The Soldiers

At the Battle of Red Bank, American forces of the First and Second Rhode Island Regiments faced German soldiers known as Hessians, whom England’s King George hired to fight for the British when he could not fill the ranks with enough British soldiers. About 30,000 Hessians fought in the Revolution, and they were not volunteers but conscripts; the Continental Congress offered 50 acres to any Hessian who deserted, though if caught they could face execution. The American forces included the First Rhode Island Regiment led by Colonel Christopher Greene and the Second Rhode Island Regiment led by Lieutenant Colonel Israel Angell. Following the Battle of Red Bank, both Greene and Angell campaigned to allow African American troops in their regiments, and the Rhode Island Regiment became the first unit to allow African American soldiers. Greene died in 1781 at the hands of Loyalists while fighting alongside African American troops, and his body was mutilated, possibly because of his advocacy for African American soldiers.

National Park, New Jersey · United States