A Book from the 1851

Black Patriots of the Revolution

Prince Estabrook: He Answered
the Alarm

Prince Estabrook was a enslaved Black
man and Minutemen Private[1] who fought and was
wounded at the Battle of Lexington and Concord, the
first battle of the American Revolutionary War.[2] An
undated broadside from the time identified him as "a
Negro Man", spelled his name Easterbrooks, and listed
him among the wounded from Lexington,
Massachusetts.[3] Born around 1741, he was a slave
belonging to the family of Benjamin Estabrook from
whom he most likely took his name.
Prince Estabrook
 He was from the Lexington Militia commanded
by Captain John Parker, the first to engage the British
at Lexington, and was paid for his participation in a
Cambridge detachment from July 17–18, 1775.[5] The
Essex Register of 25 April 1775 lists "Prince
Easterbrooks - a Negro-Man... of Lexington" as having
been wounded by the British troops at some time
during the Battles of Lexington and Concord.[6] He
enlisted in the Lexington Militia in 1773 and served in
the army off and on until 1783.[4]
Heroes of the American Revolution
Monument to Prince Estabrook in
Lexington
 He was honored in 2008 by the city of Lexington, MA with a
monument erected in front of Buckman Tavern as being the first black
combatant of the American Revolution and for representing the
thousands of blacks who fought for their country.
 In Honor of Prince Estabrook -- Prince Estabrook was a slave who lived
in Lexington. At dawn on April 19, 1775, he was one of the Lexington
Minute Men awaiting the arrival of the British Regulars at the
Buckman Tavern. In the battle which followed, Prince Estabrook was
wounded on Lexington Green. Through circumstances and destiny, he
thus became the first black soldier to fight in the American Revolution.
-- This monument is dedicated to the memory of Prince Estabrook and
the thousands of other courageous black patriots long denied the
recognition they deserve. -- Donated by the Alice Hinkle Memorial
Fund -- April 21, 2008[8]
Prince Estabrook’s Grave Ashby,
MA First Parish Church Died in
1830
Caesar Robbins
 Enslaved at birth in c.1745 in neighboring Chelmsford,
Caesar Robbins served in the French and Indian War at age
16; his owner received his payment. On April 19th, 1775, the
first day of the Revolutionary War, he likely served at the
North Bridge in Captain Joseph Robbins’ Acton company.
By 1776, he was with the forces that fortified Dorchester
Heights, and marched to Fort Ticonderoga as part of
Captain Zachariah Fitch’s company. He was probably
emancipated before or at the time of his enlistment. He
settled in Concord, married twice and had six
children. Two of his grown children, Susan and Peter,
became the first residents of this newly built house on the
Robbins farm.
Caesar Robbins
Robbins House in Concord, MA
Colonel George Middleton
 Middleton was one of 5,000 African Americans to serve in
the military on the Patriot side of the Revolutionary War,
although scant evidence survives about his military service.
Colonel Middleton served as commander of the Bucks of
America, a Boston-based unit of the Massachusetts militia.
Few details have survived about the Bucks, one of only two
all-black Patriot units in the war. After the war,
Governor John Hancock honored Colonel Middleton and
his company by presenting him with a flag to
commemorate their service. The flag still exists and is
owned by the Massachusetts Historical Society.
 Middleton house, built in 1797; Pinckney St., Boston (2010
photo)
Colonel George Middleton
 When the American Revolutionary War began in 1775, black soldiers—both slaves and freemen—served with white
soldiers in integrated militia units in the New England colonies. Later that year, these New England militia units
became the nucleus of the newly created Continental Army, the national army of the colonies. The inclusion of black
soldiers in the army was controversial.[citation needed]
 By the end of 1775, the Continental Congress and the army's Commander-in-Chief, George Washington, decided to
stop enlisting black soldiers. Washington soon reversed this decision, however, both because of manpower shortages
and because the British had offered freedom to slaves who would escape from Patriot masters to join the British.
Washington permitted free blacks to enlist in the Continental Army. White owners could enroll their slaves as
substitute forces for their own service.[citation needed]
