Government Buildings - Contraband Camp

“Government buildings for ‘Contrabands,’ erected at Hilton Head, S. C., in 1862. Among the many singular questions that arose during the Civil War were, What was to be done with the contrabands? The government, from the first, took the only view a Christian one could take, and without encouraging their advent to our lines gave orders to receive them, as a mere question of humanity. Among the things which we owe to General Butler is the term contraband, and to his legal sagacity we are also indebted for the practical use to which they were applied. At Hilton Head they were employed to build fortifications, and after careful drilling made very efficient soldiers. Their numbers became so large that it necessitated the erection of new buildings for their accommodation. They were very comfortable and well ventilated, and had the great architectural merit of being perfectly adapted to their purpose."— Frank Leslie, 1896

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