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These pages are from a British Army document called the “Inspection Roll of Negroes,” written in 1783. Deborah’s name is recorded on the left side of the first page near the bottom. The second page records that she was formerly enslaved by George Washington. The “Inspection Roll of Negroes” records the roughly 3,000 formerly enslaved men and women whom the British evacuated from New York City at the end of the Revolutionary War. Most of these people, such as Deborah, settled in Canada with assistance from the British. Deborah is recorded below her husband Harry, who was enslaved to a Loyalist named Lynch. Deborah and Harry boarded the ship “Polly” bound for Port Roseway (now Shelburne) in Nova Scotia, Canada.

ational Archives and Records Administration, Washington, DC

This handwritten list records the names of the 17 enslaved men and women who left Mount Vernon in search of their freedom with the British in 1781. The list includes 16-year-old Deborah. Lund Washington, General George Washington’s cousin and farm manager, frequently updated General Washington about Mount Vernon during the Revolutionary War, including reports of the British raid on the estate in 1781. Lund Washington’s list of enslaved people who left in 1781 records that seven people were captured and returned to Washington after the British surrender at Yorktown. Deborah escaped. 

Courtesy of Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association

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In August 1782, Pierre Charles L’Enfant painted West Point, the administrative and strategic center of the Continental Army. Since the spring of 1778, West Point had become the army’s largest post. During that summer, New England troops dug entrenchments on the surrounding hills and built fortifications on Constitution Island, across the river. These buildings and fortifications are visible in L’Enfant’s scene. 

Image courtesy of Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Washington, D.C. 

This map from 1783 shows the American fortifications in place at West Point. The yellow point indicates the location where Pierre Charles L’Enfant stood to paint his panorama of West Point.

Image courtesy of Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division, Washington, D.C.

This map from 1783 shows the American fortifications in place at West Point. The yellow point indicates the location where Pierre Charles L’Enfant stood to paint his panorama of West Point. 

Image courtesy of Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division, Washington, D.C.

This map from 1783 shows the American fortifications in place at West Point. The yellow point indicates the location where Pierre Charles L’Enfant stood to paint his panorama of West Point. 

Image courtesy of Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division, Washington, D.C.

This map from 1783 shows the American fortifications in place at West Point. The yellow point indicates the location where Pierre Charles L’Enfant stood to paint his panorama of West Point. 

Image courtesy of Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division, Washington, D.C.

This map from 1783 shows the American fortifications in place at West Point. The yellow point indicates the location where Pierre Charles L’Enfant stood to paint his panorama of West Point. 

Image courtesy of Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division, Washington, D.C.

Click on the numbers here to learn more about the components of the tent and to see images of the original objects and paintings that helped us build this replica.