Good Lil’ Boys and Girls from the Cotton State of Alabama and the Magnolia State of Mississippi: (Black Children Speak Series!)

By Sharon Kaye Hunt

The book is one of twelve books of the Black Children Speak series. The books are compiled from the interviews taken from slaves by the interviewers of the Federal Writers Project of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 19361938. Most of the ex-slaves giving the interviews were children during slavery and gave interviews of their experiences and insights about living on plantations. The ex-slaves answered questions on all aspects of the plantations in seventeen states of the United States before the civil war.
African Americans were freed from slavery after the civil war in 1865.
The series are dedicated to all people of the world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jun 16, 2016
• ISBN: 9781524504038

Sharon Kaye Hunt

Sharon Hunt, born in Nobletown and is a 1965 graduate of Wewoka High School. She graduated with B.S. and M.S Degrees from Oklahoma State University. She did further study at Kansas State University. Ms. Hunt is a retired registered dietitian and worked as a dietitian at St. Luke’s and Texas Children’s Hospitals in Houston, Texas. Ms. Hunt taught food and nutrition for more than forty years at Langston University and Fort Valley State University, Fort Valley, Georgia. While at Fort Valley, Ms. Hunt wrote a cookbook Bread from Heaven and appeared on QVC Home Shopping Network three times. Ms. Hunt wrote the original recipe for the World Largest Peach Cobbler for Peach County, Georgia. Ms. Hunt co-founded the undergraduate chapter of Delta Sigma Theta at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma and served as the charter president of the Warner Robins Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority in Warner Robins, Georgia. Currently, Ms. Hunt is retired from teaching and has begun a new career in African-American History. She has self-published 35 books on different aspects of history. She mainly writes about Oklahoma and Georgia. She hopes to be on the move to write 11th grade Black history books and to include more history about the slaves in eleventh grade history in the United States. Ms. Hunt promoted a Community Pride Sign to be placed in her hometown of Wewoka, Okla. On the African leader -Lawyer James Coody Johnson who assisted slaves and Native Americans. To get an understanding of slaves’ survival food, Ms. Hunt submitted a proposal to the Oklahoma Legislature to vote in the “Cornmeal-hoecake Bread” as Oklahoma’s official bread. Ms. Hunt is writing a series of books to show how the slaves may have celebrated Thanksgiving and Christmas Dinners during their harsh times.The former slaves gave ideas about how they celebrated different holidays.

Book preview

Good

LIL’ BOYS AND GIRLS

from

THE COTTON STATE

of

ALABAMA

and

THE MAGNOLIA STATE

of

MISSISSIPPI

(Black Children Speak Series!)

Sharon Hunt

Copyright © 2016 by Sharon Hunt.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the Holy Bible, King James Version (Authorized Version). First published in 1611. Quoted from the KJV Classic Reference Bible, Copyright © 1983 by The Zondervan Corporation.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 07/12/2016

