Wilmington Dedicates Memorial to Revolutionary War Soldiers

The City of Wilmington dedicated a memorial on September 23, 2026, honoring at least 66 Revolutionary War soldiers buried in a mass grave at Wilmington-Brandywine Cemetery. The monument provides long-overdue recognition, particularly for 14 African American members of the Rhode Island Regiment.

Jason Roomes, a descendant of Private Caesar Rose of the Rhode Island Regiment, participated in the dedication ceremony. Rose was among the African American soldiers buried in the common grave who served for American independence during a period when the nation's promise of liberty did not extend to them.

The mass grave site is one of the largest discovered from the Revolutionary War era in the United States. It contains the remains of at least 38 British soldiers who died in Wilmington after being wounded at the Battle of Brandywine in 1777, alongside 28 soldiers from the Rhode Island Regiment who succumbed to smallpox between 1781 and 1782.

Among the 33 identified soldiers are 14 African Americans. Their service is significant as the Rhode Island Regiment included one of the largest contingents of African American soldiers in the Continental Army, fighting alongside free and enslaved men for independence.

The dedication ceremony was part of Wilmington's commemoration of the 250th anniversary of American independence and included representatives from Delaware, Rhode Island, and the United Kingdom.