Texas Slave Narratives

Texas Slave Narrative

  Henry Smith

I doezn't know jes w'en I was borned, but I was big enuff ter plow an' I driv er team ob oxen wid a freight train ob cotton f'om Green Parish, Louisiana down ter New Orleans fer ole Marse Bill Smith , so I knows I was quite a grown boy w'en de Freedom War broke out. Marse sont me ter New Orleans seberal times before de Freedom War wid er load ob cotton an' Marse wouldn't hab sont no young boy widout he ole nuff ter hab some sense. W'en dey say a war gwine come fer sho' Marse Bill , he run he niggers into Texas kase he say dat de niggers in Texas ain't gwine be free quick lak in de ole states. He sold all de niggers he could 'fore he lef' Louisiana, but he git paid in Confederate money an' in de long run he lose mos' eberything eny way. He come ter Texas an' he settle down 'tween Perry an' Waco. He had three boys, Sam , Jim and Lee . Dey was ole 'nuff dat dey had ter go to de war. I was gib ter Marse Jim an' went wid him ez er body guard.   Down in Waco de w'ite folks got up what dey call de Lone Star Guards an' dat was de furst infantry troops fer de Confederates dat was got togedder at Waco. Dey lef' Waco on July 21st, dat was Mistis Jane's birfday, an' dey was startin' out to go ter Virginia ter fit fer de Souf'. Mis' Jane , she was ole Marster's wife, an' she say her boy hab ter lebe ter git shot on her birfday, an' dar was er lot ob talkin' on, but she want him ter go allright. Dis company pass right though Marlin an' dey goes on down ter Millikin, dat was de end of de Houston, Texas Central Railroad. W'en dey git ter Marlin, in Falls County de boys f'om eroun' dar jined up wid 'em. Well, dat was sho' some hard trip, but us all gits ter Richmond way up in Virginny erbout de 11th ob September in '61. De w'ite folks allers tell us dat dars gwine be thirty companies got up in Texas ter help de Souf', an' in each ob dese companies dar was one hunnert men. Wal, dey all git down ter Harrisburg, dat's in Harris County, close ter Houston.

I nebber seed so meny men togedder an' us say fer sho' de Norf' ain't gwine be no trubble at all ter whip. Fer three weeks, us stays an drills at Harrisburg an' de Marsters de sign er paper dat dey gwine er fight three years, but Marse Jim he say dat jes' foolishment, dat us ain't gwine be gone f'om home no time. I say I'ze ready ter go back right now, but c'ose Marse Jim he needs me ter keep him all shiny an' lookin' nice. Den us went on ter Richmon' an Marse Frank Lubbock , de Governor ob de State had er big ceremony 'fore us lef' an' tuk de sojers inter de Confederate army an' sont 'em on de way to Gen'rl Lee . Dey was armed wid all sorts of guns, but not lak de ones dey has deze days. W'en us git ter Houston us git on flat kyars an' entrain ez de soljers say, fer Bomont. De alligaytors was all erlong in de ponds by de railroad tracks an' de boys spent all deir time shootin' alligaybors. Say dey had ter keep in practice. At Bomont, us git on er big boat ter go ter Sabine Pass an' us went up de Sabine Ribber ter a place dey call Orange. Den us gits off de boat an' starts walkin'. An' us walked all dem hunnert an' sixty miles ter New Orleans. Dar us camped in er big warehouse ter wait fer de railroad kyars ter git ter V'ginny. W'le us was in New Orleans dar was two little Eyetalian boys dat uset ter come eroun' all de time an' play er fiddle fer de soljers an' dey played an' sung er chune call "Dixie", an' de boys lak hit an' dey sing hit all der time. An' w'en dey git up dar er fightin' so fer f'om Texas dey all sing dat song an' all de odder Southern soljers tuk hit up and den dey call hit de song ob de Souf'. Dat an' de 'Yellow Rose ob Texas' was allers bein' sung by de boys. Us stopped erw'ile at a place call Knoxville, in Tennessee an' a man call Gen'rl Zollicoffer come an' 'spected all de boys. Den us git on er train an' us sho' nuff' gwine f'om dar ter Richmon'. Dat General Zollicoffer was kilt at er battle in East Tennessee, call Fishin' Crik Battle. At Richmon', our boys was put in Company E wid de Forth Texas Regiment an' dey wuzn't call 'Lone Star Guards' no mo'. Dey git er suit ob clothes all erlike fer all ob 'em an hit was a gray color an' dats why dey call de soljers f'om de Souf' de boys in grey. Dar was a man what had a big store in Waco, he name was Mister Captain Ryan an' befo' de war git all so bad, dis Mister Ryan had gone ter New York an' had some folks up dar make brass button wid de letters "L.S.G." all raised up on de buttons. You see he was sho' dar gwine be a war an' he wants ter git up dis company an' ter hab deir fixin's all ready. One ob de furst things dat our boys seed was some ob de Yankee prisoners what de Confederates had in what dey call Libby Prison. Dese Yankees had bin tuk prisoners in de furst battle ob Manassas, so Marse Jim, he tell me. Dar was one a Mister Congressman call W. W. Corcoran dat libed in New York, an' he come out f'om de town ob Washington in he buggy jes' on purpose ter see de rebels whipped. Well, he git heself in de Libby Prison. Marse Jim an' de boys wid him stay 'bout two months close ter Richmon' jes' trainin' an' den early in de fall ob '61, hit was jes 'bout three or four days 'fore Thanksgibin', de Brigade was ordered ter jine de Army ob what dey call North Virginny, an' us was gwine ergin de Yankee Army at er place call Centerville. Us crossed de Potomac Ribber an' gits in position on de right wing of de Army at Dumfries an' us was jes' 'bout thurty miles f'om Centerville, only kinder souf' Marse Jim tell me.

