Presented by John V. Quarstein, Director Emeritus, USS Monitor Center
Lecture begins at 2:30 PM
Civil War lectures are free with Museum admission, but reserving a seat is suggested as seating is limited. Reserve seats below.
The lecture will be held in a classroom in the Museum. Please confirm upon check in at Visitor Services the classroom and location of the lecture.
On May 24, 1861, three slaves — Fred Baker, James Townsend, and Sheppard Mallory — escaped from building fortifications at Sewell’s Point and went onto Fort Monroe to claim their freedom. Major General B. F. Butler refused to return the slaves to their owner, Charles King Mallory, and named the men as “Contraband of War.” Butler’s astute political decision began the Civil War’s evolution from a war between the states to a conflict about freedom.
