On Saturday morning, Roland turned up at the gym about the same time as Bryce and Curtis. They put in their usual hour and a half working out. As they were breaking up, Roland asked with a grin whether the recitation of the fraternity motto and singing of the fraternity anthem yesterday constituted his weekly meeting. Curtis eyed the two.
“You’re not slacking off, are you Bryce?” he asked.
“No,” Bryce replied. “Roland had a meeting with Dr. Howard, his academic advisor, at our usual time yesterday, and then, well … I guess we do need to reschedule, at least to go over the academic progress part of the check-up. We can count those other things as the fraternal part.”
“Just because we work out together …,” Curtis began.
“I know. I know,” Bryce insisted. “No special treatment. It was an oversight, not a presumption.”
Curtis grinned. “Got to keep you on your toes.”
The three friends departed, and on the walk to their respective abodes, Bryce and Roland decided that after changing clothes and carrying out some chores for his grandparents, Roland would come to the Caldwell apartment of Bryce and Damon.
Hence, a couple of hours later the buzzer sounded, and soon Roland was seated in the common area with his friends. They decided to go to lunch together later, so Damon said he would retire to the library while Bryce “grilled” his pledge. Then they would leave together.
“Okay, how are things going in class?” Bryce asked Roland.
“No real problems. Some are more difficult than others, of course, but that’s partly a function of me being more interested in some than in others,” Roland replied.
“No problems?” Bryce pressed.
“No. My lowest grade is a B in Statistics. I don’t know why I’m in that class anyway. I have no interest in statistics whatsoever, and I definitely do not intend to be the kind of historian who is really a sociologist of the past, with tables and charts and the like. In fact, I’m not entirely certain of my career goals at this point. I may decide to go on and get a Ph.D. in history and teach, but history is also a common undergraduate major for law,” Roland reminded his mentor.
“You’re not officially in a pre-law program though, are you?” Bryce asked for confirmation.
“No. Like I said, I’m undecided at this point. I’ve talked to Dr. Howard, my advisor, about this, and I don’t have to decide yet, so nothing will be lost either way,” Roland explained.
“Okay. Can you tell me what your meeting with Dr. Howard was about yesterday, or is that confidential?” Bryce quizzed his pledge.
“Nothing confidential,” Roland replied. “As you already know, I was able to skip the survey classes because of AP in high school, so I’m in Dr. Howard’s class on the American Revolution. Just as in our Medieval England class, a paper is required, but somewhat more elaborate. Well, I chose to do my paper on the First Rhode Island Regiment in the Continental Army, and we were discussing my progress.”
Bryce made a face. “Nothing is more boring than military history,” he teased his pledge.
“I don’t think you’d find this one boring,” Roland replied, “and neither would Damon, I bet.”
“Damon? What’s he got to do with it?” Bryce wondered.
Roland smiled, having found an historical topic Bryce knew nothing about. “The First Rhode Island is sometimes called the Black Regiment because it contained a majority of blacks.”
“Really? I didn’t know that. I had heard that Washington’s army was more integrated than any after that until Truman ordered desegregation in 1948, though. By the way, that was kind of like the current debate over gays in the military. Back then, people said blending blacks and whites in the same units would destroy morale and fighting efficiency,” Bryce contributed, attempting to cover his ignorance of the First Rhode Island Regiment.
Roland grinned. He wasn’t going to let Bryce get away that easily. He called, “Damon, can you come here a moment?”
Bryce just sighed, and decided to allow his pledge to show off.
Damon appeared. “What’s up?”
“Do you know about the First Rhode Island Regiment?” Roland asked.
“Well, I know it was a black unit during the American Revolution, but that’s about all I know,” Damon replied. “Why?”
“Roland is doing a class paper on it, and wants to show off,” Bryce said. “Sit down and let him tell us about his researches.”
Damon laughed and sat.
Roland grinned. “Pay close attention. You may want to take notes. There will be a quiz when I finish,” he joked.
