Horatio Gates and the Question of Slavery in the Revolutionary Era

This article looks at General Horatio Gates' relationship to slavery. Although born in England, Gates moved to Virgina in 1772, where he purchased a plantation and enslaved labourers. As a general in the Continental Army, he displayed mixed actions towards slavery. He usually helped enslavers recapture runaways and initially favoured keeping Black men out of the army. Yet, his views on slavery evolved over the war, primarily as a result of commanding Black soldiers, whose fighting capabilities he came to respect. After the war, Gates returned to Virginia and operated his plantation much as he had before the conflict. His personal views on slavery though continued to change. In 1790, Gates moved to New York, and rather than bringing his enslaved people with him, he provided for their gradual manumission. Although he never spoke out against slavery or was involved in anti-slavery societies, he came to question slavery. Gates offers a case study illustrating how the Revolutionary War—and the contributions of Black soldiers in particular—may have influenced some Continental Army officers to rethink their relationship to slavery. It also shows that individuals could experience personal shifts in their views without embracing broader anti-slavery ideology.