Varnum had raised the idea in a letter to George Washington, who forwarded it to the governor of Rhode Island without explicitly approving or disapproving of the plan.

[2] On February 14, 1778, the Rhode Island General Assembly voted to allow the enlistment of "every able-bodied negro, mulatto, or Indian man slave" who chose to do so, and voted that "every slave so enlisting shall, upon his passing muster before Colonel Christopher Greene, be immediately discharged from the service of his master or mistress, and be absolutely free.

It played an important role by defending a redoubt on West Main Road, where it successfully repelled three charges by the Hessians.

[7] According to Rider, the Hessian Colonel "applied to exchange his command and go to New York, because he dared not lead his regiment" into battle again, "lest his men should shoot him for having caused them so much loss.

[8] Sullivan praised the Rhode Island Regiment for its actions, saying that they bore "a proper share of the day's honors.

The regiment spent the early months of 1781 in an area of the Hudson River Valley called the "Neutral Zone" by some historians.

"[9] People who continued to live in the area had to deal with "theft, murder, and destruction" by renegade groups, such as the "cowboys" or the "skinners.

"[10] To whichever side the renegade groups leaned, they would forage for goods to sustain "both men and beasts of burden.

"[10] The constant foraging and raiding in the neutral zone, especially by the British supporting "cowboys" (loyalist militia), caused Major-General Heath to command Colonel Greene and the Rhode Island Regiment to defend Pine's Bridge on the Croton River from "marauding Cowboys" who frequently made incursions from their base in Morrisiania (South Bronx), under the command of loyalist leader Colonel James Delancy.

[10] Delancey's troops killed Colonel Greene, Major Ebenezer Flagg and eight African-American soldiers of the Rhode Island Regiment.

[10] The Black soldiers were reported to have "defended their beloved Col. Greene so well that it was only over their dead bodies that the enemy reached and murdered him.

Under Olney's command, the regiment took part in the Siege of Yorktown in October 1781, the last major battle of the Revolution.

After Yorktown, the regiment moved with the Main Army to Newburgh, New York, where its primary purpose was to be ready to react if British forces in the city went on the offensive.

The Rhode Island Regiment served its final days in Saratoga, New York under the command of Brevet Major William Allen.

[13] The regiment was left waiting in Saratoga for months, with low supplies and a terrible snowstorm, until Major William Allen and Adjutant Jeremiah Greenman printed the discharge certificates on December 25, 1783.

[14] The discharged troops were "dumped back into civilian society," according to one historian, with only the white soldiers being guaranteed 100 acres of bounty land from the federal government, as well as a pension.

[13] Olney had promised his men his "interest in their favour," and he continued to advocate for his former troops' right to remain free and to have the government pay them the wages or pensions that they deserved.

[13] In response, the Rhode Island Assembly passed a special act for these soldiers on February 28, 1785, which called for "the support of paupers, who heretofore were slaves, and enlisted into the Continental battalions.

Colonel Greene and Major Flagg are buried at the First Presbyterian Church in Yorktown, New York, where there is a large monument in their honor, about two miles north of the site of their deaths.

There is also a Monument to First Rhode Island Regiment made of stone next to Greene's marker to honor the Black soldiers who died defending him; this memorial was added to the African American Heritage Trail of Westchester County in 2004.