make the escape of
Cornwallis impossible without battle, wrote to Gen. Washington in
September:

"I hope you will find we have taken the best precautions to
lessen his Lordship's escape. I hardly believe he will make
the attempt. If he does, he must give up ships, artillery,
baggage, part of his horses, and all the negroes."

All this time in some of the Northern States an opposition as strong as
at the South had existed against organizing negro troops, and in some
instances even against employing them as soldiers. The effort for
separate organizations had been going on, but with only the little
success that has been already noticed. In a biographical sketch of Col.
David Humphreys, in the "National Portrait Gallery of Distinguished
Americans," is the following:

"In November, 1782, he was, by resolution of Congress,
commissioned as a Lieutenant-Colonel, with order that his
commission should bear date from the 23rd of June, 1780,
when he received his appointment as aid-de-camp to the
Commander-in-Chief. He had, when in active service, given
the sanction of his name and influence in the establishment
of a company of colored infantry, attached to Meigs',
afterwards Butler's, regiment, in the Connecticut line. He
continued to be the nominal captain of that company until
the establishment of peace."

Though the Legislature of Connecticut had taken up the subject of arming
negroes generally, as early as 1777, and a bill, as we have seen, was
presented to that Legislature, for their enrollment, the advocates of
the measure, in every attempt to pass it, had been beaten. Nevertheless,
as appears by the record given above, Col. Humphrey took charge and
organized a company, with which he served until the close of the war.
But this company of fifty odd men were not all that did service in the
army from Connecticut, for in many of her white regiments, negroes, bond
and free, stood in the ranks with the whites. And, notwithstanding the
unsuccessful attempts of Col. Laurens and the advocates of negro
soldiery at the South, the negro was an attache of the Southern army,
and rendered efficient aid during the struggle, in building breastworks,
driving teams and piloting the army through dense woods, swamps, and
across rivers. Not a few were spies and drummers. To select or point out
a particular battle or siege, in which they rendered active service to
the Briti