The Underground Railroad was made up of safe houses with hiding places run by abolitionists (people who wanted slavery to end) and worked up to the time of the Civil war. Not all slaves were on plantations and sometimes it was difficult to know who was a slave and who was freeborn.
Most slaves didn’t try to escape—new systems of watching them were in place and if they failed to escape they could be whipped or put to death. Families of successfully escaped slaves were abused. Many escaped slaves were severely abused in the north or sent into slavery in other locations.
Some slaves in the Union armies escaped but were caught again by southern pro-slavery people. Once caught, the chance for freedom was less. When George McClellan's Union army moved up the land in the spring of 1862, many slaves lost the opportunity to escape.
The early Confederate policy had men slaves build strong walls along the Chesapeake Bay and Yorktown. These slaves learned about the geography of the area and gave them a chance to escape. By 1863, about 10,000 slaves escaped to freedom.
Slaves ran not only to Union lines but also to the woods or swamps to avoid the confederate army. Runaways sometimes encountered patrols, confederate and Yankee cavalry units that crossed their paths. By early 1863, most slaves east and northeast of Richmond had been removed or they had escaped.
On the Union lines, runaways might find employment as laborers, cooks, teamsters, washerwomen, or nurses. They might work on government-run farms near Hampton and Norfolk. Or they might be turned away by units that had no interest in their welfare. Tens of thousands of black Virginians escaped to freedom. Six thousand of them served in the Union army, starting in 1863.
Most slaves didn’t try to escape—new systems of watching them were in place and if they failed to escape they could be whipped or put to death. Families of successfully escaped slaves were abused. Many escaped slaves were severely abused in the north or sent into slavery in other locations.
Some slaves in the Union armies escaped but were caught again by southern pro-slavery people. Once caught, the chance for freedom was less. When George McClellan's Union army moved up the land in the spring of 1862, many slaves lost the opportunity to escape.
The early Confederate policy had men slaves build strong walls along the Chesapeake Bay and Yorktown. These slaves learned about the geography of the area and gave them a chance to escape. By 1863, about 10,000 slaves escaped to freedom.
Slaves ran not only to Union lines but also to the woods or swamps to avoid the confederate army. Runaways sometimes encountered patrols, confederate and Yankee cavalry units that crossed their paths. By early 1863, most slaves east and northeast of Richmond had been removed or they had escaped.
On the Union lines, runaways might find employment as laborers, cooks, teamsters, washerwomen, or nurses. They might work on government-run farms near Hampton and Norfolk. Or they might be turned away by units that had no interest in their welfare. Tens of thousands of black Virginians escaped to freedom. Six thousand of them served in the Union army, starting in 1863.