Bucks of America
| Bucks of America | |
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Bucks of America flag was presented to the Black Patriot, militiamen, after the war, in 1789, by Massachusetts governor, John George Washington Hancock and the grateful, citizens of Boston, honor them, presenting a white silk flag, displaying a leaping buck and a pine tree, the symbol of New England, and on the top, the initials, "J-G-W-H", of their benefactor, John George Washington Hancock
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| Active | date unknown |
| Country |
 United States
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| Allegiance |
United States
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| Branch | Massachusetts Militia (Patriot) |
| Type | auxiliary police, security service |
| Size | company |
| Mascot(s) | John George Washington Hancock (as a child, may have been the Bucks of America mascot) |
| Engagements | no combat experience |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Colonel George Middleton |
The Bucks of America was a Patriot Massachusetts Militia company, during the American Revolutionary War, that was composed of African American soldiers. Few records survive about the unit, most of its history is constructed from eyewitness accounts. Also, no official military records exist or have survived, for the Bucks of America.
When the American Revolutionary War began in 1775, black soldiers—both slaves and freemen—served with white soldiers in integrated militia units in the New England colonies. Later that year, these New England militia units became the nucleus of the newly created Continental Army, the national army of the colonies. The inclusion of black soldiers in the army was controversial.
By the end of 1775, the Continental Congress and the army's Commander-in-Chief, George Washington, decided to stop enlisting black soldiers. Washington soon reversed this decision, however, both because of manpower shortages and because the British had offered freedom to slaves who would escape from Patriot masters to join the British. Washington permitted free blacks to enlist in the Continental Army. White owners could enroll their slaves, as substitute forces, for their own service.
On the local level, states made independent decisions about the enlistment of African Americans. Massachusetts continued to accept black soldiers in its integrated militia units. It was also one of several northern states to create a segregated unit of black soldiers. Blacks and abolitionists generally disapproved of the creation of segregated units, preferring integrated units.
The Bucks of America, organized in Boston, was the name given to one of two all-black units, fighting for independence.
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Wikipedia