COLORED AMERICANS IN THE
WARS OF 1776 AND 1812
By
WILLIAM a NELL
FHIX.AJJBt.PHI A ■
PKJNTEC FOB H. X. KKAX.1NQ, 681 PINK STREET
1002
A STATEMENT.
This little volume sets forth in compact form the achieve¬
ments of the American Negro during the Revolutionary War
and the War of 1812. It is compiled from valuable records,
diaries, documents and articles in newspapers nearly contem¬
poraneous with the times of which they treat, and it may,
therefore, be considered a valuable compendium to the man
who seeks information on a subject but scantily treated in
the standard historical works to which reference is usually
made.
The matter herein contained was first printed in a Canada
edition called "Services of Colored Americans in the Wars of
1776 and 1812." It is now out of print, but matter of so
great value in fixing the patriotic status of a people so long
denied honorable place among the nation-makers of America
must not be allowed to fade from view; especially at this time
when archives and libraries are being ransacked by scholarly
men of the Negro race for defensive data against the insidious
attacks of wily foes upon the claims and merit of the colored
race considered as soldiers and citizens.
A reference to the bibliography and authorities quoted by
Mr. Nell, the author, is an addition to the original volume
which will be appreciated by those inquirers who have access
to good libraries and wish to verify the facts here given.
To have collected all these scattered and fugitive allusions
involved no small labor, and deserves the thanks of all who
want to see the material for a lull and fair history of the
United States so gathered into one convenient place that the
future historian cannot fail to find it, if he be desirous; nor
refuse to use it, if he be conscientious.
It should be mentioned that matter which has became un¬
true by the progress of events since the first edition of this
book has been carefully exscinded.
H. T. KEALING.
Philadelphia, Pa., September 1, 1902.
INTRODUCTION.
The following pages are an effort to stem the tide of preju¬
dice against the Colored race. The white man despises the
colored man, and has come to think him fit only for the menial
drudgery to which the majority of the race has been so long
doomed. "This prejudice was never reasoned up, and will
never be reasoned down." It must be lived down. In a land
where wealth is the basis of reputation, the colored man must
prove his sagacity and enterprise by successful trade or specu¬
lation. To show his capacity for mental culture he must be,
not merely claim the right to be, a scholar. Professional emi¬
nence is peculiarly the result of practice and long experience.
The colored people, therefore, owe it to each other and to their
race to extend liberal encouragement to colored lawyers, phy¬
sicians and teachers, as well as to mechanics and artisans of
all kinds. Let no individual despair. Not to name the living,
let me hold up the example of one whose career deserves to
be often spoken of, as complete proof that a colored man can
rise to social respect and the highest employment and useful¬
ness, in spite not only of the prejudice that crushes his race,
but of the heaviest personal burdens. Dr. David Ruggles,
poor, blind and an invalid, founded a well-known Water Cure
Establishment in the town where I write, erected expensive
buildings, won honorable distinction as a most successful and
skilful practitioner, secured the warm regard and esteem of
this community, and left a name embalmed in the hearts of
many who feel that they owe life to his eminent skill and care¬
ful practice. Black though he was, his aid was sought some¬
times by those numbered among the Pro-Slavery class. To
be sure, his is but a single instance, and I know it required
pre-eminent ability to make a way up to light through the
overwhelming mass of prejudice and contempt. But it is these
rare cases of strong will and eminent endowment,—always
sure to make the world feel whether it will or no,—that will
finally wring from a contemptuous community the reluctant
confession of the colored man's equality.
I ask, therefore, the reader's patronage of the following
sheets, on several grounds; first, as an encouragement to the
author, Mr. Nell, to pursue a subject which well deserves
illustration on other points besides those on which he has
labored; secondly, to scatter broadly as possible, the facts here
collected, as instance of the colored man's success a recor
of the genius he has shown, and the services he has rendered
society in the higher departments of exertion; thirdly, to en¬
courage such men as Ruggles to perseverance, by showing a
generous appreciation of their labors and a cordial sympathy
in their trials.
Some things set down here go to prove colored men pa¬
triotic—though denied a country; and all show a wish, on their
part, to prove themselves men, in a land whose laws refuse to
recognize their manhood. If the reader shall, sometimes,
blush to find that in the days of our country's weakness, we
remembered their power to help or harm us, and availed our¬
selves gladly of their generous services, while we have since,
used our strength only to crush them the more completely, let
him resolve henceforth to do them justice himself and claim
it for them of others. If any shall be convinced by these
facts, that they need only a free path to show the same capac¬
ity and reap the same rewards as other races, let such labor
to open every door to their efforts, and hasten the day when
to be black shall not, almost necessarily, doom a man to pov¬
erty and the most menial drudgery. There is touching elo¬
quence, as well as Spartan brevity, in the appeal of a well-
known colored man, Rev. Peter Williams, of New York:
"We are natives of this country; we ask only to be treated
as well as foreigners. Not a few of our fathers suffered and
bled to purchase its independence; we ask only to be treated
as well as those who fought against it. We have toiled to cul¬
tivate it, and to raise it to its present prosperous condition;
we ask only to share equal privileges with those who come
from distant lands to enjoy the fruits of our labor."
WENDELL PHILLIPS.
Northampton, Oct. 25, 1852.
PREFACE.
In the month of July, 1847, the eloquent Bard of Freedom,
John G. Whittier, contributed to the National Era a state¬
ment of facts relative to the Military Services of Colored
Americans in the Revolution of 1776, and the War of 1812.
Being a member of the Society of Friends, he disclaimed any
eulogy upon the shedding of blood, even in the cause of ac¬
knowledged Justice, but, says he, "when we see a whole nation
doing honor to the memories of one class of its defenders,
to the total neglect of another class, who had the misfortune
to be of darker complexion, we cannot forego the satisfaction
of inviting notice to certain historical facts, which, for the
last half century, have been quietly elbowed aside, as no more
deserving of a place in patriotic recollections, than the descend¬
ants of the men to whom the facts in question relates, have a
place in a Fourth of July procession [in the nation's estima¬
tion].
"Of the services and sufferings of the Colored Soldiers of
the Revolution, no attempt has, to our knowledge, been made
to preserve a record. They have had no historian. With
here and there an exception, they have all passed away, and
only some faint traditions linger among their descendants.
Yet enough is known to show that the Free Colored Men of
the United States bore their full proportion of the sacrifices
and trials of the Revolutionary War."
In any attempt, then, to rescue from oblivion the name and
fame of those who, though "tinged with the hated stain," yet
had warm hearts and active hands in the "times that tried
men's souls," I will first gratetully tender him my thanks for
the service his compilation has afforded me, and my acknow¬
ledgments also to other individuals who have kindly con¬
tributed facts for this pamphlet. Imperfect as these pages
may prove, to prepare even these, journeys have been made to
confer with the living, and even pilgrimages to grave-yards,
to save all that may still be gleaned from their fast disappear¬
ing records.
There are those who will ask,—why make a parade of the
military services of Colored Americans, instead of recording
their attention to and progress in the various other depart¬
ments of civil, social, and political elevation? To this let me
answer, that I yield to no one in appreciating the propriety
and pertinency of every effort on the part of Colored Ameri¬
cans, in all pursuits, which, as members of the human family,
it becomes them to share in; and, among these, my predilec¬
tions are least and last for what constitutes the pomp and cir¬
cumstances of War.
Did the limits of this work permit, I could furnish an elab¬
orate list of those who have distinguished themselves as Teach¬
ers, Editors, Orators, Mechanics, Clergymen, Artists, Farmers,
Poets, Lawyers, Physicians, Merchants, etc., to whose peren¬
nial fame be it recorded that most of their attainments were
reached through difficulties unknown to any but those whose
sin is the curl of the hair and the hue of the skin.
There is now an institution of learning in the State of New
York, Central College, which recently employed, as Professor
of Belles Lettres, a young Colored man, Charles L. Reason,
and who, on resigning his chair, dropped his mantle gracefully
upon the shoulders of William G. Allen, another Colored
young man as worthy for scholastic abilities and gentlemanly
deportment.
These men, as Teachers, especially in Colleges open to all,
irrespective of accidental differences, are doing a mighty
work in uprooting prejudice. The influences thus gathered
are already felt. Many a young white man or woman who,
in early life has imbibed wrong notions of the Colored man's
inferiority, is taught a new lesson by the Colored Professors
at McGrawville; and they leave its honored walls with thanks¬
giving in their hearts for the conversion from Pro-Slavery
Heathenism to the Gospel of Christian Freedom;' and are thus
prepared to go forth as Pioneers in the cause of Human
Brotherhood.
But the Orator's voice and Author's pen have both been
eloquent in detailing the merits of Colored Americans in these
various ramifications of society, while a combination of cir¬
cumstances have veiled from the public eye a narration of
those military services which are generally conceded as pass¬
ports to the honorable and lasting notice of Americans.
Boston, May, 1851.
Services of Colored Americans.
MASSACHUSETTS.
On the fifth of March, 1851, a petition was presented
to the Massachusetts Legislature, asking an appropri¬
ation of $1,500 for erecting a monument to the mem¬
ory of Crispus Attucks, the first martyr in the Boston
Massacre of March 5th, 1770. The matter was refer¬
red to the Committee on Military Affairs, who granted
a hearing of the petitioners, in whose behalf appeared
Wendell Phillips, Esq., and Wm. C. Nell, but finally
submitted an adverse report, on the ground that a boy,
Christopher Snyder, was previously killed. Admitting
this fact (which was the result of a very different
sense from that in which Attucks fell),does not offset
the claims of Attucks, and those who made the fifth
of March famous in our annals—the day which history
selects as the dawn of the American Revolution.
