Last fall, the Town of Concord and Concord250 were proud to be among the 37 selected recipients of a Massachusetts250 Grant provided by the Healey-Driscoll Administration and the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism. The grant funded the project “A Fight for Freedom: Honoring Patriots of Color.” 

For many months, scholars, interpreters, and artists collaborated to create this signature event. The program launched in March at The Umbrella Center for the Arts with a two-hour live event dedicated to uncovering and honoring the often-overlooked contributions of Black and Indigenous Patriots during the American Revolution and the ongoing struggle for freedom and equality over the past 250 years.

In 1775, between 20 and 40 colonists of African and Indigenous descent fought alongside their fellow revolutionaries on the Battle Road during the opening conflict of the American Revolution. Excluded from formal militia service before the war, these individuals were among the earliest Patriots to take up arms for liberty. By the end of the Revolutionary War, approximately 5,500 people of color had served in the Continental Army or local militias, risking their lives for the promise of freedom.

Despite their significant role in founding the United States, these Patriots’ stories and their descendants’ experiences have often been erased or overshadowed by historical bias. Their sacrifices have been obscured by narratives written by others. By sharing their stories and honoring their service, we expand our understanding of the nation’s founding. Their bravery and resilience remind us that the struggle for freedom has always been fought by people from all backgrounds and walks of life.

Soloist Shy’Kira Allen inspires as she performs  songs of triumph and freedom 

| Courtesy of the author

Those who attended the live event at The Umbrella were guided by historical interpreters through the stories of individuals who fought for independence, including Brister Freeman, Caesar Robbins, George Washington Dugan, and Ellen Garrison. The program also featured inspiring performances through spoken word, theater, music, and song as well as two original theater pieces: Voices of Patriots of Color and The Visit. The Visit imagines historical figures from Concord discussing “what we should remember and celebrate in 2025.” Together, they convey a crucial message, articulated by Caesar Robbins in the theatrical piece:

“We’ve always been here. We’ve always been fighting for freedom. We’ve always done our share to help make this country better. That’s what you need to tell people. That’s what people need to know. It can seem dark out, but every time, somehow, we figured out how to work together as a people and make our nation just a bit more free, just a bit more just, just a bit more equal. We can’t stop the fight.”

The event concluded with a community reflection and dialogue on the importance of recognizing the diverse voices and contributions that shaped the nation’s history, past and present. A full theater audience participated in this meaningful event of learning, reflection, and recognition, honoring the courageous men and women who fought for freedom—stories vital to understanding our nation’s full history.

Concord Visitor Center offers free Patriots of Color Walking Tours through June 30. Visit visitconcord.org/visit/walking-tours/ for more information.

Brister Freeman

Brister Freeman, born in 1744, who had been given as a wedding gift to Dr. John Cuming between the ages of five and nine, lived in captivity for the first thirty or so years of his life until he gained his freedom after fighting in the Revolutionary War. During his service, Brister marched under Colonel John Buttrick to Saratoga in 1777 and watched British General Burgoyne surrender. Two years later, after being documented with the name Brister Cuming, he enlisted under the name Brister Freeman, announcing his newly acquired freedom.

In his later life, Brister purchased an acre of old wood lot in Walden Woods with Charlestown Edes, a fellow African-American Revolutionary War soldier, and set up a two-family household. He was the second man of African descent to purchase Concord land. Other formerly enslaved people followed, and Walden Woods became one of three Black enclaves that sprang up in Concord following gradual emancipation in Massachusetts. Walden Woods was home to as many as fifteen formerly enslaved people and their families.

Brister passed away in 1822, but his burial site is neither marked nor known. Today, the land is Town Forest and is stewarded by the Town of Concord. The ditch fence Brister dug around his property to keep animals enclosed is still visible to passers-by. In commemoration of his life, The Robbins House placed a boulder marking the Freeman Family home site in 2011, and the site is also addressed by a nearby plaque.

Caesar Robbins

Enslaved at birth in nearby Chelmsford, Caesar Robbins served in two wars. At just 16 years old, he fought in the French and Indian War, with his enslaver receiving his payment. In his early 30s, on April 19, 1775, Caesar was enslaved to Captain Israel Heald of Acton, who mustered at the North Bridge. It’s likely that Robbins fought alongside Heald’s company that day.

