The Great Escape From Slavery of Ellen and William Craft

Passing as a white man traveling with his servant, two slaves fled their masters in a thrilling tale of deception and intrigue

  • By Marian Smith Holmes
  • Smithsonian.com, June 17, 2010, Subscribe
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Ellen Craft and William Craft
One of the most ingenious escapes from slavery was that of a married couple from Georgia, Ellen and William Craft. (The Granger Collection, New York)

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Most runaway slaves fled to freedom in the dead of night, often pursued by barking bloodhounds. A few fugitives, such as Henry “Box” Brown who mailed himself north in a wooden crate, devised clever ruses or stowed away on ships and wagons. One of the most ingenious escapes was that of a married couple from Georgia, Ellen and William Craft, who traveled in first-class trains, dined with a steamboat captain and stayed in the best hotels during their escape to Philadelphia and freedom in 1848. Ellen, a quadroon with very fair skin, disguised herself as a young white cotton planter traveling with his slave (William). It was William who came up with the scheme to hide in plain sight, but ultimately it was Ellen who convincingly masked her race, her gender and her social status during their four-day trip. Despite the luxury accommodations, the journey was fraught with narrow escapes and heart-in-the-mouth moments that could have led to their discovery and capture. Courage, quick thinking, luck and “our Heavenly Father,” sustained them, the Crafts said in Running a Thousand Miles for Freedom, the book they wrote in 1860 chronicling the escape.

Ellen and William lived in Macon, Georgia, and were owned by different masters. Put up for auction at age 16 to help settle his master’s debts, William had become the property of a local bank cashier. A skilled cabinetmaker, William, continued to work at the shop where he had apprenticed, and his new owner collected most of his wages. Minutes before being sold, William had witnessed the sale of his frightened, tearful 14-year-old sister. His parents and brother had met the same fate and were scattered throughout the South.

As a child, Ellen, the offspring of her first master and one of his biracial slaves, had frequently been mistaken for a member of his white family. Much annoyed by the situation, the plantation mistress sent 11-year-old Ellen to Macon to her daughter as a wedding present in 1837, where she served as a ladies maid. Ellen and William married, but having experienced such brutal family separations despaired over having children, fearing they would be torn away from them. “The mere thought,” William later wrote of his wife’s distress, “filled her soul with horror.”

Pondering various escape plans, William, knowing that slaveholders could take their slaves to any state, slave or free, hit upon the idea of fair-complexioned Ellen passing herself off as his master—a wealthy young white man because it was not customary for women to travel with male servants. Initially Ellen panicked at the idea but was gradually won over. Because they were “favourite slaves,” the couple had little trouble obtaining passes from their masters for a few days leave at Christmastime, giving them some days to be missing without raising the alarm. Additionally, as a carpenter, William probably would have kept some of his earnings – or perhaps did odd jobs for others – and was allowed to keep some of the money.

Before setting out on December 21, 1848, William cut Ellen’s hair to neck length. She improved on the deception by putting her right arm in a sling, which would prevent hotel clerks and others from expecting “him” to sign a registry or other papers. Georgia law prohibited teaching slaves to read or write, so neither Ellen nor William could do either. Refining the invalid disguise, Ellen asked William to wrap bandages around much of her face, hiding her smooth skin and giving her a reason to limit conversation with strangers. She wore a pair of men’s trousers that she herself had sewed. She then donned a pair of green spectacles and a top hat. They knelt and prayed and took “a desperate leap for liberty.”

At the Macon train station, Ellen purchased tickets to Savannah, 200 miles away. As William took a place in the “negro car,” he spotted the owner of the cabinetmaking shop on the platform. After questioning the ticket seller, the man began peering through the windows of the cars. William turned his face from the window and shrank in his seat, expecting the worst. The man searched the car Ellen was in but never gave the bandaged invalid a second glance. Just as he approached William’s car, the bell clanged and the train lurched off.

Ellen, who had been staring out the window, then turned away and discovered that her seat mate was a dear friend of her master, a recent dinner guest who had known Ellen for years. Her first thought was that he had been sent to retrieve her, but the wave of fear soon passed when he greeted her with “It is a very fine morning, sir.”

To avoid talking to him, Ellen feigned deafness for the next several hours.


