Wilmington Dedicates Memorial to Revolutionary War Soldiers, Including 14 African American Patriots

WILMINGTON - The City of Wilmington today dedicated a memorial honoring at least 66 Revolutionary War soldiers buried together in a mass grave at the historic Wilmington-Brandywine Cemetery. Among those recognized are 14 African American members of the Rhode Island Regiment, including Private Caesar Rose, whose descendant, Jason Roomes, traveled from Rhode Island to participate in the unveiling.

The monument bears the names of 33 soldiers identified through historical research, giving long-overdue recognition to men who had rested in anonymity for nearly 250 years.

The grave contains the remains of at least 38 British soldiers who died in Wilmington after being wounded at the Battle of Brandywine in 1777, as well as 28 soldiers of the Rhode Island Regiment who died of smallpox in Wilmington in 1781 and 1782 following the Battle of Yorktown. All 28 Rhode Island soldiers and five British officers have been identified by name.

Half of the Rhode Island soldiers buried at the cemetery were African American. Ten were free men, while four enlisted while enslaved. The Rhode Island Regiment included one of the largest contingents of African American soldiers in the Continental Army. Black soldiers fought alongside white and Indigenous soldiers for American independence at a time when the nation's promise of liberty did not extend to them. For those who enlisted while enslaved, military service also represented a path to freedom.

The dedication was held as part of Wilmington's commemoration of the 250th anniversary of American independence and brought together representatives of Delaware, Rhode Island and the United Kingdom. Wilmington Mayor John Carney delivered the keynote address, with remarks from Rhode Island Secretary of State Gregg Amore, Delaware Secretary of State Charuni Patibanda-Sanchez, and Colonel Thomas Archer-Burton, a British military representative from the Embassy of the United Kingdom in Washington, D.C.

"For nearly 250 years, they have lain unknown and unremembered. For too long, their stories have been obscured and their final resting place overlooked," Mayor Carney said. "Today, that changes as we dedicate a permanent memorial on this hallowed ground in their honor."

The soldiers were originally buried in Wilmington's Poor and Strangers Burial Ground, an 18th-century potter's field at 10th and King streets. As the city expanded between 1850 and 1853, remains from that burial ground were transferred to a mass grave at Wilmington-Brandywine Cemetery.

Among those remembered are Lieutenant Adam Drummond of Scotland, an officer in the British 33rd Regiment of Foot who died in Wilmington on September 21, 1777, after being wounded at Brandywine, and Private Rose of the Rhode Island Regiment.

Rose participated in major engagements including the Battle of Yorktown, before dying of smallpox at Wilmington's military hospital, now the site of the Grand Opera House, on December 9, 1781. Nearly 245 years later, his descendant helped unveil the memorial bearing his ancestor's name.

During the ceremony, the names of the 33 identified soldiers were read aloud. The observance also included the presentation of colors, the national anthems of the United Kingdom and the United States, a graveside prayer, a musket salute, the British "Last Post" and the playing of "Taps."

Participating organizations included the Wilmington Police Department Color Guard, Delaware State Police Pipes and Drums, Delaware Army National Guard Band, 1st Delaware Regiment, Rhode Island Regiment and Sons of the American Revolution.

The memorial was made possible through years of research, advocacy and support led by Delaware historian Bill Knightly. Knightly's research helped establish the history of the burial site and connect the soldiers' original graves in Wilmington's Poor and Strangers Burial Ground with their present resting place at Wilmington-Brandywine Cemetery.

The Delaware Society Sons of the American Revolution and its Peter Jaquet Chapter; Robert Cochran, president of the Peter Jaquet Chapter; Wilmington-Brandywine Cemetery representative and SAR member Wayne Mower; and researchers Daniel Popek and Tom Mercer also contributed to the memorial initiative.

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