When the Revolution started, William Whipple was assigned as a captain in the Continental Army and took Prince with him. Initially, Prince served as a bodyguard to William because of military regulations that forbid Blacks from serving in the army or militia. Despite the restrictions, Blacks had been reported to have fought alongside the colonists in many battles including Lexington and Bunker Hill. The British offered freedom to American slaves if they were to serve in the British Army against the American Colonies. In 1780, the Southern Colonies began to draft free Blacks and a select number of enslaved men for military service as a response to the actions of the British. The conscription of Blacks was also an answer to the diminishing manpower of the Thirteen Colonies. The increased need of men allowed Prince to serve as a military aide to William and a soldier in the New Hampshire Militia.