Contrabands

List of items


Historical Statute
Historical Statute: Chap. LX - An Act to Confiscate Property Used for Insurrectionary Purposes," U.S. Congress, pp. 319, 6 August 1861
The Library of Congress features the 1861 statute, created by the 37th Congress, for the 1st Confiscation Act of 1861. The Act authorized the seizure…

Historical Letter
Historical Letter: Letter from Corporal James Henry Gooding to the President
Note: No transcript included, but cursive is legible.DocsTeach (National Archives) source features a letter written in 1863 by Corporal James Henry…

Historical Sheet Music
Historical Sheet Music: Contraband Now
Note: Some language may be offensive to some readers.The Library of Congress features an 1861 historical sheet music, by Frank Wardlaw, called…

Historical Photograph
Historical Photograph: A Group of "Contrabands"
The National Archives features a historical photograph of a group of male "contrabands" - formerly enslaved people who escaped to Union lines - in a…

Historical Photograph
Historical Photograph: Cumberland Landing, Va. Group of "contrabands" at Foller's house
The Library of Congress presents a 1862 photo, by James Gibson, of a group of contrabands - formerly enslaved people who escaped to Union lines -…

Historical Photograph
Historical Photograph: Culpeper, Va. "Contrabands"
Note: click on photo to enlarge.The Library of Congress features a historical photo, by photographer Timothy O'Sullivan, of two Black men sitting in…

Historical Photograph
Historical Photograph: Gordon Under Medical Inspection
Note: click on the photo to enlarge.The National Museum of African American History and Culture features an 1863 photo of a formerly enslaved man…

Historical Photograph
Historical Photograph: Contrabands at Headquarters of General Lafayette
The Library of Congress presents an 1862 photo, by photographer James Gibson, of a group of adult contrabands - formerly enslaved people who escaped…

Historical Photograph
Historical Photograph: "Contraband" Camp
DocsTeach presents an 1865 photo of a camp for contrabands - formerly enslaved people who escaped to Union lines - in Richmond, Virginia. The source…

Historical Photograph
Historical Photograph: Camp Brightwood, D.C. - Contrabands in 2nd R.I. Camp
The Library of Congress presents a photo of young Black boys with Rhode Island Volunteer Infantry soldiers at a camp for contraband - formerly…

Historical Illustration
Historical Illustration: Coming into the lines. A party of slaves...have started for the Union lines
The Library of Congress features a historical illustration, by Edwin Forbes, depicting Black people headed toward Union Army camps. In the photo,…

Historical Illustration
Historical Illustration: The "Reliable Contraband"
The Library of Congress features an 1876 illustration, by Edwin Forbes, depicting a Black man with a horse and other belongings, talking to White men…

Historical Illustration
Historical Illustration: The Sanctuary
The Library of Congress presents a c.1876 illustration, by Edwin Forbes, depicting a Black woman on her knees with her hands in the air on top of a…

Article
Article: "Charity is Ever Kind: Women in Contraband Camps"
The National Women's History Museum presents a 2018 article that provides a perspective on African American women's contributions to organizing relief…

Article
Article: The Forgotten: The Contraband of America and the Road to Freedom
This 2007 comprehensive article by the National Trust for Historic Preservation offers a perspective on the escape, and subsequent refuge, of three…

Article
Article: The Confiscation Acts of 1861 and 1862
This short article from the U.S. Senate website details the 1961 and 1962 Confiscation Acts that allowed the U.S. government to seize property…