Felix Hall was a Black man from Alabama who, at age 19, was lynched, probably by fellow soldiers in

Fort Benning Fort Benning (named Fort Moore from 2023–2025) is a United States Army post in the Columbus, Georgia area. Located on Georgia's border with Alabama, Fort Benning supports more than 120,000 active-duty military, family members, reserve compone ...

, Georgia. Hall had volunteered to join an African-American unit being trained in Fort Benning. He was last seen alive on February 12, 1941, in one of the fort's white neighborhoods. His body was found six weeks later, on March 28, hanging by a noose tied to a tree in a ravine near the

Chattahoochee River The Chattahoochee River () is a river in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern United States. It forms the southern half of the Alabama and Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia border, as well as a portion of the Florida and Georgia border. It ...

. The killers were never found, and evidence suggests that no serious efforts were made at the time by the Army or the FBI to discover the cause of Hall's death. Investigators first called the death a suicide, despite Hall's hands being tied, and later called it a sex crime. In 2021, a plaque in Hall's memory was installed at Fort Benning. Congressman Sanford D. Bishop Jr., who represents the district where Fort Benning is located, said, "This memorial reminds us of our duty to assure equality and justice for all those who follow in Private Hall’s footsteps in service to our nation."

References

{{Lynching in the United States 1922 births 1941 deaths Lynching deaths in Georgia (U.S. state) History of Columbus, Georgia African-American United States Army personnel United States Army personnel killed in World War II Military personnel from Alabama Racially motivated violence against African Americans in Georgia (U.S. state) People murdered in 1941