Us went into winter quarters unner General Joe Johnston . March 9th us marched to er place name Yorktown. Ole Genneral McLellan was dar an' he boasted dat he gwine coop de Rebel Army up in what dey call de pernenshular an' mop 'em off de face ob de airth. De Ribber dat dey call de Chickahominy, hit jes' bends eroun' Richmon' but hit erbout seven miles f'om de town. Well, us didn't git much done an' on de 5th ob May de Texas Brigade was put in what de w'ite gemmans call de Post ob Honor, but dey wan't no post dere; dey jus' marched behim de real Army an' tuk all de danger. Dey march dat way all day an' de nex' day anodder command tuk deir place at er place name Williamsburg. Atter w'en de Southern soljers had got quite er piece f'om Williamsburg, some ob de Northern soljers run inter dem an' er pow'ful fight was er goin' on, but de Texas Brigade wuzn't in dat kase dey was still in what dey call de perninshular an' dey hurried to a place name Elthim's Landing. Dar er lot ob de Northern soljers had got offen deir gunboats an' dar was er little shootin'. But de Southern soljers kep' on retreatin' an' de Yanks couldn't stop 'em. De Texas Brigade stayed dar all day an' w'en de Yanks couldn't stop 'em. De Texas Brigade stayed dar all day an' w'en de Yanks git back on dere boat, de Texas boys git on de way an' git to de north side of de Chickahominy. 'Bout de las' ob May, de Texas Brigade fit in de battle what dey called Seven Pines. Dar was er railroad 'long de York Ribber an' de Texas Brigade was stationed erlong dis railroad. But all de fightin' ob dis battle, an' hit sho was er bloody one, was erbout er mile away, ter de lef' ob whar us was. W'ile us was er waitin' dar, President Marster Davis an' General Reagan an' dey rode up in our rear an' us wan't 'spectin' 'em. One ob de soljers in our bunch throwed he hat in de air an' holler 'Hurrah fer Geniril Reagan '. An' 'bout dat time de Yanks jes' tore loose a-shootin' right square dab at us. Yo' see de Yanks was lyin' in de woods ercross whar our boys was. De Yanks couldn't see us good an' wan't no ha'am done. Our boss man he yell fer all usns ter lie down an' dar was one ob our boys, Marse Sam Chambers , an' he hit de groun' so hard dat he stuck a stubble in he chin, dat was all de blood shed de Texas Brigade at de battle what dey call Seven Pines. Atter dis battle was ober, us waded in deep water jes' miles an' miles hit seem lak an' git back to us camp. Long 'bout ten or elebenth ob June, Marse Jim say, Geniril Lee tolt our boys to entrain. Yo' see Geniril Johnston f'om Texas had bin our Giniril, but he git shot up bad at Seven Pines so Marse Giniril Lee he tuk us in he command. An' us was sont to what dey call de Shenandoah Valley ter git back wid Giniril Stonewall Jackson an' on de sly, de boys f'om de Souf' dey plan ter make de Yanks think dat us gwine git holt ob deir big capital city, Washington. Us stayed in de Shenandoah Valley erwhile an' den us sont ter Richmon'. De w'ite folks say dat Ginirl Jackson was gwine hope Ginirl Lee to drive McClellan outten whar he was on de Chickhominy. An' boy, dey sho run 'em outten dar. 'bout de las' ob June in 1862 us could hear de cannon what de Southern boys was er-shootin' at de Yanks on de odder side ob de Chickahominy f'om whar us wus. Marse Jim, he say dat de was erfightin' at er place call Mechanicsville an' dis was de very beginiin' ob what was de seven days' battle. My God! Miss, de blood sho' run lak er flood, an' dis chile jes' pray ez I gwine ebber see my ole Miss an' my Mammy, but dey don' tolt me ter go 'long Marse Jim an' tuk care ob him, an' I'ze got ter stay.

