The Rebellion Burns Bright

Sergeant Benjamin White's (Continental Army, 1st Marine Regiment) letter to his mother in Boston, April 20th, 1776
Displayed at the American National Museums of History and Culture, _______ D.C.

To my dearest mother,

It has been a while since my last letter and I apologize for that, but my unit was isolated for some time in a town called Amelia in South Carolina. The British and the damned traitors attacked us ferociously and we lost many good men during the fighting, including General Arnold. The men are grieving for his death, as he died fearlessly while looking down hundreds of muskets pointed at him. But we're already on our way to avenge his death.

By the time this letter reaches you, I hope that we are marching through South Carolina and causing chaos across the rebellious parts of the state. What I have seen so far during my time with the Marines has been an experience, but the reason why I sound so vengeful in this letter is due to the things I have seen in this cursed state.

Just yesterday, my regiment raided a nearby Loyalist plantation under General Kim's orders. He was grief-stricken from General Arnold's death and was driven to punish the traitors for betraying our cause to join the British. When we took over the plantation, I saw something that I wish I never had to see.

The owners of the plantation fled upon seeing our regiment, but they left behind all their slaves and belongings. My platoon was tasked with clearing the slave pens of the plantation and what we found was horrifying. The slaves were crammed into small "houses" and some of them had the nastiest wounds and scars I had ever seen. That alone was already terrible to see, but what we found towards the side of the "houses" was what made me sick to the stomach.

There were five dead bodies, bodies of slaves, hanging from the roof of the slave houses. It looked like they have been hanging from some time, as I could see the bodies decaying and crawling with maggots. After General Kim and the other officers talked to some of the slaves there, we found out that the owners left the bodies like that as a warning to slaves that wanted to escape or fight for their freedom. I managed to stay somewhat composed through the affair, but some of the men in my unit hurled onto the ground upon seeing the dead bodies. After hearing the reason for the hanging slaves, General Kim was furious and brought over nearly every unit under his command to the plantation to witness the dead bodies. He then reminded us that this was what we were fighting against; men who sold their souls to the Devil in order to keep this horrific practice called slavery.

Mother, you know that I was rather neutral to the idea of freeing the slaves. But now I am burning with passion to kill this evil practice. I have fought alongside good Negros from Quebec to South Carolina. They may be different, but they are brave and loyal just like the rest of us. And after seeing the bodies, I understood the reasoning for General Kim's hatred for slavery. These poor souls were hung because they wanted to be free, like us. I'm sure many of them, given the chance, would fight alongside us just as bravely as the Negros in our unit. Yet the traitors have the gall to claim that they are inferior and should be treated as such. And even worse, they betrayed the other colonies to do so.

I plead you to spread this to your neighbors and your friends. The others must hear about these evils committed by these traitors far and wide. It was like the verse you read to me often, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

How can we be fighting for freedom, if we are unable to love those that are different than us? And treat these Negros in contradictory ways to the teachings of Christ?

We can not. Therefore, while I punish these traitors with the army, I hope that you can show the evils and the contradictions of this immoral practice to those in Boston.

I will return home safely. I promise.

Love,
Ben