C. B. WILDER

This quotation sheds light on an embarrassing aspect of corruption in the Union Army during the Civil War. Captain Wilder was as his official title denotes, the officer on his military base in charge of slaves who had escaped and crossed over the Union Lines. Escaped slaves were officially called “Contrabands.” He had over 10,000 in his charge. There had been an official order issued by the General of the Army that prohibited the military from returning slaves to their owners. See {619337}. However, the Southern owners of the escaped slaves would cross the Union lines, go onto the Union military base, identify their former slaves, at Fort Monroe, and bribe Union soldiers to in effect kidnap the former slaves and forcibly return them to their former masters. Then, often using bribery, the masters would smuggle their former slaves back across the lines and return to their plantation where the escapees were physically punished and put back to work. While some Union military commanders would not allow this, others thought the action just and was a good way for the men to pick up some extra money. The photo was taken in the Captain’s district showing the runaway slaves in work details for the army.

This quotation sheds light on an embarrassing aspect of corruption in the Union Army during the Civil War. Captain Wilder was as his official title denotes, the officer on his military base in charge of slaves who had escaped and crossed over the Union Lines. Escaped slaves were officially called “Contrabands.” He had over 10,000 in his charge. There had been an official order issued by the General of the Army that prohibited the military from returning slaves to their owners. See {619337}. However, the Southern owners of the escaped slaves would cross the Union lines, go onto the Union military base, identify their former slaves, at Fort Monroe, and bribe Union soldiers to in effect kidnap the former slaves and forcibly return them to their former masters. Then, often using bribery, the masters would smuggle their former slaves back across the lines and return to their plantation where the escapees were physically punished and put back to work. While some Union military commanders would not allow this, others thought the action just and was a good way for the men to pick up some extra money. The photo was taken in the Captain’s district showing the runaway slaves in work details for the army.