Times us had ter sleep on us guns. Dar was er creek right about dar call Powhite Creek an' on dis creek was what dey call de Gaines' mill. On de secon' atternoon us in har, us was marchin' along an' er cannon ball come crashin' through de trees an' hit hit de groun' er few steps in front of our company, an' our boys jes' marched on wid deir chins up, an' my knees trembled so I mos' fall, Marse Jim , he jes' laff an' say come on big boy don't fall, now er de damm Yanks'll cut you in two. An' us jes' waded right through de pond up 'bove dat mill an us git up on high ground whar us officers am waitin' fer us. Bout seben o'clock dat night, dey git all line up ter fight an' de battle den bin gwine on all day mos'. Us officers said ter go git dem Yanks but not ter fire er gun. Dey want me ter stay behime, but how I gwine look atter Marse Jim ? No ma'am, us black boys didn't hab no guns, but I had my razor an' er big club. De Texas Brigade jes' ran dem Yanks 'cross er little branch (creek) an' chast dem twill dey call us back. Jes' ez our boys git to whar de Yanks had helt de odder Southern soljers fer hours, one ob our boys in de Texas bunch he git shot in de head an' in de lef' arm, shatterin' de bone up nigh he shoulder. Us didn't know dis fer hours an' Marse Billy Dunklin found him an' tuk to de fiel' hospital in de back ob us troops. Dar was so many wounded dat de doctor didn't git to dis Marse B. L. Aycock an' he didn't git he hurts fixed up f'om Thursday till Sunday an' den dey put him in an army waggin wid er lot more dat had got wounded, an' sont 'em nine miles ter Richmon'. Dat was er pow'ful rocky, rough road fer wounded folks ter jolt ober in er waggin. Dey done make er hospital outten de First Baptist Church in Richmond. De cut Marse Aycock's jacket offen him an' fixed him up. An' den a few days later, a place on de back ob he head swole up an' de doctor he git dat odder bullet out. He say dat de bullet what knocked him ober. Marse Aycock kep' dat bullet er long time; hit was flat whar hit had hit he skull. De nex' December, Marse Aycock was in Waco an' he git er doctor ter hunt fer de ball in he arm an' dey got dat. Wuzn't no blood pison neidder. Anodder one ob our boys git hurt dat time too; he was Marse Tom Cunningham of company F; he wuzn't hurt so bad an' he say he gwine walk dat nine miles ter Richmon' radder than jolt in dat waggin' an' he did, but he died fro'm gangrene in a few days. I allers thot dat dese two boys was funny, caze one die an' hurt er little, an' de odder one was so nigh kilt but live. In 1863, Marse Aycock git two or three re'crooits an' he git on er stage an' go f'om Waco to Shreveport, Louisiana an' den dey git in canoers an' git to Natchez Mississippi.

