Seizing Freedom

In the late spring and summer of 1862, thousands of African Americans seeking freedom joined General Samuel R. Curtis's Army of the Southwest as it marched across Arkansas. Called contraband by the Union army, these men, women, and children risked everything for freedom, leaving the lives they had known with only the hope of freedom and a better life. Their freedom and safety were not guaranteed, and severe punishment awaited those who were recaptured, but they left nonetheless. By the time the Union army reached Helena, over 2,000 freedom seekers followed it, and more continued to come into the city for months afterward. Curtis, unlike many Union generals, protected fugitive slaves; although he opposed slavery, he also recognized that taking slaves away from Confederate sympathizers reduced the enemy's manpower.

Helena-West Helena, Arkansas · United States