During the early months of the Civil War in August of 1861, Congress passed, and President Lincoln signed, the First Confiscation Act. It stated that the Union could seize and confiscate property used in the Confederate war effort – including enslaved people.
The term ”contraband”— property confiscated in war—was given to enslaved people who escaped, or were freed as the Union Army advanced. The Union Army set up camps to provide relief, including shelter, rations, clothing, medical attention, education, and employment. This photograph shows students at a “contraband” school.
