Why did Union General Benjamin Butler declare enslaved African American refugees to be contraband, or captured war supplies?%0D%0A%0D%0A(1 point)%0D%0AResponses%0D%0A%0D%0AHe did not want them to fight for the Confederacy.%0D%0AHe did not want them to fight for the Confederacy.%0D%0A%0D%0AHe would not have to return them to slaveholders in the South.%0D%0AHe would not have to return them to slaveholders in the South.%0D%0A%0D%0AHe would not have to find slaveholders willing to take them.
2 answers
He would not have to return them to slaveholders in the South.
Yes, that is correct. By declaring enslaved African American refugees as contraband, General Benjamin Butler justified keeping them as captives and not returning them to their slaveholders in the South. This decision allowed the Union to retain control over the freed individuals and prevent them from being used to support the Confederate war effort. Additionally, it demonstrated a shift in Union policy towards recognizing the rights of enslaved individuals and their potential to contribute to the Union cause.