 On the local level, states made independent decisions about the enlistment of African Americans. Massachusetts
continued to accept black soldiers in its integrated militia units.[2] It was also one of several northern states to create a
segregated unit of black soldiers.[3] Blacks and abolitionists generally disapproved of the creation of segregated units,
preferring integrated units.[4]
 The Bucks of America, organized in Boston, was the name given to one of two all-black units fighting for
independence.[5] Little is known of the campaign history of the company, but it seems to have operated in the Boston
area.[6] It may have acted primarily as an auxiliary police or security service in the city during the war, and is not
believed to have seen action against British soldiers.[7]
 George Middleton was one member of the Bucks of America. William Cooper Nell claimed he attained the rank
of colonel.[8] Middleton is the only member of the "Bucks of America" to be known by name. Other members of his
unit may also have been members of the Prince Hall Freemasonry Lodge, but proof is lacking.[citation needed]
 The dates when the Bucks were formed and disbanded are unknown.[9]
 Bucks of America flag and medallion[edit]
 The company was celebrated in Boston after the
American Revolution ended. Governor John
Hancock and his son, John George Washington
Hancock, presented the company with a white silk
flag, featuring a leaping buck and a pine tree, the
symbol of New England. The original flag is held by
the Massachusetts Historical Society. It is believed to
have been made in Boston and presented about 1789 to
the military company.[6] A medallion was also made for
the military group to commemorate their service. It is
a silver planchet (55 mm x 48 mm) of thirteen stars
above a buck.[10]
 The Bucks of America, organized in Boston, was the
name given to one of two all-black units fighting for
independence. Little is known of the campaign history
of the company, ]
 George Middleton was one member of the Bucks of
America. William Cooper Nell claimed he attained the
rank of colonel.[8] Middleton is the only member of the
"Bucks of America" to be known by name
 The dates when the Bucks were formed and disbanded
are unknown.[9]
Bucks of America Flag
Colonel Middleton’s Home Today
Boston’s Beacon Hill
Salem Poor, Hero at Bunker Hill
 Salem Poor was a slave owned by John Poor. Many New
England families treated their slaves as live-in servants
and near family members, and Salem Poor purchased
his freedom in 1769 for 27 pounds (a fairly large sum at
that time). He was married in 1771, and a son was born
in late 1774 or early 1775.
Salem Poor
Salem Poor at Bunker Hill June 19,
1775
Prince Whipple of Portsmouth, NH
 Prince Whipple was born in Ghana, of comparatively wealthy parents. When
about ten years of age, he was sent by them, in company with a cousin,
to America to be educated. An elder brother had returned four years before,
and his parents were anxious that their child should receive the same benefits.
The captain who brought the two boys over proved to be a treacherous villain,
and carried them to Baltimore, where he exposed them for sale, they were both
purchased by Portsmouth, New Hampshire men, Prince falling to General
William Whipple. He was emancipated during the [Revolutionary] War, was
much esteemed, and was once entrusted by the General with a large sum of
money to carry from Salem to Portsmouth. He was attacked on the road,
near Newburyport, by two ruffians; one was struck with a loaded whip, the
other one he shot...Prince was beloved by all who knew him. He was also
known as "Caleb Quotom" of Portsmouth, where he died leaving a widow,
Dinah a freeperson and two children.
 According to the Portsmouth, New Hampshire Town Records,[1] General
Whipple granted Prince Whipple the rights of a freeman on 22 Feb. 1781,
Prince's wedding day. He was legally manumitted by Gen. William Whipple on
26 Feb. 1784.
Prince Whipple
 Prince Whipple fought at the battles of Saratoga and
in Delaware during the War for Independence. His
owner, General William Whipple, was a signer of the
Declaration of Independence and an aide to General
George Washington. Although Whipple has been
identified by some as the African American figure in
the familiar painting of Washington crossing the
Delaware River, it is doubtful he was present on
Christmas Eve, 1776.
Crossing the Delaware
Prince Whipple’s Grave
Portsmouth, NH
Camp Constitution