Most runaway slaves fled to freedom in the dead of night, often pursued by barking bloodhounds. A few fugitives, such as Henry “Box” Brown who mailed himself north in a wooden crate, devised clever ruses or stowed away on ships and wagons. One of the most ingenious escapes was that of a married couple from Georgia, Ellen and William Craft, who traveled in first-class trains, dined with a steamboat captain and stayed in the best hotels during their escape to Philadelphia and freedom in 1848. Ellen, a quadroon with very fair skin, disguised herself as a young white cotton planter traveling with his slave (William). It was William who came up with the scheme to hide in plain sight, but ultimately it was Ellen who convincingly masked her race, her gender and her social status during their four-day trip. Despite the luxury accommodations, the journey was fraught with narrow escapes and heart-in-the-mouth moments that could have led to their discovery and capture. Courage, quick thinking, luck and “our Heavenly Father,” sustained them, the Crafts said in Running a Thousand Miles for Freedom, the book they wrote in 1860 chronicling the escape.

Ellen and William lived in Macon, Georgia, and were owned by different masters. Put up for auction at age 16 to help settle his master’s debts, William had become the property of a local bank cashier. A skilled cabinetmaker, William, continued to work at the shop where he had apprenticed, and his new owner collected most of his wages. Minutes before being sold, William had witnessed the sale of his frightened, tearful 14-year-old sister. His parents and brother had met the same fate and were scattered throughout the South.

As a child, Ellen, the offspring of her first master and one of his biracial slaves, had frequently been mistaken for a member of his white family. Much annoyed by the situation, the plantation mistress sent 11-year-old Ellen to Macon to her daughter as a wedding present in 1837, where she served as a ladies maid. Ellen and William married, but having experienced such brutal family separations despaired over having children, fearing they would be torn away from them. “The mere thought,” William later wrote of his wife’s distress, “filled her soul with horror.”

Pondering various escape plans, William, knowing that slaveholders could take their slaves to any state, slave or free, hit upon the idea of fair-complexioned Ellen passing herself off as his master—a wealthy young white man because it was not customary for women to travel with male servants. Initially Ellen panicked at the idea but was gradually won over. Because they were “favourite slaves,” the couple had little trouble obtaining passes from their masters for a few days leave at Christmastime, giving them some days to be missing without raising the alarm. Additionally, as a carpenter, William probably would have kept some of his earnings – or perhaps did odd jobs for others – and was allowed to keep some of the money.

Before setting out on December 21, 1848, William cut Ellen’s hair to neck length. She improved on the deception by putting her right arm in a sling, which would prevent hotel clerks and others from expecting “him” to sign a registry or other papers. Georgia law prohibited teaching slaves to read or write, so neither Ellen nor William could do either. Refining the invalid disguise, Ellen asked William to wrap bandages around much of her face, hiding her smooth skin and giving her a reason to limit conversation with strangers. She wore a pair of men’s trousers that she herself had sewed. She then donned a pair of green spectacles and a top hat. They knelt and prayed and took “a desperate leap for liberty.”

At the Macon train station, Ellen purchased tickets to Savannah, 200 miles away. As William took a place in the “negro car,” he spotted the owner of the cabinetmaking shop on the platform. After questioning the ticket seller, the man began peering through the windows of the cars. William turned his face from the window and shrank in his seat, expecting the worst. The man searched the car Ellen was in but never gave the bandaged invalid a second glance. Just as he approached William’s car, the bell clanged and the train lurched off.

Ellen, who had been staring out the window, then turned away and discovered that her seat mate was a dear friend of her master, a recent dinner guest who had known Ellen for years. Her first thought was that he had been sent to retrieve her, but the wave of fear soon passed when he greeted her with “It is a very fine morning, sir.”

To avoid talking to him, Ellen feigned deafness for the next several hours.

In Savannah, the fugitives boarded a steamer for Charleston, South Carolina. Over breakfast the next morning, the friendly captain marveled at the young master’s “very attentive boy” and warned him to beware “cut-throat abolitionists” in the North who would encourage William to run away. A slave trader on board offered to buy William and take him to the Deep South, and a military officer scolded the invalid for saying “thank you” to his slave. In an overnight stay at the best hotel in Charleston, the solicitous staff treated the ailing traveler with upmost care, giving him a fine room and a good table in the dining room.

Trying to buy steamer tickets from South Carolina to Philadelphia, Ellen and William hit a snag when the ticket seller objected to signing the names of the young gentleman and his slave even after seeing the injured arm. In an effort to prevent white abolitionists from taking slaves out of the South, slaveholders had to prove that the slaves traveling with them were indeed their property. Sometimes travelers were detained for days trying to prove ownership. As the surly ticket seller reiterated his refusal to sign by jamming his hands in his pockets, providence prevailed: The genial captain happened by, vouched for the planter and his slave and signed their names.

