Essential Facts
- In 2004, the National Park Service published a study by George Quintal Jr. titled Patriots of Color: ‘A Peculiar Beauty and Merit,’ African Americans and Native Americans at Battle Road & Bunker Hill.
- 21 Patriots of Color are believed to have engaged the British on April 19, 1775.
- It is believed that at least another 20 mustered with their companies on April 19, but did not come into contact with the British.
- Most of the 21 were of African American descent, although some were considered “mulatto.”
- Isaac Comecho was a Native American Indian, but his tribe is unknown.
- Only two of the 21 were Minutemen — Jeffrey Hemenway and Peter Salem.
Historic Firsts
- Prince Estabrook was the first black American to fight in the American Revolutionary War. He was also the first to be wounded during the war, when he was hit in the shoulder by a British musket ball at the Battle of Lexington.
- Caesar Augustus was the first black American taken as a prisoner by the British. He was captured on the Battle Road, near Charleston Neck.
Patriots by Company
- Bedford Minutemen: Caesar Jones, Cambridge Moore
- Brookline Militia: Prince (Boylston), Adam (Gardner), Peter (White)
- Cambridge Militia: Cato Boardman, Cato Stedman
- Dedham Militia: Isaac Comecho, Thomas Ferrit
- Framingham Minutemen: Jeffrey Hemenway, Peter Salem
- Lexington Militia: Eli Burdoo, Silas Burdoo, Prince Estabrook
- Menotomy Minutemen: Cuff Whittemore, Cato Wood
- Natick Militia: Caesar Ferrit, John Ferrit
- Westford Militia: Caesar Bason
- Unidentified Militia: Caesar Augustus
- Volunteer: David Lamson
Significance
The Patriots of Color are essential to American History. Harriet Beecher Stowe eloquently stated this in 1855 in The Colored Patriots of the American Revolution, “In considering the services of the Colored Patriots of the Revolution, we are to reflect upon them as far more magnanimous, because rendered to a nation which did not acknowledge them as citizens and equals, and in whose interests and prosperity they had less at stake. It was not for their own land they fought, not even for a land which had adopted them, but for a land which had enslaved them, and whose laws, even in freedom, oftener oppressed than protected. Bravery, under such circumstances, has a peculiar beauty and merit.”
History
The men listed here mustered with their Militia and Minuteman companies on April 19, 1775, in response to the Lexington Alarm and the Shot Heard ‘Round the World.
Caesar Augustus
- Age: Unknown
- Town: Dorchester
- Status: Enslaved
- Type: Militia
- Captain: Unknown
- Notes: Volunteer; Taken prisoner; Possibly wounded
Caesar Augustus was a servant of a “Mr. Tileston.” Augustus was taken as a prisoner on April 19, 1775, and returned in a prisoner exchange on June 5, 1775. According to the Proceedings of the Massachusetts Historical Society, “A negro (the only one [who] was seen to fire at the King’s troops) was wounded near the houses close to the [Charlestown] Neck, out of which the Rebels fired to the last.” The National Park Service believes this man was Augustus.
Caesar Bason
- Age: Unknown
- Town: Westford
- Status: Possibly Enslaved
- Type: Militia
- Captain: Jonathan Minot
- Notes: Killed at Bunker Hill
Bason may have been a servant to James Burn. He mustered with the Westford Militia, led by Captain Jonathan Minot. The company joined the fight along the Battle Road in pursuit of the British. Afterward, Bason enlisted in the New England Army and served under Captain Abijah Wyman. Bason was killed in the redoubt on Breed’s Hill during the Battle of Bunker Hill.
Cato Boardman
- Age: Unknown
- Town: Cambridge
- Status: Possibly Enslaved
- Type: Militia
- Captain: Samuel Thatcher
Cato Boardman mustered with the Cambridge Militia in the company of Captain Samuel Thatcher, in the regiment of Colonel Thomas Gardner. Thatcher’s company joined the battle in Cambridge.
Silas Burdoo
- Age: 27
- Town: Lexington
- Status: Free
- Type: Militia
- Captain: Identified as “Capt. Boardman”
Burdoo was born in Lexington, Massachusetts, on February 14, 1748. There is no official record of his service on April 19, 1775. However, he claimed he was with a company led by a “Captain Boardman” that followed the British from Lexington to Boston. Afterward, he enlisted in the New England Army and served during the Siege of Boston. Burdoo enlisted in the Continental Army in 1781.
Eli Burdoo
- Age: 19
- Town: Lexington
- Status: Free
- Type: Militia
- Captain: John Parker
Eli Burdoo was baptized in Lexington, Massachusetts, on July 20, 1775. He mustered with the Lexington Militia in the company of Captain John Parker. Burdoo is believed to have been involved in the Battle of Lexington and Parker’s Revenge. Afterward, he served under Parker in the New England Army for a brief period during the Siege of Boston.
