Gordon (also known as Peter or "Whipped Peter") was an enslaved African American man who escaped from a Louisiana plantation in early 1863 during the American Civil War. After a grueling journey reportedly covering about 80 miles through swamps, evading bloodhounds, and using onions to mask his scent he reached Union lines near Baton Rouge.
There, while undergoing a medical examination before enlisting in a Black Union regiment, photographers McPherson & Oliver captured haunting cartes de visite images of his severely scarred back. The keloid scars, from brutal whippings (including one on Christmas Day 1862 by overseer Artayon Carrier, followed by salt brine treatment), formed a shocking map of slavery's cruelty.
The most famous photo, titled "The Scourged Back", circulated widely as abolitionist propaganda. Published in Harper's Weekly (July 4, 1863) under the name "Gordon," it fueled Northern outrage against slavery and support for the war. (Recent scholarship confirms his name was likely Peter.) #Blackhistory #Africa
There, while undergoing a medical examination before enlisting in a Black Union regiment, photographers McPherson & Oliver captured haunting cartes de visite images of his severely scarred back. The keloid scars, from brutal whippings (including one on Christmas Day 1862 by overseer Artayon Carrier, followed by salt brine treatment), formed a shocking map of slavery's cruelty.
The most famous photo, titled "The Scourged Back", circulated widely as abolitionist propaganda. Published in Harper's Weekly (July 4, 1863) under the name "Gordon," it fueled Northern outrage against slavery and support for the war. (Recent scholarship confirms his name was likely Peter.) #Blackhistory #Africa