Botta's History and Hewe's Reminiscences (the tea
party survivor) establishes the fact that the colored
man, Attucks, was of and with the people, and was
never regarded otherwise. Botta, in speaking of the
scenes of the 5th of March, says "The people
were greatly exasperated. The multitude armed
with clubs, ran towards King Street, crying, 'Let
8
us drive out these ribalds; they have no bus¬
iness here!" The rioters rushed furiously to¬
wards the Custom House; they approached the sen¬
tinel, crying, 'Kill him, kill him!' They assaulted
him with snowballs, pieces of ice, and whatever they
could lay their hands upon." The guard was then
called, and, in marching to the Custom House, "they
encountered," continues Botta, "a band of the populace,
led by a mulatto named Attucks, who brandished their
clubs, and peltered them with snowballs. The male¬
dictions, the execrations of the multitude were horri¬
ble. In the midst of a torrent of invectives from every
quarter, the military were challenged to fire. The pop¬
ulace advanced to the points of their bayonets. The
soldiers appeared like statues; the cries, the howlings,
the menaces, the violent din of bells still sounding the
alarm, increased the eonfusion and the horrors of
these moments; at length the mulatto and twelve of
his companions, pressing forward, environed the sol¬
diers, and striking their muskets with their clubs cried
to the multitude: 'Be not afraid, they dare not fire;
why do they hesitate, why do you not kill them, why
not crush them at once!' The mulatto lifted his arm
against Captain Preston, and having turned one of the
muskets, he seized the bayonet with his left hand, as if
he intended to execute his threat. At this moment,
confused cries were heard: 'The wretches dare not
fire!' Firing succeeds, Attuck is slain. The other
discharges follow. Three were killed, five severely
wounded, and several others slightly."
Attucks was killed by Montgomery, one of Captain
Preston's soldiers. He had been foremost in resisting
9
and was first slain; as proof of front and close engage¬
ment, received two balls, one in each breast.
John Adams, counsel for the soldiers, admitted that
Attucks appeared to have undertaken to be the Hero
of the night, and to lead the army with banners. He
and Caldwell, not being residents of Boston, were
both buried from Faneuil Hall. The citizens gener¬
ally participated in the funeral solemnities.
The Boston Transcript, of March, 1851, published
an anonymous correspondence disparaging the whoie
affair; denouncing Crispus Attucks as a very fire¬
brand of disorder and sedition, the most conspicuous,
inflammatory, and uproarious of the misguided pop¬
ulace, and who, if he had not fallen a martyr, would
richly have reserved hanging as an incendiary. If
the leader, Attucks, deserved the epithets above ap¬
plied is it not a legitimate inference that the citizens
who followed on are included, and hence, should swing
in his company on the gallows? If the leader and his
patriot band were misguided, the distinguished ora¬
tors who, in after days, commemorated the fifth day
of March, must, indeed, have been misguided, and with
them the masses who were inspired by their eloquence;
for John Hancock, in 1774, invokes the injured shades
of Maverick, Gray, Caldwell, Attucks, Carr.
And Judge Dawes, in 1775, thus alludes to the band
of misguided incendiaries. "The provocation of that
night must be numbered among the master springs
which gave the first motion to a vast machinery, a
noble and comprehensive system of national inde¬
pendence."
Ramsay's History of the American Revolution, Vol.
10
I., p. 22, adds, "The anniversary of the 5^ March
was observed with great solemnity; eloquent orators
were successively employed to preserve the remem¬
brance of it fresh in the mind. On these occasions
the blessings of liberty—the horrors of Slavery, and
the danger of a standing army were presented to the
public view. These annual orations administered fuel
to the fire of liberty, and kept it burning with an irre¬
sistible flame."
The 5th of March continued to be celebrated for the
above reasons, until the Declaration of American In¬
dependence was substituted in its place, and its ora¬
tors were expected to consider the feelings, manners,
and principles of the former as giving birth to the
latter.
In judging, then, of the merits of those who
launched the American Revolution, we would not take
counsel from the Tories of that or the present day, but
rather heed the approving eulogy of Lovell, Hail-
cock and Warren.
Welcome, then, be every taunt that such corre¬
spondents have flung at Attucks and his company,
as the best evidence of their merits and strongest
claims on our gratitude. Envy and the foe do not
labor to abuse any but prominent champions of a
cause. i
The rejection of this petition was to be expected, if
we accept the axiom that a Colored man never gets
Justice done him in the United States, except by mis¬
take. The petitioners only asked for that Justice, and
that the name of Crispus Attucks be surrounded with
11
the same emblems constantly appropriated by a
grateful country to other gallant Americans.
And yet let it be recorded that the same session of
the Legislature which had refused the Attucks monu¬
ment, granted one to Isaac Davis, of Concord,—both
were promoters of the American Revolution; but one
was white, the other black—and this fact is the only
solution to the problem why Justice is not meted
out.*
Extract from the Speech of Hon. Anson Burlingame,
in Faneuil Hall, October 13, 1852, when alluding to
the volunteer participation of Boston officials in re¬
turning Thomas Sims to bondage, in April, 1851.
"The conquering of New England prejudices in
favor of liberty, 'does not pay.' It 'does not pay,' I
submit, to put our fellow citizens under practical mar¬
tial law; to beat the drum in our streets; to clothe our
temples of justice in chains, and to creep along by the
light of the morning star, over the ground wet with
the blood of Crispus Attucks, the noble Colored man,
who fell in King Street, before the muskets of tyranny,
away in the dawn of our Revolution; creep by Faneuil
Hall, silent and dark; by the Green Dragon, where
that noble mechanic, Paul Revere, once mustered the
sons of liberty; within sight of Prospect Hill, where
we first unfurled the glorious banner; creep along
with funeral pace, bearing a brother, a man made in
the image of his God, not to the grave—oh, that were
merciful, for in the grave there is no work and no de¬
vice, and the voice of a master never comes—but back
*A monument to Crispus Attucks has been erected on Bos-
Ion Commons since the above was written.—h. t. k.
12
to the degradation of a Slavery which kills out of a
living body an immortal soul. (Great sensation.)
Oh! where is the man now who took part in that
mournful transaction, who would wish, looking back
upon it, to avow it."
During the Revolutionary War, public opinion was
so strongly in favor of the abolition of slavery, that,
in some of the country towns, votes were passed in
town meetings that they would have no slaves among
them; and that they would not exact, of masters, any
them; and that they would not exact of masters any
they become incapable of supporting themselves. A
liberty-loving antiquarian copied the following from
Suffolk Probate Record, and published it in the Lib¬
erator of February, 1847:
"Know all men by these presents, that I, Jonathan
Jackson, of Newburyport, in the county of Essex,
gentleman, in consideration of the impropriety I feel,
and have felt in beholding any person in constant
bondage—more especially at the time when my coun¬
try is so warmly contending for the liberty every man
ought to enjoy—and having sometime since promised
my Negro man, Pomp, that I would give him his free¬
dom—and in further consideration of five shillings,
paid me by said Pomp, I do hereby liberate, manumit,
and set him free; and I do hereby remise and release
unto said Pomp, all demands of whatever nature I
have against said Pomp.
"In witness whereof, I hereunto set my hand and
seal, this nineteenth June, 1776.
"Jonathan Jackson. (Seal).
"Witness, Mary Coburn, Wm. Noyes."
13
It only remains to say a word respecting the two
parties of the foregoing indenture.
Jonathan Jackson, of Newburyport, we well re¬
member to have heard spoken of, in our boyish days,
by honored lips, as a most upright and thorough gen¬
tleman of the old school, possessing talents and char¬
acter of the first standing. He was the first Collector
of the Port of Boston, under Washington's adminis¬
tration and was Treasurer of the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts for many years, and died in 1810. A
tribute to his memory and his worth, said to be from
the pen of the late John Lowell, appeared in the Co¬
lumbian Sentinel, March 10, 1810. His immediate
descendants have long resided in this city, are exten¬
sively known, and as widely and justly honored.
Pomp took the name of his late master, upon his
emancipation, and soon after enlisted in the arrnv, as
Pomp Jackson, served through the whole war of the
revolution and obtained an honorable discharge at its
termination. He afterwards settled in Andover, near
a pond, still known as "Pomp's Pond," where some of
his descendants yet live. In this case of emancipa¬
tion, it appears, instead of "cutting his master's
throat," he only slashed the throats of his country's
enemies.
The late Governor Eustis, of Massachusetts, the
pride and boast of the democracy of the East, himself
an active participant in the War, and therefore a most
competent witness, states that the Freed Colored Sol¬
diers entered the ranks with the whites. The time of
those who were Slaves was purchased of their mas¬
ters, and they were induced to enter the service in con-
14
sequence of a law of Congress, by which, on condition
of their serving in the ranks during the War, they
were made Freemen. The hope of Liberty inspired
them with the courage to oppose their breasts to the
Hessian bayonet at Red Bank, and enabled them to en¬
dure with fortitude the cold and famine of Valley
Forge. t
Seymour Burr was a Slave in Connecticut, to a
brother of Col. Aaron Burr, from whom he derived
his name. Though treated with much favor by his
master, his heart yearned for liberty, and he seized
an occasion to induce several of his fellow servants to
escape in a boat, intending to join the British, that
they might become Freemen; but being pursued by
their owners, armed with implements of death, they
were compelled to surrender.
