Colonel Stephen Blucke of Barbados was a leader of the black regiment that fought for the Brits during the American Revolution. Colonel Tye had led the black regiment until he died in battle. Soon after, Colonel Blucke, a then free and literate black man, would take over the entire regiment as Commander, around 1782.
As the Revolution got heated, the British would lure the slaves with a promise of freedom and land if they joined them in war. There were an estimated 100,000 slaves that answered the call. The men were among the famous Black loyalist military units called the Black Pioneers or Black Brigade. They were a small elite band of guerrilla fighters. The Black Brigade fought on their own until they were combined with the white unit called the Queen’s Rangers.