Xlibris

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

738465

CONTENTS

Acknowledgments

Introduction

ABOUT ALABAMA

1. Abe—Victory comes from Jesus!

2. Abraham Lincoln

3. After the War

4. Auction Block—I do not want to be on no auction block!

5. Baby’s Milk

6. Baptist

7. Baptizing in the Creek

8. Baskets

9. Battle in Atlanta—Lord lift us up!

10. Beating for Running

11. Big Boat

12. Big House

13. Big House Burned—Power is in the Blood!

14. Big Horn—Fear not Jesus!

15. Big Jacks

16. Big Time

17. Blue-Veined

18. Body Servant

19. Born in Charleston

20. Born on the Plantation

21. Born in Uniontown, Alabama

22. Born in Virginia

23. Bought at Four or Five Years Old

24. Boy Called Lightnin’

25. Boys Sold

26. Bringing Him Home

26. Burr Head

27. Caleb Come from N’Orleans, Louisiana

28. Chains

29. Chain Gang

30. Child Getting Mother Some Tobacco

31. Child’s Playing

32. Chinaberry Tree

33. Children on the Plantation

34. Christ

35. Church

36. Church Brush Arbor

37. Church No More

38. Cigar Box

39. Civil War

40. Clothes Dye

41. Confederate Soldier

42. Cooking Greens

43. Cooking on the Rocks

44. Cotton a Plenty

45. Cotton Picking Time

46. Damn Yankees

47. Deer

48. DayLight to Dark

49. Dipper

50. Eat

51. Education

52. Entering the Ministry-Chapter 2

53. Driver

54. Driver Boss

55. Dwarf Mother

56. Figgers

57. Food and Medicine

58. Food for the Children

59. Fruits

60. Gus Rogers on God’s Wrath

61. Good Old Miss

62. Hairdresser

63. Hams

64. Hants

65. Happiness in Slavery Times

66. Hoodooing Hound Dogs

67. Free

68. Funerals

69. Funerals and Singing

70. Governor of Alabama

71. General George Washington

72. Happenings on the Plantation

73. House Boy

74. House Servant

75. House Servants Diversity

76. Horn

77. Hound Dogs

78. Hush Water

79. Food

80. Mobile Bay

81. Indians in Alabama

82. In the Book

83. Indian Mother

84. Jake and the Overseer

85. Klan

86. Light Bread

87. Loomer

88. Light Skin

89. Like Cattle

90. Mammy’s and Pappy’s Duties

91. Master

91. Master’s Home

92. Mean Miss

93. Mimi

94. Mid-Wife

95. Miracle-Kept a Child from Burning Up

96. Mother’s Visit

97. Negro Overseer

98. Nurse Maid

99. Owl

100. Pass

101. Perry Quarters

102. Plantation

103. Police

104. Poor White Neighbors

105. President of the Ex-Slaves Union

106. Pretty Pauline

107. Rations

106. Refugees

107. Raising Slaves for the Market

108. Reconstruction

109. Remembering Runaways

110. Richest Man in Georgia

111. Runaway

112. School

112. Sold by the Speculators

113. School with the White Children

114. Sellers

115. Senator

116. Speculator’s Drove

117. Settlement

118. Slave’s Chariot Songs

119. Slave Songs

120. Slave Yard

121. Soiree

122. Sold

123. Sold for Not Working

124. Sold for Salt

125. Squire

126. Stars Falling

127. Surrender

128. Thrilling Moments

129. Toting Water to the Fields

130. Trying to Find Money on the Plantation

131. Twelve Hundred Dollars ($1,200)

132. Two-Room Log Cabin

133. Uncle Jude

134. Uppity Niggers

135. Water Boy

136. White

137. White Man Hanging

138. Wife

139. Work

140. Yankees

141. Yankees Burning

142. Yankees in Alabama

143. Yankee Raid

144. Infortmants for Alabama

145. Alabama Food For Thought:

ABOUT MISSISSIPPI—MAGNOLIA STATE

1. About Slavery

2. Abraham Lincoln

3. Age at War

4. Auction Blocks

5. Bad Influence

6. Baptizing

7. Battle for My Master

8. Baptizing when I got Religion

9. Carpet Baggers

10. Big Bill

11. Big Duncan

12. Big House vs Cabin

13. Black and White Together

14. Big Judge

15. Bloody War

16. Blue Back Speller

17. Blue Coats

18. Booker Washington

19. Born and Bought

20. Boys Work and Play

21. Brave Soldier

22. Burial Song

22. Baptizing in a Pond

23. Big House Not Painted

24. Candy for the Children

25. Chief in Africa

26. Christmas and Weddings

27. Clabbered Milk

28. Colic

29. Church

30. Church on the Plantation

31. Full Blood Indian

32. Come to Dinner

33. Confederate War Boy

34. Cooking on the Plantation

35. Coming Down the Road

36. Conjur

37. Confederate Soldiers

38. Cross a Barrel

39. Cruel Bad Boys

40. Daddy Put a Spell on Mammy

41. Dance

42. Dances

43. Daughter of the Master

44. Divide UpThatPlantation

45. Education

46. Educated with the Whites

47. Free at Last

48. Good Times

49. Grandmother’s Cooking

50. Good Overseer on One Place

51. French Man

52. Father Bought at a Slave Market

53. Feed Children

54. Fire

55. Flower Garden

56. Forty Acres and a Mule

57. Freedom

58. Father in Yankee Army

59. Happenings on the Plantation

60. Harsh Treatment