Burr's master, contrary to his expectation, did not
inflict corporal punishment, but reminded him of the
kindness with which he had been treated, and asked
what inducement he could have in leaving him. Burr
replied that he wanted his liberty. His owner finally
proposed, that if he would give him the bounty money
he might join the American army, and at the end of
the war be his own man. Burr, willing to make any
sacrifice for his liberty, consented, and served faith¬
fully during the campaign, attached to the Seventh
Regiment, commanded by Colonel, afterwards Gover¬
nor Brooks, of Melford. He was present at the siege of
Fort Catskill, and endured much suffering from star¬
vation and cold. After some skirmishing the army
was relieved by the arrival of Gen. Washington, who,
as witnessed by him, shed tears of joy on finding them
unexpectedly safe.
15
Burr married one of the Punkapog tribe of Indians,
and settled in Canton, Mass., where his widow now,
aged one hundred and one years, draws his pension.
Primus Hall, a native Bostonian, and long known
to the citizens as a soap-boiler, served in the revolu¬
tionary war, and used to entertain the social circle
with various anecdotes of military experience; among
them an instance, where being himself in possession
of a blanket, at a time when such a luxury had become
scarce, Gen. Washington entered the tent, having ap¬
propriated his own bedding for the worn-out soldiers,
Hall immediately tendered his blanket for the General,
who replied, he preferred sharing his privations with
his fellow soldiers, and accordingly Gen. Washington
and Primus Hall reposed for the night together.
Mr. Hall was among those Colored citizens who, in
the war of 1812, repaired to Castle Island, in Boston
harbor, to assist in building fortifications. (See Ap¬
pendix.)
Joshua B. Smith narrated to me that he was pres¬
ent at a company of distinguished Massachusetts men,
when the conversation turned upon the exploits of
Revolutionary times; and that the late Judge Story
related the instance of a Colored Artillerist, who,
while having charge of a cannon with a white fellow
soldier, was wounded in one arm. He immediately
turned to his comrade and proposed changing his posi¬
tion, exclaiming that he had yet one arm left with
which he could render some service to his country.
The change proved fatal to the heroic soldier, for an¬
other shot from the enemy killed him on the spot.
Judge Story furnished other incidents of the bravery
16
and devotion of Colored Soldiers, adding, that he had
often thought them and their descendants too much
neglected, considering the part they had sustained in
the Wars; and he regretted that he did not, in early
life, gather the facts into a shape for general informa¬
tion.
At the close of the Revolutionary War, John Han¬
cock presented the Colored Soldiers, called the "Bucks
of America," an appropriate banner (bearing his
initials) as a tribute to their courage and devotion in
the cause of American Liberty, through a protracted
and bloody struggle. This banner is now in the pos¬
session of Mrs. Kay, whose father was a member of
the company.
When a boy, living in West Boston, I was familiar
with the presence of "Big Dick," an,d of hearing the
following history confirmed. It is not wholly out of
place in this collection.
Big Dick—Richard Seavers, whose death in this city
we lately mentioned, was a man of mighty mould. A
short time previous to his death, he measured six feet
five inches in height, and attracted much attention
when seen in the street. He was born in Salem or
vicinity and when about sixteen years old, went to
England, where he entered the British navy. When
the war of 1812 broke out, he would not fight against
his country, gave himself up as an American citizen,
and was made a prisoner of war.
A Surgeon on board of an American privateer,
who experienced the tender mercies of the British
Government in Darton prison, during the War of
1812, makes honorable mention of King Dick, as he
was there called.
17
"There are about four hundred and fifty negroes
in prison. No. 4, and this assemblage of blacks affords
many curious anecdotes, and much matter for specula¬
tion. These blacks have a ruler among them whom
they call King Dick. He is by far the largest, and I
suspect, the strongest man in the prison. He is six
feet five inches in height, and proportionably large.
This black Hercules commands respect, and his sub¬
jects tremble in his presence. He goes the rounds
every day, and visits every berth to see if they are all
kept clean. When he goes the rounds, he puts on a
large bearskin cap, and carries in his hand a huge
club. If any of his men are dirty, drunken or grossly
negligent, he threatens them with a beating; and if
they are saucy, they are sure to receive one. They
have several times conspired against him, and at¬
tempted to dethrone him, but he has always conquered
the rebels. One night several attacked him while
asleep in his hammock, he sprang up and seized the
smallest of them by his feet, and thumped another
with him. The poor negro who had thus been made
a beetle of, was carried next day to the hospital, sadly
bruised, and provokingly laughed at. This ruler of the
blacks, this King Richard IV, is a man of good un¬
derstanding, and he exercises it to a good purpose. If
any one of his color cheats, defrauds, or steals from
his comrades, he is sure to be punished for it."—
Boston Patriot.
RHODE ISLAND.
The Hon. Tristam Burgess, of Rhode Island, in a
speech to Congress first month, 1828, said: "At the
commencement of the Revolutionary War, Rhode
Island had a number of slaves. A regiment of them
were enlisted into the Continental service, and no
braver men met the enemy in battle; but not one of
them was permitted to be a solider until he had first
been made a freeman."
"In Rhode Island," says Governor Eustis, in his
able speech against slavery in Missouri, twelfth of
Twelfth month, 1820, "the blacks formed an entire
regiment, and they discharged their duty with zeal and
fidelity. The gallant defence of Red Bank, in which
the black regiment bore a part, is among the proofs of
their valor." In this contest it will be recollected that
four hundred men met and repulsed, after a terrible
and sanguinary struggle, fifteen hundred Hessian
troops, headed by Count Donop. The glory of the de¬
fence of Red Bank, which has been pronounced one of
the most heroic actions of the war, belongs in reality
to black men; yet who now hears them spoken of in
connection with it? Among the traits which distin¬
guished the black regiment, was devotion to their offi¬
cers. In the attack made upon the American lines,
near Croton river, on the 13th of Fifth month, 1781,
Colonel Greene, the commander of the regiment, was
cut down and mortally wounded; but the sabres of the
(18)
19
enemy only reached him through the bodies of his faith¬
ful guard of blacks, who hovered over him to protect
him, every one of whom was killed.
Lieutenant Colonel Barton, of the Rhode Island
militia, planned a bold exploit for the purpose of sur¬
prising and taking Major-General Prescott, the com¬
manding officer of the royal army at Newport. Taking
with him in the night about forty men, in two boats,
with oars muffled, he had the address to elude the vig¬
ilance of the ships of war and guard boats, and having
arrived undiscovered at the General's quarters, they
were taken for the sentinels, and the General was not
alarmed until the captors were at the door of his
lodging chamber, which was fast closed. A negro
man named Prince instantly thrust his head through
the panel door and seized the victim while in bed. The
General's aid-de-camp leaped from a window un¬
dressed, and attempted to escape but was taken, and
with the General brought off in safety.—Thatcher's
Military Journal, August 3, 1777.
CONNECTICUTT.
Hon. Calvin Goddard, of Connecticut, states that in
the little circle of his residence, he was instrumental in
securing', under the Act of 1818, the pensions of nine¬
teen Colored Soldiers. ''I cannot," he says, "refrain
from mentioning one aged black man, Primus Bab-
cock, who proudly presented to me an honorable dis¬
charge from service during the war, dated at the close
of it, wholly in the handwriting of George Washing¬
ton. Nor can I forget the expression of his feelings,
when informed after his discharge had been sent to
the War Department, that it could not be returned.
At his request it was written for, as he seemed in¬
clined to spurn the pension and reclaim the dis¬
charge." There is a touching anecdote related of
Baron Steuben, on the occasion of the disbandment of
the American army. A black soldier, with his wounds
unhealed, utterly destitute, stood on the wharf just as
a vessel bound for a distant home was getting under
way. The poor fellow gazed at the vessel with tears
in his eyes, and gave himself up to despair. The
warm hearted foreigner witnessed his emotion, and,
inquiring into the cause of it, took his last dollar from
his purse, and gave it to him with tears of sympathy
trickling down his cheeks. Overwhelmed with grati¬
tude, the poor wounded soldier hailed the sloop, and
was received on board. As it moved out from the
(20)
21
wharf, he cried back to his noble friend on shore, 'God
Almighty bless you, master Baron.' "
During the Revolutionary War, and after the suf¬
ferings of a protracted contest had rendered it difficult
to procure recruits for the army, the Colony of Con¬
necticut adopted the expedient of forming a corps of
colored soldiers. A battalion of blacks was soon en¬
listed, and throughout the war conducted themselves
with fidelity and efficiency. The late General Hum¬
phreys, then a Captain, commanded a company of this
corps. It is said that some objections were made on
the part of officers, to accepting the command of the
colored troops. In this exigency, Captain Hum¬
phreys, who was attached to the family of General
Washington, volunteered his services. His patriotism
was rewarded, and his fellow officers were afterwards
as desirous to obtain appointments in that corps as they
had previously been to avoid them.
The following extract, furnished by Charles Lennox
Remond, from the pay rolls of the second company
fourth regiment of the Connecticut line of the Revolu¬
tionary army may rescue many gallant names from
oblivion.
Captain, David Humphreys.
Privates.
