THE SENTENCE IS FALSE....Partially!  Robert Shirtliffe WAS black.   "Robert Shirtliffe" was an assumed name, however.  It was the name adopted by DEBORAH SAMPSON, a WOMAN who disguised herself as a man so she could fight to defend the Declaration of Independence.  Her true gender was only discovered because the third time she was wounded it was so severe as to require major medical attention.   You can imagine the surgeon's surprise when he discovered who Mr. Shirtliffe REALLY was.  Women in military service is not new, they have been fighting for the freedoms we enjoy since the very beginning.