Lieutenant Campbell joined William Brimage and John Smith in their attempt to leave the state in late July 1777. It is unclear whether Campbell was involved in the Gourd Patch Conspiracy, or if he joined Brimage at Ocracoke, where several loyalists were converging to board prominent loyalist merchant Alexander Telfair's ship and leave the state. After hiring a boat from Daniel and Cornelius Austin, Campbell took the Austin brothers prisoner and considered killing them. His companions dissuaded him from violence, but when they landed on the Outer Banks of the Currituck Sound the Austins escaped in the boat. Campbell then stole another boat and headed for Virginia, presumably to meet with the British fleet there. His full name and identity have not been found.