington (Morgan Co), Georgia on June 25. 1894. He was the 9th born of 16 who lived.

He was previously enlisted in the (RA) Regular Army and stationed at Columbus Barracks OH as a member of the 25th Infantry of the 15th division of the Harlem NY National Guard. He was discharged from the RA on Apr 23rd and re-enlisted in WWI on Apr 24th of 1913. The 24th Infantry was one of the very first all black infantries formed in the WWI Era. They were sent to Houston to guard the new recruits from Chicago’s famed Illinois 8th Division National Guard.

On August 24, 1917, the 24th went into town on furlough. A B.E.A.P. police officer sited the infantryman for disturbing the peace. The New York National Guard of which the 24th was original entrained sided with the 24th. Hence, the Houston Officers; the overzealous Houston community members tangled with the 24th & the NY Guard. When the settled., 12welve (12) white men, civilians, police officers and National Guardsmen were killed and more that a score of persons, men, women, and children were wounded.

Within weeks, 13 infantrymen of the 24th’s, Company I were convicted on mutiny, murder and assault, and were hung, and 50 received sentences between 10 years of hard labor to life imprisonment. The (3) identified from Georgia to date are McWhorter of the Buckhead District of Madison’s Morgan County; and Nathan Humphries and Luther Tucker, both of Atlanta.

After McWhorter was executed at Camp Travis in San Antonio on 25 AUG 1917, he was  buried there, adjacent to Ft Sam Houston. Camp Travis was closed and incorporated into Ft S. Houston in 1922. All bodies were re-intermed on May 24, 1927.

I will travel to St. Louis to review Court Martial Case #1299. Three (3) additional soldiers from Georgia were sentenced to Life Imprisonment: Luther Rucker (Atlanta), John H Hudson (Columbus), and Nathan Curtis Humphries, Jr (Atlanta).