Isaac Comecho
- Age: 29
- Town: Dedham
- Status: Free
- Type: Militia
- Captain: William Ellis
Isaac Comecho was baptized on October 27, 1745, in Natick, Massachusetts. He mustered with the Dedham Militia in the company of Captain William Ellis, in the regiment of Colonel William Heath. Ellis’s company joined the battle in Menotomy. Afterward, Comecho enlisted in the New England Army and participated in the Siege of Boston and the Battle of Bunker Hill.
Prince Estabrook
- Age: 35
- Town: Lexington
- Status: Enslaved
- Type: Militia
- Captain: John Parker
Prince was the son of a man named Tony, who was enslaved by the Estabrook family. Known as Prince Estabrook, he mustered with the militia company of Captain John Parker. He was wounded during the Battle of Lexington when a British musket ball struck him in the shoulder. Afterward, Estabrook served under Parker briefly during the Siege of Boston. After serving in the Continental Army, he earned his freedom and returned to Lexington.
The memorial to Prince Estabrook says:
In Honor of Prince Estabrook.
Prince Estabrook was a slave who lived in Lexington. At dawn on April, 19, 1775, he was one of the Lexington Minute Men awaiting the arrival of the British Regulars at the Buckman Tavern. In the battle which followed, Prince Estabrook was wounded on Lexington Green. Through circumstances and destiny, he thus became the first black soldier to fight in the American Revolution.
This monument is dedicated to the memory of Prince Estabrook and the thousands of other courageous black patriots long denied the recognition they deserve.
Donated by the Alice Hinkle Memorial Fund
April 21, 2008
Thomas Ferrit
- Age: 24
- Town: Dedham
- Status: Free
- Type: Militia
- Captain: Ebenezer Battle
Thomas Ferrit mustered with the Dedham Militia in the company of Captain Ebenezer Battle. Battle’s company joined the battle in Menotomy. Ferrit’s father was Caesar Ferrit, and his brother was John Ferrit, who also fought on April 19.
Caesar Ferrit
- Age: 55
- Town: Natick
- Status: Free
- Type: Militia
- Captain: Joseph Morse
Caesar Ferrit mustered with the company of Captain Joseph Morse in the regiment of Colonel Samuel Bullard. Ferret was present during the fight along the Battle Road. In History of the Town of Natick (1830), William Bigelow says:
“Caesar Ferrit and his son John arrived at a house near Lexington meeting house, but a short time before the British soldiers reached that place, on their retreat from Concord. These two discharged their muskets upon the regulars from the entry, and secreted themselves under the cellar stairs, till the enemy had passed by, though a considerable number of them entered the house and made diligent search for their annoyers.”
Afterward, Ferrit enlisted in the New England Army and served under Captain Joseph Morse in the regiment commanded by Colonel John Patterson.
John Ferrit
- Age: 22
- Town: Natick
- Status: Free
- Type: Militia
- Captain: Joseph Morse
John Ferrit mustered with the company of Captain Joseph Morse in the regiment of Colonel Samuel Bullard. Like his father, he enlisted in the New England Army and served under Captain Joseph Morse in the regiment commanded by Colonel John Patterson.
Jeffrey Hemenway
- Age: 38
- Town: Framingham
- Status: Free
- Type: Minute
- Captain: Simon Edget
Jeffrey Hemenway mustered with the Framingham Minutemen in the company of Captain Simon Edget. Edget’s company joined the battle at Concord. Afterward, Hemenway enlisted in the New England Army and served during the Siege of Boston. According to family legend, he fought in the Battle of Bunker Hill. Hemenway was also a veteran of the French and Indian War.
Caesar Jones
- Age: Unknown
- Town: Bedford
- Status: Possibly enslaved
- Type: Minuteman
- Captain: Jonathan Wilson
- Notes: Owned by Lieutenant Timothy Jones of Bedford
Caesar Jones is believed by some to have mustered with the Bedford Minutemen in the company of Captain Jonathan Wilson. Wilson’s company joined the battle at Concord.
David Lamson
- Age: 35
- Town: Cambridge
- Status: Free
- Type: Volunteer
- Captain: None
- Notes: Served in the French and Indian War
According to most sources, David Lamson led the “Old Men of Menotomy,” who captured the British supply wagons that trailed General Hugh Percy’s column as it marched to Lexington to reinforce Lieutenant Colonel Francis Smith.
Cambridge Moore
- Age: 23
- Town: Bedford
- Status: Enslaved
- Type: Militia
- Captain: John Moore
- Notes: Owned by Captain John Moore of Bedford
Cambridge Moore mustered with the Bedford Militia in the company of Captain John Moore. This company joined the battle at Concord.
