In 1757 Massachusetts raised a provincial regiment of eighteen hundred men in seventeen companies under Colonel Joseph Frye. More than 800 of them marched to Fort William Henry and were there when the fort surrendered on 9 August. In the attack on the column that followed, Frye was seized, killed his guard and escaped through the woods to Fort Edward. The colony's muster rolls, now in the Massachusetts State Archives, show that Black men served in its provincial companies during the war. Published compilations of those rolls list soldiers of African descent by name and town, men such as Cesar Dequett and Caesar Bailey among them.

Don Troiani paints a Black provincial soldier of Massachusetts standing ready, his musket held low across his body with the bayonet fixed. He wears a black tricorne edged in white and a blue coat with red lapels and cuffs, over a red waistcoat. Buff belts carry his cartridge box and bayonet, with buff breeches, grey stockings and buckled shoes below. Hang it with Don Troiani's Battalion Soldier of the 35th Regiment of Foot, 1755-57, the regulars of the same garrison, and Newport Artillery Company, Sergeant, 1756-60, another New England soldier. Add W. Britain's Rogers' Rangers Private, 1758.

Don Troiani Soldier Study Series print. 11" W x 17" H. Giclée printed in pigment inks on high-quality satin-finish paper. Each print comes with a certificate signed by Don Troiani and is embossed with his initials. The Art of Don Troiani watermark shown above does not appear on the print. Please allow 10 working days from order date for shipping. Flat-rate USA shipping is $18.00; contact us for international shipping quotes.