Contrabands at Cumberland Landing, Virginia, May 1862

In the Peninsular Campaign, Federal forces encountered thousands former slaves who sought freedom and work in the Union army camps. Even if slaves fled slavery, their status was unclear in the first year of the war. In July 1862 Congress declared such refugees from slavery “forever and henceforth free.”

About this Document

  • Source: Contrabands at Cumberland Landing, Virginia, May 1862
  • Publisher: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.
  • Author: James F. Gibson
  • Date: 1862