Peter Salem
- Age: 25
- Town: Framingham
- Status: Free
- Type: Minuteman
- Captain: Simon Edget
- Engaged the British on April 19, 1775: Yes
Peter Salem mustered with the Framingham Minutemen in the company of Captain Samuel Edget. Edget’s company joined the battle at Lincoln. Afterward, Salem was transferred to the company of Captain Thomas Drury in the New England Army. This company also included three other African American men, Titus Coburn, Salem Poor, and Seymore Burr. All four fought in the Battle of Bunker Hill. According to legend, Salem shot and killed Major John Pitcairn during the battle, and was memorialized by John Trumbull in his painting of the Battle of Bunker Hill. Salem continued to serve in the Continental Army but died in the Framingham poorhouse in 1816.
Cato Stedman
- Age: Unknown
- Town: Cambridge
- Status: Possibly enslaved
- Type: Militia
- Captain: Samuel Thatcher
Cato Stedman mustered with the Cambridge Militia in the company of Captain Samuel Thatcher, in the regiment of Colonel Thomas Gardner. Thatcher’s company joined the battle at Lincoln.
Cuff Whittemore
- Age: 30
- Town: Cambridge
- Status: Free
- Type: Minuteman
- Captain: Benjamin Locke
Cuff Whittemore enlisted in Captain Benjamin Locke’s company of Menotomy Minutemen, from Colonel Thomas Gardner’s regiment, on April 6, 1775. The company mustered on April 19 and joined the battle in Menotomy. Afterward, he served during the Siege of Boston and the Battle of Bunker Hill. According to local histories, Whittemore was captured during the Battles of Saratoga and made a servant to a British officer. At some point, Whittemore stole the officer’s horse and escaped.
Cato Wood
- Age: Unknown
- Town: Charlestown
- Status: Possibly enslaved
- Type: Militia
- Captain: Benjamin Locke
Cato Wood mustered with the Menotomy Minutemen in the company of Captain Benjamin Locke, in the regiment of Colonel Thomas Gardner. This company joined the battle in Menotomy. Afterward, Wood enlisted in the New England Army and served during the Siege of Boston.
Prince (Boylston)
- Age: Unknown
- Town: Brookline
- Status: Enslaved
- Type: Militia
- Captain: Thomas White
- Notes: Listed as “Josh’a Boylston’s Prince”
Prince Boylston mustered with the Brookline Militia in the company of Captain Thomas White, in the regiment of Colonel William Heath. This company joined the battle in Menotomy.
Adam (Gardner)
- Age: Unknown
- Town: Brookline
- Status: Enslaved
- Type: Militia
- Captain: Thomas White
- Notes: Listed as “Squire [Isaac] Gardner’s Adam”
Adam Gardner mustered with the Brookline Militia in the company of Captain Thomas White, in the regiment of Colonel William Heath. This company joined the battle in Menotomy. Isaac Gardner was the fifer in Captain White’s company.
Peter (White)
- Age: Unknown
- Town: Brookline
- Status: Enslaved
- Type: Militia
- Captain: Thomas White
- Notes: Listed as “Esquire White’s Peter”
Peter White mustered with the Brookline Militia in the company of Captain Thomas White, in the regiment of Colonel William Heath. This company joined the battle in Menotomy.
Perspective
This entry is about the men of African and Native American Indian descent who fought for America on April 19, 1775. It was first published on April 19, 2025 — the 250th anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord.
These men showed their bravery on that day, simply by mustering in response to the Lexington Alarm. Whether or not any of them fired a shot is irrelevant. As Harriet Beecher Stowe said, “It was not for their own land they fought, not even for a land which had adopted them, but for a land which had enslaved them, and whose laws, even in freedom, oftener oppressed than protected.”
All too often, I hear that historians need to tell the “real history” of our nation. This is precisely what I try to do here on American History Central, and this entry is, hopefully, a testament to that initiative.
In preparing this text, I struggled to find an appropriate image to use for the header. I found one that seems to show what might be an African American, Indian, or possibly a “mulatto” man during the Battle of Lexington. It comes from Our Country: A Household History of the United States (1887) by Benson Lossing. It was drawn by F.O.C. Darley, one of the most prolific American illustrators of the 19th Century.
When the first shot was fired at Lexington and Concord, it was the beginning of the end of slavery in America — an institution carried over from the Old World and perpetuated by the Crown and Parliament through the Acts of Trade and Navigation. Abolition was not a concept that developed in the 19th Century; there were plenty of American abolitionists during the Colonial Era who called for an end to slavery. However, the disconnected nature of the colonies and the economic benefits the Navigation Acts provided to Great Britain limited the movement.
These men who mustered on April 19 embody the words of Thomas Jefferson, “…that all men are created equal.” They are far more than simply “Patriots of Color.” They are American Heroes — every bit as much as John Parker, James Barrett, and the thousands of men who mustered on that warm April morning 250 years ago — and they should be remembered as such.