Jack Arabus, Brister Baker,
John Cleveland, Caesar Bagdon,
Phineas Strong, Gamaliel Terry,
Ned Fields, Lent Munson,
Isaac Higgins, Heman Rogers,
Lewis Martin, Job Csesar,
Caesar Chapman, John Rogers,
Peter Mix, Ned Freedom,
Philo Freeman, Ezekiel Tupham,
Hector Williams, Tom Freeman,
Juba Freeman, Congo Zado,
John Ball,
John McLean,
Jesse Vose,
Daniel Bradley,
Sharp Camp,
Jo Otis,
James Dinah,
Solomon Sowtice,
Peter Freeman,
Cato Wilbrow,
Cuff Freeman,
22
Cato Robinson, Peter Gibbs, Juba Dyer,
Prince George, Prince Johnson, Andrew Jack,
Prince Crosbee, Alex. Judd, Peter Morando,
Shuabel Johnson, Pomp Liberty, Peter Lion,
Tim Caesar, Cuff Liberty, Sampson Cuff,
Jack Little, Pomp Cyrus, Dick Freedom,
Bill Sowers, Harry Williams, Bomp McCuff.
Dick Violet, Sharp Rogers,
Boston, 24th April, 1851.
Dear Friend Nell:
The names of the two brave men of Color who fell,
with Ledyard, at the storming of Fort Griswold, were
Sambo Latham and Jordan Freeman.
All the names of the slain, at that time, are inscribed
on a marble tablet, wrought into the monument—the
names of the Colored Soldiers last—and not only last,
but a blank-space is left between them and the whites—
in genuine keeping with the "Negro Pew" distinction;
setting them not only below all others, but by them¬
selves—even after that.
And it is difficult to say why. They were not last
in the fight. When Major Montgomery, one of the
leaders of the expedition against the Americans, was
lifted upon the walls of the fort by his soldiers, flour¬
ishing his sword and calling on them to follow him,
Jordan Freeman received him on the point of a pike,
and pinned him dead to the earth. (Vide Hist. Col¬
lections of Connecticut.) And the name of Jordan
Freeman stands away down, last on the list of heroes,
perhaps the greatest hero of them all.
Yours, with becoming indignation,
Parker Pillsbury.
Ebenezer Hills, died at Vienna, New York, August,
1849, aged no. He was born a Slave, in Stonington,
23
Conn., and became free when twenty-eight years of
age. He served through the Revolutionary War, and
was at the battles of Saratoga and Stillwater, and was
present at the surrender of Burgoyne.
The Colored inhabitants of Connecticut assembled
in Convention in 1849, to devise means for their elec¬
tive franchise; a gentleman present reports the fol¬
lowing extract:—"A young man, Mr. West, of Bridge¬
port, spoke with a great deal of energy, and with a
clear and pleasant tone of voice which many a lawyer,
statesman, or clergyman might covet, nobly vindicat¬
ing the rights of the brethren. He said that the bones
of the Colored man had bleached on every battle¬
field where American valor had contended for national
independence. Side by side with the white man, the
black man stood and struggled to the last for the in¬
heritance which the white men now enjoy, but deny
to us. His father was a soldier Slave, and his master
said to him when the liberty of the country was
achieved, 'Stephen, we will do something for you.'
But what have they ever done for Stephen, or for
Stephen's posterity?" This orator is evidently a
young man of high promise, and better capable of
voting intelligently than half of the white men who
would deny him a freeman's privilege.
NEW HAMPSHIRE.
The Rev. Dr. Harris, of Dumbarton, N. H.,a Revo¬
lutionary veteran, stated in a speech at Francetown,
N. H., some years ago, that on one occasion the regi¬
ment to which he was attached was commanded to de¬
fend an important position which the enemy thrice
assailed, and from which they were as often repulsed.
"There was," said the venerable speaker, "a regiment
of blacks in the same situation—a regiment of negroes
fighting for our liberty and independence, not a white
man among them but the officers—in the same dan¬
gerous and responsible position. Had they been un¬
faithful, or given way before the enemy, all would
have been lost. Three times in succession were they
attacked with most desperate fury by well-disciplined
and veteran troops, and three times did they success¬
fully repel the assault, and thus preserve an army.
They fought thus through the war. They were brave
and hardy troops."
The anecdote of the Slave of General Sullivan, of
New Hampshire, is well-known. When his master
told him that they were on the point of starting for
the army, to fight for liberty, he shrewdly suggested
that it would be a great satisfaction to know that he
was indeed going to fight for his liberty. Struck by
the reasonableness and justice of this suggestion, Gen.
S. at once gave him his freedom.
(24)
VERMONT.
Barnet, May 20, 1851.
Dear Sir:
In August 16th, 1777, the Green Mountain Boys,
aided by troops from New Hampshire, and some few
from Berkshire County, Massachusetts, under the
command of Gen. Starks, captured the left wing of the
British Army near Bennington. Soon as arrangements
could be made, after the prisoners were all collected,
something more than seven hundred, they were tied to
a rope, two and two, and one on each side. Gen.
Starks called for more rope.
Mrs. Robinson, wife of Hon. Moses Robinson, said
to the General, I will take down the last bedstead in the
house, and present the rope to you, with one condition.
When the prisoners are all tied to the rope, you shall
permit my negro man to harness up my old mare, and
hitch the rope to the whippletree, mount the mare, and
conduct the British and tory prisoners out of town.
The General willingly accepted of Mrs. Robinson's
proposition. The negro mounted the mare and thus
conducted the left wing of the British Army into Mas¬
sachusetts, on their way to Boston. * * * *
Gen. Schuyler writes from Saratoga, July 23, 1777,
to the President of Massachusetts Bay, "That of the
few continental troops we have had to the Northward,
one third part is composed of men too far advanced
(25)
26
in years for field service—of boys, or rather children,
and mortifying barely to mention, of negroes.
The General also addressed a similar letter to John
Hancock, and again to the provincial Congress, that
the foregoing were facts which were altogether un¬
controvertible. * * * * * *
Your Humble Servant,
Henry Stevens.
NEW YORK.
Dr. Clarke, in the Convention which revised the Con¬
stitution of New York, in 1821, speaking of the Col¬
ored inhabitants of the State, said: "My honorable col¬
league has told us that as the Colored People are not
required to contribute to the protection or defence of
the State they are r\ot entitled to an equal participation
in the privileges of its citizens. But, Sir, whose fault
is this ? Have they ever refused to do military duty
when called upon? It is haughtily asked, who
will stand in the ranks shoulder to shoulder with
a negro? I answer, no one in time of peace; no one
when your musters and trainings are looked upon as
mere pastimes; no one when your militia will shoulder
their muskets and march to their trainings with as
much unconcern as they would go to a sumptuous en¬
tertainment or a splendid ball. But, Sir when the hour
of danger approaches, your 'white' militia are just as
willing that the man of Color should be set up as a
27
mark to be shot at by the enemy as to be set up them¬
selves. In the War of the Revolution, these people
helped to fight your battles by land and sea. Some of
your States were glad to turn out corps of Colored
men, and to stand 'shoulder to shoulder' with them.
"In your late War they contributed largely towards
some of your most splendid victories. On Lakes Erie
and Champlain, where your fleets triumphed over a foe
superior in numbers and engines of death, they were
manned in a large proportion with men of Color. And
in this very house, in the fall of 1814, a bill passed,
receiving the approbation of all the branches of your
Government, authorizing the Governor to accept the
services of a corps of two thousand free people of
Color. Sir, these were times which tried men's souls.
In these times it was no sporting matter to bear arms.
These were times when a man who shouldered a musket
did not know but he bared his bosom to receive a death
wound from the enemy ere he laid it aside; and in
these times, these people were found as ready and as
willing to volunteer in your service as any other.
They were not compelled to go; they were not drafted.
No; your pride had placed them beyond your com¬
pulsory power. But there was no necessity for its
exercise; they were volunteers; yes, Sir, volunteers
to defend that very country from the inroads and rav¬
ages of a ruthless and vindictive foe, which had treated
them with insult, degradation and Slavery."
Volunteers are the best of soldiers; give me the
men, whatever be their complexion, that willingly vol¬
unteer, and not those who are compelled to turn out.
Such men do not fight from necessity, nor from mer¬
cenary motives, but from principle.
28
Said Martindale, of New York, in Congress, 22nd of
first month, 1828: "Slaves, or negroes who had been
Slaves, were enlisted as soldiers in the War of the
Revolution; and I myself saw a battalion of them, as
fine martial looking men as I ever saw, attached to the
northern army in the last War, on the march from
Plattsburg to Sackett's Harbor."
It is believed that the debate on the military services
of Colored men was a prominent feature in granting
them the right of suffrage, though the ungenerous
deed must also be recorded, that Colored citizens of the
Empire States were made subject to a property qualifi¬
cation of two hundred and fifty dollars.
I am indebted to Rev. Theodore Parker, of Boston,
for the following historical sketch of New York sol¬
diery : -
"Not long ago, while the excavations for the vaults
of the great retail dry goods store of New York were
going on in 1851, a gentleman from Boston noticed a
large quantity of human bones thrown up by the work¬
men. Everybody knows the African countenance;
the skulls also bore unmistakable marks of the race
they belonged to. They were shovelled up with the
earth which they had rested in, carried off and emptied
into the sea to fill up a chasm, and make the foundation
of a warehouse.
"On inquiry, the Bostonian learned that these were
the bones of Colored American soldiers, who fell in the
disastrous battles of Long Island, in 1776, and of such
as died of the wounds then received. At that day as
at this, spite of the declaration that 'all men are created
equal,' the prejudice against the Colored man was
intensely strong. The black and white had fought
29
against the same enemy, under the same banner, con¬
tending for the same 'unalienable right' to life, liberty
and the pursuit of happiness. The same shot with
promiscuous slaughter had mowed down Africans and
Americans. But in the grave they must be divided.
On the battle field the blacks and whites had mixed
their bravery and their blood, but their ashes must not
mingle in the bosom of their common mother. The
white Saxon, exclusive and haughty even in his burial,
must have his place of rest proudly apart from the
grave of the African he had once enslaved.
