Working as a spy, Armistead gained the trust of General Cornwallis and Benedict Arnold, providing information that allowed American forces to prevail at the Battle of Yorktown. Its time for these American heroes to get their due. Posing as a runaway slave hired by the British to spy on the Americans, Armistead successfully infiltrated British General Charles Cornwallis' headquarters. The spy informed Lafayette and Washington about approaching British reinforcements, which allowed the generals to devise a blockade impeding enemy advancements. He lived as a farmer in Virginia until his death on August 9, 1830. Would that even change his mode of thinking at all? As a result, Armistead began the process of petitioning Congress to fight for his freedom. He turned professional four years later and continued winning races, most of them sprints around oval tracks at Madison Square Garden and other arenas in the eastern US. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! He later returned north with turncoat soldier Benedict Arnold, and learned further details of British operations without being detected. (1828) The French artist Jean-Baptiste Le Paon included a black servant in French livery in a portrait he painted of the Marquis de LaFayette in 1785, which some think was intended to represent this man. As a New Kent County farmer William sold supplies to the American Continental Army. The Majority of our funds go directly to Preservation and Education. He could transmit Lafayettes instructions to other spies hidden behind enemy lines. Brandon Griggs, CNNPhoto: Library of Congress / Getty Images. https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/african-american-service-during-revolution. In the autumn of 1781, the American colonial army fought in theBattle of Yorktown, the final and arguably most consequential battle for American independence from British rule. And who could he trust other than his family? James was born to an enslaved mother either in North Carolina or Virginia. Armistead was also a key link in the colonial spy network. I owe it to Mr. Lafayette to tell his story right. After gaining the consent of his owner, Armistead was stationed to serve under the Marquis de Lafayette, the commander of French forces allied with the . Stephen is currently portraying Nation Builder James Lafayette, in addition to his positions as Community Outreach Liaison and Program Development Manager for the Foundation. In tribute to Lafayette, James Armistead adopted the surname Lafayette, which he used for the rest of his life. Directed by Jyllian Gunther. Posing as a runaway slave, Armistead traveled to the camp of British General Benedict Arnold. Artist John Martin painted James Armistead Lafayette around 1824. In most of my races I not only struggled for victory but also for my very life and limb, Taylor wrote in his autobiography. After gaining the consent of his owner,. With the permission of his master, Armistead volunteered for service with Lafayette during the siege of Richmond in 1781. [3] However, James persisted and succeeded with the support of William Armistead again in 1786 a member of the House of Delegates and Lafayette's personal 1784 testimonial as to James's service. James Armistead was an enslaved African American, best known for his work as a spy during the American Revolution. After winning his freedom, Armistead bought a large plot of land in New Kent, Virginia. Armistead married, raised a family and spent the rest of his life as a free man on his own Virginia farm. Astrological Sign: Sagittarius, Death Year: 1830, Death date: August 9, 1830, Death Country: United States, Article Title: James Armistead Biography, Author: Biography.com Editors, Website Name: The Biography.com website, Url: https://www.biography.com/military-figures/james-armistead, Publisher: A&E; Television Networks, Last Updated: July 6, 2020, Original Published Date: April 2, 2014. James Armistead Lafayette - James Armistead Lafayette (born 1748 or 1760 - died 1830 or 1832) was an enslaved African American who served the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War under the Marquis de L As Stephen, I have additional questions I want you to think on, some questions about his life, world, and circumstances. In 1781, James Armistead volunteered to join the U.S. Army in order to fight for the American Revolution. Biography and associated logos are trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the US and other countries around the globe. In 1824, the Marquis de Lafayette returned to the United States at the invitation of President James Monroe. Jean-Baptiste Le Paon/Lafayette College Art CollectionJames Armistead, right, later added Lafayette to his last name to honor the Marquis de Lafayette for helping him to earn his freedom. James Armistead Lafayette (December 10, 1760 - August 9, 1832) was an African American slave. Part of who we are is where we came from. He fed the British false information while disclosing very accurate and detailed accounts to the Americans. Comments or questions? 