Celebration at Fort Monroe retraces 1861 journey

By Kate Wiltrout
The Virginian-Pilot
© May 22, 2011

HAMPTON

The final steps of a journey three men made under cover of darkness were celebrated in the bright light of day Saturday, marking a moment 150 years ago when slavery began to crumble.

"Whether you traveled two blocks or 200 miles, you made it to freedom's fort. You're free," a narrator said over a loudspeaker as a few dozen people crossed the moat and entered the sanctuary of Fort Monroe.

"You walked. You ran. You hid. You were hungry. You were hurt. You were injured. You were tired. But now you're free. Welcome to freedom's fort."

So began a sesquicentennial celebration called "Escape for Freedom: From Slave to Contraband." The event was organized by the Contraband Historical Society, a group founded 15 years ago by Gerri Hollins of Hampton, a descendant of so-called "contraband" slaves who sought refuge at Fort Monroe during the Civil War.

As Hollins slowly led the procession across the stone sally port and through an opening in the fort's sheltering granite walls, Army musicians heralded their arrival.

It was a far different reception than Shepard Mallory, James Townsend and Frank Baker got when they arrived at Fort Monroe on May 23, 1861. The three slaves, all Hampton residents, had refused to toil on Confederate reinforcements in Norfolk. They feared being sent farther south, farther away from their families. They deserted their master and sought asylum at the Union-held fort. The soldiers guarding the gate didn't know what to do.

Although Presidents Jefferson Davis and Abraham Lincoln had refused to define the war as a fight for abolishing or continuing slavery, these men brought the question to the fore: What should be done with human "property" now that Confederate slave owners had insisted they no longer belonged to the Union?

The dilemma fell to Maj. Gen. Benjamin Butler, a crafty, balding, paunchy cross-eyed lawyer from Massachusetts who'd taken command of Fort Monroe the day before Mallory, Townsend and Baker made their escape.

After meeting with the three men, Butler decided that he didn't have to return them to their owner, reasoning that the fugitive slave law wouldn't apply in secessionist Virginia. He considered them "contraband of war," akin to enemy horses or cannon, and put them to work for wages.

In the weeks and months after Butler's ruling, thousands of former slaves marched into Union hands.

Saturday, Paa-Bekoe Welbeck, a native of Ghana, paid tribute to Mallory, Baker and Townsend by name, pouring a libation - a small amount of water - on the ground in honor of each one.

"Frank Baker, please, wherever you are, join us," he said. "Accept our drink."

He did the same for Butler, citing the general's bravery in making "such a courageous decision."

Then he asked the audience to remember the forced labor of earlier generations. "Today we want to remind ourselves that we are riding on the backs of these heroes, the millions who poured blood, sweat and tears to fertilize this land."

Many speakers noted that the Army's departure from Fort Monroe this fall creates an opportunity to better tell the contraband story.

The state will assume control of the 570-acre fort, and is hoping the National Park Service will help manage some or all of its historic assets.

The first Africans brought to Virginia as slaves in the early 1600s landed nearby, and slavery's downfall started on the site.

Phil Adderley, one of the leaders of the Contraband Historical Society, said he hopes that between the 150th anniversary of the Civil War's beginning and the fort's transfer to state ownership, more people will grasp the significance of what happened at Fort Monroe.

"This is a global story," he said. "The human spirit that yearns for freedom is one that nothing can stop."

Kate Wiltrout, (757) 446-2629, kate.wiltrout@pilotonline.com.