Baltimore, the last major stop before Pennsylvania, a free state, had a particularly vigilant border patrol. Ellen and William were again detained, asked to leave the train and report to the authorities for verification of ownership. “We shan’t let you go,” an officer said with finality. “We felt as though we had come into deep waters and were about being overwhelmed,” William recounted in the book, and returned “to the dark and horrible pit of misery.” Ellen and William silently prayed as the officer stood his ground. Suddenly the jangling of the departure bell shattered the quiet. The officer, clearly agitated, scratched his head. Surveying the sick traveler’s bandages, he said to a clerk, “he is not well, it is a pity to stop him.” Tell the conductor to “let this gentleman and slave pass.”

The Crafts arrived in Philadelphia the next morning—Christmas Day. As they left the station, Ellen burst into tears, crying out, “Thank God, William, we’re safe!”

The comfortable coaches and cabins notwithstanding, it had been an emotionally harrowing journey, especially for Ellen as she kept up the multilayered deception. From making excuses for not partaking of brandy and cigars with the other gentleman to worrying that slavers had kidnapped William, her nerves were frayed to the point of exhaustion. At a Virginia railway station, a woman had even mistaken William for her runaway slave and demanded that he come with her. As predicted, abolitionists approached William. One advised him to “leave that cripple and have your liberty,” and a free black man on the train to Philadelphia urged him to take refuge in a boarding house run by abolitionists. Through it all Ellen and William maintained their roles, never revealing anything of themselves to the strangers except a loyal slave and kind master.

Upon their arrival in Philadelphia, Ellen and William were quickly given assistance and lodging by the underground abolitionist network. They received a reading lesson their very first day in the city. Three weeks later, they moved to Boston where William resumed work as a cabinetmaker and Ellen became a seamstress. After two years, in 1850, slave hunters arrived in Boston intent on returning them to Georgia. The Crafts fled again, this time to England, where they eventually had five children. After 20 years they returned to the States and in the 1870s established a school in Georgia for newly freed blacks.


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Comments (37)

a wonderful and touching story

Posted by on February 2,2013 | 09:35 AM

I recently saw a short play based on this story. To be honest the article is better than the play. Tells the story better and gives more explanation of important points.

Posted by Elaine on November 2,2012 | 06:57 AM

this would make a great moive

Posted by chloe on November 1,2012 | 09:26 AM

this is cool

Posted by chloe on November 1,2012 | 09:25 AM

This story is amazing what courage William and Ellen had. Reading the story brought me to tears.This is part of our history ugly as it is but children should learn about it and hopefully we can do better in the future.

Posted by TL on June 9,2012 | 11:24 PM

This is really happened in the escape from slavery this information help me to do my project

Posted by Tul on May 8,2012 | 10:42 AM

my favorite story ever! im blown away by their amazing story

Posted by delilah on February 3,2012 | 03:53 PM

This is one of my favorite stories of people who were brilliant and courageous enough to escape from slavery. I ran across this story in one of my collections about African Americans. It is one of my favorite stories to share with young and old who have never heard it. I think it is sad that they returned to the south after the slaves were supposed to be set free to find that things had changed very little. I think they regretted moving from Canada. In many places, people still struggle with prejudices because of the color of their skin. Slavery is still going on in situations of job, housing, and other discriminations that keep people from living decently. The court system has become a way of enslaving African American males in prison. We are not where we used to be but we have a long way to go.

Posted by Katheline tate on January 29,2012 | 02:30 AM

For those who say this story would make an outstanding movie...it was one!! During US Bicentennial, my junior high class viewed an educational movie on William and Ellen Craft. I never forgot it, though I had forgotten their names. The first few minutes of the movie began with one of their elderly female descendants giving an introductory narrative, then detailed the story with actors reenacting the escape.

Over the years I've tried to find reference of this movie, and hopefully to view it online, but no luck so far. In finding this article, at least I now know the couple's names.

Posted by Rochelle on December 27,2010 | 10:37 PM

A Story Out Of The Ordinary...

I certainly agree that it would make an outstanding moovie or series on TV etc.
In my country Canada, many Canadians have helped people like Mr. and Madame William and Ellen Craft for to bring them in and helped to rebuilt their lives.
Their grand-children must be very, very proud of them.

What a beautiful true story.
Merci-Thank You
Lucien Alexandre Marion
Canada

Posted by on September 28,2010 | 01:49 PM

I agree this is a heart warming story that shows courage and strength even when odds are not it the favor of William and Ellen. I am inspired to read their story.

