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Peter (fl. 1863) (also known as Gordon, or "Whipped Peter", or "Poor Peter") was an escaped American slave who was the subject of photographs documenting the extensive scarring of his back from whippings received in slavery.
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- HISTORY Vault: Black History
The widely circulated image of the enslaved man's wounds helped turn white Northerners against slavery.
A picture can speak volumes. In the case of an escaped enslaved man who came to be called "Whipped Peter," an 1863 photo of his savagely scarred back helped raise a national outcry against the cruelty of slavery.
By the time Peter had made it to a Union encampment in Baton Rouge in March 1863, he had been through hell. Bloodhounds had chased him. He had been pursued for miles, had run barefoot through creeks and across fields. He had survived, if barely. When he reached the soldiers, Peter’s clothing was ragged and soaked with mud and sweat.
But his 10-day ordeal was nothing compared to what he had already been through. During Peter's enslavement on John and Bridget Lyons’ Louisiana plantation, Peter endured not just the indignity of slavery, but a brutal whipping that nearly took his life. And when he joined the Union Army after his escape from slavery, Peter exposed his scars during a medical examination.
Raised welts and strafe marks crisscrossed his back. The marks extended from his buttocks to his shoulders, calling to mind the viciousness and power with which he had been beaten. It was a hideous constellation of scars: visual proof of the brutality of slavery. And for thousands of white people, it was a shocking image that helped fuel the fires of abolition during the Civil War.
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Sep 30, 2022 · Although little is known of his life, Gordon the slave, a.k.a. “Whipped Peter,” left a critical mark on American history when one haunting image of him opened the eyes of millions to the singular horror of slavery in the United States.
- Morgan Dunn
A photograph of an enslaved man who survived a whipping that left his body mutilated and scarred helped to reveal the brutality of American slavery. Actor Will Smith stars in Emancipation, a...
Jul 1, 2023 · “Whipped Peter” refers to an enslaved man named Gordon, who was subjected to severe physical punishment as a slave. He became known as “Whipped Peter” due to the scars on his back caused by the brutal whippings he endured.
The iconic photograph of Whipped Peter emerged as one of the most powerful and widely circulated images of the abolitionist movement during the American Civil War. Published in Harper’s Weekly on July 4, 1863, this photograph depicted the scourged back of an individual they named “Gordon.”
This battle on May 27, 1863 marked the first time that African American soldiers played a leading role in an assault on a major Confederate position. Their heroism was widely noted and helped convince many skeptics to accept the enlistment of African Americans into the U.S. Army.
