Dunmore's New World: The Extraordinary Life of a Royal Governor in Revolutionary America--with Jacobites, Counterfeiters, Land Schemes, Shipwrecks, ... Royal Weddings

Early American Histories

by James Corbett David

Dunmore's New World tells the stranger-than-fiction story of Lord Dunmore, the last royal governor of Virginia, whose long-neglected life boasts a measure of scandal and intrigue rare in the annals of the colonial world. Dunmore not only issued the first formal proclamation of emancipation in American history; he also undertook an unauthorized Indian war in the Ohio Valley, now known as Dunmore’s War, that was instrumental in opening the Kentucky country to white settlement. In this entertaining biography, James Corbett David brings together a rich cast of characters as he follows Dunmore on his perilous path through the Atlantic world from 1745 to 1809. Dunmore was a Scots aristocrat who, even with a family history of treason, managed to obtain a commission in the British army, a seat in the House of Lords, and three executive appointments in the American colonies. He was an unusual figure, deeply invested in the imperial system but quick to break with convention. Despite his 1775 proclamation promising freedom to slaves of Virginia rebels, Dunmore was himself a slaveholder at a time when the African slave trade was facing tremendous popular opposition in Great Britain. He also supported his daughter throughout the scandal that followed her secret, illegal marriage to the youngest son of George III―a relationship that produced two illegitimate children, both first cousins of Queen Victoria. Within this single narrative, Dunmore interacts with Jacobites, slaves, land speculators, frontiersmen, Scots merchants, poor white fishermen, the French, the Spanish, Shawnees, Creeks, patriots, loyalists, princes, kings, and a host of others. This history captures the vibrant diversity of the political universe that Dunmore inhabited alongside the likes of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. A transgressive imperialist, Dunmore had an astounding career that charts the boundaries of what was possible in the Atlantic world in the Age of Revolution.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography, American Revolutionary War, American History

280 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Stuart Endick · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is difficult to rate this book, which despite its inviting subtitle is not a popular nonfiction historical biography but rather a serious academic study with objectives at odds with the interests of most readers, including avid history enthusiasts. Nevertheless there is enlightening information to be gleaned by those who persist. The last colonial governor of Virginia, John Murray, Lord Dunmore is an intriguing figure. At a time when Great Britain was fast losing its grip on its American possessions, the strictly patronage appointment of Dunmore to key positions, first in New York and then Virginia was startling given his meager education, failed military career, lack of relevant experience, reputation as a bon vivant, and keen focus on his pecuniary interest in restoring his limited fortunes at the expense of imperial policy in North America. But surprisingly in the conflicts with Native Americans, the crisis of the Revolution, issues involving the large enslaved population seeking emancipation, and the displaced Loyalists, Dunmore proved surprisingly innovative and at times even adroit. Even after the Revolution he was a nemesis of the new republic from his post as governor of the Bahamas from where he sought to restore British control of the continent by undermining Spanish rule in Florida and the southeast and by alliances with indigenous tribes. Dunmore’s downfall only came when a younger son of George III secretly married his daughter. But what could be an interesting and even entertaining story is marred by the author’s obsessive over analysis on virtually every page, sociological observations that range from the irrelevant to the absurd, long passages in which any comprehensible narrative thread is lost in a disjointed welter of names and turgid detail, and generally until the last few pages a lack of interest in Dunmore’s family life. The giveaway is the author’s description of his methodology at the end which might be suitable for an obscure academic journal and confirms that this is not what most readers would expect from a good historical biography.

[Lauren Albert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting enough but not as interesting as the subtitle so breathlessly implies. Intended to clear the name of arch loyalist Dunmore, David shows him as being flawed but not the joke history has made of him.

[Kenneth Flusche · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting story but written as a series of dry facts, hard to keep attention and expected a test at the end.

[Daniel Koch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don't be misled by the dramatic title. This is strong academic work that is often times fairly dry. If you find the fluidity of frontier native politics and land demarcations interesting you'll like this book. :)

My knowledge on Lord Dunmore was limited to his being the governor of the Virginia colony and famous/infamously responsible for the proclamation that freed slaves to fight against the rebel colonists. I knew next to nothing on his time in New York or his time in the Bahamas.

Vilified by historians and American propagandists since the revolution John Murray, The 4th Earl of Dunmore was a man of contradictions, average ability, and tenacity. I enjoyed David's deep dive into his character, motivations, and actions during his three different governorships. I particularly enjoyed learning about his loyalty not only to the crown but to the loyalists who relied on him.

While you couldn't peg him as an abolitionist, John Murray had a elastic and interesting relationship with black slaves. He frequently saw to make use of them in the military and fought to free them when it made sense to him to do so. With that said, he had no real moral issue with slavery and was by no means a progressive on the subject.

As a fair assessment of the man, I had a great time reading this account and getting acquainted to many characters of the frontier (Creek Chiefs, Spanish governors, Pennsylvanian frontier leaders, backwoods loyalists, etc) I hadn't heard of before.

There is also a tremendous scene at the end of the book involving George III which I would love to see play out in a movie or TV series.

Overall this is a balanced take on Lord Dunmore and one that should be read by anyone a fan of the time period as long as they are ok with academic writing.

[Don Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book for MLK day... When the American Revolution broke out, African Americans were among the first to fight--and to die. They joined Colonial regiments, hauled cannon, fought side by side with Northern rebels. A black regiment was formed in several cases. Then, when General Washington was planning to use them, the Southern Colonies--well, you guessed it. If blacks fought for freedom, the South would secede from the union that was only months old. Uh huh.
Dunsmore was the Royal Governor of Virginia when this happened. Spotting an opening, he issued a proclamation: any slave who fought the Colonists would be freed. The result was a bloody debacle, with horrors perpetuated by British and white Colonials. The book is solid, vivid history and Dunsmore lived an incredible life beyond this one strange period of 1775. Worth reading on any day.
But to continue the story, for MLK day:
There were others who continued to accept black soldiers and sailors and down in South Carolina, including an incredibly progressive, very young man, Laurens, of a slaveholding family, who actually proposed to free the slaves and led many in battle.
But by war's end, the South would be hellbent on preserving their peculiar institution. And in the Constitution enshrined the 3/5 rule: white slave owners in the South had their votes augmented by 3/5ths of every slave they owned. So: the vote of a single slave owner with 20 slaves was that of worth 15 northern voters.
This is the origin of the Electoral College. If that doesn't settle that discussion for you...

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent short biography of a much maligned Royal Governor. Good use of primary sources. The focus on the beginning and end of the book on illicit Royal weddings was interesting but not central to the book. Dunmore tried to keep Virginia in Royal hands much later than the other royal governors, yet his fleeing of Williamsburg seems to be a constant focus.

[Milt · Rating 2 out of 5]

quite useful, informative, not a book to rate as pleasurable reading