"Now, after seventy-five years have passed by, the
bones of these forgotten victims of the Revolution
are shovelled up by Irish laborers, carted off, and
shot into the sea, as the rubbish of the town. Had
they been white men's relics, how would they have
been honored with sumptuous burial anew, and the
purchased prayers and preaching of Christian
divines! Now they are the rubbish of the street!
"True, they were the bones of Revolutionary sol¬
diers ; but they were black men; and shall a city that
kidnaps its citizens, honor a Negro with a grave?
What boots it that he fought for our freedom; that
he bled for our liberty; that he died for you and me!
Does the 'Nigger' deserve a tomb? Ask the Amer¬
ican state—The American Church!
"Three quarters of a century have passed by since
the retreat from Long Island. What a change since
then! From the Washington of that day to the world's
Washington of this, what a change! In America what
alterations ! What a change in England! The Briton
has emancipated every bondman; Slavery no longer
30
burns his soil on either Continent, the East or West.
America has a population of Slaves greater than the
people of all England in the reign of Elizabeth. Un¬
der the pavement of Broadway; beneath the walls of
the Bazaar, there still lie the bones of the Colored mar¬
tyrs to American Independence. Dandies of either
sex swarm gaily over the threshold, heedless of the
dead African—contemptuous of the living. And while
these faithful bones were getting shovelled up and
carted to the sea, there was a great Slave-hunt in New
York; a man was kidnapped and carried off to bond¬
age, by the citizens, at the instigation of politicians,
and to the sacramental delight of 'divines.'
"Happy are the dead Africans, whom British death
mowed down! They did not live to see a man kid¬
napped in the city which their blood helped free."
PENNSYLVANIA.
The late James Forten, of Philadelphia, well known
as a Colored man of wealth, intelligence and philan¬
thropy, relates that he remembered well when Lord
Cornwallis was overrunning the South, when thick
gloom clouded the prospect. Then Washington hastily
gathered what forces he was able and hurried to oppose
him. "And I remember," said he, "for I saw them,
when the regiments from Rhode Island, Connecticut,
31
and Massachusetts marched through Philadelphia,
that one or two companies of Colored men were at¬
tached to each. The vessels of War of that period,
were all, to'a greater or less extent, manned with Col¬
ored men. On board the 'Royal Louis,' of twenty-six
guns, commanded by Captain Stephen Decatur, senior,
there were twenty Colored seamen. I had myself
enlisted on this vessel, and on the second cruise was
taken prisoner and shortly after was confined on board
the old Jersey Prison Ship, where I remained a pris¬
oner for seven months. The Alliance, of thirty-six
guns, commanded by Commodore Barry; the Trum¬
bull, of thirty-two guns, commanded by Captain Nich¬
olson ; and the ships South Carolina, Confederacy,
and the Randolph, each were manned in part with Col¬
ored men."
The digression from military service to those ren¬
dered voluntarily during the pestilence, seemed to me
warrantable in this connection.
In the autumn of 1793, the yellow fever broke out in
Philadelphia, with peculiar malignity. The insolent
and unnatural distinctions of caste were overturned
and the people called Colored, were solicited in the
public papers to come forward, and assist the perishing
sick. The same mouth which had gloried against
them in its prosperity, in its overwhelming adversity
implored their assistance. The Colored People of
Philadelphia nobly responded. The then Mayor,
Mathew Clarkson, received their deputation with re¬
spect, and recommended their course. They appointed
Absalom Jones and William Gray to superintend it,
the Mayor advertising the public, that by applying to
32
them, aid could be obtained. This took place about
September.
Soon afterwards the sickness increased so dreadfully
that it became next to impossible to remove the corpses.
The colored people volunteered this painful and dan¬
gerous duty—did it extensively, and hired help in do¬
ing it. Dr. Rush instructed the two superintendents
in the proper precautions and measures to be used.
A sick white man crept to his chamber window, and
entreated the passers by to bring him a drink of water.
Several white men passed, but hurried on. A for¬
eigner came up—paused—was afraid to supply the
help with his own hands, but stood and offered eight
dollars to whomsoever would. At length, a poor col¬
ored man appeared; he heard—stopped—ran for
water—took it to the sick man; and then staid by him
to nurse him, steadily and mildly refusing all pecuniary
compensation.
Sarah Boss, a poor black widow, was active in vol¬
untary and benevolent services.
A poor black man, named Sampson, went constantly
from house to house giving assistance everywhere
gratuitously, until he was seized with the fever and
died.
Mary Scott, a woman of Color, attended Mr. Rich¬
ard Mason and his son, so kindly and disinterestedly,
that the widow, Mrs. R. Mason, settled an annuity of
six pounds upon her for life.
An elderly black nurse, going about most diligently
and affectionately, when asked what pay she wished,
used to say, "A dinner, Massa, some cold winter's
day."
33
A young black woman was offered any price, if she
would attend a white merchant and his wife. She
would take no money; but went, saying that, if she
went from holy love, she might hope to be preserved—
but not if she went for money. She was seized with
the fever, but recovered.
A black man, riding through the streets, saw a white
man push a white woman out of the house. The
woman staggered forward, fell in the gutter and was
too weak to rise. The black man dismounted, and
took her gently to the hospital at Bush-hill.
Absalom Jones and Wm. Gray, the Colored Super¬
intendents, say, "A white man threatened to shoot
us if we passed by his house with a corpse. We
buried him three days afterwards."
About twenty times as many black nurses as white
were thus employed during the sickness.
The following certificate was subsequntly given by
the Mayor:—
"Having, during the prevalence of the late malig¬
nant disorder, had almost daily opportunities of seeing
the conduct of Absalom Jones and Richard Allan, and
the people employed by them to bury their dead, I
with cheerfulness give this testimony of my approba¬
tion of their proceedings, as far as the same came
under my notice. The diligence, attention, and de¬
cency of deportment, afforded me at the time much
satisfaction. Signed,
Matthew Clarkson, Mayor.
Philadelphia, June 23, 1794-
On the capture of Washington by the British forces,
it was judged expedient to fortify, without delay, the
34
principal towns and cities exposed to similar attacks.
The Vigilance Committee of Philadelphia waited upon
three of the principal Colored citizens, namely James
Forten, Bishop Allen, and Absalom Jones, soliciting the
aid of the people of Color in erecting suitable defences
for the city. Accordingly, two thousand five hundred
Colored men assembled in the State House yard, and
from thence marched to Gray's ferry, where they la¬
bored for two days, almost without intermission.
Their labors were so faithful and efficient, that a vote
of thanks was tendered them by the committee. A
battalion of Colored troops were at the same time
organized in the city, under an officer of the United
States army; and they were on the point of marching
to the frontier when peace was proclaimed.
A Colored man, whom I visited in the hospital,
called to see me to-day. He had just got out. He
looked very pitiful. His head was bent down. He
said he could not get it erect, his neck was so injured.
He is a very intelligent man, and can read and write.
I will give you his story.
Charles Black, over fifty, resides in Lombard Street.
Was at home with his 4ittle boy unconscious of what
was transpiring without. Suddenly, the mob rushed
into his room, dragged him down stairs, and beat him
so unmercifully that he would have been killed, had
not some humane individuals interposed and prevented
further violence. He was an impressed seaman on
board an English sixty-four gun ship, in the begin¬
ning of the War of 1812. When he heard of the war,
he refused to fight against his country, although he
had nine hundred dollars prize money coming to him
35
from the ship. He was, therefore, placed in irons, and
kept a prisoner on board some time and then sent to the
well known Dartmoor prison. He was exchanged,
and shipped for France. Shortly after he was taken
and sent back to Dartmoor—was exchanged a second
time, and succeeded in reaching the United States.
He soon joined the fleet on Lake Champlain, under
M'Donough; was with him in the celebrated battle
which gave honor (?) to the American arms. He was
wounded, but never received a pension. His father
was in the battle of Bunker Hill, and his grandfather
fought in the old French War.
NEW JERSEY.
(From the Burlington (N. J.) Gazette.)
"I am One Hundred Years Old'To-day."
The attention of many of our citizens has doubtless
been arrested by the appearance of an old Colored man,
who might have been seen sitting in front of his resi¬
dence, in East Union Street, respectfully raising his
hat to those who might be passing by. His attenuated
frame, his silvered head, his feeble movements, com¬
bine to prove that he is very aged; and yet compara¬
tively few are aware that he is among the survivors
of the gallant army who fought for the liberties of our
country, "in the days which tried men's souls.
On Monday last we stopped to speak to him, and
asked him how he was. He asked the day of the
36
month, and upon being- told that it was the 24th
day of May, replied with trembling lips, "I am
very old—I am a hundred years old to-day."
His name is Oliver Cromwell, and he says he
was born at the Black Horse (now Columbus)
in this county, in the family of John Hutchin. He
enlisted in a company commanded by Captain
Lowery, attached to the 2nd New Jersey Regiment,
under the command of Colonel Isaac Shreve. He
was at the battles of Trenton, Princeton, Brandy-
wine, Monmouth and Yorktown, at which latter
place, he told us, he saw the last man killed. Al¬
though his faculties are failing, yet he relates many
interesting reminiscences of the Revolution. He was
with the army at the retreat of the Delaware, on
the memorable crossing of the 25th of December,
1776, and relates the story of the battles on the
succeeding days with enthusiasm. He gives the
details of the march from Trenton to Princeton,
and told us, with much humor, that they "knocked
the British about lively" at the latter place. He
was also at the battle of Springfield, and says that
he saw the house burning in which Mrs. Caldwell
was shot, at Connecticut Farms.
