In March 1863, Gordon escaped from the Louisiana plantation where he had been enslaved. He reportedly traveled for roughly 10 days, covering about 80 miles, before reaching Union forces near Baton Rouge. While at a Union camp, Gordon was photographed during a medical examination. When he removed his shirt, the extensive scars across his back from severe whipping were visible. The photograph became known as “The Scourged Back.” Copies circulated widely, and Harper’s Weekly published an illustration based on the photograph in July 1863. The image became powerful abolitionist evidence because Americans could actually see physical evidence of the brutality of slavery rather than only reading accounts of it.