Charles Nalle was born in

Stevensburg, Virginia Stevensburg is a small rural unincorporated community located at the intersection of Route 3 and Route 663 in Culpeper County, Virginia, United States. Stevensburg is about 6.9 miles east of Culpeper. Stevensburg's ZIP code is 22741. The pos ...

in 1821 into slavery. At the age of 16, he was given to a Virginia plantation owner, Blucher Hansbrough. Nalle and another enslaved man, Jim Banks, made their escape from the plantation in October 1858 during an auction. Helped by the

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was a network of clandestine routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early- to mid-19th century. It was used by enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into free states and Canada. T ...

, Nalle settled in

Troy, New York Troy is a city in the U.S. state of New York and the county seat of Rensselaer County. The city is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany a ...

where he worked as a coachman and groom for the wife of a wealthy Rensselaer man, Uri Gilbert, in Troy at the time.Christianson, Scott. (2010). ''Freeing Charles: The Struggle to Free a Slave on the Eve of the Civil War'', University of Illinois Press. . On April 27, 1860, Nalle was turned in to the local authorities. According to the

Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 The Fugitive Slave Act or Fugitive Slave Law was passed by the United States Congress on September 18, 1850, as part of the Compromise of 1850 between Southern interests in slavery and Northern Free-Soilers. The Act was one of the most co ...

, he was arrested and slated to be sent back to slavery in Virginia. As word got out, a large crowd gathered around the Mutual Building in Troy where he was being held.''Troy Daily Times'', April 30, 1860''New-York Tribune'', May 5, 1860. Nalle managed to escape across the Hudson River to West Troy (modern-day Watervliet) during a clash between authorities and the crowd which included

Harriet Tubman Harriet Tubman (born Araminta Ross, March 10, 1913) was an American abolitionist and social activist. Born into slavery, Tubman escaped and subsequently made some 13 missions to rescue approximately 70 slaves, including family and friends, us ...

, but the authorities were waiting for him on the other side and once again arrested him. Another clash occurred in West Troy, and during this time locals raised enough money for Nalle to be freed. His freedom was bought for 650 U.S dollars. Nalle spent most of the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

in Troy. He had several children with his wife, Kitty. He died in 1875 in

Washington D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...

of heart disease.

Legacy

The events surrounding Nalle are recognized and commemorated by both the Watervliet Historical Society and the Rensselaer Historical Society. In 2010, Watervliet celebrated the 150th anniversary of the rescue of Nalle.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nalle, Charles People from Troy, New York 1821 births 1875 deaths Fugitive American slaves People from Culpeper County, Virginia