Dunmore ' s Proclamation Dunmore ' s Proclamation is a historical document signed on November 7 , 1775 , by John Murray , 4th Earl of Dunmore , royal governor of the British Colony of Virginia . The Proclamation declared martial law and promised freedom for slaves of American Patriots who left their masters and joined the royal forces . Formally proclaimed on November 14 , its publication prompted a small flood of slaves ( from both Patriot and Loyalist owners ) to run away and enlist with Dunmore , although the numbers were small compared to the state ' s total slave population . It also raised a furore among Virginia ' s slave - owning elites ( again of both political persuasions ) , to whom the possibility of a slave rebellion was a major fear . The proclamation ultimately failed in meeting Dunmore ' s objectives ; he was forced out of the colony in 1776 , taking about 300 former slaves with him . Background . John Murray , 4th Earl of Dunmore , originally from Scotland , was the royal governor of the Colony of Virginia from 1771 to 1775 . During his tenure , he worked proactively to extend Virginia ' s western borders past the Appalachian Mountains , despite the British Royal Proclamation of 1763 . He notably defeated the Shawnee nation in Dunmore ' s War , gaining land south of the Ohio River . As a widespread dislike for the British crown ( as a result of the American Revolution ) became apparent , however , Dunmore changed his attitude towards the colonists ; he became frustrated with the lack of respect towards the British Crown . Dunmore ' s popularity worsened after Dunmore , following orders , attempted to prevent the election of representatives to the Second Continental Congress . On April 21 , 1775 , he seized colonial ammunition stores , an action that resulted in the formation of an angry mob . The colonists argued that the ammunition belonged to them , not to the British Crown . That night , Dunmore angrily swore , " I have once fought for the Virginians and by God , I will let them see that I can fight against them . " This was one of the first instances that Dunmore overtly threatened to institute martial law . While he had not formally passed any rulings , news of his plan spread through the colony rapidly . A group of slaves offered their services to the royal governor not long after April 21 . Though he ordered them away , the colonial slaveholders remained suspicious of his intentions . As colonial protests became violent , Dunmore fled the Governor ' s Palace in Williamsburg and took refuge aboard the frigate HMS " Fowey " at Yorktown on June 8 , 1775 . For several months , Dunmore replenished his forces and supplies by conducting raids and inviting slaves to join him . When Virginia ' s House of Burgesses decided that Dunmore ' s departure indicated his resignation , he drafted the formal proclamation , signing it on Nov 7 . It was publicly proclaimed a week later . In the official document , he declared martial law and adjudged all patriots as traitors to the crown . Furthermore , the document declared " all indentured servants , Negroes , or others . . . free that are able and willing to bear arms . . . " Dunmore expected such a revolt to have several effects . Primarily , it would bolster his own forces , which , cut off from reinforcements from British - held Boston , numbered only around 300 . Secondarily , he hoped that such an action would create a fear of a general slave uprising amongst the colonists and would force them to abandon the revolution . Colonial reaction . Virginians were outraged , and responded immediately . Newspapers such as " The Virginia Gazette " published the proclamation in full , and patrols were organized to look for any slaves attempting to take Dunmore up on his offer . The " Gazette " not only criticized Dunmore for offering freedom to only those slaves belonging to patriots who were willing to serve him , but also questioned whether he would be true to his word , suggesting that he would sell the escaped slaves in the West Indies . The paper therefore cautioned slaves to " Be not then . . . tempted by the proclamation to ruin your selves . " As very few slaves were literate , this was more a symbolic move than anything . It was also noted that Dunmore himself was a slaveholder . On December 4 , the Continental Congress recommended to Virginian colonists that they resist Dunmore " to the uttermost . . . " On December 13 , the Virginia Convention responded in kind with a proclamation of its own , declaring that any slaves who returned to their masters within ten days would be pardoned , but those who did not would be punished harshly . Estimates of the number of slaves that reached Dunmore vary , but generally range between 800 and 2 , 000 . The escaped slaves Dunmore accepted were enlisted into what was known as " Dunmore ' s Ethiopian Regiment " . The only notable battle in which Dunmore ' s regiment participated was the Battle of Great Bridge in early December 1775 , which was a decisive British loss . Dunmore ' s strategy was ultimately unsuccessful as his forces were decimated by a smallpox outbreak less than a year later . When Dunmore ultimately left the colony in 1776 he took 300 of the former slaves with him . In 1779 , British General Sir Henry Clinton issued the Philipsburg Proclamation , which freed slaves owned by Patriots throughout the rebel states , even if they did not enlist in the British Army . It resulted in a significantly larger number of runaways . It is estimated that up to 100 , 000 attempted to leave their masters and join the British over the course of the entire war . At the end of the war , the British relocated about 3 , 000 former slaves to Nova Scotia . Even though the numbers were small compared to the total slave population , more American slaves found their freedom through these proclamations than any other way until the Civil War .