&quot;To the People of the Trans-Miss. Department&quot;
The Confederacy depended on enslaved people to build fortifications, cook, drive supply wagons, work in hospitals, and produce munitions. Slave labor also planted and harvested many Southern crops, especially when white males were away fighting. The Union&rsquo;s decision to emancipate, enlist, and arm black men was an enormous threat to Southern independence. This broadside urged owners to move their slaves away from the advancing Union Army and contribute their &ldquo;servants&rdquo; to the cause.

Broadside &amp;#8220;To the People of the Trans-Miss. Department&amp;#8221;, 09/15/1863. &nbsp;From the&nbsp;War Department Collection of Confederate Records

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