19. Armed Blacks in the South
In April, 1776, a British expedition into North Carolina under the command of General Henry Clinton was joined by 71 escaped slaves. Clinton took an immediate liking to the black runaways, and formed them into a company that came to be known as the Black Pioneers. He placed a Royal Marine lieutenant in charge, assisted by white subalterns and black non-commissioned officers. The rank and file were comprised of escapees, mostly from North and South Carolina, plus a few from Georgia.
Clinton ordered that the Black Pioneers be treated with respect and decency, and that they be adequately clothed and fed. He also promised the runaways emancipation at the end of the war. Clinton’s North Carolina expedition ended in failure, but he took the Black Pioneers with him when he sailed north, where they participated in that city’s capture by the British in 1776.