61. High Brown

62. Heir

63. Herbs

64. Hiding

65. Horn at Night

66. Horses

67. Hounds to Hunt Men

68. In the Spirit

69. Jails and Learning

70. James Lucas

71. Judge’s Entertainment

72. Klu Klux

73. Life After the War

74. Life in the Quarters

75. Louisiana

76. Making Darkies on the Plantation

77. Many Masters

78. Mayor a Yankee

79. Marriage on the Plantation

80. Master a Catholic

81. Master’s Mansion

82. Old Abe Lincoln

83. Meridian

84. Mississippi Roads

85. Moon Light Dancing

86. No Work

87. Nurse to White Children

88. Old Black Woman

89. Old Miss

90. One Hundred Miles

91. One Hundred and Sixteen Years Old (116 years old)

92. Owl

93. Part Indian

94. Paterollers

95. Pet Boy

96. Picking a Wife

97. Pinned By the Ears

98. Plowing Mother

99. Poor White Trash

100. Railroad

101. Remember the Yankees

102. Republican

103. Republican Ticket

103. Runaway Joe

104. Prince Johnson

105. Protector of the Women

106. Set Free

107. Shoes

108. Slaves Count

109. Slaves Punished

110. Slaves Sold

111. Slavery Was Wrong

112. Slave Uprising

113. Snake Bitten

114. Sold Like My Father

115. Spirits

116. Stars Fell

117. Sun Up to Sun Down

118. Town Girl

119. Vicksburg

120. Walking in the Spirit

121. War

122. Wet Nurse

123. White Trash

124. Yankees

125. Yankees in Mississippi

126. Yankees in Tuscaloosa

127. Yard Boy

References

Dedication

All of my work and life is dedicated to Jesus

Christ, head of my life.

The body of work is dedicated to my

ancestors, my parents and brothers.

Dedicated to the readers-For all people!

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The book—GOOD LIL’ BOYS AND GIRLS from the Cotton State of Alabama and the Magnolia State of Mississippi is part of twelve(12) Black Children Speak Series. The Series are made up from interviews taken from ex-slaves by Works Project Administration (WPA) for the District of Columbia Sponsored by the Library of Congress. The title of the project SLAVE NARRATIVES-A Folk History in the United States Interviews with Former Slaves.

The ‘Black Children Speak Series’ show the answers about childhood from ex-slaves—Born in Slavery: Slave Narratives from the Federal Writers’Project, 1936-1938.

Ex-Slaves were interviewed from seventeen states.

The author is indebted to the WPA writers taking the interviews, the ex-slaves and the Library of Congress.

As an extra, more than one hundred Black Inventors and their Inventions are included in each of the Series. The inventions are from the Black Invention Museum. Some of the inventors were slaves.

DISCLAIMER: The words of the ex-slaves have not been edited. Ex-slaves spoke in the language they knew. Some words may be offensive in the ex-slaves’ discription of the activities of their childhood.

All recipes were developed by the author. The recipes are only suggestions.

INTRODUCTION

Each of the Black Children Speak Series will be comprised of the answers given on topics of what slave children experienced on plantations more than 150 years ago. There were twenty questions asked by the interviewers of the Writers’ Project sponsored by the Works Progress Administration. For each of the Series, the author has selected informative information that gives perspectives on slave children’s impact on the United States then and now.

Each Series has the following:

I. The author has selected highlights from summaries of questions asked to ex-slaves about their childhood from seventeen states. These highlights have been developed into 12 books called the Black Children Speak Children Series. The highlights are in the wordings of the slave childrens’ words as written by the WPA writers.

Sample of Instructions to WPA writers and twenty questions

STORIES FROM EX-SLAVES

The main purpose of these detailed and homely questions is to get the Negro interested in talking about the days of slavery. If he will talk freely, he should be encouraged to say what he pleases without references to the questions. If should be remembered that the Federal Writers’ Project is not interested in taking sides on any question. The worker should not censor any material collected, regardless of its nature.

It will not be necessary, indeed it will probably be a mistake, to ask every person all of the questions. Any incidents or facts he can recall should be written down as nearly as possible just as he says them, but do not use dialect spelling or complicated that it may confuse the reader.

A second visit, a few days after the first one, is important so that the worker may gather all the worthwhile recollections that the first talk has aroused.