Caesar went on to serve in the Revolutionary War and, through his military service, earned his freedom. In 1776, at 31 years old, he fought under Captain Heald to help fortify Dorchester Heights in Boston. Later that summer, he marched to Fort Ticonderoga in New York. By 1779, Caesar enlisted for the last time. Records from 1784 show that at 40 years old, Caesar Robbins was a free man and the head of his own household. By 1790, he was farming on a small plot of land in Concord, which was owned by Humphrey Barrett. Over the years, Caesar married twice and had six children. He died in 1822, and the following year, his son Peter purchased over 13 acres of land, including the home that would become the Robbins House. In 1823, Caesar’s children, Peter and Susan, became the first residents of the house.

Phillip Barrett

Phillip Barrett, born about 1760, was enslaved by Colonel James Barrett. On April 19, 1775, it is unclear what role Phillip played however it is likely he aided in the removal of military supplies from Barrett’s farm before the arrival of British Regulars. When James Barrett died in 1779, his will stipulated that his son inherited Phillip and that he remain enslaved until Phillip turn thirty. Phillip enlisted in the Continental Army in 1780 and was soon stationed at West Point, New York. It is not evident if Peter Barrett freed Phillip prior to his enlistment, however there is no record of what became of Phillip following his military service. 

Thomas Nichols

Thomas Nichols was a free man of color married to a person of Indigenous descent on the morning of April 19 when he was locked in the Concord jail. A paper breathlessly reported that “By a Gentleman arrived here from Boston, we are informed, that last Week a free Negro was apprehended at Natick, in Massachusetts-Bay Government, and, after Examination, committed to Concord Jail. It appeared that said Fellow has for some Time past been employed in forming a Plot to destroy the white People; for that Purpose he had enlisted Numbers of his own Complexion, as Associates, and they only waited until some Disturbance should happen that might occasion the Militia to turn out, and in their Absence it was proposed to Murder the defenceless Inhabitants.” Nichols was still in Concord’s jail when the Revolutionary War broke out. He witnessed British troops, under Major John Pitcairn, force their way into the jail yard. Interestingly, later that day, more than one of his cousins was fighting with the Patriot forces along Battle Road. This family’s story is a striking example of the complex and often contradictory experiences of people of color at the outbreak of the war.

The Stockbridge Tribe

Historically, the Mahican, Housatonic, Wappinger and Tunxis people called themselves ‘Muh-he-con-neok’ or ‘People of the Waters that are Never Still.’

They played a primary role in trade along the Hudson, relaying communications between Algonquian and Iroquoian nations. Dutch land speculators took possession of Stockbridge-Mohican lands while native warriors were away assisting the British near Canada in the Seven Years (French and Indian) War. A delegation of Stockbridge-Mohican leaders then sailed to England in 1766 seeking royal intervention for the return of their lands, but to no avail. The Stockbridge-Mohican then switched their allegiance to the American provincials and their impending battle against the king’s Redcoats, enlisting other native nations such as the Oneida in central New York.

Dozens of Stockbridge warriors rushed east to Cambridge after receiving the alarm of April 19th, 1775. Rev. William Emerson mentioned in his journal that the Stockbridge fighters shared clams with him while amongst their ‘wigwams’ during the Siege of Boston.

Others noted Stockbridge bravery as warriors engaged in independent skirmishes against the king’s troops near Charlestown. British sentries were routinely harassed and killed by Stockbridge warriors in 1775, and a shower of their arrows killed a British sailor, thwarting an attempt to move British military supplies along the Charles River.

The Stockbridge-Mohican lost prominent warriors at Bunker Hill and went on to fight in most of the northern battles of the American Revolution. Significant numbers of Stockbridge fighters were killed in battle or by disease,

After the war, Stockbridge widows and families found themselves further displaced from their homelands - this time by Americans. Their only thanks from George Washington: a document of acknowledgement and an ox to slaughter for a feast. Subsequently, the Stockbridge-Mohican were left to seek refuge with the Oneida nation in New York state and eventually both nations were forced out of New York to Wisconsin. Shawano County, Wisconsin is where the Stockbridge- Munsee Band of Mohican Indians continue today.