James Robinson was an enslaved African American who was lured into fighting in the American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 against the United Kingdom and its allies with the false promise of freedom if the wars were won. On both occasions, he was returned to slavery despite his service.
Born into slavery in 1753 on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, James Robinson was enslaved by Francis De Shields. At the age of 24, Robinson was coerced by De Shields into enlisting in the American Revolutionary War with the promise that he would be granted his freedom if the war was won. Robinson joined a Virginia Light Infantry Regiment under the command of the Marquis de Lafayette, fighting courageously in major battles, including the Battle of Brandywine and the Siege of Yorktown, the decisive battle that ensured American independence.
At Yorktown, Robinson led a daring charge on a british fortification where he reportedly defeated three British soldiers singlehandedly. His courage earned him a Gold Medal of Valor from Lafayette, making him the most decorated African American soldier of the Revolutionary War. Yet, like many enslaved African Americans who fought, his bravery went unrewarded.
After the war, De Shields broke his promise of freedom and sold Robinson back into slavery, this time in New Orleans. His new enslaver, Calvin Smith, was a notoriously brutal master who treated the people he enslaved with extraordinary cruelty and bred them as if they were livestock. Accounts describe Smith’s savage punishments. In one instance, a cousin of Robinson’s, newly enslaved on Smith’s plantation, suffered repeated floggings, burns, saltings, and other forms of torture that ultimately led to his death within a week.
Robinson’s military service extended beyond the Revolutionary War. During the War of 1812, he was among 500 enslaved men enlisted by Andrew Jackson (later the 7th president of the United States) to prepare for the Battle of New Orleans. These men were promised their freedom if they helped secure victory. Robinson sustained severe injuries during the conflict: one of his fingers was shot off in battle, and at another point, he was struck in the head with a saber, leaving a lifelong scar.
After the American victory, soldiers—both free and enslaved—gathered around General Andrew Jackson, with the enslaved men expecting the freedom they had been promised. Instead, Jackson announced that the enslaved men who had fought would not be freed and ordered that all surviving enslaved soldiers be returned to their enslavers. In his journal, Robinson wrote that he thought of taking his gun and shooting General Jackson on the spot for the betrayal, but he ultimately decided against it.
Robinson eventually gained his freedom in the 1830s and became an ordained minister. Settling in Ohio and later Detroit, he dedicated his life to advocating for African Americans. He authored The Narrative of James Roberts, a slave narrative in which he reflected on his life and provided advice to his fellow African Americans.
In his narrative, Robinson expressed regret for his role in the Revolutionary War, believing that African Americans’ bravery had unintentionally tightened the chains of slavery around their necks. He urged future generations to avoid being duped by false promises and to remain vigilant against exploitation.
He wrote “Never be led into such hurtful errors as your fathers have been before you. Now then take counsel from me, one who has fought in the revolutionary war, and thereby caused the chains of slavery to be bound tighter around the necks of my people than they were before; Had there been less bravery with us, the British would have gained the victory, and in that event they would have set the slaves free; so that I now can see how we, in that war, contributed to fasten our chains tighter. Therefore, my earnest and departing request is, that should this country ever again engage in war with any nation, have nothing whatever to do with the war, although the fairest promises should be made to you. Avoid being duped by the white man—he wants nothing to do with our race further than to subserve his own interest, in any thing under the sun.”
Robinson lived to the ripe age of 115, passing away in Detroit on March 27, 1868. As the last living African American veteran of the Revolutionary War, his funeral drew large crowds, and he was buried in Elmwood Cemetery.
In 2019, 151 years after his death, Robinson’s contributions were finally recognized with a joint grave-marking ceremony at Elmwood Cemetery. Military honors were rendered in acknowledgment of his service, though they came far too late for a man whose sacrifices had been ignored during his lifetime.
