[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Pages 10019-10020]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   TRIBUTE TO KENTUCKY'S AFRICAN-AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARY WAR PATRIOTS

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, as we prepare to celebrate our 
Independence Day, one of the most pivotal moments in the history of our 
Nation, I rise today to remember one group of Revolutionary War 
patriots who are too often overlooked. I am speaking of the African-
American soldiers who served in the American Revolution. In particular, 
I would like to recognize the service of men who fought for our 
independence and who would later become Kentuckians.
  In the 1770s and 1780s, African Americans throughout the young Nation 
joined the Revolutionary War effort. Like so many other patriots, they 
volunteered to fight for American independence. Many fought under the 
command of some of the most notable Revolutionary War heroes, including 
General George Washington.
  I would like to focus on 11 soldiers who, after enduring the pains of 
war and traveling across much of the new Nation, decided to make a new 
home for themselves in the area that would later join the Union as the 
Commonwealth of Kentucky.
  I would like to tell the stories of a few of these Kentuckians. I 
believe it is important to remember their service in the war.
  Daniel Goff joined the Army in Chesterfield County, VA, in 1777. 
During his service, Goff marched from Virginia to New Jersey, where he 
fought in the Battle of Monmouth. He camped at Valley Forge under the 
command of General Washington and earned his discharge after 3 years in 
the Army.
  In the years after the war, Goff chose to make a home in Boone 
County, KY. He worked for General James Taylor V, an American banker 
who was a quartermaster general during the Revolution. Taylor was a 
founder of Newport, KY, and he took a special interest in Goff. The two 
men knew each other for over 40 years and developed a close bond.
  John Sidebottom, of Prince William County, VA, served for 1 year. In 
the course of his service, Sidebottom fought in the Battle of Trenton 
in December 1776, an historic battle in which General Washington led 
the crossing of the Delaware River on Christmas night to launch a 
surprise attack against a Hessian garrison.

[[Page 10020]]

  Sidebottom settled in Clark County, KY. A man who knew him stated 
that during the Trenton battle, Sidebottom was one of the men who 
carried a wounded soldier from the battlefield to safety. That soldier 
was James Monroe, the future President of the United States, who 
survived the battle, in part, because of Sidebottom's actions.
  George Burk enlisted in the Army in Shenandoah County, VA, in 1779. 
He served for 2 years, traveling around the region in several 
campaigns. During his time in the Army, he was tasked with guarding 
British prisoners at Albemarle Barracks and repelling the British and 
Native American attacks. Burk served under the command of General 
George Rogers Clark, who founded the city of Louisville, KY. At the end 
of his service, Burk was discharged in Louisville, and he spent the 
rest of his life in the area.
  I would like to recognize the service and sacrifice of these 
Kentuckians in the cause of American independence. We owe a large debt 
to all of our Nation's veterans, and I am glad that we can remember 
these 11 patriots today.

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