1780 Black Camp Rebellion

The 1780 Black Camp Rebellion was a brief Loyalist uprising in Sussex County, Delaware, that occurred during the American Revolutionary War. It was a local reaction to the American War of Independence by Loyalists (called Tories by their opponents) who opposed the independence movement and intended to secure Sussex County for the British.

The insurrection lasted from July 15 to about August 10, 1780, when pro-American militia forces were sent in to round up and arrest the participants. The insurrectionists were mainly from Cedar Creek and Broadkill Hundreds, and their headquarters were in a swamp about six miles north of Georgetown (an area later settled as Ellendale, Delaware), which was in what had been disputed wilderness territory between Delaware and Maryland.