Information regarding the revolt was leaked before its execution, and Gabriel, an enslaved blacksmith who planned the event, and twenty-five of his followers were hanged.

Gabriel's planned uprising was notable not because of its results—the rebellion was quelled before it could begin—but because of its potential for mass chaos and widespread violence.

Gabriel (c. 1776 – October 10, 1800), referred to by some as Gabriel Prosser (though no historical records refer to him by that surname, the surname of his enslaver),[2][3] was a Virginia born man of African descent born into slavery in 1776 at Brookfield, a large tobacco plantation in Henrico County, Virginia.

His long and "bony face, well made," was marred by losing his two front teeth and "two or three scars on his head.

"[1][7] Historian Douglas R. Egerton, author of Gabriel's Rebellion, states: "He was physically big, he was literate, he's a fighter, he's a skilled artisan.

Richmond promoted slavery, with a community whipping post where enslavers had punishment meted out in a public square.

[9] Gabriel, living in Virginia in the late eighteenth century, was influenced by the prevailing themes of liberty expounded by the supporters of the American Revolution.

[12] Plans were made with enslaved people over ten counties and the cities of Richmond, Norfolk, and Petersburg, Virginia.

[5] But on August 30, 1800, the planned day of the attack, heavy rain flooded the streets of Richmond and the creeks in central Virginia.

[16][12] Gabriel escaped downriver to Norfolk, but he was spotted and betrayed there by another enslaved person named Will "Billy" King.

The location of Gabriel's burial, as well as others who were executed on Gallows Hill for their involvement in the insurrection, was reported to have been in a sort of potters' field used primarily for the interment of negroes.

This burying ground was located on land attached to the old Baptist church on Cary St., just a few blocks from the place of execution.

The Federalists argued that the rebellion occurred as a result of the Democratic-Republican Party's support of the French Revolution.

[5] The Virginia Assembly in 1802 made it illegal for free or enslaved Black people to obtain and pilot or navigate a boat.

[6] Egerton concluded that Gabriel would have been stimulated and challenged at the foundries by interacting with European, African, and mixed-descent co-workers.

They hoped Thomas Jefferson's Democratic-Republicans would liberate them from domination by the wealthy Federalist merchants of the city.

A significant part of the Democratic-Republican base were prominent planters and colleagues of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison.

Egerton believes that any sign that white radicals, particularly Frenchmen, had supported Gabriel's plan could have cost Jefferson the election.