From the U.S. National Library of Medicine
Fugitive slaves, known as "contraband" worked for the Union Army as nurses, cooks, laundresses, and laborers.
Contraband Hospital, in Washington, D.C., a black-only facility, treated thousands of former slaves and black soldiers. The hospital hired nurses primarily from within the population of fugitive slaves and employed the largest number of black surgeons among U.S. military hospitals.
Contraband Hospital was one of the few medical facilities in Washington, D.C. to treat African Americans and broke the color barrier when it appointed Alexander T. Augusta surgeon-in-charge in May 1863.
PHOTO: Contraband who served with the 13th Massachusetts Infantry c. 1863-1865
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