Unbeknownst to most people, many Native Americans and African Americans from New England fought for and died in the American Revolution.

In 2008 the Daughters of the American Revolution published a revised version of the book “Forgotten Patriots - African American and American Indian Patriots in the Revolutionary War” a “Guide to Service, Sources and Studies ”, which lists 6,600 individuals of color who fought in the war.  Although 6,600 sounds like a lot, there is a ongoing project to recover and refine the information on more individuals.

Monuments have been constructed and dedicated throughout the Northeast commemorating those who fought in this important war in American history. 

We found one such monument in the most unlikely place, off a major highway in a small park wedged right off the exit ramp, where the Siege of Newport and the Battle of Rhode Island took place.   The monument is located in Patriot’s Park in Portsmouth, Rhode Island at the juncture of Routes 114 and 240 going north.

The NAACP erected this monument as a tribute to the many African Americans and Native Americans who so bravely risked their lives in “The First Rhode Island Regiment”, on that spot for Newport, Rhode Island in August, 1778.

We visited that site and took some pictures which we would like to share with you.  Double click on the photo below to see an enlarged image or play the slideshow.

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