Prince Whipple (1750–1796) was an
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 and later
freedman. He was a soldier and a bodyguard during the
American Revolution
The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...
under his enslaver General
William Whipple of the
New Hampshire Militia The New Hampshire Militia was first organized in 1631 and lasted until 1641, when the area came under the jurisdiction of Massachusetts.
After New Hampshire became an separate colony again in 1679, New Hampshire Colonial Governor John Cutt reorgan ...
who granted him his freedom after the war. Prince is depicted in
Emanuel Leutze
Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze (May 24, 1816July 18, 1868) was a German-American history painter best known for his 1851 painting '' Washington Crossing the Delaware''. He is associated with the Düsseldorf school of painting.
Biography
Leutze was born ...
's painting ''
Washington Crossing the Delaware'' and
Thomas Sully's painting ''
Passage of the Delaware''.
Early life
In his 1855 book ''
Colored Patriots of the American Revolution'', the nineteenth-century African-American author and
abolitionist
Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people.
The British ...
William Cooper Nell
William Cooper Nell (December 16, 1816 – May 25, 1874) was an African-American abolitionist, journalist, publisher, author, and civil servant of Boston, Massachusetts, who worked for the integration of schools and public facilities in the s ...
related some undocumented anecdotes about Whipple and his life:
Prince Whipple was born in Ambou , Africa, of comparatively wealthy parents. When about ten years of age, he was sent by them, in company with a cousin, to America to be educated. An elder brother had returned four years before, and his parents were anxious that their child should receive the same benefits. The captain who brought the two boys over proved to be a treacherous villain, and carried them to 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 ...
, where he exposed them for sale, they were both purchased by Portsmouth, New Hampshire men, Prince falling to General William Whipple. He was emancipated during the evolutionary
Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation ...
War, was much esteemed, and was once entrusted by the General with a large sum of money to carry from Salem to Portsmouth. He was attacked on the road, near Newburyport
Newburyport is a coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, northeast of Boston. The population was 18,289 at the 2020 census. A historic seaport with vibrant tourism industry, Newburyport includes part of Plum Island. The mo ...
, by two ruffians; one was struck with a loaded whip, the other one he shot ... Prince was beloved by all who knew him. He was also known as "Caleb Quotom" of Portsmouth, where he died leaving a widow, Dinah, a freeperson and two children.
Prince and his brother Cuffee were sent by their parents to study in America. During the journey, they were kidnapped by a slave trader and sent to a prison in the
Caribbean. Prince, his brother, and hundreds of other slaves at the prison were sold to a sea captain. A majority of the prisoners were sent to
sugar and
tobacco
Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...
plantations
A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. Th ...
in the
West Indies
The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greate ...
and the
Southern British Colonies. Prince and Cuffee were not among those sold in the plantations, but instead were sent to
Portsmouth, New Hampshire to be
house slaves
A house slave was a slave who worked, and often lived, in the house of the slave-owner, performing domestic labor. House slaves performed largely the same duties as all domestic workers throughout history, such as cooking, cleaning, serving meal ...
. There they were purchased by William Whipple Jr. who was a successful businessman and owner of the slave ship that purchased the slaves from the prison.
Prince was well liked in Portsmouth. As William Nell stated "He was also known as 'Caleb Quotom" of Portsmouth'" and got along well with the other slaves. Prince joined William as a servant in large weddings, dinners, balls, and parties held by the White population of New Hampshire and was well received.
American Revolution
When the Revolution started, William Whipple was assigned as a
captain in the
Continental Army and took Prince with him. Initially, Prince served as a bodyguard to William because of military regulations that forbid Blacks from serving in the army or
militia
A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...
. Despite the restrictions, Blacks had been reported to have fought alongside the colonists in many battles including
Lexington and
Bunker Hill. The British offered freedom to American slaves if they were to serve in the
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
against the
American Colonies. In 1780, the Southern Colonies began to
draft
Draft, The Draft, or Draught may refer to:
Watercraft dimensions
* Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel
* Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail
* Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a vesse ...
free Blacks and a select number of enslaved men for military service as a response to the actions of the British. The conscription of Blacks was also an answer to the diminishing manpower of the Thirteen Colonies. The increased
need of men allowed Prince to serve as a military aide to William and a soldier in the New Hampshire Militia.
Service under William Whipple
In 1777, William was promoted to
brigadier general
Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...
and was ordered to go to
Vermont
Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...
