Who was William Hayward and what was his role in the Harlem Hellfighters?

William Hayward was a white officer and former Nebraska National Guard colonel who was appointed by Governor Charles Whitman in June 1916 to serve as the commanding officer of the 15th New York (Colored) Infantry Regiment, which later became known as the Harlem Hellfighters.

As the regiment's commander, Hayward acted as an adept organizer. He recognized the necessity of integrating African American soldiers into the unit's officer corps, commissioning individuals such as Spanish-American War veteran Charles Fillmore as a captain and company commander. Despite his efforts to build the regiment, the unit initially struggled to meet its recruitment goals during the summer of 1916.1