Black Soldiers/Citizens on Both Sides of the American Revolution
As British prospects in Virginia collapsed, Lord Dunmore disbanded the Ethiopian Regiment in 1776. Many of its members joined other units, particularly the Black Pioneers, in New York. Dunmore’s Ethiopian Regiment marked a significant step in British policy, as its members were the first of thousands who fought for the British during the war. The recruitment of black soldiers by the British also led the Continental Congress to override George Washington’s wishes to keep blacks out of the Continental Army. In 1777, Congress restored the eligibility of blacks to serve in Continental forces – which Washington had rescinded in 1775.
In the Carolinas, British General Henry Clinton was joined by 71 runaway slaves, whom he formed into a company named the Black Pioneers. Clinton placed a Royal Marine lieutenant in charge, assisted by white subalterns and black noncommissioned officers. He ordered that the men be treated with respect and decency, and that they be adequately clothed and fed. He also promised the runaways emancipation at the end of the war. Clinton’s North Carolina expedition ended in failure. Nonetheless, he took the Black Pioneers with him when he sailed to New York City, where they participated in its capture in 1776. Later that year, Clinton was ordered to take Newport, Rhode Island, and the Black Pioneers were the only provincial unit that accompanied his British regulars.
