The composer who also led an all-Black regiment

A closer look

Joseph Bologne, the Chevalier de Saint-Georges, was a Black 18th-century swordsman who could compose a symphony in the morning and publicly humiliate bigots with a foil by noon. As the son of an enslaved woman and a wealthy planter, he became the absolute darling of French high society. He led the best orchestra in Paris, served as Marie Antoinette's music teacher, and later commanded an all-Black regiment during the French Revolution.