Enduring freezing temperatures and deep snow, Samuel Sutphin fought in the historic Battle of Princeton, while most likely in his bare feet.
An enslaved man from Hunterdon County, Sutphin and other Black soldiers didn’t have shoes, according to the Princeton Battlefield Society. But convinced to join the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, they served bravely, with the promise of freedom in their sights.
“By January of 1777, the only guys who were still fighting were the guys who were hardcore patriots, and frequently who had no better opportunities,” said Mark Herr, the communications committee chair for the nonprofit Princeton Battlefield Society, which preserves the history of the battle. “So, these are the guys who marched without shoes.”…