My tongue's right smart think. I's ten year old when they blew up that fort. I mean Fort Jackson. Grandpa was cookin'. They wouldn't lot him fight. The fort was in New Orleans. They kilt lots of people. They bore holes in the ground and blow it up. A square hole, you know, a machine went in there. A man could crawl in the hole, yes, yes, sho'. The fort was long side the river. They bore holes from the river bank. They had a white paper, a order for 'em not to come to New Orleans. They drag cannon in the hole and shoot up the fort. Soon's freedom come my pa and ma was squatters on gov'ment land. It was good land and high land. My pa had 'bout 100 acres. One night somebody come shoot him. Shoot him in the back. Ma took the chillen to Shady Bayou to grandpa. My grandpa come from Africy. I never see my other people 'cause day 'longs to other masters. My grandpa die when he 115 year old. Elisha Guidry he my master in slavery. He had lots of slaves. He whip my pa lots of times. He was unwillin' to work. He whip my ma, too. One time he cut her with the whip and cut one her big toes right off. Ma come up on the gallery and wrap it up in a piece of rag. Us have a dirt house. The chimney made with mud. It's a good house. It hot in summer. The beds made with moss and sticks and the big old ticks made at the big house. Us didn't have no chairs. Jes' benches. In the room's a big trough. Us sit 'round the trough and eat clabber and bread with big, wood spoon. I eat many a meal that way myself. Dem's moral times.

A gal's 21 'fore she marry. They didn't go wanderin' 'round all hours. They mammies knowed where they was. Folks nowadays is wild and weak. The gals dress up come Sunday. All week they wear they hair all roll up with cotton they unfold from the cotton boll. Sunday come they come the hair out fine. No grease on it. They want it natural curly. Us have good food most time. Steel and log traps for big game. Pit traps in the woods 'bout so long and so deep, and kivered with bresh and leaves. That cotch possum and coon and other things what come 'long in the night. Us lace willow twigs and strings and put a cross piece on top and bottom, and little piece of wood on top edge. The trap 'bout two feet off the ground to cotch she birds. Doves, blackbirds, any kind birds you can eat. Us clean them li'l birds good and rub 'em down in lard. After they set awhile us broil 'em with plenty black pepper and salt. Us shoot plenty ducks with musket, too. Greens was good, too. Us eat parsley greens and shuglar weed. That big, two foot plant what have red flower on it. Us git lots of 'em in Wade's Bayou. Us put li'l bit flour in ashes and make ashcake. Us cook pumpkin in ashes, too. After slavery I hoe cotton. No money at first, jes' work on halves. The trouble that there no equal halves. The white folks pay jes' like they wants. A man couldn't work that way no time. I had to come over to Texas 'cause a man what want my land say I stoled a barrel from he house. He try arres' my old woman 'cause she say she find the barrel. Now, I never have the case in lawsuit and I 'spect to die that way. But I has to stay 'way from Mauriceville for three year 'cause that man say I thiefed he barrel. Things was bad after us come to Texas for a time. That Lizal Scizche , he sho' rough man. Us cropped on the share and he take the crop and the money and lef' fast. Us didn't have a mesa of nothin' left. I manages so live by cropping'. I been here 52 year now. My first wife name Massage Florshann , that the French. My wife what I got now name Annie . Massanne she give me six chillen and Annie four.

He is a small man, shriveled with age, his bald pate shining above a wrinkled face that is almost sinister because of the sightless glare of one eye. Despite his appearance, Amos Lincoln , 85, is singularly mild in speech, and although some impediment causes difficulty in pronunciation, is very talkative. Like most of his race he evidences deep religious tendencies. A former slave on the Elshay Guidry plantation in the lower delta country of Louisiana, 40 or 50 miles [sic] of New Orleans, his most vivid recollections are of the bombing of old Fort Jackson in 1862. My tongue 's right smart t'ick.

