The Irish standard., 1897-05-08
THE SONS OF HAM FOUGHT BRAVE
LY IN THE REVOLUTION.
cRIsPus AT1ucks, A coLoRED MAN,
WAS THE FIRST MARTYR OF LIB.
ERTY IN BOSTON, MASS.
At THE BATTLE OF BUNKER HILL
MAJOR PITCAIRN WAS KILLED BY
PETER SALEM.

MAJOR PITCAIRN WAS KILLED BY
PETER SALEM.
There are very few records of the ne
gro soldier Of the Revolution, though in
it he played no unimportant part.
Just before the Declaration y Inde-
pendence, the colonists were in state
of heated indignation at the outrages
perpetrated upon them by the Engi.z..
authorities, but more especially at the
actions of the soldiers stationed among
them. In the north the feeling was
much more intense than in the south.
For years there had been numerous col
lisions between the servants of the gov
ernment and the people, but the first
really serious affair took place only in
1770, when, in an attack upon the royal
soldiers, in Boston, Crispus Attucks and
four companions laid down their lives
for liberty, says the "Colored Harvest" :"
Attucks was negro who had run
away from his master and come to Bos-
ton. With a reward of ten pounds
hanging over his head, he went to his
death, the first martyr to freedom and
is today honored with a monument in
Boston.
Historians have not been slow in
praising this man, but beyond him they
make little mention of any other ne
groes of those times. AS fact, how
ever, we find them everywhere we go in
the study of the revolution. At Bunker
Hill, Major Pitcairn, gallant British
officer, was killed as he mounted tho
ramparts by a negro named Peter Salem.
Pitcairn so terrified the soldiers defend
ing the position, that it looked for an
instant as if the cause was then and
there lost. But the GOODNESS of Salem
saved the day, and Pitcairn was taken
from the field by his horror-stricken
son.
At Newport, it was by the energetic
aid of a negro named Prince that Gen.
Prescott was captured. At Saratoga
and Saltwater, where Burgoyne surren-
dered, another child of Ham, Eben Hill,
who served through the entire war, was
present and took part. At Fort Girls
void, no sooner had Major Montgomery
uttered the word surrender" than he
was struck dead by negro soldier, and
as proof that there were more negroes
in the fort, we are told that several
were among those slain in the massacre
that followed the surrender of the place.
At Yorktown many negroes were in the
Revolutionary army, and at Monmouth
Samuel Charlton, negro driver, leaped
from his team and plunged into the
thickest of the combat. For this he
was personally commended by General
Washington. The Notifications of Dor
chester Heights, Boston, were built with
the aid of negroes, but the most inter-
esting incident of this time, is that re-
lated of a negro named Jeffrey. He was
q regular in the ranks of the soldiers
around Mobile, when they were thrown
into disorder by an onrush of the enemy.
was at the head of the frightened SOL
diers, jeffrey leaped to the front and
turned them back on the enemy, charged
them and completely routed them, earn
ing for himself the title of major.
Many incidents could be told of the
negro soldiers of the revolution of 1776.
These are few to illustrate the char
acter Of the black man when a crisis
came.
It was this fear of his powers that,
for a long time prevented the colonists
from enlisting him in bodies. In those
days, prejudice was not so strong as
now. but the negro was regarded by
nearly all as dangerous and only await
ing an opportunity to strike for his lib
erty. It took years for the white colon
lists to allow companies Of negro troops
to organize, and then only that they
be commanded by white officers. The
north was somewhat in advance of the
south, still the number Of those who
favored negro regiments was not large.
The committee of safety forbade alb
solutely that slaves be admitted into
the colonial army. This had the effect
of gaining the freedom of many slaves,
in order that they might enlist.
In spite of the bravery exhibited by
the negro, shortly after the battle Of
Bunker Hill, orders were issued that me-
groes then employed as soldiers be dis
missed from the army. This action was
considered advisable by committed
appointed to examine into the matter,
yet the dismissal of the soldiers did not
take place without the protestations Of
many, especially of those whose families
were among negro populations. This
feeling grew 80 strong that Washington
thought 1T to oyerstep the rules laid
down, and enlist negroes. IN this he
Has Sustained IS con q.