Questions:

1. When and where were you born?

2. Give the names of your father and mother. Where did they come from? Give names of your brothers and sisters. Tell about your life with them and describe your home and the quarters. Describe the beds and where you slept. Do you remember anything about your grandparents or any stories told you about them?

3. What work did you do in slavery days? Did you ever earn any money? What did you buy with this money?

4. What did you eat and how was it cooked? Any possums? Rabbits? Fish? What food did you like best" Did the slaves have their own gardens?

5. What clothing did you wear in hot weather?

Cold weather? On Sundays? Any shoes? Describe your Sundays?

6. Tell about your master, mistress, their children, the house they lived in, the overseer or driver, poor white neighbors.

7. How many acres in the plantation? How many slaves on it? How and at what time did the overseer wake up the slaves? Did they work hard and late at night? How and for what cause were the slaves punished? Tell what you saw. Tell some of the stories you heard.

8. Was there a jail for slaves? Did you ever see any slaves sold or auctioned off?

How did groups of slaves travel? Did you ever see slaves in chains?

9. Did the white folks help you to learn and write?

10. Did the slaves have a church on your plantation? Diid they read the Bible? Who was your favorite preacher? Your favorite Spirituals? Tell about the baptizing: baptizing songs. Funerals and funeral songs.

11. Did the slaves ever run away to the North? Why? What did you hear about patrollers? How did slaves carry news from one plantation to another? Did you hear of trouble between the blacks and whites?

12. What did the slaves do when they went to their quarter after the day’s work was done on the plantation? Did they work on Saturday afternoon? What did they do Saturdy nights? Sundays? Christmas morning? New Year’s Day? Any other holiday? Cornshucking? Cotton Picking? Dances? When some of the white master’s family married or died? A wedding or death mong the slaves?

13. What games did you play as a child?

Can you give the words or sing any of the play songs or ring games of the chidren? Riddles? Charms? Stories about animals? What do you think of the plantation hollers? Can you tell a funny story you have heard or something funny that happened to you? Tell about the ghosts you have seen.

14. When slaves became sick who looked after them? What medicine(herbs, leaves, or roots) did the slaves use for sickness? What charms did they wear and to keep off what disease?

15. What do you remember about the war that brought your freedom? What happened on the day news came that you were free? What did your master say and do?

16. Tel what work you did and how you lived the first ou did and how you lived the first year after the war and what you saw or heard about the KuKlux Klan and the nightriders. Any school then for Negroes?

17. Now that slavery is ended what do you think of it? Tell why you joined and why you think all people should be religious.

18. Was the overseer poor white trash? What were some of his rules?

* * * * * *

II. Bye Lines—short lines from Negro Spirituals or popular Negro sayings added at the top of the sayings.

III. Scriptures—at the bottom of each sayings.

Each saying has an old or new testament scripture(s).

IV. Foods For Thought—Author has developed five recipes that can become popular in the state.

V. Extra—List of inventions by African—Americans

BLACK CHILDREN SPEAK—SLAVERY IN ALABAMA

ABOUT ALABAMA

(Unforgettable)

1. Bird: Yellowhammer

2. Border States: Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee

3. Capital City: Montgomery

4. Coastline: 53 miles

5. Constitution: 22nd State

6. Flower: Camelia

7. Geology: Land Area: 50, 766sq.mi. 29th

8. Highest Point: Cheaha Mountain: 2407

9. Largest City: Birmingham

10. Lowest Point: Gulf Coast; Sea Level

11. Motto: Audemus jura nostra defendere-We Dare Defend Our Rights

12. Nickname: Heart of Dixie/ Cotton State

13. Origin of state’s name: Means trial town in Creek Indian Language

14. Representatives—U.S. House, U.S. Senate, Alabama House and Alabama Senate

15. Song: Alabama

Words by: Julia S. Tutwiler

Music by: Edna G. Gussen

16. Statehood: December 14, 1815

17. Tree: Southern Pine

ALABAMA NARRATIVES VOLUME I

Born in Slavery: Slave Narratives from the Federal Writers’ Project 1936-1938

Quotes by Ex-Slaves about their Childhood Slavery Experiences

BLACK CHILDREN SPEAK SERIES—ALABAMA

1. Abe—Victory comes from Jesus!

Yes, madam I saw President Grant. "He came through Mobile

from New Orleans, and my: there was a big parade that day."

