Rhode Island’s Black Regiment: The enslaved soldiers who repelled the Hessians

The First Black Regiment’s Fight for Freedom

Patriots Park in Rhode Island tells the story of enslaved men who fought for a freedom they didn’t yet have.

In 1778, desperate for soldiers after Valley Forge, Rhode Island offered enslaved people immediate freedom if they joined the army.

Over 130 men signed up within four months.

At the Battle of Rhode Island that August, these formerly enslaved soldiers fought so fiercely that Hessian troops refused to attack them again.

Their colonel even asked for a transfer rather than face another beating. This is how America’s first Black regiment earned their freedom on the battlefield.

Valley Forge Left Washington’s Army Short on Soldiers

About 2,000 soldiers died from sickness during the hard winter at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania in 1777-1778. The Continental Army needed more men after this terrible winter.

Washington sent urgent letters to Congress asking for help, writing that thousands of men were “unfit because they are barefoot and otherwise naked.

Rhode Island regiments came back from Valley Forge with few soldiers left and struggled to find new recruits.

A Bold Plan Came from an Unexpected Source

General James Mitchell Varnum, one of Washington’s officers and a good lawyer, came up with a radical idea in early 1778.

He wrote to Washington suggesting Rhode Island could raise “a battalion of Negroes.”

Washington sent this idea to Rhode Island’s General Assembly without saying if he liked it or not. This plan was surprising since Black men couldn’t join the Continental Army since November 12, 1775.

Rhode Island Created a Revolutionary Law

On February 14, 1778, Rhode Island’s General Assembly passed the Slave Enlistment Act.

The law said “every able-bodied negro, mulatto, or Indian man slave in this state may enlist” in the Continental Army.

Any enslaved man who joined would be “immediately discharged from the service of his master or mistress, and be absolutely FREE.”

Slave owners got up to $400 for each enslaved person who joined.

Freedom Called and Men Answered

Over 130 free and formerly enslaved men quickly joined the 1st Rhode Island Regiment in the first few months after the law passed.

Eighty-eight enslaved men signed up in just four months, along with free Black and Native American men. Many came from Rhode Island’s biggest slaveholding families.

This was notable in a state with only 3,331 Black and Indian people total.

Slave Owners Quickly Killed the Freedom Law

The Slave Enlistment Act faced strong opposition from slave owners across the colonies.

Rhode Island slave owners worried about how armed ex-slaves might affect those still enslaved. Angry voters threw out more than half the lawmakers who had passed the law.

The act lasted only four months before being canceled in June 1778, though men who had already joined stayed free.

The Black Regiment Formed Despite Opposition

The 1st Rhode Island Regiment grew to about 225 men total, with as many as 140 Black or Native American soldiers. It became the only Continental Army regiment with separate companies of Black soldiers.

Other regiments that allowed Black men kept them mixed with white soldiers. People called it the “Black Regiment” even though it included white soldiers too.

The British Made Newport Their Military Base

British forces under Lieutenant General Henry Clinton sailed from New York and took Newport, Rhode Island on December 8, 1776.

Brigadier General Richard Prescott took control with several Hessian regiments, turning Newport into a British stronghold. It was one of America’s busiest ports and gave the British a perfect spot for attacks on New York.

The British stayed in Newport for three years, from December 1776 until October 1779.

French Ships Arrived to Turn the Tide

A French fleet under Admiral Comte d’Estaing sailed into Rhode Island’s Narragansett Bay in August 1778, changing the battle situation completely.

The plan was for French forces to attack British-held Newport from the water while General John Sullivan’s 10,000 American troops attacked from land.

The French fleet easily outmatched the 11 British warships there.

Mother Nature Wrecked the Attack Plans

The French ships got lured away from Newport while chasing a British fleet.

A huge storm hit both fleets, tossing ships around for two days and causing serious damage. The damaged French fleet had to sail to Boston for repairs, dropping the Newport mission completely.

Many of Sullivan’s soldiers gave up and went home, thinking they couldn’t take the city without French help.

Former Slaves Proved Their Worth in Battle

On August 29, 1778, the 1st Rhode Island Regiment defended a key position on West Main Road during the Battle of Rhode Island.

They fought off three fierce attacks by 1,500 Hessian soldiers under Count Donop. The regiment faced the worst of the Hessian assault but held firm, showing what observers called “desperate valor.”

They beat back the Hessians with such heavy losses that Count Donop asked to be transferred, fearing his own men might kill him for causing so many deaths.

Their Bravery Changed Minds and Made History

Major General John Sullivan praised the Black Regiment’s performance, saying they deserved “a proper share of the honors of the day.”

The Marquis de Lafayette called the battle “the best-fought action of the war.” Locals named a nearby stream “Bloody Run Creek” because it ran red with Hessian blood.

The formerly enslaved soldiers continued serving throughout the Revolutionary War, many fighting all the way to the final American victory at Yorktown in 1781.

Visiting Patriots Park, Rhode Island

Patriots Park in Portsmouth gives you free access to learn about America’s First Black Regiment at the Battle of Rhode Island.

The park is on West Main Road where it meets Route 24, with pull-off parking at the Routes 114 and 24 intersection. You’ll find multiple memorials including a 1976 NAACP monument and 2005 granite wall.

This National Historic Landmark from 1973 marks Bloody Run Brook where the Black Regiment defended the American right flank while still enslaved.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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