"Not all Virginia-born slaves fought on the side of the colonials against the British."
Before the revolution, both free blacks and slaves served in colonial militias. Many were drawn to the anti-British cause as it heated up and that caused more alarm than hope on the patriot side. After Lexington, Massachusetts stopped the enlistment of blacks. A few months later General Washington began purging blacks from the Continental army. Shortly thereafter, the royal governor of Virginia issued a proclamation promising freedom to slaves who would fight for the British. Enraged Virginians responded by organizing patrols to hunt down slaves attempting to accept the offer. The royal governor had to flee for his life. But a few hundred slaves did manage to get their freedom.
Thanks, Westwood, I had to check back to discover what that was all about but it was a list of noted Black women, former slaves, compiled by an educator who thought more ought to be taught about these women, in the present school system. Now was the time, considering, after Michelle Obama had clarified that she knew the Southern origins of her family in the time of slavery. Oddly enough, I had posted an extensive list, or rather coverage about these women, to Weezo who had mentioned some teaching project she was doing. That was four months ago.
Rose Fortune was the Virginia-born slave. However, she fought against the British "on the side of the Colonials" in British Canada. Back in the Sixties, I did have an opportunity to see just how small a fortress kept law and order at a small town on the border of Ontario when visiting my sister-in-law, by coincidence also named Rose. We have the same home town , here in the US; but, she became a landed-immigrant over half a century ago, when she chose to marry a Canadian. One of their daughters lives on that side of the International Bridge (which we seem to have been discussing in the Obama Admin.forum just yesterday because it is in need of long overdue repairs for the volume of traffic); while the other lives in suburban Michigan. Thus my sister-in-law regularly drives that route on alternate holidays; or, the grand-kids come to Canada to have holidays with grandma.
I was very much taken with the place, myself. That is until the Harper government following the Bush proclamation of "Co-operation " between the two governments, shortly after his inauguration. He must have already planned, well in advance of 9/11 by the way, for another war, this time in Iraq that would have conscientious objectors heading over the border where they were very well treated last time that was necessary.
Rarely does a month go by when I don't hear about the inconvenience of the traffic inspection for "papers" which in my prior experience never was a problem prior to the Bush administration.
Quite frankly the only militia of color with which I was familiar was that of the New Orleans', Gens de couleur libres, in the Battle of New Orleans
(December 23, 1814, to January 26, 1815). The only people I'd heard of relevant to Gen.Washington in the American Revolution were of course the rumored origins of Alexander Hamilton whose father was Scots and whose mother was "colorful"; as well as a drummer-boy who became better known as a Haitian liberator. Your comments would clarify why he left the Continental Army for Haiti soon after the return to Valley Forge in Pennsylvania.