He consulted some notes. “The First Rhode Island Regiment began life as the Rhode Island Army of Observation, authorized by the Rhode Island legislature on 6 May 1775 and sent, under the command of Col. James Varnum, to ‘observe’ the British siege of Boston. The troops were recruited mainly from Kings and Kent Counties, which had the largest non-white population in the colony. I had a little trouble identifying Kings County, but it turns out it was later renamed Washington County. Imagine that. You will see why I use the term ‘non-white’ in a moment,” Roland said, obviously enjoying his role as teacher.
“At Cambridge, this unit was adopted into the Continental Army under the command of Commander-in-Chief George Washington a month later, when it was renamed the 12th Continental Regiment, and was assigned to the command of General Nathaniel Greene. It went through a number of other changes in designation, as the Continental Army was always short of men, and was entirely dependent on the troops supplied by the individual colonies, so existing units got combined and recombined. Anyway, the unit took part in the Siege of Boston through March of 1776.
“Later in 1776 the unit took part in the disastrous New York campaign, including the battles of Long Island on 27 August, Harlem Heights on 16 September, and White Plains on 28 October. On 1 January 1777 the unit took on the designation by which it is generally know, the First Rhode Island Regiment of the Continental Army, and placed under the command of Col. Christopher Greene, a third cousin of General Nathaniel Greene. The next day, it was engaged in the Battle of Trenton, followed immediately by the Battle of Princeton. This unit had mixed races, like many units in the Continental Army. As one Hessian officer wrote at this time, ‘no regiment is to be seen in which there are not Negroes in abundance, and among them there are able bodied, strong, and brave follows,’” Roland reported, consulting his notes, which he brought with him in case Bryce asked. Freshman Roland was frankly enjoying his role as instructor of the two sophomores.
“In December, the regiment went into winter quarters with others at Valley Forge, near Philadelphia. As I said, the Continental Army was regularly short of men. During that harsh winter, Col. Greene returned to Rhode Island to raise more troops. What ensued is the story of what has come down as the Black Regiment. So difficult was enlistment, because of the poor showing of the Continental Army during much of 1776 and 1777, that early in 1778 the legislature took an unprecedented step. On 14 February the Rhode Island Assembly voted to enlist ‘every able-bodied negro, mulatto, or Indian man slave,’ so you see why I used the term ‘non-white’ earlier. It was not just blacks. The legislation further provided that ‘every slave so enlisting shall, upon his passing muster before Colonel Christopher Greene, be immediately discharged from the service of his master or mistress, and be absolutely free.’ The legislation provided that the former owners were to be compensated by the state for the market value of the slave, up to four hundred dollars in Continental currency.
“Of course, there was some opposition, primarily from the slave traders. While most American slaves were in the southern colonies, most of the slave traders came from New England. They used all the arguments you would expect. Former slaves in the army would be a cause of conflict and destroy morale. Does that sound familiar? They also argued that armed former slaves would lead a slave rebellion against owners. The arguments continued for some time.
“There were also free blacks and some Narragansett Indians, free and slave, recruited into the regiment. The unit was never completely black, as some black historians claim, perhaps inspired by enthusiasm at finding a predominantly black unit. Blacks, whites, and Indians shared membership in the First Rhode Island Regiment. At one point, a muster of the unit showed 225 men, of whom at most 140 were blacks. That was out of a total population of 3,331 non-white residents. I guess I’d better check my sources and get the date of that muster,” Roland admitted.
He continued, “The opposition of the slave traders resulted in the end of the recruitment of slaves in June of 1778, but there remained former slaves committed to serve until dismissed, and so were part of the regiment throughout the war, unlike many volunteers who served only a short time, often as little as three months, and then went back to the family farm. Rhode Island did provide support for those freed slaves who became ill or injured in service. Later, after the war, some pension was provided as well. The figures I have say $3.50 per month, which does not sound like much, but if you take into consideration inflation over the past two and a quarter centuries, that was enough to live on, but was not luxurious by any means.
“In June of 1778 the reorganized First Rhode Island took part in the Battle of Monmouth, New Jersey, and in August in the Battle of Rhode Island. From September, 1778, until January, 1781, the Regiment was stationed in Rhode Island, sort of balancing a British unit which had occupied Newport until October of 1779. On 10 July 1780 our French allies landed some 7,000 troops at Newport, under the command of Count de Rochambeau.
