How did James Reese Europe prevent violence after Noble Sissle was assaulted in Spartanburg?

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Harlem Hellfighters Members of the 369th Infantry Regiment (Harlem Hellfighters) posing with their awards for gallantry in combat.

When Noble Sissle was assaulted by a white man at a hotel newsstand in Spartanburg, South Carolina, tensions immediately escalated as soldiers from the 15th New York and a neighboring white unit, the 12th New York, converged on the scene to retaliate.1

James Reese Europe prevented the situation from erupting into violence by physically interposing himself between the assailant and the dozens of enlisted men who had gathered. By placing himself in the middle of the confrontation, he successfully defused the tension until military police arrived to take control of the situation.1