SOUTH CAROLINA.
Even in the Slaveholding States did Colored peo¬
ple magnanimously "brave the battle field," devel¬
oping a heroism indeed as though their own liberty
was to be a recompense. But we found no proof
37
that the boasted chivalry of the Palmetto State ex¬
tended the boon demanded by simple justice.
The celebrated Charles Pinckney, of South Caro¬
lina, in his speech on the Missouri question, and in
defiance of the Slave representation of the South,
made the following admission:
"They (the Colored people) were in numerous
instances the pioneers, and in all the laborers of
our armies. To their hands were owing the great¬
est-part of the fortifications raised for the protec¬
tion of the country.
Fort Moultrie gave, at an early period of the ex¬
perience an untried valor of our citizens, immor¬
tality to the American arms."
VIRGINIA.
THE LAST OF BRADDOCK'S MEN.
The Lancaster (Ohio) Gazette, February, 1849,
announces the death at that place, of Samuel Jen¬
kins, a Colored man, aged 115 years. He was a
Slave of Captain Breadwater, in Fairfax County,
Virginia, in 1771, and participated in the memor¬
able campaign of Gen. Braddock.
Testimony of Hon. Robert C. Winthrop, from his
speech in Congress on the imprisonment of
Colored Seamen, Sept. 1850:—
* * * "I have an impression, however, that,
not indeed in these piping times of peace, but in the
38
time of war, when quite a boy, I have seen black
soldiers enlisted, who did faithful and excellent
service. But however it may have been in the
Northern States, I can tell the Senator what hap¬
pened in the Southern States at this period. I be¬
lieve that I shall be borne out in saying, that no
regiments did better service at New Orleans than
did the black regiments which were organized un¬
der the direction of Gen. Jackson himself, after a
most glorious appeal to thfe patriotism and honor of
the people of Color of that region and which, after
they came out of the war, received the thanks of
Gen. Jackson in a proclamation which has been
thought worthy of being inscribed on the pages of
history."
LOUISIANA.
In 1814, when New Orleans was in danger, and
the proud and criminal distinctions of caste were
again demolished by one of those emergencies ia
which nature puts to silence for the moment the
base partialities of art, the free Colored people were
called into the field in common with the whites; and
the importance of their services was thus acknowl¬
edged by Gen. Jackson:—
"Headquarters Seventh Military District, Mobile,
September 21, 1874.
''To the Free Colored Inhabitants of Louisiana:
Through a mistaken policy, you have heretofore
39
been deprived of a participation in the glorious
struggle for national rights, in which our country is
engaged. This no longer shall exist.
"As Sons of Freedom, you are now called upon to
defend our most inestimable blessings. As Ameri¬
cans, your country looks with confidence to her
adopted children for a valorous support, as a faith¬
ful return for the advantages enjoyed under her mild
and equitable government. As fathers, husbands,
and brothers, you are summoned to rally around the
standard of the Eagle, to defend all which is dear
in existence.
"Your country, although calling for your exists
ence, does not wish you to engage in her cause
without remunerating you for the services rendered.
Your intelligent minds are not to be led away by
false representations—your love of honor would
cause you to despise the man who should attempt
to deceive you. With the sincerity of a soldier and
in the language of truth I address you.
"To every noble-hearted free man of color, vol¬
unteering to serve during the present contest with
Great Britain, and no longer, there will be paid the
same bounty in money and lands, now received by
the white soldiers of the United States, namely, one
hundred and twenty-four dollars in money, and one
hundred and sixty acres of land. The non-com¬
missioned officers and privates will also be entitled
to the same monthly pay, daily rations and clothes
furnished to any American soldier.
"On enrolling yourselves in companies, the Major
General commanding will select officers, for your
40
government, from your white fellow citizens. Your
non-commissioned officers will be appointed from
among yourselves.
"Due regard will be paid to the feelings of free¬
men and soldiers. You will not, by being associated
with white men in the same corps, be exposed to
improper comparisons or unjust sarcasm. As a dis¬
tinct, independent battalion or regiment, pursuing
the path of glory, you will, undivided, receive the
applause and gratitude of your countrymen.
"To assure you of the sincerity of my intentions,
and my anxiety to engage your invaluable services
to our country, I have communicated my wishes to
the Governor of Louisiana, who is fully informed as
to the manner of enrollments, and will give you
every necessary information on the subject of this
address.
Andrew Jackson, Major Gen. Commanding."
The second proclamation is one of the highest
compliments ever paid by a military chief to his
soldiers.
On December 18, 1814, General Jackson issued,
in the French language, the following address to
the free people of color:
"Soldiers! When on the banks of the Mobile J
called you to take up arms, inviting you to partake
the perils and glory of your white fellow citizens, I
expected much from you, for I was not ignorant
that you possessed qualities most formidable to an
invading enemy. I knew with what fortitude you
could endure hunger and thirst, and all the fatigues
of a campaign. I knew well how you loved your
native country, and that you, as well as ourselves,
41
had to defend what man holds most dear—his par¬
ents, wife, children and property. You have done
more than I expected. In addition to the previous
qualities I before knew you to possess, I found
among you a noble enthusiasm, which leads to the
performance of great things.
"Soldiers! The President of the United States
shall hear how praiseworthy was your conduct in
the hour of danger, and the representatives of the
American people will give you the praise your ex¬
ploits entitle you to. Your General anticipates them
in applauding your noble ardor.
"The enemy approaches ; his vessels cover our
lakes; our brave citizens are united, and all conten¬
tion has ceased among them. Their only dispute
is, who shall win the prize of valor, or who the most
glory, its noblest reward. By order, Thomas But¬
ler, Aide-de-Camp."
The Pennsylvania Freeman, of March 10, 1851,
heralds as follows:
"The article below from the New Orleans Pica¬
yune, of a recent date, revives an important histor¬
ical fact, which, with similar evidence of the devo¬
tion of free people of color, to their country's safety
and welfare, notwithstanding the injustice they have
received from its hands'—the enemies of the colored
people have been careful to conceal in their calum¬
nies against this injured people. Let those men read
and ponder it, who fear dangers to the nation from
the presence in it of a population of colored free¬
men, protected by law in the full possession of all
their rights. The incident narrated is also a burning
42
rebuke from a slave-holding community to the vul¬
gar negro-hatred of the North, which drives worthy
colored men from popular processions, parades,
schools, churches, and the so-called 'respectable avo¬
cations of life.'
"The Free Colored Veterans.—Not the least in¬
teresting, although the most novel feature of the pro¬
cession yesterday (celebration of the Battle of New
Orleans,) was the presence of ninety of the colored
veterans who bore a conspicuous part in the dangers
of the day they were now for the first time called
to assist in celebrating, and who, by their good con¬
duct in presence of the enemy, deserved and receiv¬
ed the approbation of their illustrious Commander
in-Chief. During the thirty-six years that have
passed away since they assisted to repel the invad¬
ers from our shores, these faithful men have never
before participated in the annual rejoicings for the
victory which their valor contributed to gain. Their
good deeds have been consecrated only in their own
memories, or lived but to claim a passing notice on
the page of the historian. Yet who more than they
deserve the thanks of the country and the gratitude
of the succeeding generations? Who rallied with
more alacrity in response to the summons of danger?
Who endured the hardships of the camp, or faced
with greater courage the perils of the fight? If in
that hazardous hour, when our homes were men¬
aced with the horrors of war, we did not disdain to
call upon the Colored population to assist in re¬
pelling the invading horde, we should not when the
danger is past, refuse to permit them to unite with
43
us in celebrating the glorious event which they
helped to make so memorable an epoch in our his¬
tory. We were not too exalted to mingle with them
in the affray; they were not too humble to join In
our rejoicings.
"Such we think is the universal opinion of our
citizens. We conversed with many yesterday and
without exception they expressed approval of the
invitation which had been extended to the colored
veterans to take part in the ceremonies of the day,
and gratification at seeing them in a conspicuous
place in the procession.
"The respectability of their appearance and the
modesty of their demeanor made an impression on
every observer and elicited unqualified approbation.
Indeed, though in saying so we do not mean dis¬
respect to any one else, we think that they consti¬
tuted decidedly the most interesting portion of the
pageant, as they certainly attracted the most at¬
tention."
The editor, after further remarks upon the pro¬
cession, adding of its Colored members, "We re¬
flected that, beneath their dark bosoms were shelter¬
ed faithful hearts, susceptible of the noblest im¬
pulses," thus alludes to the free Colored population
of New Orleans:
"As a class, they are peaceable, orderly, and re¬
spectable people, and many of them own large
amounts of property among us. Their interests,
their homes, and their affections, are here, and such
strong ties are not easily broken by the force of theo¬
retical philanthropy, or imaginative sentimentality.
44
They have been true hitherto, and we will not do
them the injustice to doubt a continuance of their
fidelity. While they may be certain that insubordi¬
nation will be promptly punished, deserving actions
will always meet with their due reward in the es¬
teem and gratitude of the community."
Heroism Rewarded,.—A correspondent of the New
York Observer, writing from the West, says:—
"Before leaving our boat, we must not omit to no¬
tice one of the waiters in the cabin. He is a man of
history. That tall, straight, active, copper-colored
man, with a sparkling eye and intelligent counte¬
nance, was Col. Clay's servant at Buena Vista. Fear¬
less of danger, and faithful to his master, he at¬
tended the Colonel in the midst of the fatal charge,
saw him fall from his horse, and, surrounded by the
murderous Mexicans, at last carried the mangled
dead body* from the field. The Hon. Henry, in
gratitude for such fidelity to his gallant son, has al¬
lowed this man to hire himself out for five years, and
to retain half the proceeds, and at the end of that
time gives him half his freedom."
