Contrabands at Headquarters of General Lafayette

Contrabands were Black men and women of the South who sought protection behind Union lines during the war. Union policy dictated that any enemy property that fell into Union hands was considered contraband of war. Designated as “property” to justify not returning escaping refugees to Confederate control, contrabands were declared free and worked as laborers for the Union. Following the Emancipation Proclamation, Black men were permitted to serve as soldiers in the Union Army.