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# Black Loyalists: Fighting for Freedom
- URL: https://www.cascadepbs.org/show/revolution-250-stories-from-the-first-shore/episode/black-loyalists-fighting-for-freedom-tpr8vr/
- Published: 2025-11-06T09:31:40.000Z
- Updated: 2025-11-06T15:00:28.000Z
- Description: Black Loyalists seek freedom at Gwynn’s Island amid war, disease, and their fight for hope.
- Author: Cascade PBS Staff
- Tags: Revolution 250: Stories From The First Shore, Season 1, Episode 8, #ZZZ_Episode_0f98bb7b-66d5-43d9-99ec-c5edf74d492c, #episode, #ZZZ_Show_0f68d973-41f7-4ddd-90ec-f3eac5e83adb, #v1.16

In 1776, hundreds of formerly enslaved men joined Lord Dunmore’s British forces on Gwynn’s Island, seeking freedom through war. Stricken by smallpox and starvation, they endured fierce cannon fire from Patriot troops under General Andrew Lewis. The British were forced to retreat, making a pivotal turn in the conflict and a huge moment in Virginia’s Revolutionary War history.