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. Perhaps the most significant contribution James made to the war effort was when he provided evidence that Cornwallis was sending 10,000 troops from Portsmouth, Virginia to Yorktown, Virginia. As a teenager Morgan got a job repairing sewing machines, which led him to his first invention a revamped sewing machine and his first entrepreneurial venture: his own repair business. In response, Lafayette informed General George Washington, and the pair made preparations along with French General Comte de Rochambeau to set up a blockade by land and by sea around the Yorktown peninsula. August 24, 2021. https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/fighting-freedom-african-americans-during-american-revolution. That spy was James Armistead and he was a slave. Historians have different opinions on this question and there are no records at the time answering this question. An Act Freeing Enslaved Peoples Who Served as Soldiers, 1783. Document Bank of Virginia. James Armistead Lafayette was born into slavery in Virginia around 1748. In 1780, James and William moved from the Virginia capital of Williamsburg to the new capital, Richmond, and the following summer James got permission to join the armed forces himself. Some records say he bought 30 acres in New Kent County, but the tax records say it was 40 acres. He was, however, being asked to serve the Americans, who were not offering this same freedom. Armisteads work as a double agent made traveling between the camps easier, as he didn't stand out as a peculiar presence by either side. Stephen Seals started off his professional career as a freelance actor traveling the country performing and directing theatre for 14 years before being hired at Colonial Williamsburg. He worked for Lafayette as a courier, laborer, and spy. Pension application of James La Fayette (Fayette). Pension records in the Library of Virginia. Freed Blacks were not afforded equal protections under the law as whites did. And the answer is no. The Continental Army had approximately 230,000 militiamen and Soldiers, meaning that Black Soldiers made up 3.5% of patriot troops. With the permission of his master, Armistead enlisted in the Revolutionary War under General Lafayette. Let me tell you his story. James Armisteads life would make a great movie. So that summer Washington wrote to Lafayette requesting information on Cornwallis. It had been that way in Virginia since 1723. He reported on the activities of Benedict Arnold after he had gone over to the British. 1775 Liberty Drive Fort Belvoir, VA 22060 (GPS Not Reliable - See Driving Directions) James Armistead Lafayette A personal reason for Lafayette's interest in emancipation may have been his association with the slave, James Armistead, during the Revolutionary War. Accessed November 30, 2021. https://www.history.com/news/battle-of-yorktown-slave-spy-james-armistead. Jean-Baptiste-Antoine DeVerger/Wikimedia Commons. On this day in history, January 9, 1787, James Armistead , America's slave spy gets his freedom from the Virginia legislature. His house is no longer standing, but the property is still there. He was educated by his master and knew how to both read and write (there were no laws prohibiting education of slaves in the Virginia colony at that time). Morgan, Thad. James Armistead is a great hero. Until his death in 1832, the former slave went by James Armistead Lafayette. Lafayette dispatched him as a spy, posing as a runaway slave, and he joined British forces in Virginia who valued his knowledge of the local terrain. Ive spent the last three and a half years researching him, finding as much firsthand information as I can, finding sources, working to understand why he chose the decisions he ended up making. James Armistead Lafayette wasnt the only slave to serve his country. Special Collections & College Archives However, despite repeatedly petitioning for it, James did not receive an annual pension for his service until 1819, 27 years after the American Revolution ended. 2023 Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. We strive for accuracy and fairness. Web exhibit drawn from the Spring 2001 Special Collections & College Archives exhibit "Lafayette and Slavery". Nunnery, Jackie. 1748 1830*, Engraved portrait of James Armistead Lafayette by John B. Martin, circa 1824. He properly acquitted himself with some important commissions I gave him and appears to me entitled to every reward his situation can admit of., In late 1786, William Armistead filed another petition along with Lafayettes letter to the Assembly. Unknown/U.S. Before actively choosing to serve the budding republic that denied him his freedom, Armistead already had a fairly close-up view of the conflict: His owner, William Armisteadmanaged the military supplies for the state of Virginia after the war began in 1775. He reported to the Marquis de Lafayette that Cornwallis moved British forces from Portsmouth to Yorktown, valuable intelligence that helped pave the way for the siege of Yorktown that effectively ended the war. Then His Sons Were Sold Into Slavery, https://www.history.com/news/battle-of-yorktown-slave-spy-james-armistead, How an Enslaved Man-Turned-Spy Helped Secure Victory at the Battle of Yorktown. Once hed gained their trust, Armistead moved back and forth between the two armies camps, feeding false information to the British while secretly documenting their strategies and relaying them to Lafayette. There is much debate over why enslaved people risked their lives for a country that did not include them among the famous lines of all men are created equal. While we may never know Jamess reasons for serving, his courage aided in America achieving the much-needed victory that led to independence. 17481830), an enslaved Virginian, was born on a plantation in New Kent County.During the war James probably spent time in Williamsburg, where his owner, William Armistead, was helping to manage military supplies. This was his land. Genevieve Carlton earned a Ph.D in history from Northwestern University with a focus on early modern Europe and the history of science and medicine before becoming a history professor at the University of Louisville. Show your pride in battlefield preservation by shopping in our store. Most of these brave mens names have been lost to history, but a few have been remembered for their exemplary actions toward a cause and a country that did not consider them fully human. Born in Virginia as a slave to William Armistead in 1760, he volunteered to join the Army in 1781. In this way, he relayed much information about the British plans for troop deployment and their arms.
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