Slave Narrative for the CSET

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John good ‘nough to us an’ we get plenty to eat, but he had a oberseer name Green Bush what sho’ whup us iffen we don’t do to suit him. Yassuh, he mighty rough wid us be he didn’t do de whippin’ hisse’f. He had a big black boy name Mose, mean as de debil an’ strong as a ox, and de oberseer let him do all de whuppin’. An’, man, he could sho’ lay on dat rawhide lash. He whupped a nigger gal ’bout thirteen years old so hard she nearly die, an’ allus atterwa’ds she

hab spells of fits or somp’n. Dat make Marse John pow’ful mad, so he run dat oberseer off de place an’ Mose didn’ do no mo’ whuppin’.

“Same time Marse John buy mammy an’ us boys, he buy a black man name Joe. He a preacher an’ de marster let de slaves buil’ a bresh arbor in de pecan grove over in de big pastur’, an’ when de wedder warn’t too cold all de slaves was ‘lowed to meet dar on Sunday fo’ preachin’.

Yassuh, ole Joe do purty good. I speck he had mo’ ‘ligion dan some of de hifalutin’ niggers ‘tendin’ to preach nowadays. De white folks chu’ch, hit at Hope Hill over on de stage road, an’ sometimes dey fetch ‘dere preacher to de plantation to preach to de slaves. But dey druther heah Joe.

“Nawsuh, we didn’t git no schoolin’ ‘cep’in’ befo’ we got big ‘nough to wuk in de fiel’ we go ‘long to school wid de white chillun to take care of ‘em. Dey show us pictures an’ tell us all dey kin, but it didn’t ‘mount to much.

“When de war started ‘mos’ all I know ’bout it was all de white mens go to Montgomery an’ jine de army. My brudder, he ’bout fifteen year ole, so he go ‘long wid de ration wagon to Montgomery ‘mos’ ebry week. One day he come back from Montgomery an’ he say, ‘Hell done broke loose in Gawgy.’ He couldn’t tell us much ’bout what done happen, but de slaves dey get all ‘cited ‘caze dey didn’ know what to ‘spect. Purty soon we fin’ out day some of de big mens call a meetin’ at de capitol on Goat Hill in Montgomery. Dey ‘lected Mista Jeff Davis president an’ done busted de Nunited States wide open.

“Atter dat dar warn’t much happen on de plantation ‘cep’in’ gangs of so’jers passin’ th’ough gwine off to de war. Den ’bout ebry so often a squad of Confederate so’jers would come to de neighborhood gatherin’ up rations for Gin’ral Lee’s army dey say. Dat make it purty hard on bofe whites an’ blacks, takin’ off some of de bes’ stock an’ runnin’ us low on grub.

“But we wuk right on ‘twell one day somebody seen a runner sayin’ de Yankees comin’. Ole mistis tell me to hurry ober to Mrs. Freeman’s an’ tell ‘em Wilson’s Yankee raiders was on de

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