Amesbury, Slaves and the Revolution
By Lynn Davis
The documentation of the lives of slaves is difficult. The documentation of slaves during the service of the American Revolution can prove even more challenging. Their personal histories, trails of ownership, service records, etc. can be a lifelong pursuit that doesn’t end with a whole lot of information. Fortunately for the two slaves for whom I have been trying to assemble information on, I have found tidbits and have been able to piece together somewhat of a history for each man. No history of Amesbury during the American Revolution can be complete without a discussion regarding two slaves from Amesbury who would serve along side their white brethren. The first was listed in the Enlistment Papers of Captain John Currier’s company of militia as “Robert, Negro Man Servant” and “Scipio Gray, Slave.” These two men were slaves owned by Amesbury families and served as full-fledged members of the military during the American Revolution. Their service is the direct result of the actions taken by Capt. John Currier of Amesbury.
Capt. John Currier was prominent within the Amesbury community, holding such positions as tax collector, constable, and Deacon. He was a shoemaker by trade and was well versed in the public affairs of the day. His military service started early on as a member/clerk of the First Foot Company of Amesbury, MA in 1744, eventually seeing service in the French and Indian War of 1748. His service continued on through the American War of Independence ending in 1780. As Captain during the American Revolution he had a company of minute-men that were ready to serve at a moment’s notice and consisted of some of the most prominent names within the community.
And on to the moment of truth - General Horatio Gates was a British soldier (retired) who served during the American Revolutionary War for the Colonies. He was a controversial figure during his time of service and on more than one occasion was the source of drama be-tween himself and General George Washington. During his tenure in 1775, as the Revolution was heating up, there was a great deal of pressure to meet quotas for enlistment and recruitment. The country at that time had a high percentage of African Americans within the population, with most of those being slaves – only a small percent were freeman. So amongst those charged with recruiting, the African American population made for a readily available pool to pull from.
One thing Gates and Washington did agree on – blacks had no place in the military or in military service. So in 1775, George Washington, through Horatio Gates, issued the following order, in part: “engage men of courage and principle to take up arms… You are not to Enlist any Deserter from the Ministerial [British] Army, nor any Stroller, Negro, or Vagabond, or Person suspected of being an Enemy to the Liberty of America.” So, African Americans whether slave or free could not serve the American cause.
On April 18, 1775 came the word that minutemen were to be called to action. The Battles of Lexington and Con-cord began the American Revolution as they were the first openly armed conflicts between the colonists and the British. Capt. John Currier answered that alarm with a company of approximately 40 men - 1 Lieutenant, 1 Ensign, 4 Sergeants, 3 Corporals, 1 Drummer and 30 Privates. His company was assigned to duty under Colonel Isaac Merrill’s Regiment, and being that they were a company of minutemen, were among the first companies to respond to the Alarm of April 1775.
That fateful Alarm saw Robert in full service in battle to the American Revolution. Robert was a slave owned by Eliphalet Currier of Amesbury. Robert was born circa 1750 and served in three different companies between 1775 and 1776. One note regarding Robert’s service, he is to be found on various documents under several different names - - Robin Krier, Robin Currier, Robin Crier, and Robert Curer.
According to the pamphlet “The Hometowns of Massachusetts’ African American Soldiers, Marines and Patriots of the Revolutionary War” Robert was one of 8 known patriots of color to have served from the Amesbury and Salisbury communities, along with Scipio Gray, owned by Benjamin Barnard, Prince Bachelor, Prince Batchelor, Joseph Demus (Demas), Cyprus Gray, Caesar Merrill, and a slave known as Prince. Robert is also listed on the official rolls of the State of Massachusetts under the name Robert Curer.
Robert served at the Lexington Alarm and shows up on paperwork – war rolls, pay documents and other papers throughout the year including service at Cambridge in November of 1775. The last known point of service for Robert was in 1776 when he re-enlisted in Captain Drew’s Co., in Colonel Poor’s Regt. under the name Rob-in Currier. He is also listed on a muster roll in November of 1776 as being in service at Fort Ticonderoga. We also know that he died on December 15, 1777 as per a muster roll, listed as “Private, Col. Poor’s Regt who died (Robert Currier).”
The second slave that served under Capt. John Currier is Scipio Gray. Scipio Gray was born circa 1754 and was owned by Amesbury local Benjamin Barnard. Gray is always identified by his name on muster rolls, pay sched-ules, etc., unlike his counterpart Robert. He served in the American Revolution under Captain John Currier as a private and it appears his first point of service was the Battle of Bunker Hill in June of 1775. Citing the “History of Amesbury and Merrimac” by Joseph Merrill, “ Sipeo was a young man aged twenty-one years, and very prob-ably interested in the good cause choosing to join the army rather than remain with his master and hoe corn, etc.”(Pg255).
Capt. John Currier enlisted these men in direct violation of the wishes of General George Washington and violating orders given by General Horatio Gates. Service at the Battles of Lexington and Concord and then again at Bunker Hill put these two men, Robert and Scipio Gray as being the first slaves enlisted in full service for the American Revolution. All three of these men are forever connected. All three of them heroes and all three of them my history.