The convictions of 110 black soldiers following the 1917 Houston riot are slated to be overturned by the United States Army.
Convictions of murder, mutiny, and assault stemming from a violent summer have been directed by Deputy Secretary of the Army Michael Mahoney to be "set aside" via the Army Review Boards Agency, according to a report.
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The soldiers had been directed to protect the 7-acre training base at Camp Logan following the nation's spring 1917 declaration of war against Germany.
They clashed with white people on Aug. 23, 1917, and the ensuing struggle saw the deaths of roughly 17 individuals, including five police officers, the report noted.
Later in the day, law enforcement officials took one of the Camp Logan soldiers into custody for allegedly interfering with the arrest of a black woman.
Cpl. Charles Baltimore, one of the black military police officers, inquired about the soldier's arrest and was then struck on the head, leading to a rumor that he had been killed, according to the report.
Baltimore, though bloodied, managed to find his way back to camp, and, after a shot rang out, black soldiers retrieved their rifles and Sgt. Vida Henry ordered them to march out of Camp Logan.
Over 150 black soldiers left the camp and marched on the Houston city limits to confront police, according to the Equal Justice Initiative.
In the end, 15 white people, including four law enforcement officers, died.
"The country was still in the throes of the Jim Crow era and not many years post-slavery," Jason Holt, an attorney and descendant of Pfc. Thomas C. Hawkins, said.
"With T.C. Hawkins, there's conflicting testimony as to where he was and what happened during the course of the incident. I'm not suggesting that there was the appropriate amount of fairness with any of the soldiers."
After the incident, three courts-martial were held following the indictments of 118 men, the report noted.
At least 19 of the 110 soldiers of the 3rd Battalion, U.S. 24th Infantry Regiment, who were convicted were put to death after the riot.
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A ceremony at the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum will honor their legacy, and Army Secretary Christine Wormuth's ultimate decision to restore the rights and privileges of each solider convicted will see their families become eligible for benefits, the report noted.
"It can't bring them back, but it gives them peace," Angela Holder, a family member of Cpl. Jesse Moore, said. "Their souls are at peace."