Three Soldiers . . .
By the time tensions erupted in 1775 at the Battle of Lexington and Concord, more than half a million Africans, mostly enslaved, were living in the American colonies.
In the Colonies, the political atmosphere of the time was charged with talk of freedom and the spirit of liberty. This led to high numbers of early enlistments, numbers which included many free blacks. However, very early in the Revolutionary War, the Continental Congress, on General George Washington’s advice, adopted a policy that barred blacks, both free and enslaved, from enlisting. This decision was based on the fear that arming blacks would lead to rebellions as well as the refusal of white soldiers to fight alongside individuals they considered inferior. Free blacks who had already enlisted would be allowed to finish their terms but would not be allowed to re-enlist.
Then, in November 1775, Virginia's royal governor, Lord Dunmore, issued a proclamation that promised “freedom to slaves” who abandoned their rebel owners and pledged to fight for the British. The Continental Congress's policy to exclude free blacks changed in November of 1775, when Virginia's royal governor, Lord Dunmore, issued a proclamation that promised “freedom to slaves” who abandoned their rebel owners and pledged to fight for the British. The Royalists hoped this policy (done for purely practical, rather than moral reasons) would not only bolster the size of their own army, but also cripple the southern economy and bolster the threat of slave uprisings. Dunmore’s proclamation (coupled with declining enlistment in the Continental Army) forced Washington’s hand; and on December 20, 1775, Washington wrote to Colonel Henry Lee:
We must use the Negroes or run the risk of loosing [sic] the war . . . success will depend on which side can arm the Negroes faster.”
The Continental Congress rescinded the policy and free blacks were once again able to enlist. Enslaved people were subject to the demands of their owners and were often given to the army in exchange for an enlistment bounty or used as substitutes for masters and their sons who did not want to serve.
Using a variety of sources, including original documents in the Historic Beverly collection, we can tell the narratives of three soldiers and one sailor from Beverly who participated in the Revolutionary War: Private Esop Hale, Private Jethro Thistle, Private Caesar Russell, and Privateer Caesar Larcom Davis.
Private Esop Hale (c. 1755–1777)
When he was a boy, Esop Hale was owned by Colonel Robert Hale of Beverly. Hale’s estate, appraised on May 14, 1767, included “two old negroes named Cesar and Rose” and “two negro boys named Hector and Esop.”
When Colonel Hale died, he willed Esop to his son-in-law, Joseph Gilman. There is no evidence that Esop was ever given his freedom. In 1775, he married Dinah Larcom, the daughter of former enslaved Juno Larcom and Jethro Thistle, and they had one son.
In February of 1776, Esop joined Colonel John Glover’s 14th Regiment, serving in Captain Moses Brown’s company of Beverly. The town of Beverly, fearing attack from the enemy, petitioned General Washington to send soldiers. Because the port of Beverly served as the base for the fleet of privateers who were capturing British ships and providing vital supplies to the Americans, the General complied and sent Glover's 14th Regiment. In addition to keeping the British at bay, the men trained intensively to prepare for the battles ahead.
On July 17, 1776, the regiment was called together to hear their commander read the Declaration of Independence at what is now Independence Park on Lothrop Street. Esop Hale, his fellow soldiers, and citizens of the town were among the first in Massachusetts to hear the formal statement by the thirteen colonies establishing their right to form their own government. Esop finished his military service in August 1776, soon after Glover’s 14th Regiment left Beverly to join General Washington in New York. He died before 1778.
Payment to Esop Hale
Private Esop Hale appears on a list of the soldiers from the 14th Regiment who were paid wages and traveling expenses for their service during the Revolutionary War. It is unclear why Esop would have received payment a year and a half after his time served.
We the Subscribers, Commission’d, Noncommissioned Officers and Private Men of the 7th Co in the late 14th Reg’t commanded by John Glover Esq. do acknowledge to have received of Capt. Moses Brown the several sums affixed to our Names in full for the Wages and Travelling Money due to us from camp to our respective homes Beverly Decbr 8, 1777 . . .”
