Receipt for Contraband Camp donation, Washington, 1863
Item 60176 info
Maine Historical Society
Commandant James J. Ferree of the Contraband Camp at Washington, D.C., signed a receipt acknowledging the gift of two pounds of clothing from the Maine Soldiers' Relief Association.
Slaves who escaped behind Union lines during the Civil War were considered contraband and therefore were not returned to their owners as the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act required.
Many lived in Contraband Camps in the Washington area.
Item 5 of 14
