The camp's grounds included an industrial school, a hospital, a home for the aged, churches, and several schools for children. Freedman's Village was intended to house these refugees, train them in skilled labor, and educate freed children. The government established Freedman's Village on the former Custis-Lee estate in Arlington, Virginia. Two of these settlements were located in southern Anacostia near Battery Carroll and Fort Greble. area built settlements which were the foundations for later African American neighborhoods. Some of the freed slaves in the Washington, D.C. The migration of former slaves to the nation's capital not only increased the city's population but also increased the burden on its infrastructure. While the troops did the majority of fort construction, contraband labor made a significant contribution. Additionally, it was recommended that records be kept in order to make sure these workers were treated fairly. By November 1863, it was recommended that a sum of $1.00 per day to contraband was a fair wage. In August of 1862, workers were paid 40 cents, plus rations, a day for work-often they were not paid at all. They worked for less money and were often exploited. If found to be contraband, they were declared free.Īfter arriving in Washington, former slaves worked as laborers on the fortifications. Because of Butler's actions, a federal policy was instituted on Augfugitive slaves were declared to be "contraband of war" if their labor had been used to aid the Confederacy in anyway. All enemy property that fell into Union hands constituted contraband and would not be returned. This term meant that once the fleeing slaves crossed Union army lines, they were classified as property. He classified the escaping slaves as contraband of war. General Benjamin Butler refused to send three fugitives back into the bonds of slavery. At Fort Monroe in Hampton, Virginia, Union Maj. Some commanders put them to work for Union troops while others returned them to plantation owners. Individual commanders made their own decisions. ![]() Officers and African American enlisted men of the 2nd Rhode Island Camp at Camp Brightwood.Īt the start of the war, the Union had no policy to deal with the African Americans seeking protection.
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