Liberty to Slaves

On November 15, 1775, the day after his success in routing the rebels at Kemp’s Landing, Lord Dunmore issued a proclamation declaring martial law and offering freedom to any indentured servant or slave willing and able to bear arms for His Majesty’s Troops. This new unit of soldiers for the Crown was called Lord Dunmore’s Ethiopian Regiment. To unify and proclaim their cause, these men wore clothing inscribed with the words “Liberty to Slaves.” In their desperate search and hope for freedom, some two to three hundred slaves immediately abandoned plantations in Princess Anne and Norfolk Counties and joined Dunmore’s ranks. Many of them were ordered to assist a unit of regular troops in garrisoning the fort at Great Bridge and were present during the skirmishes that preceded the battle.

Chesapeake, Virginia · United States