Home Irregulars African American Soldiers in the Revolution

African American Soldiers in the Revolution

by
4 comments

Get the popcorn ready for another miniseries about the American RevolutionBoston 1775 reports that work has begun on The Book Of Negroes…it will air will air on BET and on CBC in Canada.”The story centers on Aminata Diallo, who is taken by slave raders from West Africa to South Carolina. It follows her through the American Revolution in New York, the isolated refuge of Nova Scotia and the jungles of Sierra Leone, before she ultimately secures her freedom in England in the early 1800s…”

There were, in fact, a substantial number of African Americans and Native Americans who served in the American Revolution, as the Massachusetts Society of the Sons of the American Revolution reminds us with this post highlighting the controversial (especially to the southern colonies) practice of enlisting African Americans and Native Americans into the continental Army. The post also includes a link to a comprehensive listing of minority soldiers who served in the war.

What’s that you say? How many from New England? Glad you asked. By our count:

  • Connecticut – 955
  • Maine – 198
  • Massachusetts – 1,535
  • New Hampshire – 202
  • Rhode Island – 898
  • Vermont – 25

Think you know someone on that list? You can look them up in this report, provided by the society.

NEHSHighlightsArchiveFLASHBACKPHOTOARCHIVE

4 comments

Celebrating Black History in New England - New England Historical Society February 1, 2015 - 5:37 pm

[…] African-American soldiers served in the Continental Army as well. Find out how many here. […]

Celebrating New England Black History - New England Historical Society February 4, 2015 - 12:42 pm

[…] African-American soldiers served in the Continental Army as well. Find out how many here. […]

Tobias Gilmore, an African-American Soldier in the American Revolution - New England Historical Society February 10, 2015 - 8:48 am

[…] for the Continental Army. New England regiments recruited slaves by promising them their freedom. Massachusetts sent 1,535 African-American soldiers to the Continental Army, while the other New England colonies sent 2,278. Historians count 9000 black Patriot soldiers, […]

Seven Fun Continental Army Facts - New England Historical Society April 10, 2019 - 4:34 pm

[…] soldiers made up as much as a tenth of the Continental Army. In 1775, the New England states enlisted 200 black soldiers, but Washington put an end to that […]

Comments are closed.

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

Join our mailing list to receive the latest artciles from the New England Historical Society

Thanks for Signing Up!

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

Join Now and Get The Latest Articles. 

It's Free!

You have Successfully Subscribed!