American Civil War, Contrabands, 1863
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Contributor:
Science History Images / Alamy Stock PhotoImage ID:
T7YTPAFile size:
40.2 MB (849.4 KB Compressed download)Releases:
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4500 x 3119 px | 38.1 x 26.4 cm | 15 x 10.4 inches | 300dpiDate taken:
10 October 2018Photographer:
Science History ImagesMore information:
This image could have imperfections as it’s either historical or reportage.
Contrabands sitting in and around a wagon drawn by a mule. Contraband was a term commonly used in the United States military during the American Civil War to describe a new status for certain escaped slaves or those who affiliated with Union forces. The Army (and the United States Congress) determined that the US would not return escaped slaves who went to Union lines and classified them as contraband. They used many as laborers to support Union efforts and soon began to pay them wages. The former slaves set up camps near Union forces, and the Army helped support and educate both adults and children among the refugees. Thousands of men from these camps enlisted in the United States Colored Troops when recruitment started in 1863. At war's end, more than 100 contraband camps existed in the South. Engraving by Alfred R. Waud for Harper's Weekly, January 31, 1863.