“Then came the final campaign. In January of 1781 the First Rhode Island set out, eventually joined by other units of the Continental Army and by the French under General Rochambeau. The combined armies, in stages, made the march from Rhode Island through Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Maryland to Virginia, where they were joined by the army already there commanded by General Lafayette, and laid siege to the British at Yorktown. During this time, on May 14, Col. Greene and several black troops were killed in a skirmish in New York with Loyalists, and Greene’s body was mutilated as punishment for having led black troops against them. He was replaced in command by Col. Jeremiah Olney. From September 28 to October 19 the allies besieged the British until, on that last date, General Cornwallis surrendered to General Washington. Militarily speaking, the Revolutionary War, the War for American Independence, was over.
“Of course, it took about two years before the Treaty of Paris acknowledged that fact on September 3, 1783. Meanwhile, on 15 June 1783 the troops were dismissed at Saratoga, New York, after an address from Col. Olney in which he praised their “valor and good conduct.” Still short of pay from a niggardly Congress, and a long distance from home, the troops, black, white, and Indian, were left to their own devices. Olney did attempt to get the pensions and back pay promised the troops, but the debt was never completely paid off. A small portion of the regiment remained until December, when the unit was disbanded.”
Roland sat back, clearly pleased with his recitation.
Damon was impressed. “Thanks, Roland. I should know that kind of stuff. I appreciate it.”
“I’m impressed that you have all that data at your fingertips,” Bryce complimented him.
“Well, I did bring my notes, because you said we’d be checking on my academic progress, and this has been a major project. I’ve been living with this for weeks now. A year from now, I probably won’t remember any of it,” Roland said.
“No,” Bryce dissented, “if my experience is anything to go by, since you have made this your own, you will retain it. It won’t be in the forefront of your consciousness, but it’ll be in there somewhere, and you’ll be able to access it when you really need it. Now, if this were something you were not really interested in, like, say, a project in that statistics class, then, yeah, by this time next year most of it will be gone, unless you have to use it between now and then.”
“Did you say all the blacks in the regiment were former slaves?” Damon asked.
“No,” Roland replied. “There were blacks in this regiment, and in many others in the Continental Army, throughout the war. The recruitment of slaves was unique to Rhode Island, and only lasted for about half a year in 1778, when recruitment was pretty desperate. Most of the other blacks were free. Sometimes we think all blacks before the Civil War were slaves, but that was never the case.
“There is a difference, though. Most other blacks were treated as servants, even in the army. In some cases officers, who were usually from well-to-do backgrounds, brought slaves or servants with them when they took up their duties, and the black served as an orderly. In other cases, they were assigned to kitchen duty, or some other support function. The difference with the First Rhode Island Regiment is that it was a combat unit. Those blacks and others fought in the line, just like everyone else,” Roland replied.
At that moment, Damon’s stomach rumbled. Everyone laughed, but they decided that was the signal that Roland’s interrogation was over, and it was time to go out to lunch. As Roland was a native of Clifton, he had wider knowledge than either Bryce or Damon, so they followed his suggestion, and ended up at a place not far from his high school called the Hot Box, which catered to teens. They enjoyed the atmosphere and the loud music, and then went about their individual projects.
But Roland’s exposition that morning gave Bryce something more to think about as far as his secret project was concerned. He wondered whether he could link Damon to someone in that First Rhode Island Regiment, or perhaps some other black soldier of the Revolutionary army. Thanks to his mother, Bryce was a member of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR). He had not bothered about it much, but at age 18 he had transferred from the Children of the American Revolution (CAR) to the SAR. He could not even remember which of his ancestors had been the one used for his membership. Membership in these organizations required documenting descent from someone who had helped establish American independence. It did not matter all that much to Bryce at this stage in his life, but if he could do the same for Damon, that would be the perfect answer to Damon’s feeling he had no roots.
