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The Latest Contraband of War
Image
A freed slave with a hoe in his left hand and his right hand on his hip. Caption at the top reads, "Massa can't have dis chile, dat's what's de matter." Caption below reads, "The latest contraband of war." The image is a reference to General Benjamin Butler's "contraband" policy, by which escaping slaves reaching the Union lines would not be returned to slavery. Butler, a trained attorney, used Virginia's secession to argue that under international law that escaped slaves were "contraband of war" and he was not required to return them to their former owners. Black ink on beige envelope, image on left side.Image printed on envelope, mounted on various colored pages and collected in an album.
1860
United States. Post Office Department
Publication Information
| Creator | United States. Post Office Department |
|---|---|
| Date Created | 1860 |
Physical Description
| Format | Image |
|---|---|
| Extent | 1 print |
| Dimensions | 14 x 8 cm |
Collection Information
| Source Collection | Civil War illustrated envelopes, 1861-1865 |
|---|---|
| Call Number | PH 2630, box #2, page 80 |
| Media Number | Box 2 |
| Catalog Record | https://search.library.wisc.edu/catalog/999465809102121 |
Copyright Information
| Copyright Status | NO COPYRIGHT - UNITED STATES |
|---|---|
| Rights Holder | Wisconsin Historical Society |
W0146UG
WHi 76526
Image
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Slaves Escaping at Fort Monroe
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Scene of 16 figures. A slave owner is raising his whip as black families are racing towards Fort Monroe, with some remaining behind picking cotton. The slave owner is saying: "Come back here, you b...
I'se Contraband
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Freed male slave in a straw hat. He is superimposed on a black star with the abbreviations of the states of the Confederacy. Behind the black star is an upside down star containing horizontal lines...
Jefferson Davis in the Stocks
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A grinning African American man is running towards and mocking Jefferson Davis, who is standing with his head and wrists locked in stocks. Caption below reads: "Ha! Ha! Massa Jeff takes the last of...
Wigfall on His Promised Descent on Washington
1860
Illustration of the head of Louis Wigfall, on the body of an Indian with tomahawk in hand. The caption reads: "WIGFALL on his promised descent on Washington." This is a barb at the provincial cultu...
John Bull's Sympathy
1860
A slave is being whipped by a slave owner as he kneels and prays next to a bale of cotton labeled "COTTON" and "CSA." John Bull sits on the bale facing away from and ignoring the slave. The charact...
Secession Whiskey
1860
A giant goblet being hovered over by a skeleton. Inside the goblet is a dead soldier with a Confederate flag in his hand. The caption below reads, "SECESSION WHISKEY, One dose warranted to kill at ...