. Prince joined him, but challenged his position as a slave. Prince argued with William saying "You are going to fight for your ''Liberty'', but I have none to fight for." William offered Prince his freedom if he continued his military service. Prince agreed and by the end of the war, William ended Prince's servitude and granted his freedom. According to the Portsmouth, New Hampshire Town Records,
[''Portsmouth Town Records'', Vol. III, p. 95, New Hampshire State Library at Concord, New Hampshire] General Whipple granted Prince the rights of a freeman on February 22, 1781, Prince's wedding day. He was legally
manumitted
Manumission, or enfranchisement, is the act of freeing enslaved people by their enslavers. Different approaches to manumission were developed, each specific to the time and place of a particular society. Historian Verene Shepherd states that ...
by Gen. William Whipple on February 26, 1784.
Freedom Petition
In 1779 Prince joined with nineteen other freed slaves who referred themselves as the "Natives of Africa" in Portsmouth. These men went to the House and Council sitting of
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the nor ...
and petitioned for their freedom to be kept. They stated the following:
God of Nature gave them Life and Freedom, upon the Terms of the most perfect Equality with other men, That Freedom is an inherent right of the human Species, not to be surrendered, but by Consent, for the Sake of social Life; that private or public Tyranny and Slavery, are alike detestable to Minds conscious of the equal Dignity of human Nature …
Their plea for freedom was made public in the ''
New Hampshire Gazette
''The New Hampshire Gazette'' is a non-profit, alternative, bi-weekly newspaper published in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Its editors claim that the paper, which all but disappeared into other publications until the late 1900s, is the oldest news ...
''. Although Prince was not a freedman at the time of the signing of the petition, he was an advocate for the protection of freedmen rights and liberties.
After the War
Prince returned to Portsmouth as a freedman and reunited with his brother Cuffee. He married a woman named Dinah who was a slave in
New Castle and was granted freedman status by her enslaver at age 21. For his service in the war, Prince was given a small plot of land to which he, his brother, and his wife built a house on that. They converted the house into the Ladies Charitable African School to teach young children. Dinah was its teacher until her death. Prince died in Portsmouth in 1796.
Legacy
Prince's legacy during the Revolution did not go unnoticed among artists. His service with William and
George Washington
George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...
is depicted in two art pieces.
''Washington Crossing the Delaware''
According to legend, Prince Whipple accompanied General Whipple and George Washington in the famous
crossing of the Delaware River and is the black man portrayed fending off ice with an oar at Washington's knee in the painting ''
Washington Crossing the Delaware'', painted 75 years after the event by
German American artist
Emanuel Leutze
Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze (May 24, 1816July 18, 1868) was a German-American history painter best known for his 1851 painting '' Washington Crossing the Delaware''. He is associated with the Düsseldorf school of painting.
Biography
Leutze was born ...
. Most historians doubt that there is any basis for this story. It is extremely unlikely that either General Whipple or Prince Whipple was present at the
Battle of Trenton. At that time, General Whipple was serving in the
Continental Congress, which had fled
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
and reconvened 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 ...
, a distance of from
Trenton. Moreover, Prince Whipple was not famous at the time the painting was commissioned, and it is unlikely that Leutze would have heard of him.
''The Passage of the Delaware''
In 1819, American painter Thomas Sully created his interpretation of the
Battle of Trenton. The painting depicts Washington on a white horse around three white officers and a Black man. The Black soldier in the painting is shown wearing red clothing speaking to an officer. The man in this picture is confirmed to be Prince Whipple as Sully had heard about Prince and incorporated him into his painting. Much like the Leutze painting, Prince was most likely not present at Trenton during Washington's crossing.
Footnotes
References
*
*
*
*
*
*Robinson, J. Dennis
"Prince Whipple and American Painting" from SeacoastNH.com.
*
Lives of the Signers to the Declaration of Independence. By Rev. Charles A. goodrich, published by William Reed & Co. New York 1829
External links
Burial place of Prince WhippleSeacoast.com pagePrince Whipple 1750-1796Petition to the New Hampshire Government 1779
{{DEFAULTSORT:Whipple, Prince
African Americans in the American Revolution
American people of Ghanaian descent
18th-century American slaves
People of New Hampshire in the American Revolution
New Hampshire militiamen in the American Revolution
People from Central Region (Ghana)
1796 deaths
1750 births
Black Patriots