Events
Nov 6. in 1775 Lord Dunmore promised
freedom
to black slaves in return they had to join
the armyNov 14. In a week of Dunmore's proclamation, over
300 escaped slaves had flocked to his troops in
Norfolk. Every week hundreds more arrived,
desperate for freedom. Dunmore's desperate
ploy had nearly doubled his army in a couple of weeks.Dec 14. The Virginia statesmen assembled in
Williamsburg and passed a retaliatory
declaration. It stated that any runaway slave who
surrendered to them would be pardoned, but any
slave who took up arms for the British or was captured attempting to reach British lines would
be executed as a traitor without trial or mercy.jun 29 in 1779, Sir Henry Clinton issued the Philipsburg
Proclamation. In effect, it expanded Dunmore's
Proclamation to include any rebel slave who
could escape, ready to serve for the British or not, anywhere in the colonies.Apr 30 Philipsburg go backgo upgo to next Exile
The most famous of the Black Loyalist military
units were the Black Pioneers and Guides.
Divided into a number of different corps attached
to larger armies, they served as scouts, raiders,
and what we would today call military engineers
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