Gordon, an escaped slave

This famous photograph depicts Gordon, a refugee from slavery. After being whipped by a plantation overseer in the fall of 1862, Gordon devised a plan to escape after the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect. In March of 1863 he fled his home and headed toward the Mississippi River. After running 80 miles, Gordon reached Union soldiers stationed in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He then enlisted in the Union Army, and this photo was taken during his medical examination. Photographers in camp asked Gordon if they could mass-produce the photo. With his permission, the photo was distributed as a carte-de-visite and was later published in the July 4, 1863 issue of "Harper’s Weekly." Many abolitionist leaders such as William Lloyd Garrison referred to the image as a reason to fight for the cause because the image encapsulates the horrors of slavery.