The Mullica Hill library will host historical reenactor Noah Lewis as he brings to life Edward “Ned” Hector on Wednesday, July 30, at 2 p.m.
Hector was an African American soldier in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. He is most notable for having fought in the Battle of Brandywine on Sept. 11, 1777, a conflict that saw the Army fight for 11 long hours against the British before being forced to retreat. That eventually lead to a British occupation of Philadelphia that lasted until June of 1778.
It was during that episode that Hector, disobeying orders to retreat, stayed behind to defend his wagon and horses so he could deny the enemy access to valuable supplies and discarded weapons.
“The enemy shall not have my team; I shall save my horses and myself,” Hector insisted in response to the retreat order, according to UShistory.org.
As a result of his wartime actions and service, Hector’s name has lived on as a reminder of the role African Americans played during the Revolutionary War and as a symbol of bravery. He would live to 90, passing away peacefully in Plymouth Township, Pennsylvania, now known as Conshohocken.
“Highly respected in his community, Hector’s legacy lives on, memorialized with a street named in his honor in the mid-1850s,” noted Andrew Brenza, the library’s head of adult services.
Hector Street in Conshohocken is named after him.and a plaque honoring his war service and that of other African Americans now sits on the street at its intersection with Fayette Street.
According to the library, Lewis has portrayed Hector since 2000 at venues like the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia and the Gloucester County Historical Society, among others. He is also writing a biography about Hector.
“I began presenting the hero Ned Hector in 1996 at Bywood (Elementary) School, where I would go into my daughter’s fourth-grade class and do presentations on electricity and biology,” Lewis recalled on his website of the school in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. “Mrs. Freeberry, my daughter’s teacher, asked if I had any presentations for the subject of Colonial America.
“During recent genealogical research on my family,” he added, “I had learned about a Black Continental soldier who fought in the Battle of Brandywine and was held in such high regard by his community that they named a street after him in the mid 1850s. I was amazed and fascinated by Edward Hector and the heritage of other Black historical figures who contributed to America’s freedom.”
Lewis accepted the Bywood teacher’s request and donned Continental Army clothing to do presentations at other schools in Upper Darby, where he lives. In 2000, he presented Hector to 28 schools, according to his website, and to 43 the following year.
“I am blessed to have the opportunity to continue with this tribute, and to aid in helping others to appreciate the contribution we Black people made to the freedom of all Americans,” Lewis noted. “There is a part of me that hopes the souls of these amazing contributors to our freedom will rest more peaceful by giving them the honor they were denied for so many years.”
The library presentation is free, but registration must be made in advance on the GCLS website.
