Robert Lester Blackwell (October 4, 1895 – October 11, 1918) was an American soldier who posthumously received the Medal of Honor during World War I. He was born in the vicinity of Hurdle Mills, in Person County, North Carolina, to James B. and Eugenia Blackwell. Robert's father was originally from nearby Orange County, and was a Confederate Civil War veteran; his mother died when he was young. Blackwell was raised on his family's farm, and entered the Army from Hurdle Mills.