James Robinson

These are the new headstones created for James Robinson in 2019 that honor his military service.

Capt. Andrew Layton, Michigan National Guard

Quick Facts

Significance:

Revolutionary War and War of 1812 Veteran

Place of Birth:

Eastern Shore, Maryland

Date of Birth:

1753

Place of Death:

Detroit, Michigan

Date of Death:

1868

Born enslaved on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in 1753, James Robinson first served in the United States military in the Revolutionary War.

Having been promised his freedom by his enslaver, he fought valiantly and even received a medal of honor for his actions during the Battle of Yorktown from French general and ally General Marquis de Lafayette, the only African American to do so. However, Robinson did not receive his freedom and was eventually sold into the deep South. 

In 1814, General Andrew Jackson needed more men to join his ranks in order to defend New Orleans from the British. As he traveled to the city, he asked enslavers if they would allow their enslaved men to fight in the battle. Many agreed, including Robinson’s new enslaver. During the military training of these enslaved men, their owners encouraged Jackson to tell the men that if the battle was won, they would all earn their freedom. Robinson, alongside many other enslaved African American men, fought in and won the Battle of New Orleans on January 8, 1815.

However, Jackson ordered them all to return home to their enslavers. Upon hearing this, Robinson pointed a pistol at Jackson. (It was not loaded, but Jackson did not know that at the time.) He asked Jackson why he promised freedom if he did not intend on following through. Jackson replied, “You are not my property, and I cannot take another man’s property and set it free.” Robinson also stated that Jackson made a speech warning people to never again arm African Americans because they would fight for their freedom, stating that “before a slave of mine should go free, I would put him in a barn and burn him alive.”

When Robinson returned home, he asked his enslaver if he could be freed for his service but was denied and almost punished for even questioning his status. 

Although it is unclear when Robinson was freed, he appears in the 1840, 1850, and 1860 U.S. Censuses as a free man. Robinson resettled in Ohio, then Detroit, Michigan. He married, had children, wrote a narrative describing his experiences under the pen name James Roberts, and was celebrated on Defender’s Day every year until his death in 1868 at 115 years old.

However, his military accomplishments were not nationally acknowledged until 2019. During a public ceremony recognizing his exceptional military service, James Robinson was honored with a three-volley rifle salute. 

To read James Robinson’s narrative, please visit this ebook made available by the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.