I also see the sadness of their lives and what they had to endure.

I agree that to change the verbage used in the past is try to change the reality of history, but I also understand the sensitivity to the language. For many this is a grim reminder of a history that is not that far away.

I also agree that slavery has not ended. It may have ended in terms of the way we understand it as referenced in this story, but Heather is correct, it is still occurring. It just happens to include a different group of people with different rules.

This has been an inspiring read!

Posted by Marlava on July 12,2010 | 10:26 PM

Instead of focusing on the negative in this story, which I'm sure I could go on for days about, I would like to point out some of the good and kindness that made me smile while reading it.

The part that referenced the "cut-throat abolitionists" who would approach William Craft to offer him an opportunity to flee from his slave master (wife).

When William and Ellen arrived to Philadelphia, they were QUICKLY given assistance and lodging by the "Underground Abolitionist Network". - I knew nothing of such a network and I am inclined to do research to further my knowledge on this subject.

William and Ellen received reading lessons their very FIRST day in the city!

Just to know that there were people in the North who assisted them upon their arrival makes me feel warm inside.

Last, but not least, Ellen and William established a school in Georgia for newly freed blacks. - What a blessing!

Thanks for writing such a wonderful and insightful piece.

Posted by C Boothe on July 6,2010 | 03:43 PM

I use a wonderful book with my elementary school students called THE DARING ESCAPE OF ELLEN CRAFT by Cathy Moore, et.al. It's easy-to-read, historically accurate, and the kids love it. Thank you to the Smithsonian for writing about the Crafts.

Posted by Kris on July 6,2010 | 09:44 AM

Don't speak of slavery as a bygone horror.
Don't sanitize or past tense.
Slavery still thrives on this planet.
The horror continues.

Posted by kindnsruls on July 5,2010 | 01:29 PM

I really enjoyed this story. I have never read or heard of it before but I do agree with most of the others responders that stories like this should be offered in school hitory course to show the tenacity and diversity of the American Spirit and how we all have a place in history!

Posted by John Hairston II on July 4,2010 | 12:59 AM

This is a great story of courage. As some have mentioned, slavery still exists and we all need to do what we can to expose and rid the world of it. People were and are owned because they are powerless. This story give hope and courage to those who read it.

Posted by Donna Ball on July 3,2010 | 10:55 PM

Thanks for bringing this story to the attention of Smithsonian readers. People with kids in grades 1-3 might be interested in a children's version of the story called "The Daring Escape of Ellen Craft," published in 2002 by Carolrhoda Books (I'm the author). It's available in many libraries and through Amazon and other sellers.

Posted by Cathy Moore on July 3,2010 | 02:31 PM

I am awed and enlightened by all the comments pro and con the language used. It occurs to me that possibly Rachel sees from a rightly angered culture, possibly "black" that would justly see from an entirely different perspective than my "white" cultural perspective. Rachel you are a blessing from whatever culture you emanate from, whether merely spokesman for the "black" or with what ever % African American blood you might possibly have.
I also find the common jargon used to differentiate racial (or cultural heritage) identity ie. "Black/white" somewhat problematic but general usage though possibly offensive, never-the-less being common is not always insulting or thoughtless, it is merely common. Yet you do offer a view that makes us all think deeper. Realize though "come-uppance" can engender defensive argument. I have often run in to that with my own opinions, however it only rarely stopped me, keep up the good work.

Posted by Grama Sylvia Holmes on July 3,2010 | 12:52 PM

Heartbreaking.

Posted by Jesus Maria Alvarez on July 3,2010 | 08:26 AM

Rachel,
As a teacher, I must agree with n2y2. We can not change history, nor should we sanitise it to make it more palitable. The horrors of slavery are a part of our history which must be understood by all Americans. Men and women like William and Ellen are true American heroes. We need to know about them and others who risk everything for a chance to gain freedom.

Posted by William Reed on July 2,2010 | 09:02 AM

"Yes, people were owned, and bought and sold like cars at one time. It happened, and hopefully, it will never happen again..."

Don't kid yourself. It is still happening, only this time instead of Africans, it's women and children. And instead of for labour, it is for sex. And don't think it is confined to the developing world either, women are trafficked into the west at an alarming rate, and women and girls in the west are kidnapped or lured away from home and find themselves trapped in brothers overseas. Don't think that's slavery, think again.

Posted by Heather on July 2,2010 | 03:50 AM

What a wonderful tale.

