The Carolina Corps, a unit of enslaved Black Americans who joined the British Army during the American Revolution, fought for their freedom against the Patriots. Despite their pivotal contributions, including setting precedents for pensions and equality in military service, their story remains largely untold due to a lack of firsthand accounts.

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• The Carolina Corps, formed in 1782, consisted of 300 fugitive slaves who fought for the British for freedom.
• Unit created when the British evacuated Black soldiers from Charleston, South Carolina, near the war’s end.
• Tasked with suppressing slave uprisings and maintaining peace in the British West Indies.
• First Black soldiers in the British Army to receive pensions and equality in pay through the 1807 Mutiny Act.
• Their legacy set a precedent for freedom through military service and influenced British Army reforms.
• Historian Gary Sellick’s research brought the overlooked achievements of the Corps to light.
• By 1783, an estimated 20,000 enslaved individuals joined the British Loyalist cause.
• The British offered freedom to enslaved individuals who joined “His Majesty’s troops” in 1775.
• Other notable Black units included Lord Dunmore’s Ethiopian Regiment and the Black Dragoons cavalry.
• Despite significant contributions, the Corps’ story was overlooked due to the lack of direct documentation.