Publisher's Synopsis
One night in 1861, three escaped slaves made their way from the Confederate line to a Union-held fort. The runaways were declared ""contraband of war"" and granted protection. As word spread, thousands of runaway slaves poured into the fort, seeking their freedom. These ""contrabands"" made a home for themselves, building the first African American community in the country. In 1863, they bore witness to one of the first readings of the Emancipation Proclamation in the South - beneath the sheltering branches of the tree now known as Emancipation Oak.
