Dunmore reacts to this event by issuing…
October 1775 CE
The proclamation alarms Tory and Whig slaveholders alike, concerned by the idea of armed former slaves and the potential loss of their property.
Nevertheless, Dunmore is able to recruit enough slaves to form the Ethiopian Regiment, as well as raising a company of Tories he calls the Queen's Own Loyal Virginia Regiment.
These local forces supplement the two companies of the 14th Foot that are the sole British military presence in the colony.
This successful recruiting drive prompts Dunmore to write on November 30, 1775 that he will soon be able to "reduce this colony to a proper sense of their duty."