Black Patriots

In the winter crucible of Valley Forge, Corporal Isham Valentine served in General George Washington’s army during one of the Revolution’s most severe tests of endurance. Bartholomew Holmes also served in the Continental Army and fought at Stony Point, one of Washington’s daring nighttime bayonet assaults—a dramatic victory that revived Patriot morale after months of grinding war. He later endured the Siege of Charleston, where he was captured, escaped British confinement, returned to the ranks, and fought again at the Battle of Yorktown. These are not merely the war stories of two men. Isham stood among nine Valentine kinsmen—brothers and first cousins—who fought for the Patriot cause. Bartholomew and his brother likewise belonged to that larger, often-overlooked company of Black Patriots—thousands who took up arms against the British in the struggle for American independence.