“…I continued during the whole war”: The Exceptional Typical Military Service of Winsor Fry—Soldier of Color During the Revolutionary War presented by Shirley L. Green, Adjunct Professor, Department of History, University of Toledo and Bowling Green State University; Director, Toledo Police Museum
Winsor Fry answered the call for service during the early stages of the Revolutionary War as a member of one of the militia groups laying siege to Boston after the initial battles at Lexington and Concord. He served for over seven years in the Continental Army as a member of the Rhode Island regiments. He began his service with the Continentals as a freed man and member of an integrated regiment. However, with the recruitment and enlistment of formerly enslaved men, he then served in the regiment known as the Black Regiment which was composed of African and Native Americans. He ended his service as a member of the integrated First and Second Consolidated Rhode Island regiment. Soldiers of color, like Winsor Fry, served for longer periods of time than other cohorts. The service of Private Fry provides insight into how military service affected the lives of men of color in the Revolutionary era. His service was exceptional due to length and the actions he took to survive and thrive during a time of conflict and change. And his service was typical in his desire to obtain adventure and opportunity as a military man.
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