05/06/2025
During the American Revolution, hundreds of Black men escaped enslavement in places like Wilmington, Charleston, and Norfolk to fight, not for the Patriots, but for the promise of freedom offered by the British. These brave individuals formed the Black Pioneers, one of the few all-Black military units of the war.
Created during the 1776 British siege of Wilmington, the Pioneers served as scouts, builders, engineers, and more, often in the harshest conditions and with little protection. They weren’t just soldiers. They were survivors carving out a path to freedom.
After the war, Patriot leaders demanded that all "property," including escaped enslaved people, be returned. But British commander Sir Guy Carleton refused. Instead, the Black Pioneers and thousands of other Black Loyalists were evacuated to Nova Scotia, where many began new lives as free people.
Some, like North Carolina’s Thomas Peters and Murphy Steele, became activists and helped lay the foundation for Sierra Leone in West Africa, leaving a legacy that stretched far beyond the battlefield.
As we commemorate America 250, we honor the untold stories of those who fought for liberty on their own terms.
📖 Learn more: https://www.ncpedia.org/anchor/black-pioneers-loyalist
Image: August 20, 1784 petition from Steele and Peters to Gov. John Parr requesting better land and wages for their service to the British in the war. The names of Peters and Steele are marked within the black. Image courtesy of the Nova Scotia Archives.
