Rev War New Hampshire Regiment List of Soldiers Includes African American Patriots

REVOLUTIONARY WAR. Manuscript Document, 1 p., Circa 1780, New Hampshire, 7.75” x 11.75”. Flattened folds, toning, uneven edges, ink erosion, tape repair to verso, else Good.

This handwritten list contains the names of 26 soldiers with location and war status, such as “discharged April 20, 1780”, “missing June 25, 1778”, and “not returned”. Two of these soldiers are listed in the publication, Forgotten Patriots: African American and American Indian Patriots in the Revolutionary War, by Eric Grundset.

• Abbott, Peter, African American, SBF, no residence given
• Brown, Scipio, African American, DRNH:15, WAL, M246, M881, SBF, Kingstown

At the beginning of the war, most states expressly prohibited the enlistment of free blacks and slaves. The idea of giving weapons to men who could be tempted to use them against their oppressors was frightening to the establishment. As the war progressed and the need for soldiers became more desperate, state after state set in place systems by which slaves could earn their freedom by serving in the military and whereby free men 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. Some individuals who did indeed fight in the American forces were denied their freedom after the war. Others likely disappeared back into slavery with no legal or financial means to do otherwise.

The Forgotten Patriots Project focuses on the important contributions made by African American and American Indian patriots of the American Revolution. To date, thousands of Forgotten Patriots have been identified, and DAR researchers continue to uncover these individuals and their unique stories. In the 1980s and 1990s, a series of small booklets for each of the original states were published, and in 2001 these booklets were merged into one volume and their contents greatly expanded in the publication titled African American and American Indian Patriots in the Revolutionary War.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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