When asked about Abraham Lincoln Uncle thought smile, and

answered:

"According to what was issued out in the Bible, there

was a time for slavery, people had to be punished for their

sin, and then there was a time for it not to be, and the Lord

had opened a good view to Mr. Lincoln, and he promoted a good

idea."

When he was asked about Booker T. Washington he

replied: "It was traversed out to him until the white folks took part

with him and helped him carry on."

Realize anything like the old folks.

Charlie is a Baptist, became one when he sought

the Lord and thinks all people should be religious."

Ex-Slave Charlie AArons

Old Testament

6—Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.

Exodus 3:6

2. Abraham Lincoln

—Look beyond the presence

"I heard Araham Lincoln speak once at

Chicaumauga Moutain an he said For people,

By people and through people. I always ’membered him.

Hit I jined de church ’caze I got converted.

Ex-Slave Wade Owens

Old Testament

5 And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharoah, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness.

Exodus 5:1

3. After the War

—Lord hold my hand

"After the war many Negroes stayed with their masters and he remembered

that wome of the carpet agger come through his plantation and tried

to make the ex-slaves stake off the land saying that half of it belonged to them.

One day says Simon, "a few niggers stickin’ sticks in the ground when the massa

come up".

What you Nigger doin’ he asked.

"We is stakin’ off de land, massa. The Yankees say half of it is ourn.

"Th massa never got mad. He jus’ look calm like-

Listen, niggers he says, "what is mine, and what is your is yours

You are just as free as I and the missus to you I have never

been unfair."

"Now if you want to stay, you are welcome to work for me. I’ll pay you

one-third the crops you raise. But if you wants to go, you see the gate."

The massa never had ho more trouble, them niggers jus’ stays right there and works.

"Sometimes they loaned the massa money when he was hard pushed. Most of ’em

died on the old grounds."

Ex-Slave Sam Phillips

Old Testament

17 And thou shalt take this rod in thine hand, wherewith thou shalt do signs .

Exodus 4:17

4. Auction Block—I do not want to be on no auction block!

"When dey whipped de niggers dey would tie dem to a tree an’ whip dem good. When dey was sold dey would put ’em on a stand or block, as dey called hit den an’ dey w’ud roll up dey sleeves to see de muscles. Den dey bid on dem an’ bought ’em for ’bout $1,000 to $1,500

a piece. Us traveled in ox cart an’ I fust rid on a stage when I went to Uchee. When slaves

woud e ver’ bad dey would chain den out all night. You sho’ had to stay home an’ work."

Ex-Slave Strickland

Old Testament

10 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying:

11 Go in, speak unto Pharoah king of Egypt, that let the children of Isarel go out of his land.

Exodus 6:10, 11

5. Baby’s Milk

—Where shall I go?

"I washed ’em an’ fed ’em an’ played wid ’em. One of de babies had to take goat’s milk.

When she cry, my mistis say, ‘Cheney, go on an’ it dat goat." Yes Lawd! An’ dat goat sho’ did talk sweet to dat baby! Jes’ lack it was her own. She look at it an’ wag her tail so fas’ an’ say:

"Ma-a-a-a,’ Den she lay down on de flo’ whilst us holes her feet an’ let de

baby suck de milk. All de time dat goat been talkin’, ‘Ma-a-a-a-a,’ twell dat baby got satisfied"

Ex-Slave page 98

Old Testament

15 Get thee unto Pharaoh in the morning; lo, he goeth out unto the water; and thou shalt stand by the river’s brink against he come; and the rod which he come; and the rod which was turned to a serpent shall take in thine hand.

Exodus 7: 15

6. Baptist

—In my heart I want to be a Christian!

"You know, Miss, I’se been here a long time, I eben ’members Jefferson Davis.

I’se seen him a many a time. He had a home ’tween here (Mobile) an’ New Orleans, an’ you know he fust tuk his seat in Montgomery, an’ den moved to Richmond, Virginny."