Roland had mentioned that a lot of his information came from web sites on the internet. Consequently, during the afternoon Bryce put in some time checking out some sites discovered simply by typing in “First Rhode Island Regiment” in the search box. He found the story of the recruitment of slaves dominating the accounts, but there were, as Roland reported, other aspects to the issue as well. One site Bryce came across was called www.valleyforgemusterroll.org. Someone had taken the trouble to gather up the muster rolls, that is the lists of officers and men, which was about the only way anyone had of knowing how many troops were available at any given time. These particular muster rolls were of the troops who had weathered that difficult winter at Valley Forge, not far from the British troops who were occupying Philadelphia in much greater comfort.
Taking a chance, Bryce fed into the search engine the last name Watson, and the unit First Rhode Island Regiment. He was surprised to find six individuals pop up on the screen. Checking them, four of the six were identified as African-American, while the other two had no ethnicity listed. Now that was exciting. What had begun as a vague ‘what if’ after hearing Roland’s presentation, by the end of the afternoon was a definite project. Bryce would make the effort to find a link between Damon and one of these patriots at Valley Forge.
The hard part right now was keeping his project secret. Bryce was so excited that he was afraid it would show long before he had anything definite to show Damon. As a result, he invented a called meeting of the LGBT Executive Committee, and texted Damon saying he would not be back until late. In fact, Bryce spent the greater part of the time in the library after grabbing something uninspiring to eat at the Union. Only part of the time was spent on this project, as he exhausted what he could access readily, and needed to let that simmer. Besides, he left the username and password for Ancestry.com that his mother had given him in the library at the apartment, and could not remember it, so he would have to pass for now. Some of the sites he found were connected to Ancestry, but one had to be a member to go beyond the first page or two.
Consequently, Bryce also spent time that evening working on his term paper on Richard Lionheart. There were stories, mostly undocumented, that Richard was gay (not that anyone used that term in the twelfth century). Bryce was trying to find something definite, one way or the other. Those who claimed that Richard was gay referred to some rather equivocal statements in early comments about Richard, which Bryce did not find convincing. It was not unexpected, however, that none of the contemporary or near contemporary accounts were explicit. That would not be something anyone at the time wanted known. When there were explicit references to anyone, they were inevitably in the form of accusations, not accolades, or even neutral statements, and so even explicit statements had to be taken with some caution.
There was the fact that Richard had no known children. There was a reference, again not very definite, about a bastard, but nothing proven, and even if he did have a bastard, that did not rule out being gay. To Bryce, the most interesting and suggestive information had to do with Richard’s wife. He married Berengaria of Navarre mostly at his mother’s request. According to all accounts, she was beautiful and talented. She got along extremely well with Richard’s mother, Eleanor of Aquitaine, and with his sister, Joan of Sicily. But she and Richard spent very little time together. All right, Richard was on the Third Crusade, and was then a prisoner for a time. But even so, it seemed, as one writer put it, whenever Richard was going one way, Berengaria was going the other. She tried joining her husband on the crusade, as her mother-in-law had done on the Second Crusade, but Richard sent her back to France. Even when Richard left the Middle East, and was captured on the way home, it looked like he was going through Germany to England, ignoring Berengaria in France. Well, nothing could be proven based on what Bryce had discovered thus far, but it was all very interesting.
By the time he had exhausted both the Rhode Island Regiment and King Richard, it was well after eight o’clock, and Bryce was sufficiently collected that he thought he could face Damon without betraying himself, so he made his way back to the apartment, only to find that Damon was not there. He found a note on his phone, which he had silenced in the library, and he had not felt the vibration when the message came through an hour ago. He had the phone in a jacket pocket, and the jacket over the back of his chair. The note was from Damon, saying he was going to spend the evening at the fraternity house with DuBois and some others.
You self-centered bastard, Bryce said to himself, thinking Damon was just sitting around waiting for you. Apologize, and tell him to enjoy himself. And so, Bryce sent a message along those lines, reporting that he was back at the apartment, and apologizing for not getting Damon’s text earlier. Considering this, Bryce added it to the indictments of himself concerning his ego that he would talk to Father Miller about on Monday. He then settled in watching television until Damon turned up around ten o’clock.
At that point, they retired to the bedroom, but did not go to sleep for some time.