Patriots of Color Enlistment Map

This interactive digital map showcases known enlistment locations of soldiers of African and Indigenous descent during the first years of the Revolutionary War. While this map focuses on those who participated in the first campaign of the Revolutionary War and the Siege of Boston, we aim to expand this work to include soldiers who have revolutionary-era ties to Boston. Many soldiers came from across Massachusetts and surrounding states to join the efforts of local militias, and many others enlisted after experiencing first-hand the effects of war in the Greater Boston area. Each soldier chose to fight in defense of their own understandings of liberty, independence, and freedom. By elevating these individual stories, we hope to bring to the forefront the participation of patriots of color in the fight for American independence.

Click on the clusters to zoom into different locations. Click on various points to learn more about individual soldiers' stories.

 

 

Geographic information from this map derives mainly from George Quintal's Patriots of Color Study, which has been digitized by the National Parks of Boston.