Private Jethro Thistle (1725–1778)
Born in 1725, Jethro Thistle was sold three times in his life. When he was sold to the Thistle family of Beverly at 2 years old, his name was changed from “Matthew” to “Jethro.” Enslaved people were usually given first names taken from the Bible or ancient Rome.
Enslaved individuals were often identified by the last name of their owners. After slavery was abolished, many took the name Freeman—most of Jethro’s children claimed that name.
Private Jethro Thistle in the Massachusetts 15th Regiment Rolls
At the advanced age of 52, Jethro joined the Continental army in March 1777 to fill the quota for his hometown, Beverly, but instead served with the 15th Regiment out of Danvers. For months, he and his fellow soldiers (Minutemen from Massachusetts and New Hampshire) fought for military control of the Hudson River Valley in what came to be known as the "Battles of Saratoga." The Continental Army eventually won the conflict, turning the war in favor of the American patriots.
During the brutally cold winter of 1777 to 1778, the 15th Regiment camped at Valley Forge, where the government failed to supply the army with food, clothing, and shelter. An estimated 2,000 soldiers wintering there died from disease, hunger, and cold. Among them was Private Jethro Thistle. Records show that he died on February 28, 1778, leaving his wife, Juno, and their many sons and daughters.
Private Caesar Russell (1745–unknown)
Men of all ages joined the army, and Caesar Russell of Andover was certainly one of the younger ones to do so. Just 16 when he enlisted in 1781, he stood only 5 feet 4 inches tall, according to his service records. At the time of his enlistment, men signed on for three-year terms. To encourage them to join, towns offered money to fill their quota of recruits. Enslaved men were sometimes offered their freedom in exchange for signing up.
Caesar was listed as the servant of an officer named Captain William North. The word “servant” was often a synonym for “slave,” but he might also have been a free man who did work as a servant for Captain North. North was the aide-de-camp (assistant) to Major General Frederick Von Steuben, a member of General George Washington’s staff who played an important role in improving camp conditions at Valley Forge, and developing and implementing military training for the troops.
Caesar Russell’s Life After the War
At 19, Caesar Russell finished his service in the Continental Army as a Private. He and his wife Sally moved to Beverly after the Revolutionary War, where their five daughters were born. They lived here for the next 20 years, during which time Caesar supported his family by working as a cook on trading vessels, one of which was the ship Mary.
. . . And a Privateer
During the American Revolution, enslaved Africans were made to serve on privateer vessels—ships that were privately owned but licensed by the government to locate and capture British ships. Almost the same number of Americans served on privateer ships as in the army. As ships were expensive to build and the new nation had little money to build a navy, General Washington called on private ship owners in 1775 to arm their vessels with cannon and other weapons, and to hire and train crews. The crews sailed both for themselves and to fight the enemy. Some of the British cargo that was seized by the Americans was used to provide supplies for the army, such as cannon and gunpowder. Money from the sale of the rest of the cargo and enemy ships was divided among the owners, officers, and crew.
Privateer Caesar Larcom Davis (1740–1780)
Caesar Larcom Davis was a privateer during the Revolution. Caesar was the oldest son of Juno Larcom and Jethro Thistle. In 1757, at the age of seventeen, he was sold to Thomas Davis, a Beverly merchant. Evidence suggests that Davis put the young man to work at sea. In 1780, Caesar joined the crew of the privateer ship, the Saratoga, as a cook, along with another black man from Beverly, Cato Montgomery.
Over the course of several voyages, the Saratoga, owned by John and Andrew Cabot of Beverly, was successful bringing home captured enemy British ships and their valuable cargo. The Saratoga’s last voyage was not a lucky one for Caesar Larcom Davis. Upon its return in the fall of 1780, Caesar was listed as “lost at sea,” [Suggest: another opportunity to find and insert document] one of thousands of Americans who died during the Revolutionary War. The vessel was later condemned and sold.
To read about the lives of Brutus Julius Mozambique and Cloe Turner, two enslaved people whose lives were entwined with that of their enslavers, the Larcom family, click below to go the next section, “Ye are the Children of One Father.”