These slaves are escaping from the eastern shore of Maryland at night.
Lots of people helped with the Underground Railroad. They did this in all sorts of ways. Many people were needed. The Underground Railroad was quite a large system. One route took escaping slaves from Virginia and Kentucky across the Ohio River to freedom. Other routes ran from Maryland through Pennsylvania, New York, and the New England states. Slavery was not allowed in Canada. So the Underground Railroad also helped escaping slaves get there.
Terms used on the Underground Railroad were like those used on a real railroad. The stops along the routes were called stations. These were people’s homes, barns, and sheds. They’d hide slaves there during the day. Some of these places had special trap doors built in them. These led to hidden areas for the slaves to hide in. The different stations were owned by Underground Railroad agents. They fed and cared for the slaves while they were at the stations. The Underground Railroad had conductors too. They led the runaways from station to station.
These slaves are escaping from the eastern shore of Maryland at night.
Most routes of the Underground Railroad led to the Northern states or to Canada.