Many slaves chose to run away instead of fighting with their masters or petitioning for their   freedom.  In 1775, with Lord Dunmore's Proclamation, the British began offering freedom to any slave or indentured servant who could make it to British encampments.  While it is not known how many slaves joined British forces, the proclamation inspired thousands of slaves to run away and follow the British troops throughout the War. Many slaves in Fairfield County fled their masters to the British in New York and Long Island. Of course, many white owners were not pleased with this turn of events. Slave owners frequently wrote petitions to the General Assembly requesting passes to cross British lines to retrieve their human property. Although the British actively recruited fugitive slaves from Patriot masters, in some cases they granted permission to owners like Job Bartram of Norwalk (who may have been a Loyalist), to cross their lines in search of runaway slaves. In his petition, Bartram asked for "liberty to go over to Long Island to bring back the avails of his Negroes." Click on the image to enlarge the petition.

Image: Petition of Job Bartram (detail), 1783. Courtesy Connecticut State Library, State Archives, Hartford, Connecticut.