Posted by Ray on July 2,2010 | 03:31 AM

Rachel, using neutral language to describe the situation renders the harrowing adventure of two amazingly brave and daring people who escaped from slavery bloodless. You might mean well, but bowdlerizing the past destroys the context.

Posted by Rena on July 1,2010 | 12:17 AM

WOW!The true story of escape lived by slaves Ellen and William Craft, from Georgia to Pennsylvania to England and back to Georgia w/their FIVE children, an amazing story!!!Hello HOLLYWOOD...start writing the script! It's a winner...

Posted by Elizabeth Smythe on July 1,2010 | 05:08 PM

I, too, wish that this could be made into an historically accurate miniseries. The producers could print disclaimers and run them before commercial breaks, stating that the lanugage was chosen to be historically accurate and not to demean any of the persons in the story. This would be quite an educational video experience as well as suspenceful & romantic.

Posted by Patricia Erwin on July 1,2010 | 05:05 PM

Great story - have not read it ANYWHERE else. Congrats.

I do miss the July 2010 issue. What is up??????
Please send it and ALL subsequent issues. Miss them.
Thank you.
Mrs. Else Drost

Posted by Else Drost on July 1,2010 | 04:31 PM

This was a long time ago, but not really. Today the existence of slavery is a blight on humanity and is still widespread in its impact through forced servitude of children in India, Thailand, several areas of Africa, in the jungles of South America, and, to our shame, in the shadows of our cities and towns. Sex slavery is the most horrendous kind in our own country and elsewhere. Thankfully there are many organizations and brave individuals who are doing all they can.

Posted by Dave Shaver on July 1,2010 | 03:45 PM

An amazing adventure and trip to freedom. Very nice to read a story from that time in this perspective.

I tend to disagree with most posters, movies always seem to take away the mystery, the fantasy and we become mindless watchers living through a box.

Posted by Kim on July 1,2010 | 03:20 PM

Ok, all jargon aside, as well as my writing skills. This is a story along with many others that should be given to all K-thru 12 schools as reading, reference, even re-enactment material. Sparking interst in history of young minds is crucial in furthering scholars for all our futures.

Posted by Tyler K Petersen on June 30,2010 | 06:46 PM

This is an amazing story. We all must agree that the Civil war was a most interesting time in our history filled with escapes and deaths and most certainly racial descriminaton. I would wish that there were more atticles pertaining to the Civil war and the time before and after it.

Posted by Abigail Showalter on June 25,2010 | 05:20 PM

Yes, people were owned, and bought and sold like cars at one time. It happened, and hopefully, it will never happen again...

Posted by Edward W. Jackson on June 24,2010 | 02:50 AM

"William was owned," "William became the property of..." "was a slave...."

Yes. This is exactly how it was then: dehumanising. If neutral modern language was used, this story would mean very little to those who don't already know about the culture of the slave-times.

We can't sanitise everything, and make everything PC; else no one will ever know anything was ever wrong.

Posted by Bakedpotatoes on June 23,2010 | 01:33 AM

Rachel,

Your point is well taken, but I believe that it is important to maintain the word usage as it appears.

First, is was the language and usage that was common at the time; we shouldn't revise history through the modern lens. Second, it strikes at the core cruelty of what slavery truly was and is.

It really enrages me to think that people were treated this way on any level. It obviously affects in you in a similar way. I think that it is important to preserve that feeling of disgust for this despicable practice.

From my perspective, speaking of any human in these terms dehumanizes the slave-owners while elevating their victims.

Posted by n2y2 on June 23,2010 | 01:35 PM

why can't Hollywood make some of these stories up instead of the trash they currently produce?

Posted by Linda on June 23,2010 | 01:10 PM

It's an inspiring story- but the article uses language like "William was owned," "William became the property of..." "was a slave...." This language itself dehumanizes the people who were not slaves but enslaved, not property but held in slavery (as someone is "held" against their will), exploited- not actually owned, because it is not possible for a person to be owned. Slave auctions, and the legalities of slavery, were lies, and to describe them in their own terms is to tell a lie. To say that someone was ever sold or owned, or that someone bought or owned someone else, is to perpetuate the confusion, and dehumanizes people of African heritage.

Posted by Rachel on June 23,2010 | 09:20 AM

I really enjoyed reading this story. Someone should make a movie out of it!

Ati

Posted by Ati on June 19,2010 | 03:06 AM

This story would make a great movie! Thank you.

Posted by Shir-El on June 18,2010 | 06:20 PM



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