 At the time, Hanks was also colonel of the 18th Infantry Regiment, Corps d'Afrique, a unit raised in Louisiana that consisted mostly of free persons of color who had formerly been in the state militia.Hanks took eight former slaves on tour with him, five of them children, and four of these appearing to be white.He took the group to photo studios to have "cartes de visite" printed, which he sold to raise money for schools.