The Jamaican Maroons were runaways who established their independence and held out against the British for over 100 years. Parkinson led 36 men in the Second Maroon War of 1795-6. The British offered £50 (almost £4,000 today) for his capture. This watercolour is a copy of a published print by Abraham Raimbach, although the copyist has replaced Parkinson's rifle with a spear.