African
Americans were able to fly under the radar because they were considered
illiterate and did not have the intelligence to understand what was going on
around them. This was still a time where they were considered property of their
white owners. There were some, like James Armistead Lafayette that rose above
these hurdles and were of great value to their country. “James
Armistead Lafayette remains one of the most important, yet least known figures
of the American Revolutionary War.”[1]
James
Armistead Lafayette whose birthdate is not completely clear. His exact
birthdate is not known since they did not usually keep track of the birth or
death statistics. Some research has put his birthdate at: December 10, 1748.
However some research has put his birth year in the year 1760. He was
categorized as a farm hand in records. Both North and Southern Slave owners
would categorize and sort their slaves into different categories. They could be
sorted by: intelligence, appearance (this was to possibly work as a house
slave), and their language skills.
He was
owned by General William Armistead. General William Armistead owned tobacco
fields. When the revolutionary war started, James volunteered to be in the
Continental Army. General Armistead had given his permission for him to enlist.
“According
to historians, hundreds of slaves chose to join a rebellion by the Virginia
governor, the Earl of Dunmore, in 1775 for just such a reason. Tens of
thousands of slaves fled to the British Army after Sir Henry Clintons' Philipsburg
Declaration in 1779. However, more black men ended up fighting under George
Washington for various colonial militias”[2] While slavery was still
legal in America, Armistead wanted to fight for the democratic ideas that he
would not be able to enjoy. Armistead might have also wanted to volunteer to
get a temporary reprieve from working in the tobacco fields.
Armistead
was placed under the service of General Lafayette. They immediately wanted to
use him as a spy. “James volunteered to serve as a secret courier between spies
already planted in British General Cornwallis’s headquarters at Portsmouth.
Armistead, a provisions officer with Lafayette’s army, allowed his slave to
begin a career as a spy. He knew how vital intelligence was to counter future
British movements, and that a white man so planted as a servant would be under
far greater suspicion.”[3] He
would then pose as a laborer. This would allow him to act like he was looking
for work. He was able to make it to the encampment of the British Army located
in Virginia. He was able to align
himself with Benedict Arnold. This would allow him to be considered trustworthy
and infiltrate deeper. He was able to position himself within the headquarters
of General Cornwallis.
While in
the headquarters of General Cornwallis, Armistead was able to relay the
movement of the British Troops and their movements. “Historians
believe that he gathered the information that he overheard as a waiter in the
camp and disseminated it to a network of other black men who would move back
and forth between the enemy lines.”[4] Armistead was not able to
gain access to Cornwallis’ personal papers. While he was not able to get every single piece of
information he was able to extract enough information to keep Armistead abreast
of what the British were doing, moving and saying.
He was
successful because while he was able to gain trust from the British Army, they
also thought he could be a runaway slave that they could use as an asset.
Arnold thought that they could use him to guide them through unfamiliar
territories. They figured that since he was a runaway slave he would be able to
navigate easily back through where he would have escaped through.
Once the
war was over he had to return to his life as a slave. He was not eligible to be
freed under the Act of 1783 for slave soldiers. This was because he was
considered a slave spy. He eventually met up with General Lafayette, who was
saddened that he was still living as a slave. He was so disappointed that he
had written a letter on Armistead’s behalf to try and have his freedom secured
for him. This took two years, and the Virginia General Assembly chose to
emancipate him. In honor of Lafayette, James Armistead made his last name
Lafayette.
After he
became a free man. He moved to New Kent County in Virginia. He purchased forty
acres of land. He then became a farmer. He married and had several children. He
was given approximately $40 a year by the Virginia legislature. This money was
given to him for his services during the American Revolution. The freedoms that
he had desired for were finally granted. Armistead died August 9, 1830.
There
are some that were involved in spy activities that were not named. Benjamin
Tallmadge reflected in his memoir about one of these women. “Very soon I saw a
young female coming out from the city, who also came to the same tavern. After
we had made ourselves known to each other, and while she was communicating some
intelligence to me, I was also informed that the British light horse were
advancing.”[5]
While this woman was able to tip him off and pass information off to each
other. This woman was not identified anywhere.
[1] Witherbee,
Amy. "James Armistead Lafayette." James Armistead Lafayette (January
2007): 1. MasterFILE Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed July 17, 2016).
[2]
Ibid.
[3] Flanders, Alan. "BLACK SPIES WERE KEY TO AMERICAN
DEFEAT OF CORNWALLIS IN REVOLUTION." The Virginian-pilot, February
12, 1999.
[4] Witherbee,
Amy. "James Armistead Lafayette." James Armistead Lafayette (January
2007): 1. MasterFILE Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed July 17, 2016).
[5] Tallmadge, Benjamin. Memoir of
Colonel Benjamin Tallmadge. New York: new York Times, 1968. Pg. 26
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