American Civil War, Contraband Camp, 1862

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Contraband camp - Harper's Ferry, Virginia. 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. Photographed by John P. Soule, 1862.

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Photo credit: © Science History Images / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
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