LEXINGTON VETERANS ASSOCIATION
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They Were Good Soldiers: African Americans ​Serving in the
​Continental Army, 1775-1783
April 12, 2021
​1:15pm
Presented by ​John Rees via Zoom seminar

​The program is free and open to the public, but you will need to sign up here.
Picture
The Continental Army was an integrated army from 1775 to the war’s end, and Black soldiers, both free and enslaved, served in substantial numbers. Although restricted in rank, Blacks wore the same clothing, received the same pay, suffered the same hardships and shared the same bounty as their white counterparts. The army continued as an integrated force until the end of the War of 1812.  
 
What was it like to be a Black Continental soldier? John Rees, historian, reenactor, and author of They Were Good Soldiers: African Americans Serving in the Continental Army, 1775-1783, will describe the experiences of Black soldiers – as well as their post-war treatment - in a Zoom webinar on Monday, April 12, 2021 at 1:15 p.m.  Rees will tell their stories in their own words while providing an overview of the war. 

Here in New England, African Americans served in the militias and Continental regiments of Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island from the first day of the war until the very end.  Enslaved Africans who fought often received their freedom at the end of their Continental Army service, usually by informal agreement with their masters.  
 
John Rees was born and raised in New Hope, PA, eight miles from the spot where General George Washington crossed the Delaware River and defeated a Hessian force in a surprise attack on Trenton that proved a turning point in the Revolution.  His lifelong interest in military history drew him to become a reenactor in a number of recreated military units, both British and Continental.  Rees began doing serious research in 1985, and several years after began producing monographs about mundane details in the life of a soldier, including wagons, transport, cooking utensils, food, watercraft, and conscription.  He also wrote a ten-year column on military food, contributed entries to encyclopedias on American food and the Revolutionary era, and wrote over 150 published articles.  
 
John feels that his years of involvement in the living history pastime have provided invaluable insights and greatly contributed to his writing.  His various experiences include long-distance marches recreating original troop movements, digging and constructing earthworks and field kitchens, and sleeping with and without shelter in a variety of weather, all while wearing the apparel and carrying the equipment used by eighteenth century soldiers.  
 
A British publisher, impressed with his original research and two articles on African-Americans in the Continental Army, invited him to write a book on the topic.  His book, published in 2019,  has received many excellent reviews. 

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No portion may be reproduced without permission
  • Home
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  • Community Service
    • Bedford VAMC
    • Veterans Resources
    • Town Celebrations Committee
    • Lexington Historical Society
    • WWII Commemoration 2020
    • WWI Commemoration 2018
    • Lexington High School
    • Monuments and Memorials Committee
  • Survey
  • About Us
    • Mission and History
    • Executive Committee
    • Contact Us >
      • Call or Email
  • Executive Committee