In 1775, Lord Dunmore, the Royal Governor of Virginia, was in a terribly desperate position. Hundreds of armed patriots controlled the streets and fields of Virginia. Lord Dunmore had been forced to flee the capital of Williamsburg to the town of Norfolk. Williamsburg was heavily populated by Patriots, and Dunmore felt that it was no longer safe for him to stay there. His loyalist forces had been reduced by desertion and harassment to about 300 troops. This event set the stage for a profound decision on Dunmore’s part.
In desperation, Dunmore issued a proclamation calling on all able bodied men to assist him in the defense of the colony, including the slaves of patr
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