During the civilian war, in the United States, were there any documented instances of people purchasing slaves to set them free, or purchasing slaves to keep them safer?

by Genghis_Khant_

When I mean safer, I mean buy them to keep them away from awful slave masters. I am currently watching roots, just watched 12 years a slave and am wondering if there are any nice people...

Edit: I meant civil war, I'm terribly sorry, autocorrect got me.

agentdcf

I'm not sure to what extent it occurred during the Civil War itself, but it was a relatively common phenomenon to purchase a slave for the express purpose of freeing them; if effect, one compensated the previous owner for the freedom of the slave. For example, Frederick Douglass was freed in 1846 when he was purchased by a group of British abolitionists for (I believe) about $700; interesting to note that he had been effectively free for nearly a decade at that point, having escaped to the North in the 1830s.