FREEDOM’S PROMISE THE GRAND CONTRABAND CAMP BY DUCHESS HARRIS JD PHD Cover image Escaped slaves sought refuge at contraband camps in the 1860s Core Library An Imprint of Abdo Publishing abdobooks com
A LETTER FROM DUCHESS The word contraband has several meanings It often refers to illegally traded goods In the Civil War it meant an enslaved person who escaped to the Union lines I had never heard of this term while growing up It wasn’t until recently that I learned that my grandfather’s family was from the area near the Grand Contraband Camp in Fort Monroe Virginia In 1861 three enslaved men were sent to help the southern war effort They did not want to help the South and instead escaped They sought safety at Fort Monroe which was being run by Union general Benjamin Butler Before the Civil War slaveholders could legally request the return of escaped slaves But Virginia had rebelled against the United States Because of this General Butler felt he did not have to return the three men He would hold them as contraband of war I hope you enjoy this book and join me in a journey that tells the story of the promise of freedom
Former slaves pose for a photograph in front of a Virginia farmhouse in 1862
