Black Soldiers of Liberty

Estimates have appeared in print for generations that 3,000 to 5,000 Black soldiers served in the American military in the Revolution.

Local enslaved men fought in Revolutionary War

Notice in Providence Gazette

For centuries, many towns failed to acknowledge the contributions of Black soldiers in the War of Independence. Only in 2021 were Jamestown slaves first identified by public historian Peter Fay and honored by the town. They had been sold to the rebel government and promised their freedom for serving.