Forgotten NC Black Patriots of the Revolutionary War remembered during First in Freedom event
WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — As we approach the end of Black History Month, an event held at one of the iconic monuments in the Cape Fear region honored the forgotten patriots who fought in the first fight for freedom in America.
Zachariah Jacobs, also known as Holmes, was born in New Hanover County in 1760.
A free man, Jacobs fought in the Continental Army against the British during the American Revolutionary War.
One of his descendants, Kevin Graham, shared his experiences during the war.
“He was drafted in the Revolutionary War in 1778,” Graham said. “He saw battle actually in 1779 at the Battle of Briar’s Creek. After that, he actually served at the Battle of Guilford Courthouse in Greensboro. There he was wounded, captured twice. He took parole. The British told him if he ever fight again, he would be hung. He then fought again.”
Jacob is one of the more than 460 North Carolinian African American men, both enslaved and free, who fought during the Revolutionary War.
More than 2 dozen people gathered for a presentation at these forgotten black patriots on Tuesday night at the Battleship North Carolina.
The battleship’s museum educator, Trevor Freeman, gave the presentation about these men, talking about several other patriots, the battles and tragedies they saw, and for those who survived, what their lives were like after the war.
He said he is proud to share these stories with the public.
“With all these names, the Chavis’, the Bass family, the Jacobs, so many of the descendants are still around today and they know of their ancestors, but a lot of us don’t, so we are trying to include them in the story also and explain you know, how, how did we become this independent country,” Freeman said.
The presentation is part of the week-long First in Freedom Festival taking place throughout the state, which celebrates North Carolina’s role in the fight for independence.
Other First in Freedom events will take place, including one commemorating the Battle of Moore’s Creek Bridge on Thursday, February 26th.
Graham and his brother Kevin have ensured their ancestor’s memory will be memorialized, with the unveiling of a historical marker at 3rd and Chestnut Street in downtown Wilmington on March 26th.
