Stonewall Jackson’s brutal slave roundup on the C&O Canal

The Canal That Both Freed and Enslaved

The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal carried both freedom and chains along the same waters.

This 184-mile waterway served as a highway for slave traders shipping people south to Deep South buyers, while secretly helping others escape north to freedom.

Slave markets operated at Monocacy River and Tuscarora, Maryland, where canal boats transported shackled people like cargo.

But the same canal also hid runaways like Rufus Jackson, who vanished “on a canal boat” according to his owner.

During the Civil War, up to 5,000 freedom seekers gathered in camps at Harpers Ferry, seeking Union protection. Then Confederate forces recaptured the town and drove thousands back into slavery “like cattle.”

Here’s how one waterway told America’s most contradictory story about slavery and freedom.

Enslaved Workers Dug the C&O Canal by Hand in 1829

The C&O Canal Company bought 100 enslaved people in July 1829 after foreign workers couldn’t handle the harsh conditions. These men dug a massive waterway 6 feet deep and 60 feet wide.

Their hard work created both a transportation route and a path to freedom for some.

Records from Baltimore County jail that year show 12 people listed as “runaway servants” to the canal company, likely indentured servants from the British Isles rather than enslaved African Americans.

Canal Boats Carried Shackled People to Southern Markets

Canal boats became the top way to move enslaved people during the 1830s-1850s.

Slave traders liked boats better than walking groups because the tight space made escape nearly impossible.

Major slave trading spots opened along the waterway, including places at the Monocacy River mouth near Spinks’s Ferry and at Noland’s Ferry. A building made just to hold people stood at the Monocacy location.

In the small village of Licksville (now Tuscarora), Maryland, a busy slave auction house ran just one mile from Noland’s Ferry.

Runaway Ads Show Some Escaped Via Canal Routes

Some people found ways to use the very canal system built with their labor to escape.

Old newspaper ads for runaway slaves show some fled to canal work sites where they could earn money and mix in with other workers.

Rufus Jackson’s owner wrote on August 31, 1860, that he thought his escaped property “is making his way off on a canal boat.”

Another enslaver thought John Nevil escaped on April 28, 1830, “in some of the long boats trading up and down the Potomac River.

Civil War Changed Everything Along the Waterway

The war in 1861 turned the canal from a slave trade route into a path toward freedom.

Things changed when three enslaved men reached Fort Monroe and became “contraband of war,” setting a pattern for Union protection of escaped slaves.

News spread quickly through enslaved communities that crossing into Union land meant safety. The canal’s paths and waterways offered clear routes toward Union lines.

Thousands Fled to Harpers Ferry Seeking Protection

By summer 1862, about 5,000 newly freed people gathered in makeshift camps at Harpers Ferry, more than doubling the town’s size.

They came “in the gray of the morning, having walked through the night,” hoping for Union soldiers’ protection. The Army set up refugee camps in empty buildings and on the grounds of the destroyed U.S. Armory & Arsenal.

For many, this marked their first taste of freedom after lifetimes in bondage.

Refugees Found Hard Work but Family Security in Camps

Life in the camps wasn’t easy. People lived in makeshift tents near John Brown’s Fort, where the famous abolitionist made his last stand. Many worked as cooks, nurses, laundresses, and helpers for Union war efforts.

Some worked without pay while helping with medical care at Clayton’s hospital.

Despite the tough conditions, these freedom seekers valued keeping their families together, something slavery had always denied them.

Maryland Town Became Secret Transfer Point for Escapees

Captain Michael Egan later noted that Hancock, Maryland worked as “a transfer point on the underground railway between Maryland and Virginia.”

Escaped slaves, now called “contraband of war,” passed through this canal town seeking Union protection. The busy traffic of goods and people meant many moved with “little checking, or without any checking.”

Freedom seekers traveled through Hancock and similar canal points on their way toward Union states.

Stonewall Jackson’s Troops Surrounded the Ferry Camps

The freedom found at Harpers Ferry faced a big threat in September 1862 when Confederate General Stonewall Jackson moved to capture the town during his Maryland Campaign.

Union Colonel Dixon Miles refused to let the refugees escape north, going against government policy that would have protected them.

As Jackson’s forces closed in, Confederate soldiers searched for African Americans everywhere. General A.P. Hill’s men looked in every “nook” and “cranny” to round up Black people.

Confederate Capture Sent Thousands Back into Slavery

When Harpers Ferry fell, thousands lost their freedom.

After Jackson captured the town, between 1,500 and 4,000 African Americans were grabbed and “driven south like so many cattle.”

Confederate forces formed the captured people into “a great drove,” their cries filling the air as they faced a return to bondage.

The Richmond Dispatch later bragged that about 1,000 formerly enslaved people were captured during the Maryland Campaign.

Freedom Seekers Kept Using the Canal Despite Dangers

People continued using canal paths to reach Union lines throughout the war. Some refugees made it into Maryland and traveled north to free land.

Canal boats moved those clever enough to avoid getting caught. The waterway offered a clear path toward freedom for anyone willing to risk the trip.

Even with Confederate patrols, the canal stayed an important escape route until the war ended.

Same Waters Carried Both Chains and Hope of Liberty

The C&O Canal stands as a physical reminder of America’s contradictions during the slavery era.

The same water that carried boats loaded with shackled human cargo also offered escape routes for those brave enough to flee.

Its location near the Mason-Dixon line made it strategically important for both slave traders and freedom seekers.

After the war ended in 1865, the canal remained in operation, its waters no longer part of the terrible human commerce that had once defined much of its purpose.

Visiting Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park

The C&O Canal’s 184. 5-mile towpath from Georgetown to Cumberland tells a complex story of freedom and bondage.

You can walk most of it free, though Great Falls charges $10-20 per vehicle.

Six visitor centers offer Underground Railroad programs, with Canal Classrooms teaching middle schoolers at three locations. Take mule-drawn boat rides at Great Falls and Georgetown ($5-8) or free rides at Williamsport.

You can even sleep overnight in historic lockhouses through the Canal Quarters Program.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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