Inhabitants were afraid that inoculation would infect and kill uninfected communities, but they also objected for political reasons.
[3] Dr. Dalgleish published an article in the Virginia Gazette in support of inoculation, declaring smallpox an epidemic since ships coming from the West Indies constantly brought infected people to the area.
[3] While leaders of anti-inoculation groups, Maximillian Calvert and Paul Loyal, were Patriots, along with every other physician in Norfolk, who opposed inoculation as well.
Anti-inoculationists proposed that inoculated families be moved from Dr. Campbell's plantation to the local pest house to prevent infection.
But before a plan to move those inoculated was formulated, Joseph Calvert, an anti-inoculationist, put a mob together in order to take care of the transfer themselves.
Once the inoculated families were settled, the mob returned to town and broke the windows of the houses of the many inoculationists present in the Campbell plantation.
[6] Letters were published in the Virginia Gazette showing sympathy to the inoculated families attacked during the riot.
[6] Following this hearing, a ship belonging to Mayor Calvert entered the Norfolk port, reportedly with 3 apprentices and their slaves who had contracted smallpox.
[7] An anti-inoculationist that participated in the June 27th riot heard about these inoculations, and put another mob together and attacked Mayor Calvert's house, where they arrested Dr.