Loading...
Creator
Johnson, Jesse J., 1914-2006
Call number
Sc MG 200
Physical description
9.42 linear feet (10 boxes, 1 oversize folder)
Language
English
Preferred Citation
[Item], Jesse J. Johnson military collection, Sc MG 200, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division, The New York Public Library
Repository
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division
Access to materials
Request access to this collection.

An African American career soldier, Jesse J. Johnson authored eight books and several plays about the military service of black men and women. The Jesse J. Johnson military collection consists primarily of secondary sources and printed material, along with typescripts of his plays and one of his books.

Biographical/historical information

A career soldier, Jesse J. Johnson devoted a great part of his life to educating the public about the contributions of Black men and women to the armed forces in the United States. Over a twenty-seven year period, he authored eight books about the military service of Black men and women in the United States Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marines from 1619 to the late 20th century. The books, Ebony Brass, The Black Soldier, A Pictorial History of Black Soldiers, A Pictorial History of Black Servicemen (Air Force, Army, Navy, Marines), Black Armed Forces Officers, Black Women in the Armed Forces, Roots of Two Black Marines Sergeants Major, and The Soldier Samaritan, were published between 1967 and 1994. Johnson published these books via his own company, Carver Publishing, Inc., a company he founded and headed, printing 1000-4000 copies of each title. In addition to writing these non-fiction works, he authored several plays with military themes, none of which were published. He also gave speeches, primarily at colleges and military forts, about the Black men and women who served in the armed forces.

Born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, in 1914, Johnson earned his B.A. degree from Tougaloo College in 1929; his LLB degree from the American Extension School of Law, Chicago in 1950; and his M.A. degree from Hampton Institute in 1964. He was drafted into the Army in October 1942, soon after entering Officers Candidate School, and three months later was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Quartermaster Corps at Fort Lee, Virginia. He completed extension military courses in the First Lieutenant, Captain, and Major series from Fort Lee, Virginia, as well as language courses in Tagalog at Philippine University, Japanese in Korea, and German courses from the Armed Forces Institute in Germany.

Johnson served domestically and overseas, retiring as a lieutenant colonel in 1962. That same year, he began working for Hampton Institute in Virginia as its personnel officer. From 1967-1980, Johnson served as an education specialist at Fort Eustis where he revised and wrote home study correspondence courses on Army aviation. LTC Johnson died in 2006 in Hampton, Virginia.

Scope and arrangement

The Jesse J. Johnson military collection consists primarily of secondary sources and printed material (many of which arecopies of documents held in public repositories) along with typescripts of his plays and one of his books. Johnson collected material about Black men and women in the U.S. military, and in wars ranging from the Revolutionary War to the Vietnam War, all branches of service, and a wide selection of related subjects. The bulk of the collection is research material about these topics. There are also interviews Johnson conducted in the 1970s-1980s with retired African American servicemen.

The Jesse J. Johnson military collection is arranged in three series:

  • Personal
    1942-2003

    The Personal papers series, 1942-2003, contains biographical information and family history regarding property in Mississippi. Additionally, there is correspondence about Johnson's writing, sepaking engagements, and use of his collection for research.

  • Writing
    1966-1994

    This series consists of speeches, typescripts for eleven plays, and one short story with military themes. Johnson's last book, The Soldier Samaritan: The Biography of Major Ernest C. Bradley, is represented by numerous drafts, including Bradley's handwritten draft of his autobiography; documents relating to his military and civilian life; and correspondence between Bradley and Johnson (1969-1994). Files for Johnson's book Ebony Brass consist of a partial draft and a selection published in a book by another author.

