Role+of+Slaves+in+the+Revolution

 Role of Slaves in the Revolution 

Not many people are aware of the fact that slaves played a huge part in Revolutionary War. They did some of the more risky and dangerous jobs of the war. Both sides, the Patriots and the Loyalists used slaves as message carriers. They would send secret messages through the slaves to other Loyalists or Patriots (whomever was writing the message) when they were unable to do it themselves. This was incredibly dangerous because the slaves could be caught at any time by the other party. Slaves were not supposed to be out of their Masters' houses or conversing with the enemy. Slaves were sometimes bribed to pass on information they heard from their masters. Both Loyalists and Patriots said they would give the slaves freedom if they gave them information, so slaves risked it all to get what they needed. Slaves fought as soldiers in the Civil War as well. Many slaves fought as soldiers, and many were taken prisoner. The conditions in a war prisoner were awful. Many soldiers died while in prison due to the lack of care for the prisoners. Slaves and soldiers were stuffed dozens to the cell left there to die. They would not give them anything to stay warm or to eat. In most prisons they were giving raw meat, moldy leftover food and dirty water for food and drink. The cells were not heated and none were giving blankets. They did not have a toilet and had to use a bucket in the corner of their cell. The death rates in the prisons could have been much higher if citizens were not allowed to bring more food and blankets to the cells. Many diseases arose in the prisons and killed many men. Horrible things have killed men in the prisons of war. Some masters would offer freedom to their slaves for fighting in their place (but usually they didn't mean it). They also thought that if they fought for a particular side, the officials might set them free after the war. Other slaves worked in the house or helped make items for war. Some slaves might get paid very little but most did not get paid at all; their only pay was the unlikely freedom they wanted and deserved. During the Revolutionary War, many enslaved Africans believed that a British victory would bring them freedom. An estimated 100,000 took advantage of the disorder caused by the war and escaped from bondage; some joined the British or American forces. George Washington and other military officers received frequent requests to recover runaways who had enlisted. Thomas Jefferson believed that Virginia lost 30,000 slaves in one year alone.

