Gabriel's Rebellion Betrayed: Enslaved Informers Pharoah and Tom Reveal the Conspiracy

Two enslaved men, Pharoah and Tom, enslaved by Mosby Sheppard, informed their enslaver of Gabriel's planned uprising hours before it was to begin on August 30, 1800. Governor James Monroe called out the state militia and ordered searches. The rainstorm that night washed out bridges and halted the march of conspirators toward Richmond, buying the authorities crucial time. Their informing — motivated likely by a mix of fear, loyalty to their enslaver, or hope for reward — illustrates the impossible moral terrain enslaved people navigated. Pharoah and Tom were granted freedom by the Virginia legislature. Gabriel evaded capture for weeks before being betrayed again.