Ishmael Titus (c.1743-1855)

Portrait by Mikayla Binter, 2021

Born somewhere in southern Virginia, Ishmael Titus was one of many enslaved men who served on both sides of the American Revolution.

Most of what we know about Titus's service in the American Revolution comes from the pension request he submitted in 1832. According to the records, when enslaver Lawrence Ross was drafted, he sent Titus in his stead. Titus served in numerous battles of the Southern Campaign, including the battle of Kings Mountain, which helped turn the tide of the war. Titus saw combat and may have also engaged in much of the hard manual labor associated with building and transporting large military encampments.

Unfortunately, like many enslaved people who served, Titus's pension request was denied. It took until 2013 before Titus's service was officially acknowledged by the state of North Carolina. Today, his name appears on a plaque near the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts and Culture honoring the service of African Americans in the American Revolution.