Frederick Hall, who used the

alias Alias may refer to: * Pseudonym * Pen name * Nickname Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Alias'' (2013 film), a 2013 Canadian documentary film * ''Alias'' (TV series), an American action thriller series 2001–2006 * ''Alias the ...

William Williams was a runaway

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

slave who enlisted as a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

in the U.S. Army during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

and died from a mortal wound while defending

Fort McHenry Fort McHenry is a historical American coastal pentagonal bastion fort on Locust Point, now a neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland. It is best known for its role in the War of 1812, when it successfully defended Baltimore Harbor from an attack b ...

from the British naval bombardment in 1814.A Black Soldier Defends Fort McHenry
Library Field Guide No. 1, Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine Maryland, National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior

Early life

U.S. Army service in War of 1812

He escaped his master from Bellefields Plantation (Sim's Delight),

Croom Croom () is a village in County Limerick, Ireland. It is located just off the N20 (which has bypassed the town since 2001) on the River Maigue. It is 8 km southeast of Adare on the N20. History Cromadh (now Croom) was a village in th ...

Prince George's County, Maryland ) , demonym = Prince Georgian , ZIP codes = 20607–20774 , area codes = 240, 301 , founded date = April 23 , founded year = 1696 , named for = Prince George of Denmark , leader_title = Executive , leader_name = Angela D. Alsobroo ...

in early 1814; despite the standing British offer of freedom and land to any escaped slave who joined the British army or navy, Williams enlisted in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

in mid 1814. He was assigned to the 38th U.S. Infantry in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

and received an enlistment bonus of $50, and wages of $8 per month.

Death

In September 1814, during the British artillery bombardment on Fort McHenry, Private William Williams was mortally wounded when a cannonball blew off his leg. He died two months later in a Baltimore hospital.

References

External links

William Williams and the Battle of Baltimore
Date of birth missing Place of birth missing American military personnel killed in the War of 1812 19th-century American slaves 19th-century American people People from Maryland in the War of 1812 1814 deaths People from Prince George's County, Maryland {{Warof1812-stub

Early life

U.S. Army service in War of 1812

Death

See also

References

External links