"I ’member, too, how I usta to thinks dat de Baptist was de only relgion. You see John de Baptist come

here baptizing, an’ ever’body had to offer up his son for a sacrifices, a goat or a sheep or sumpin’

jes’ lack de man who was going to offer up his son for sacrifice. But you know, Jesus come an’ changed all dat. De folks in dem times didn’t hab nobody to worship; an den one come, who said, ‘Father, hand as a body and I’ll die for dem’. Dat’s Christ, an’ he was baptized, an’ God gib Jesus dis Jesus dis whole world. So I believed dat was de only religion."

"I ’members how us would hab big baptizins an’ shout. Us allus want to church in de white folks church,

Dey had church in de morning, us had oursn in de afternoon. Us would hab to hab a hoss, dough, ’ca’se de church was eiht miles awy from de plantation."

"Dere was plenty old songs us useta to sing, but I can’t ’member ’em. Dere is dis one dat goes—

‘Wonderful Peter,

Wonderful Paul,

Wonderful Silas,

Who for to make a

Mah heart rejoice,

On Good Shepherds, feed a’ mah sheep

Don’t you hear de young lambs a bleatin’?

Don’t you hear de young lambs a bleatin’?

Don’t you hear de young lambs a bleatin’?

Ex-Slave Frank Gill

Old Testament

8 And the Lord spake unto Moses, Go unto Pharoah, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Let my people go, that they may serve me.

Exodus 8:1

7. Baptizing in the Creek

—Take me to the water!

We had a happy fambly. At night some of de house niggers would gather ‘roun’ de fire, an mistis would read us de scriptures, an’ de white chilluns git tired an sli[out de do’ but us little niggers couldn’t ’ford to do dat; niggers couldn’t ’ford to do dat; us hadda stay dere whither us liked it or not. Sometimes de massa let de niggersdace an’ frolic an’ frolic on Saturday nights, but dey warn’t ’lowed to go offen de plantation home ceptin’ de ones dat had a wife or husban’ on annuder plantation; husban’ on annuder plantation; den dey could onlu stay for a short time. Sometimes us could go off to church, an’ I remembers a baptizin’ in de creek.

"Some of dem niggers most got derselves drowned.

Dey weren’t used to so much water an’ dey would come up outen de creek a spittin’ an’ a-coughlin lak de debil had a holt of ’em. Dere was so much shoutin’ I ’spose ever’body fo’ter arou’ could hear dem were a-carrin’ on in de creek."

Old Testament

11 And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils; for the boil was upon thr magicans, and upon all the Egyptians.

Exodus 9:11

8. Baskets

—Riding for my Lord!

My job aroun’ de placewas to nuse de chilluns, white an’ niggers. We all played ’roun together. Sometimes we play coon an’ rabbit, fox an’ houn’ and snatch, but was de mostes’ fun was ridin’ ole Sut. Sut was a donkey an’ us useta hitch him to a wagon an’ six of de chillens would ride in de wagon an’ I’d ride on his back. Sometimes us’d ride all the day into Talladega wid Sut, Naw Suh", us wan’t never given no money for nothin’, but I learnt how to make baskets an’ I would take ’em in to Talledga on Sat’day evenings an’ sell ’em to de white folks for fifteen cents. Den when I needed somp’n lax ’bacco or a little piece of chocolate. I could go to de sto’ an’ buy it. Lots of slaves on yuther plantations warn’t ’lowed to make any money dough.

"Table dat de white folks et at. Atter dey finished dere meal, we slaves would set down right after dem an eat de same kinda food. Yassuh. ‘Sho I ’member de war I ’member when de war commence. Jeff Davis called for volunteers; den a little later when de south needed mo’ mens to fight; Jeff Davis’ officers would go th’ough de streets an’ grab up de white mens an’ put ropes ‘roun’ dere wrists lak dey was takin’ ’em off to jail, an’ all de while dey was jus’takin’ ’em off to war. Dey made all de white mens go. It was called a ’scription. Some niggers went too.

Dem niggers fought right side of dere masters. Some went as body guards an’ some went as soldiers. "Yassuh, Boss I recalls de time dat de ’federate soldiers, bless dere souls, hid dere few hossess in de basement of de old Masonic Institute in Talladya an’ hid dere ammunition in de hollow some pillars. Gen’l Wilson