That is, a human being perils his life to save the
life or bear off the body of another human being,
and for this act, he is to receive one half of his own
earnings, for five years, and at the end of that time,
to be made a present of to himself!—Boston Chris¬
tian Register.
OHIO.
The colored citizens of Ohio held a Mass Con¬
vention at Cleveland, Sept. 8th, 1852. From their
proceedings I cull the following incidents and trib¬
utes as peculiarly appropriate to a military history
of colored Americans.
Rev. Dr. J. W. C. Pennington delivered a speech,
of which Mr. Howland, a colored phonographic re¬
porter, furnishes this sketch:—
"The Doctor took the stand and delighted the
convention with a short, brilliant and instructive
address on the history of the past,and the part which
the colored people have taken in the struggles of
this nation for independence and its various wars
since its achievement.
"Mr. P. is a graduate of America's "Peculiar In¬
stitution." His graduation fees were paid only very
recently by the beneficence of sundry English la¬
dies and gentlemen; and his Doctorate of Divinity
was conferred on him by one of the German Uni¬
versities. Dr. Pennington claimed for his race the
honor of being the first Americans whose bosoms
were fired by the spirit of American Independnce.
And that claim, we think, he amply justified by
documentary evidence.
"He read sundry antique papers, collected by him
with great pains from the archives of the State of
New York showing, that some thousands of Colored
people in that State, thirty years before the Declara-
(45)
46
tion of Independence was promulgated, were
charged by the King of Great Britain with conspir¬
ing against his authority, attempting to throw off
their obedience to him, and seeking to possess them¬
selves of the Government of the Colony of New
York. Some of them were banished, and others
hanged. Those Colored fathers of his, said the Rev.
Doctor, attributed their Slavery to King George,
and maintained their rights to freedom to be in¬
violable.
"Subsequently, when the white fathers of our
Revolution, walking in the footsteps of their illus¬
trious predecessors, declared against Britain's King,
they said to his Colored fathers: That King did
make you Slaves. Now come you and help us break
his rule in this country, and that done, we'll all be
free together.
"Dr. P. exhibited to the audience an autograph
petition of the Colored people of Connecticut to the
Government of Connecticut, presented immediately
after the Revolutionary war, and praying that Gov¬
ernment to comply with the promise which had been
made them of freedom, and under which they had
helped fight the battles of that war.
"He read, also, an autograph paper of George
Washington, dismissing from the service of that
war, with high recommendation of their courage and
efficiency, several Colored men; and also certificates
of a like character from numbers of officers, both
naval and military, in both wars with England. We
wish we could give Dr. P.'s whole speech, and es¬
pecially in his own well-chosen words."
47
The Convention then adjourned to join in the gen¬
eral jubilee, over some of the events which Colored
people have helped to make conspicuous.
Thursday morning at sunrise, a salute was fired
in the public square, in honor of the day, by the
"Cleveland Light Artillery," and another at nine
o'clock, as the procession formed, of which the ora¬
tor of the day, subsequently said: "They were the
first thunders of artillery that ever awaked the
echoes of these hills, in honor of the Colored people.
But they shall not be the last."
Says the "D^ily True Democrat," of the ioth inst:
"The principal feature in the ceremonials of this
jubilee, was the address of our fellow-citizen, Mr.
William H. Day; a performance worthy of its great
purpose, and therefore most creditable to the au-
/ thor. Not often have we heard an address listened
to with so absorbing an attention, nor observed an
audience to be more deeply moved, than was Mr.
Day, by some parts of that address. After noticing
the day, the 9th of September, which had been select¬
ed for their jubilation, and illustration as pre-emi¬
nent suitableness to the occasion, by happy refer¬
ences to many illustrious events of which it was the
anniversary, Mr. Day addressed himself to an able
vindication of the claims of his race in this country,
to an equal participation in the exercise and enjoy¬
ment of those American rights which large num¬
bers of that race, in common with the men of fairer
complexion, had fought, suffered and died to estab¬
lish. Behind the orator sat seven or eight veteran
Colored men. Mr. D.'s apostrophe to those veterans
48
was as touching as admirable, and produced a pro¬
found sensation."
Among the speakers were several who took part
in some of the battles of the country. One of these
men is Mr. John Julius, of Pittsburgh, Pa.
LAFAYETTE.
Among the Europeans who left their homes and
rallied in defence of American Independence, his¬
tory records no more illustrious names than La¬
fayette and Kosciusko. Not being tainted with
American Colorphobia they each expressed regret
that their services had been made a partial instead
of a general boon. Read the extract from Lafayette's
letter to Clarkson:—
"I would never have drawn my sword in the cause
of America, if I could have conceived that thereby
I was founding a land of Slavery."
During his visit to the United States, in 1825, he
made inquiries for several Colored soldiers whom
he remembered as participating with him in various
skirmishes.
KOSCIUSKO'S TRIBUTE TO COLORED SOL¬
DIERS.
Kosciusko, the gallant Pole, was young when the
news reached his ear that America was endeavor¬
ing to release her neck from Britain's yoke. He
promptly devoted himself to the service, and disr
49
played a heroism which won universal respect.
Washington loved and honored him, and the sol¬
diers idolized his bravery; but his manly heart was
saddened to learn that the Colored man was not to
be a recipient of those rights—rights, too, which
many a sable soldier had fought to obtain, and
Kosciusko naturally presumed that when the victory
was achieved, all, irrespective of Color or accidental
difference, would be freely invited to the banquet.
But this unsophisticated Polish General was doomed
to disappointment. Kosciusko, with the feeling that
all Americans should have been proud to exhibit—
but, sad to tell, few did so—endeavored to render
some signal compensation to those with whose
wrongs his own had taught him to sympathize; and,
as a grateful tribute to the neglected and forgotten
Colored man, he appropriated $20,000 of his hard
earnings to purchase and educate Colored children.
But, by the laws of Virginia where the bequest was
to be carried into effect, this generous object was
defeated.
On the last visit to the United States of this illus¬
trious donor, the will was put into the hands of
Thomas Jefferson, who was appointed Executor, to
purchase slaves and educate them, so as, in his own
words, "to make them better sons and better daugh¬
ters." Jefferson transferred the same to Benjamin L.
Lear. In 1830, the bequest then amounting to $25,000
was claimed by the legal heirs of the donor. Interested
parties subsequently recQnimended that the fund,
if recovered, should be employed by the trustees in
buying and educating Slave children, with the view
50
of sending them to Liberia; an object far enough
at variance from the donor's intention.
This matter has been in litigation a long time, and
I have been unable to learn the conclusion. The
chain of circumstances reminds me of the following
question, once put to a Florida planter of twenty-
five years standing:—
"Has any property left by will to any Colored
person ever been honestly and fairly administered
by any white person?" Mark his answer: "Such
instances might possibly have happened, but never
to my knowledge."
Within a recent period, several companies of Col¬
ored men in New York City have enrolled them¬
selves "a la militaire." The New York "Tribune"
of August, 1852, awards them the following com¬
mendation :
"Colored Soldiers.—Among the many parades
within a few days we noticed yesterday a soldierly
looking company of Colored men, on their way
homeward from a target or parade drill. They
looked like men, handled their arms like men, and
should occasion demand, we presume they would
fight like men.
"At the New Bedford celebration August 1, 1851, of
British West India Emancipation, the procession
was escorted by a Colored Company of Cadets from
New York. Among the civilities extended in honor
of the day was an invitation to the military and
strangers to visit the splendid residence and orna¬
mental grounds of James Arnold, Esq., who, with
his family, tendered the utmost kindness and
51
courtesy in exhibiting the beauties of nature and art
that so lavishly adorn this New Bedford palace.
Rodney French, Esq., also with characteristic
courtesy threw open the doors of his hospitable
mansion to the military visitors, and a few invited
guests. These voluntary manifestations of good will,
at once honorable to the donors and grateful to the
recipients should be accepted as a harbinger for a
better day coming.
"A number of the chivalric portion of Colored
Bostonians have also been taking initiatory steps for
a military company, and accordingly petitioned the
Legislature for a charter, the claims of which were
presented by Charles Lenox Remond and Robert
Morris, Esq., but like the prayers of the Attucks
petitioners, they, too, had leave to withdraw."
"I can wait," were the memorable words of John
Quincy Adams when his free speech was stopped on
the floor of Congress.
The world will bear witness that we have waited;
and oh, how patiently! We have learned how sub¬
lime a thing it is to suffer and be strong; but though
familiar with we shall never grow reconciled to the
discipline. "Our hearts, though often times made
to bleed, will gush afresh at every wound."
The treatment meted out to us in this country,
is but an illustration of hating those whom we have
injured, and calls to mind that scene from Waverly,
where Fergus Mac Iver replies to his friend on being
led to execution. "You see the compliment they
pay to our highland strength and courage; here we
have lain until our limbs are cramped into palsy and
52
now they send a file of soldiers with loaded muskets
to prevent our taking- the castle by storm." The
analogy is found in the omnipresent and omnipotent
influence of American Pro-Slavery in crushing every
noble aspiration of the unoffending Colored men.
