During summer 1862, around 5,000 formerly enslaved people came to Harpers Ferry for safety. Some had escaped on their own, while others were freed by Union troops and called “contrabands of war.” The Union army offered protection from being recaptured and forced back into slavery.

Overwhelmed, the army created camps in old buildings and near John Brown’s Fort. Many of the freed people worked for the army, doing jobs like building, cooking, and laundry—often the first pay they had ever received. But camp conditions were rough, and many, especially children, died from illness.

In September 1862, Confederate Gen. Stonewall Jackson captured Harpers Ferry and reportedly took as many as 4,000 freed people back south, where they were forced to work or even sold again. This showed how fragile freedom was for Black Americans during the war.

A week later, President Lincoln issued the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, a big step toward ending slavery. Black soldiers began joining the Union army in 1863, and by the war’s end, 180,000 had served.