Three Veterans, Three Slaves, and a Reverend

A number of men enslaved in New Hampshire secured their freedom by enlisting in the Continental Army. Three are known because two papers were deposited with Rev. Jeremy Belknap by each: the document of their previous purchase, the the document recognizing "his freedom, and discharge him from my service and the service of my heirs forever."

Gloster Watson was born in Portsmouth in 1750 -- presumably the property of George Waldron, who sold him for 600 pounds 26 July 1758 to Dudley Watson. He was freed 4 June 1777 by Thomas Watson, executor of his father's estate. Dudley Watson had died 28 February 1770. What happened in between? The estate was administered primarily for the benefit of Thomas's mother, Christine Baker Watson, who was born in 1716 and died 18 March 1776. It also took until 27 June 1772 to inventory the estate, including two dwelling houses, a barn, 335 acres in two different towns, half a corn mill, 75 pounds cash, and "One Negro man" valued at 50 pounds.

There was a generational shift at work about keeping slaves, and the influence of Jeremy Belknap, who had already written on the inconsistency of "keeping slaves and at the same time struggling for our own liberty." But Gloster Watson had been permitted to enlist 16 May 1777 in the 2nd New Hampshire regiment for Continental Army service. His freedom was documented more than two weeks later, no doubt motivated in part by his enlistment.

2nd New Hampshire at Saratoga, model designed and created by Jim Purky.

Private soldiers seldom keep diaries, much less order books, and their letters, if any, are seldom well preserved. From the history of the regiment, Gloster Watson served at the Battle of Hubbarton, the victory at Saratoga where an entire British Army surrendered to American forces, and then was left in Poughkeepsie, NY to recover from illness as the New HAmpshire men marched south to rejoin George Washington's army. He appears in a list of absent soldiers dated 10 January 1778, described as "negro," about five feet six inches tall, with "wool" hair and "white" eyes. He recovered in time to rejoin the army in time for the Battle of Monmouth in New Jersey, and General Sullivan's 1779 campaign against the Cayuga, Onandaga and Seneca and British loyalist in upstate New York and western Pennsylvania. He was discharged at West Point, New York, 10 May 1780, having served his three year enlistment.

Little is documented about Watson's life after returning to Dover, but when he died 18 January 1806 at the age of 57, he was sufficiently respected to have a death notice appear in the local paper.