THE FRIENDS OF FORT TRUMBULL present

“Jordan Freeman: The Fight to Set a People Free”

The Friends of Fort Trumbull will open the 2011 season on Thursday, April 28, with an exciting depiction of Jordan Freeman, a person who fought during the Revolutionary War in the Battle of Fort Griswold in Groton. Kevin Johnson, a researcher and enactor from the Connecticut State Library, will portray Jordan Freeman, an African-American servant of John Ledyard and the body servant of Col. William Ledyard in the Revolutionary War. The presentation will be at 7 p.m. at Fort Trumbull, New London, in the Conference Center.

Jordan Freeman was an actual person, a native of Old Lyme. Although he did not enlist himself, he witnessed

key events of the war for independence while with Col. Ledyard. Historians estimate the number of black soldiers in

this war to have been about 5,000 men, serving in militias, seagoing services, and support activities, including nearly

500 from Connecticut. Some enlisted because they felt it was their duty; others enlisted because they were offered

their freedom in return for satisfactory completion of a set period of service. Mr. Johnson has based his presentation

on extensive research in the collections of the Connecticut State Library and the Museum of Connecticut History in

Hartford.

Interested citizens will find additional information about the State Library and the Museum of Connecticut

History on the Library’s Web page at http://www.cslib.org/.

The Friends of Fort Trumbull welcome the public to enjoy this presentation.