In April 1863 452 black men, women and children contraband (mostly from VA but from other states as well) voluntarily set sail on the ship the Ocean Ranger from Fortress (Fort) Monroe in Hampton VA in what was a ill fated plan to re settle them at Ile A'Vache Haiti. This was seen as part of larger plan by those "who feared the day when emancipation might flood the country with Negroes seeking employment and social equality..."

The enterprise was a fiasco ill planned, ill equiped..........and on Feb. 29, 1864 -------365 individuals (the remaing 88 had either died or left the island completely) boarded the ship the Marcia C. Day and returned to the US.

They landed in Alexandria VA on March 20th, 1864.

I have a list of those individuals who went.

Selma