(06) 1778 The 1st Rhode Island All-Black Regiment is Composed Mostly of Black Enlistees during the American Revolution (c. LAWRENCE E. WALKER FOUNDATION)

The 1st Rhode Island Regiment was a regiment in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Raised in Rhode Island, it was notable for being composed of black enlistees, an irregularity at the time. The regiment served through the entirety of the Revolutionary War, from the siege of Boston in 1775 to the disbanding of the Continental Army on November 3, 1783. It was one of the only units in the Continental Army to serve through the entire war. Though the unit went through several name changes and reorganizations, it is regarded by some as the first African American military unit.