Alexander Cochrane

1758–1832

Commander in chief on the North American station

Cochrane directed major British coastal operations and issued the April 1814 proclamation offering reception, service, or resettlement to people leaving the United States.

Why this record matters

The proclamation was simultaneously British wartime strategy and a real opportunity seized by enslaved people pursuing freedom.

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Sources for this dossier

Black Freedom Seeking During the War of 1812, Part 1National Park Service · public history
Freedom seekers from the Chesapeake to Cumberland Island.
Freedom Seekers and the Colonial MarinesNational Park Service · public history
British emancipation strategy and the Corps of Colonial Marines.