Historians have identified 33 of the Revolutionary War dead buried at Wilmington and Brandywine Cemetery in Wilmington, Delaware: 28 Continental soldiers from Rhode Island and five British officers. They are only part of the story. At least 66 soldiers are believed to rest there, and most of the estimated 38 or more British soldiers remain unidentified.
Who was buried in the unmarked grave?
The soldiers were first buried in Wilmington’s Poor and Strangers cemetery, then moved as the city expanded in the 1850s. Their remains now rest at Wilmington and Brandywine Cemetery. The identified group includes two sets of dead whose paths to Wilmington were separated by several years and very different circumstances:
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- 28 Continental soldiers from the First Rhode Island Regiment, who died in Wilmington after returning from Yorktown.
- Five British officers who were wounded at the Battle of Brandywine in 1777 and died after being taken to Wilmington for treatment.
These 33 names do not account for everyone buried at the site. Smithsonian reports at least 66 Revolutionary War soldiers there, including at least 38 British soldiers; most of the British dead have not been identified. [Smithsonian]
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British casualties from Brandywine
On September 11, 1777, nearly 30,000 troops fought at Brandywine, described by Smithsonian as the Revolution’s largest single-day battle. The British established a hospital in Wilmington, about nine miles south of the battlefield. Two days after the battle, 112 wagons carried wounded soldiers to the city. Smithsonian reports that 488 wounded were treated at the hospital; those who died were buried in the Poor and Strangers cemetery. [Smithsonian]
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Rhode Island soldiers returning from Yorktown
The Continental soldiers belonged to the First Rhode Island Regiment and had fought at Yorktown in 1781. On their return, many contracted smallpox. Some were treated at a Wilmington hospital, where 28 died between December 8, 1781, and January 27, 1782. They were buried in the same cemetery as the British soldiers, despite having fought on opposing sides. [Smithsonian]
How did historians identify the soldiers?
Smithsonian reports that researchers combed primary sources and found a document listing the 28 Continental soldiers. It does not print the full list of 33 names or provide enough archival detail to trace each identification independently. The report names Private Caesar Rose, a Black soldier, and says his descendant Jason Roomes attended the memorial. It would be inaccurate to fill in the other names from this report alone. [Smithsonian]
The identification work should also be distinguished from the estimate of British deaths. Local historian Bill Knightly led the British-soldier research and said researchers used modern algorithms to estimate expected deaths among the 488 wounded treated in Wilmington. Knightly described the result as “The very, very conservative algorithm that we used came up with 38 deaths, and we actually think it’s much more.” Smithsonian does not publish the algorithm, its inputs or the individual records behind the identifications, so the figure is best understood as Knightly’s estimate—not a verified count of named British burials. [Smithsonian]
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What was the significance of the Black Rhode Island soldiers’ service?
Of the 28 Continental soldiers, the report says ten were free Black men and four were enslaved laborers. In 1778, Rhode Island lawmakers facing a shortage of soldiers allowed enslaved men to enlist in exchange for freedom, with compensation paid to their enslavers. The policy was repealed a few months later, after more than 100 enslaved men had accepted the offer, according to Smithsonian. [Smithsonian]
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The history holds both the promise and the limits of the Revolution’s language of liberty. Wilmington’s statement, quoted by Smithsonian, noted that Black soldiers fought alongside white and Indigenous soldiers for American independence even though the nation’s promise of liberty did not extend to them. For those who enlisted while enslaved, military service could also become a path to freedom. Roomes summarized his ancestor’s transformation in a sentence quoted by Smithsonian from WDEL News: “He went from a slave to a soldier.” [Smithsonian]
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Where is the memorial, and when was it dedicated?
The remains are at Wilmington and Brandywine Cemetery in Wilmington, Delaware. Officials unveiled a permanent memorial there on September 23, 2026, and read the 33 identified names at the ceremony. Wilmington Mayor John Carney said the soldiers had lain “unknown and unremembered” for nearly 250 years and described the dedication as a change in how their stories and resting place were recognized. [Smithsonian]
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The ceremony honored American and British dead together. British Embassy military representative Colonel Thomas Archer-Burton reflected on the two national flags being carried together and the British and American anthems being played at the same event. Officials also read a poem by Adam Drummond, the father of one of the British soldiers. Its opening lines mourn his son’s death in the fighting: “His past, its past, the dread suspense is o’er / My dear my lovely soldier is no more.” [Smithsonian]
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