The specific person most responsible for bringing the 15th into existence was Charles Fillmore, an African American attorney who lobbied the state government for years. He was eventually succeeded in this effort by Colonel William Hayward, a white Progressive-era Republican politician who took command of the nascent regiment and used his political connections to push through the approvals and funding that the unit needed.
The regiment was formally recognized by the state of New York in 1916 and mustered into federal service in July 1917 after the United States entered the war. The specific timeline — organized in 1916, federal service July 1917 — meant that by the time Johnson enlisted in June 1917, the unit was an established organization with its command structure, its band, and its institutional identity in place.
The regiment’s nickname before it became the Harlem Hellfighters was simply “the Fifteenth.” The transition to 369th Infantry and to the Harlem Hellfighters identity happened through the deployment to France and the combat service there. By the time the regiment marched up Fifth Avenue in February 1919, the Harlem Hellfighters identity was fully formed.
## The French 16th Division
The 369th was attached to the French 16th Division when it went to the front in March 1918. This assignment determined the specific sector and the specific tactical context in which Johnson and Roberts found themselves at Outpost 20 in May.
The French 16th Division was a standard French infantry division of the period, organized under French tactical doctrine, equipped with French weapons and rations, and operating under French command. For the 369th, the transition from American to French logistical and tactical support was significant: the regiment exchanged its American weapons and equipment for French equivalents, adapted to French unit procedures, and was integrated into French command networks.