I was 10 year' ol' w'en dey blow' up dat fort. Gran'par was cookin'. Dey wouldn' let 'im fight. D' fort was in N'Yawlins (New Orleans). Dey kill lots 'r' people. Dey bo' (bore) holes in d' groun' an blow it up; a square hole y' know, a machine went in dere. A man coul' crawl in d' hole, yes, yes, sho'. D' fort was 'long side d' ribber. Dey bo' (bore) hole from d' ribber bank. Dey had a w'ite paper, an' order for 'em not t' come t' N'Yawlins. Dey drag a cannon in d' hole an' shoot up d' fort an' kill lots 'r' people. It was 'way below N'Yawlins; d' name of it was Fort Jackson's Fort. My folks helt me w'en I was a baby. I couldn' do much 'r' nuthin' fo' dem do' cause I's free fo' I big nuf t' do much fo' 'em. Soon's freedom come my pa an' ma was squatters on gov' lan'. It was good lan' an' high lan' an' some gits 100 acres of lan' fo' one hawg. My pa had 'bout 100 acres. One night somebody come an' shoot my ol' man. Shoot 'im in d' back. Ma tuk d' chillen t' Shady Bayou t' gran'par atter dey kill my pa. Nobody was big 'nuf t' run d' place. My gran'par he come from Africa. I 'member d' place start wid a "S" but I don' know d' 'zack name. I neber see my uder people co'se dey part w'en slav'ry time was on. My gran'par die w'en he 115 year ol'. I's jus' 15 year ol' w'en he die. Elshay Guidry , he was my marster in slav'ry. He had lots 'r' slaves. I was too young t' work in d' fiel's. He whip us folks lots 'r' times. My pa, y' know was unwillin' t' work. Dey whip my ma too, I don' know w'at dey whip 'er fo'. One time dey cut 'er wid d' whip an' cut one her big toe right off. Ma come up on d' gallery an' wrap it up in a piece 'r' rag. Dey neber whip me none. Dey uster run me lots but dey neber could kotch up wid me. Dey uster try whip us boys co'se we run an' jump on d' 'tater bump. D' 'tater bump was d' place w'ere dey put d' 'taters in a bin wid dirt, den put co'n stalks on d' nex' layer, den some straw, den some long co'n stalks buil' up t' a p'int. Den dey put dirt all 'roun' ober it up t' d' top. Dey put piece 'r' two 'r' bo'rd 'cross d' top t' shed d' water w'en it rain. D' w'ite boys an' me uster run all day an' jump on d' 'tater bump. D' marster say he gwinter bresh us, but we run clear t' d' cabin do', hook d' do' an' run under d' bed an' dey couldn' ketch us. Us had a dirt house. D' chim'ly was made wid mud. It was a good house. Dey put mud in chinks. I's bo'n in one dem houses. Dey was hot in d' summer. D' beds was made wid moss an' shucks an' dey cut an' made d' bed ticks at d' big house. Us didn' hab no chairs jus' ol' benches. In d' room was a big trough. Us all sit 'roun' d' trough an' eat clabber an' bread wid a big spoon, wood spoon. I eat many a meal dat way myse'f. Dem was moral times.

A gal was 21 fo' she marry. An' gals didn' go wanderin' t' d' neighbor's house all hours. Dey mammies know'd w'ere dey was. Folks now-a-days is wil' (wild) an' weak. I 'member how d' gals uster dress up come Sunday. All week dey wear dey hair all roll up wid cotton dat dey unfol' off d' cotton boll. Sunday come dey comb out dey hair fine. Dey didn' put all dat grease on it. Dey want it nice an' nat'ral curly. Monday dey put d' cotton string back so it hab all week t' git curly ag'in. Us had good food mos' time. Steel an' log traps fo' big game; dig pit traps in d' woods 'bout so long an' so deep, an' kiver dem wid bresh an' leaves. Dat kotch 'possum, 'coon, an' uder t'ings w'at come 'long in d' night. Den us lace willow twigs wid strings an' put a cross piece on d' top an' d' bottom, an' a little piece 'r' wood on d' top edge. D' trap was put 'bout two feet off d' groun' t' kotch d' birds. W'at birds? O, jus' birds fly 'roun' d' house, doves, black birds, any kin' birds y' kin eat. Us clean dem little birds good, good, sho', an' rub 'em down in lard. Atter dey set aw'ile den us broil 'em wid plenty black pepper an' salt. Us shoot plenty ducks wid a mustet (musket) too. Greens was good, too. Us eat parsley greens an' shuglar weed, dat big two foot plant w'at had red flower on it. Us got lots 'r' dem down in Wade's Bayou. Den us put a little bit 'r' flour in d' ashes an' make good cake. Us cook pumpkin in d' ashes too, an' make ashes bread. I ain' seen no mo' like dat now. Atter slav'ry d' fus' wuk I do was t' hoe cotton. Dey didn' gib us no money at fus' jus' wuk on d' hafs (halves). D' trubble was dat dey didn' hab no equal hafs. D' w'ite folks pay jus' like dey want t' do, an' den someboddy come 'long an' steal d' haf w'at d' nigger 'spose t' git. A man couldn' wuk dat way no time. I had t' come ober t' Texas cause a man w'at want my lan' say I stole a bahr'l from he house. He try arres' my ol' woman co'se she say she fin' d' bahr'l. Now I neber had a case in lawsuit, an' I 'spect t' die dat way. But I had t' stay 'way from Mauriceville fo' t'ree year co'se dat man say I t'iefed dat bahr'l. T'ings was bad atter us come t' Texas fo' a time. Dat Lizal Scizcho he sho' rough man. Us cropped on d' share an' he tuk d' crop an' d' money an' lef' fas' an' us didn' hab a mess 'r' nut'in' lef'. I been here 52 year'. My fus' wife name Massanne Florshann , dat d' French, an' my wife w'at I got now she name Annie . Massanne she gib me six chillren an' Annie fo' (four).