But despite the reign of terror inflicted upon us
by the combined influences of the Fugitive Slave
Law, and the American Colonization Society, we
shall manfully contend for our rights, and as hope¬
fully bide our time, trusting that an enlightened
public sentiment will soon yield us the Justice so
long withheld; so far as in Nature the smiles of
summer are made sweeter by the frowns of winter,
the calm of ocean is made more placid by the temp¬
est that has preceded it, so in this moral battle these
incidental skirmishes will contribute to render the
hour of triumph soon a blissful realization. So sure
as night precedes day, winter wakes spring, and
war ends with peace, just as sure will the persever¬
ing efforts of Freedom's army be crowned with Vic¬
tory's perennial laurels.
From the foregoing it will be seen that the seven
years conflict and also the war of 1812, were both
dotted by the devotion and bravery of Colored
Americans, despite the persecutions heaped Olym¬
pus high upon them by their fellow countrymen.
They have ever proved loyal and ready to worship
or die, if need be, at Freedom's shrine. The "amor
patriae" has always burned vividly on the altar of
their hearts. They love their native land, "its hills
and valleys green." The white man's banquet has
been held and loud paeans to liberty have reached the
53
sky above, while the Colored American's share has
been to stand outside and wait for the crumbs that
fall from Freedom's festive board.
A tribute, by an emancipator, being an extract
from the will of A. P. Upshur, a member of President
Tyler's Cabinet:
"I make this as my last will and testament:
"j * * * *
"2 * * * *
"3.' I emancipate and set free, my servant, David
Rich, and direct my executors to give him one hun¬
dred dollars. I recommend him, in, the strongest
manner, to the respect, esteem and confidence of any
community in which he may happen to live. He
has been my Slave for twenty-four years, during
which time he has been trusted to every extent, and
in every respect. My confidence in him has been
unbounded; his relation to myself and family has
always been such as to afford him daily opportunities
to deceive and injure us; and yet he has never been
detected in a serious fault, nor ever an intentional
breach of the decorums of his station. His intelli¬
gence is of a high order, his integrity above all sus¬
picion, and his sense of right and propriety always
correct and even delicate and refined. I feel that
he is justly entitled to carry this certificate from me,
into the new relations which he now must form.
It is due to his long and most faithful services and
to the sincere and steady friendship which I bear
him. In the uninterrupted and confidential inter¬
course of twenty-five years, I have never given, nor
54
had occasion to give him, an unpleasant word. I
know no man who has fewer faults, or more excellen¬
cies, than he.
Signed, A. P. UPSHUR."
[From the Alexandria, D. C., Gazette.]
A TRIBUTE FROM THE EMANCIPATION, BY
WASHINGTON'S FREED MEN.
Upon a recent visit to the tomb of Washington,
I was much gratified by the alterations and improve¬
ments around it. Eleven colored men were indus¬
triously employed in leveling the earth and turf
around the sepulchre. There was an earnest expres¬
sion of feeling about them that induced me to in¬
quire if they belonged to the respected lady of the
mansion. They stated they were a few of the many
Slaves freed by George Washington and they had
offered their services upon this last melancholy oc¬
casion, as the only return in their power to make to
the remains of the man who had been more than a
father to them; and they should continue their
labors as long as anything should be pointed out for
them to do. I was so interested in this conduct
that I inquired their several names, and the follow¬
ing were given me:
"Joseph Smith, Sambo Anderson, William Ander¬
son, his son, Berkley Clark, George Lear, Dick
Jasper, Morris Jasper, Levi Richardson, Joe Rich¬
ardson, William Moss, William Hays and Nancy
Squander, cooking for the men—Fairfax County,
Va., Nov. 14, 1835."
APPENDIX.
[From Godey's Lady's Book, June, 1849.]
ANECDOTES OF WASHINGTON.
By Rev. Henry F. Harrington.
Primus Hall.—Throughout the Revolutionary
war he was the body servant of Col. Pickerings of
Massachusetts. He was free and communicative
and delighted to sit down with an interested listener
and pour out those stories of absorbing and exciting
anecdotes with which his memory was stored.
It is well known that there was no officer in the
whole American army whose friendship was dearer
to Washington, and whose counsel was more es¬
teemed by him than that of the honest and patriotic
Colonel Pickering. He was on intimate terms with
him, and unbosomed himself to him with as little
reserve as, perhaps, to any confidant in the army.
Whenever he was stationed within such a distance
as to admit of it, he passed ^ many hours with the
Colonel, consulting him upon anticipated measures
and delighting in his reciprocated friendship.
Washington was, therefore, often brought into
contact with the servant of Col. Pickering, the de¬
parted Primus. An opporunity was afforded to
the Negro to note him, under circumstances very dif¬
ferent from those-in which he is usually brought be-
(55)
56
fore the public and which possess, therefore, a strik¬
ing charm. I remember one of these anecdotes from
the mouth of Primus. One of them is very slight, in¬
deed, yet so peculiar as to be replete with interest. The
authenticity of both may be fully relied upon.
Washington once came to Col. Pickering's quar¬
ters and found him absent.
"It is no matter," said he to Primus, "I am greatly
in need of exercise. You must help me to get some
before your master returns."
Under Washington's directions the Negro busied
himself in some simple preparations. A stake was
driven into the ground about breast high, a rope
tied to it, and then Primus was desired to stand at
some distance and hold it horizontally extended. The
boys, the country over, are familiar with this plan
of getting sport. With true boyish zest, Washing¬
ton ran forward and backward for some time, jump¬
ing over the rope as he came and went, until he ex¬
pressed himself satisfied with the "exercise."
Repeatedly afterward, when a favorable opportun¬
ity offered he would say—"Come, Primus, I am in
need of exercise," whereat the Negro would drive
down the stake and Washington would jump over
the rope until he had exerted himself to his content.
On the second occasion, the great General was
engaged in earnest consultation with Col. Pickering
in his tent until after the night had fairly set in.
Headquarters were at a considerable distance and
Washington signified his preference to staying with
the Colonel over night, provided he had a spare
blanket and straw.
57
Oh yes," said Primus, who was appealed to,
plenty of straw and blankets—plenty."
Upon assurance, Washington continued his con¬
ference with the Colonel until it was time to retire
to rest. Two humble beds were spread side by side,
in the tent, and the officers laid themselves down,
while Primus seemed to be busy with duties that re¬
quired his attention before he himself could sleep.
He worked, or appeared to work, until the breath¬
ing of the prostrate gentlemen satisfied him that
they were sleeping; and then, seating himself on a
box or stool, he leaned his head on his hands to ob¬
tain such repose as so inconvenient a position
would allow. In the middle of the night Washing¬
ton awoke. He looked about and descried the Negro
as he sat. He gazed at him a while and then spoke.
"Primus!" said he calling, "Primus!"
Primus started up and rubbed his eyes. "What,
General?" said he.
Washington rose up in bed. "Primus," said he.
"what did you mean by saying that you had blank¬
ets and straw enough! Here you have given up
.your blanket and straw to me, that I may sleep com¬
fortably, while you are obliged to sit through the
night."
"It's nothing, General," said Primus. "It's noth¬
ing. I'm well enough. Don't trouble yourself about
me, General, but go to sleep again. No matter about
me. I sleep very good."
"But it is matter—it is matter," said Washing¬
ton, earnestly. "I cannot do it, Primus. If either is
to sit up, I will. But I think there is no need of
58
either sitting up. The blanket is wide enough for
two. Come and lie down with me."
"Oh, no, General!" said Primus, starting, and pro¬
testing against the proposition. "No; let me sit
here. I'll do very well on the stool."
"I say come and lie down here," said Washington,
authoritatively. "There is room for both and I in¬
sist upon it!"
He threw open the blanket as he spoke, and
moved to one side of the straw. Primus professes
to have been exceedingly shockd at the idea of lying
under the same covering with the commander-in¬
-chief, but his tone was so resolute and determined
that he could not hesitate. He prepared himself,
therefore, and laid himself down by Washington;
and on the same straw, and under the same blanket,
the General and the Negro servant slept until morn¬
ing.
BIBLIOGRAPHY AND AUTHORITIES.
John G. Whittier's Letter to the National Era.
July, 1847.
Botta's History and Hewes' Reminiscences.
Boston Transcript, March, 1851.
Ramsay's History of the American Revolution,
Vol. I.
Speech of Hon. Anson Burlingame, October 13,
1852.
Suffolk Probate Record, published in the Liber¬
ator, February, 1847.
Speech of Hon. Wistam Burgess, January, 1828.
Speech of Geo. Eustis, December 12, 1820.
Thatcher's Military Journal, August 3, 1777-
Speech of Dr. Clarke in N. Y. Constitutional Con¬
vention, 1821.
Speech of Congressman Martindale, January 21,
1828.
Sketch of Rev. Theodore Parker.
Certificate of Mayor Matthew Clarkson, of Phila¬
delphia, June 23, 1794-
Burlington (N. J.) Gazette.
Speech of Hon. Charles Pinckney, of South Caro¬
lina.
'Ui
(59)
60
Lancaster (Ohio) Gazette, February, 1849.
Speech of Hon. Robert C. Winthrop, September,
1850.
General Andrew Jackson's First Proclamation,
September 21, 1814.
General Jackson's Second Proclamation, Decem¬
ber 18, 1814.
The Pennsylvania Freeman, March 10, 1851,
(quoting from New Orleans Picayune.)
Boston Christian Register, (quoting from the
Ni Y. Observer.)
Speech of Dr. J. W. C. Pennington, September 8,
1852.
Marquis de Lafayette's letter to Clarkson.
General Kosciusko's Will.
New York Tribune, August, 1852.
Will of Hon. A. P. Upshur, Member of President
Tyler's Cabinet.
Alexandria (Va.) Gazette.
Godey's Lady's Book, June, 1849.
.