Lord Dunmore's War: Last Indian Conflict of the Colonial Era

On February 1, 2018, Glenn F. Williams delivered a Banner Lecture entitled “Lord Dunmore’s War: Last Indian Conflict of the Colonial Era.” This lecture explained the causes and conduct of the last Indian War that took place before the start of the American War for Independence. Set during what some would call the “Quiet Time,” many historians pay it little attention or misinterpret its historical significance. However, John Murray, fourth Earl of Dunmore, the last royal governor of Virginia, led the colony's soldiers “in his majesty’s service” in a defensive war that culminated in a successful offensive military expedition before the deepening colonial crisis spun out of control. Although the victorious Lord Dunmore returned to Williamsburg in triumph and at the height of his popularity in December 1774, before another year ended he would flee his capital and be vilified by Virginians. Dr. Glenn F. Williams is a Senior Historian at the U.S. Army Center of Military History at Fort McNair, D.C. He is the author of several books, including Year of the Hangman: George Washington’s Campaign against the Iroquois; USS Constellation: A Short History of the Last All-Sail Warship Built by the U.S. Navy; and Dunmore’s War: The Last Conflict of America’s Colonial Era. This lecture was cosponsored with the Society of Colonial Wars in the State of Virginia. The content and opinions expressed in these presentations are solely those of the speaker and not necessarily of the Virginia Museum of History & Culture.