  • Military history
    1942-1996

    This series includes the subseries Wars, consisting primarily of secondary source material. The Revolutionary War material focuses on the Battle of Yorktown, Virginia; the participation of Blacks in other aspects of this war is mentioned. Both printed matter and photocopies of documents relate to the Battle of New Orleans during the War of 1812. Black involvement in the Civil War is documented by photocopies of documents from the National Archives and Library of Congress and consists of both Confederate and federal correspondence, battle reports and resolutions regarding Black troops in 1865, the Reconstruction period, assorted documents concerning officers, and company muster rolls from the Louisiana National Guard. Additionally, there are claims for pensions for chaplains who were veterans of the Civil War as well as general information about Black participation. Johnson's research on the Spanish-American War consists of photocopies of military documents, correspondence about the appointment of Black officers in the Army, articles, and sections of books. World War II information includes two original war ration books, several shirt patches, a program, material regarding a 1993 Conference on Black Americans in World War II, and printed matter. Korean War material pertains to segregation, integration of forces on bases in the United States and overseas, and statistics concerning Black manpower. Correspondence discusses cases of alleged discrimination on Army bases. Many of the documents are copies of declassified material held by the Department of the Army.

    The Branches of service subseries consists of information pertaining to specific branches, regardless of the time period or war. Of interest in the Air Force branch are interviews Johnson conducted with Robert and Betty Overby; Mr. Overby relates his experiences in the Korean War and in Vietnam, and Mrs. Overby touches upon her experiences in basic training during her stint as a medical technician. Army documents comprise the greatest amount of material in this subseries and begin with printed material about the Ninth Cavalry and the original Buffalo Soldiers. The Tenth Cavalry is represented by an interview with Milton Johnson in which he discusses his experiences after joining this unit in 1928 in Arizona; additionally, he discusses his role as a pitcher and manager of lBack GI baseball teams in Germany following the end of World War II, as well as the latter's military experience in Asia in the 1950s. A substantial amount of material refers to the service of the 92nd Infantry Division during World War II in the Ligurian Campaign in Italy, including copies of G2 and G4 Operations Reports. There is also material concerning the 92nd Infantry Division World War II Association Reunions. This subseries also includes the extensive memoir (1919-1948), as told to Johnson, of Major Roy Brown who was stationed at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, where all the Black 92nd and 93rd Infantry Divisions were trained. There are certificates aned a memoir of Sergeant George Weaver, who also served at Fort Huachuca. The all Black 24th Infantry Regiment and the controversy surrounding its performance and dissolution during the Korean War is represented in this subseries as well. Additional information about Black troops in the Army, 1891-1917, is provided by Marvin Fletcher's Ph.D. dissertation. Several articles discuss Blacks in the Coast Guard, and there are a number of publications and a memoir detailing the contributions of Black Marines. One folder each of material refers to Blacks in the Merchant Marines and the National Guard. A significant amount of information refers to Blacks in the Navy, including an interview Johnson held with Granville Parker, in which he described his naval experiences from 1917-1934 in the United States and overseas. Printed material on Black sailors, integration in the Navy, primarily during World War II, and the history of Blacks in the Navy going back to the American Revolution is included.

    The Subjects subseries contains assorted printed material about a wide range of military topics. These include armed forces in film, chaplains, history, contemporary affairs of other countries and their armies, and military statistics (mostly from the U.S. Army Military History Research Collection and the Defense Manpower Data Center). There are files regarding World War I officers, General Colin L. Powell, quartermasters, and prisoners of war (their treatment and exchange during the Civil War, from the National Archives). Additional subjects relate to Blacks in the military and military bases in Virginia, West Point, and women in the military

    The General subseries contains many publications about Blacks in the military, but not pertaining to any specific war or branch of service. There are several editions of the publication issued by the U.S. Department of Defense, Black Americans in Defense of Our Nation, in addition to statistics, papers concerning racial equality in the military and Black military valor, and bibliographies.

Administrative information

Source of acquisition

Gift of Jesse J. Johnson, 1983 and 2003.

Revision History

Finding aid updated by Lauren Stark. (2021 May 17)

Processing information

Processed by Janice Quinter, April 2011.

Separated material

Transferred to the Art and Artifacts Division: drawing.

Transferred to the Moving Image and Recorded Sound Division: audio materials. For more information, please contact the division at schomburgaudiovisual@nypl.org or 212-491-2270.

Transferred to the Photographs and Prints Division: photographs.

Using the collection

Location

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division
515 Malcolm X Boulevard, New York, NY 10037-1801
Second Floor