Barzillai Lew: Fifer, Fighter, and Freedom's Melody

Barzillai Lew as imagined by Nations & Cannons

Barzillai, sometimes called “Zeal” or “Zelah”, was born on November 5th, 1743 in Groton Massachusetts to a free black couple, Primus and Margaret Lew. In 1747, Primus had served in the British Army as a musician during King George’s War. Primus passed his love of music to his son, and Barzillai would serve as a fifer during the French and Indian War. Fifers and drummers were traditionally non-combatant, but essential roles in the military. Musicians would maintain marching pace and signal orders during battle. He marched in Canada from March to December of 1760, and was present for the Fall of Montreal. 

After the war, Barzillai sold his family’s farm and moved to Chelmsford, Massachusetts, where he worked as a barrel maker. In 1767, he bought the freedom of Dinah Bowman for £400 so they could be married. When the Revolutionary War began, Barzillai enlisted with the Chelmsford Regiment under Captain John Ford on May 6, 1775. Barzillai was the regiment’s fifer at the Battle of Bunker Hill, where he participated alongside fellow black Patriots such as Salem Poor, Peter Salem, Phillip Abbot, Titus Coburn, and others. 

Following Bunker Hill, there was reluctance from military leaders, including George Washington, to continue the service black soldiers in the Patriot army. It was decided that no black men would be allowed to enlist in the army in late 1775, but this stance was quickly revised following Lord Dunmore’s Proclamation that November. Dunmore promised freedom to any enslaved or indentured person willing to join the British Army, and saw hundreds of volunteers answer his call within the first month. Worried about further defection, Washington and Congress approved the re-enlistment of free black men who had already served. These parameters were expanded in 1778, extending enlistment to non-veterans and enslaved black men. Black Patriots made up about 4% of the Continental Army, though they represented nearly a quarter in terms of time served. The average length of time in service for a black soldier in the American army was four and a half years, eight times longer than the average white soldier.  

Authorized for service, Barzillai joined the Dracut regiment serving under Joseph Bradley Varnum for the Saratoga Campaign, where he played fife, drums, and fiddle. He was also active in combat. Lew participated in the Siege of Ticonderoga in 1777, and was one of the musicians who played “Yankee Doodle” as British General John Burgoyne surrendered at Saratoga. 

After he retired from the army, Barzillai returned to Massachusetts and bought a farm in Lowell. He continued to work as a barrel maker, and he and Dinah formed a band with their children, performing at events across New England. Barzillai Lew died on January 18, 1822. 

Works Cited

“Barzillai Lew's Revolutionary War Pension File.” Primary Research, 7 Aug. 2013, primaryresearch.org/barzillai-lews-revolutionary-war-pension-file/.

Lanning, Michael Lee. African Americans in the Revolutionary War. Citadel Press, 2005.

“Remembering Revolutionary War Veteran Barzillai Lew: Discovering the Historic Merrimack Valley.” Discovering the Historic Merrimack Valley RSS, blogs.lowellsun.com/history/2019/11/09/remembering-revolutionary-war-veteran-barzillai-lew/.