St. Augustine Parish

St. Augustine Parish. Revolutionary Paths to Freedom. , In late summer 1777, at least four enslaved men from Cecil County seized a rare opportunity for freedom. As British troops encamped near St. Augustine Parish during the Revolutionary War, these four men fled to the royal forces, who promised liberty in exchange for military service. Their names were recorded in "The Book of Negroes," a British military ledger documenting names of enslaved people who escaped and sought freedom through this perilous alternative. After the war, Britain honored its promise granting freedom to those who served and compensating former enslavers. St. Augustine's Network to Freedom designation recognizes the village's role in a complex struggle for liberty. While colonists fought for independence from Britain, enslaved people risked everything to win their own freedom by joining the very forces their masters opposed. Here, the fight for freedom had many faces and many meanings.

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(Captions):
This 1777 military map traces British troop movements and encampments during their occupation of Cecil County. Some units marched east toward Cecil Church - now called St. Augustine - while other advanced to Head of Elk, present-day Elkton. These advancing forces continued north toward the Battle of Brandywine and the occupation of Philadelphia. (Courtesy of the Library of Congress)

On August 22, 1777, British troops made their initial landing on Cecil County soil at Elk Neck. This artwork, created for the Cecil County Bicentennial, depicts their arrival. (Source: Cecil County Bicentennial Committee)

Enslavers often placed newspaper ads offering rewards for the capture of those who escaped to freedom. In this ad, James Hutchings seeks the return of Ned, formerly the property of Robert Alexander. The notice remarks that Ned had spent time with British forces. (Source: Chronicling America, Library of Congress)