January 28, 2022
African American Servicemen
in the
Revolutionary War

We are excited to be offering a variety of special programs in February to celebrate Black History Month. The first program on February 3rd will feature author Robert Harris, who will speak about African Americans in the military. 

African American Servicemen from Connecticut

Black Continental Soldier by T. Payton, 1997 courtesy of  National Park Service website

According to the Forgotten Patriots Project of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, at least 820 African American soldiers and seaman from Connecticut served in the Revolutionary War, representing 80 different towns, and making up 16% of the total African American servicemen from all of the thirteen colonies.  The number of African Americans known to have served in the American Revolution has been estimated at around 5000, but it could be closer to 10,000.  Lack of documentation and confusion over names are only two of the hurtles historians encounter when researching the extent of African Americans involvement of  in the Revolution.

At the beginning of the revolution, African Americans were prohibited from enlisting, but as the need for soldiers grew the restrictions were relaxed. "State after state set in place systems by which slaves could earn their freedom by serving in the military and whereby freemen could enlist themselves. Some could serve as substitutes in place of their owner, or someone else, with the promise of emancipation at the end of the war." 

African American Servicemen from the "Windsors"

East Windsor
ABEL, African American (“Negro”), East Windsor
CATO, African American (“Negro”), East Windsor
HAZARD, African American (“Negro”), East Windsor
PETER, African American (“Negro”),, East Windsor
PORTER, African American (“Negro”), East Windsor

Windsor
BARZILLA, HENRY, African American, , Windsor
EDWARD/NED, African American (“Negro”), Windsor
FREEMAN, PETER, African American (“Negro”), Windsor
MITCHELL, OLIVER, African American, W1632 [in. Anna Wright], Windsor
PLYMOUTH, African American (“Negro”), Windsor
PLYMOUTH, African American, (May be the same man as Plymouth Negro, above), Windsor
PRINCE, African American (“Negro”), Windsor
PROVIDENCE, African American, Windsor
CUFF, SAMPSON/SAMSON, African American, S34616, (Served in Capt. David Humphrey‟s 
Company of Colored Troops), Windsor/Richmond/Otis

Map and list of servicemen courtesy of
National Liberty Mall Fund DC

African American Serviceman Oliver Mitchell

One example of the manumission of an enslaved man as a result of his military service is thought to be Oliver Mitchell. Mitchell settled with his brother Moses, in the town Windsor, where they each purchased land. "Moses’s brother Oliver came from East Windsor in 1797, buying for 50 pounds a piece of property with 'two dwelling houses' on the west bank of the Connecticut River near the Scantic Ferry…. Assuming that they were slaves at one time, Moses was certainly free before 1791 when he bought property…, and Oliver’s participation in the Revolutionary War probably earned him his freedom." (Hinckley, Marcia, "We just went on with it,” The Black Experience in Windsor, Connecticut, 1790-1950; 1991, Windsor Historical Society research library.)

Oliver Mitchell and Moses Mitchell’s signatures, taken from their respective wills, courtesy of Windsor Historical Society.

 At Right-A conceptual scale model of the proposed memorial to African Americans who fought in the American Revolution. Model by David Newton Sculpture of Dallas. (Courtesy of Maurice Barboza)

 Portrait of a black Revolutionary War sailor c.1780 Description:This portrait of an unidentified Revolutionary War sailor was painted in oil by an unknown artist, circa 1780. Prior to the war, many blacks were already experienced seamen, having served in the British navy and in the colonies' state navies, as well as on merchant vessels in the North and the South. This sailor's dress uniform suggests that he served in the navy, rather than with a privateer-Image Credit: The Newport Historical Society (P999)

"(1) the Congress extends thanks to the descendants of free blacks and slaves who participated in the Revolution and acknowledges the contributions of these courageous men and women who, in aspiring to freedom, helped bring about American independence..."
Public Law 98-245 signed by President Ronald Reagan on March 27, 1984.

You can explore the historic deeds of African American Servicemen such as, Crispus Attucks at the Boston Massacre and Peter Salem at the Battle of Bunker Hill, with Author Robert Harris Thursday, February 3rd at 5:30pm.

Learn more about Oliver Mitchell on the Windsor Historical Society's website.

Click here to download a free PDF of the Forgotten Patriots research guide

and

here for the -Forgotten Patriots Supplement 2008-2012.

Please forward this email to anyone who might be interested.

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