The Black Pioneers
From Rhode Island, the Black Pioneers were dispatched back to New York, and thence to Philadelphia, which fell to the British in 1777. In 1777, Clinton’s runaways became the nucleus of the Black Loyalist Company – a noncombatant force to replace the disbanded Ethiopian Regiment. In 1778, the company was merged into the Guides and Pioneers in New York, and given the name the Black Pioneers and Guides. As Pioneers, the new unit’s soldiers performed military engineering, fortification, and construction tasks. As Guides, they served as scouts and raiders. The Black Pioneers were not treated as a standard regiment, but were instead parceled out in small units – typically of about 30 men each – that were attached to British armies.
They scouted, raided, and performed military engineering tasks. In their role as engineers, they were not a combat unit, but they were often called upon to work under heavy fire to dig and shore up entrenchments and fortifications. In 1779, Clinton sailed to besiege Charleston, South Carolina, and took the Black Pioneers with him. They performed vital military engineering tasks that contributed to the city’s fall. The company then returned with Clinton to New York, where they remained until the end of the war. The Black Pioneers were one of the last provincial units in New York, and accompanied the British when they evacuated the city in 1783.