Everyboddy dar was er lookin' fer de Northern soljers ter come, but dey didn't come dat way, so des boys went f'om Natchez to Hazelhurst on de Mobile and Ohio railroad. 'Long 'bout dar, I'ze heard Marse Aycock tell hit er meny a time, dey seed de railroad tracks all torn up whar Grierson an' de Northern soljers had done dat an' eberythin' was all torn up by dem. Marse Aycock an' he friens went on ter Chattanooga an' he had some sisters dar. So he go ter see dem; de odder mens went on to Fredericksburg an' git wid us boys dar. Marse Aycock come on late dat summer, but he ain't fitten to fight much, so Colonel Baine made him what dey call ordnance sargeant. W'le all dis was er doin' us boys had bin up in Pennsylvania er fightin' at Gettysburg. 'Bout de middle ob September Longstreet's Command was sont ter Georgia an' dem an' de Texas Brigade was in de thickes' ob de battle ob Chickamauga an' us los' er lot ob our boys den. Dat was one time dat dey got me, an' I had ter stay back ob de fightin' lines. Marse Aycock had he ordnance waggin in de rear. Ginniril Hood was wounded de secon' day ob dat battle an he ordnance train tuk er litter an' brung him outten de hot part ob de fiel'. Marse Ginniril Hood had been our colonel w'en us organized an' he had bin wid us on all our marches an' in all us fights. De big officers put Ginniril Hood up ter Ginniril Joe Johnston's place w'en dey was fightin' befo' Atlanta. W'en de Yanks git deirselves in Chattanooga, de Texas Brigade kep dem cooped up dar 'bout two months. Dat was Ginniril Rosencrans bunch ob Yanks. Den dey mobed ter Knoxville, in east Tennessee. Dey git er little an' den us went into winter quarters at Morristown. I hope build dem de log cabins dat dey libed in 'till March 1864. Den us git orders to git to de big Ginniril Lee's army of Northern Virginia.

Marse Jim an' me, we was right erlong wid Marse Aycock an' us had bin off de firin' line ober a year an' a half. Marse Aycock he shouldered er musket an' us jined Ginniril Lee at de close ob de furst day ob de Battle of de Wilderness in May. Colonel Longstreet marched us at double quick march fer seberal miles. Ginniril Lee' s men was all wore out w'en us git dar. Ginniril Lee come to de Texas Brigade an' he made a talk dat sho' roused our boys all up. Ginniril Gregg was de main man ober our boys in de Brigade den. An' Ginniril Gregg he tole us w'at Ginniril Lee done said. Den de boys went inter de battle line. An' I gits sont ter de ordnance waggins. But I'ze heard Marse Jim an' Marse Aycock tell 'bout hit er hunnerd times. De Brigade was put in er fiel' dat was 'tween dem an' de Northern soljers. Dey had one ob deir cannon in a dense thicket in front, and de Northern soljers seed hit an' dey seed Ginniril on he hoss Traveler right close to hit. One ob de Brigade boys seed whar Ginniril Lee w er gittin' right in plain view ob de Northern skirmishers so one ob de Texas boys he gits holt ob Ginniril bridle rain an' he say 'Lee to de rear' an' dat's one time de Ginniril obeyed a private's command. An' allers de Texas boys say dat's what saved Ginniril Lee's life. He seemed to want ter lead de charge all de time, dat was somethin' he nebber had done an' he nebber was allowed to do, if he was er Ginniril. W'en our Texas Brigade was ordered forward, de Northern soljers had 'em a breastwork ob piled up logs in de thick woods. Our Brigade got so close to dis breastwork dat somethin' had to heppen. The bluecoats run outten de breastworks an' de Brigade won. Marse Aycock he was er little in front ob de odder boys an' he up an' goes to a tree right close ter de Northern lines. Dis was a double tree or one dat was forked near de groun'. He fires a shot f'om behine dat tree an' den he lookt eroun'. An' dar was five ob de boys behine him at dat tree; one was Lieutenant Ed Tilley , anodder was Lieutenant Boyd ob Company C; anodder was Marster Cosgrove a private in Company C. Marse Tilley he git killed an' all ob de five git kilt er wounded but Marse Aycock an' he didn't git hurt at all.

De Texas Brigade stayed right dar all day, an' de nex' day dey buried deir dead; an' late dat night, dey was ordered ter git on de march. Dey gwine try ter meet Ginniril Grant an' he Northern soljers at a place, Marse Jim say dey call hit Spottsylvania Court House. De waggins, de artillery, de teams an' de soljers so mixed up on dat awful dark night, dat you can't tell 'nuffin' 'bout nuffin'. An' ebery once in erw'ile dey'd stop an' down er fellow would drop to sleep in he tracks. One ob de privates in Company C could not sleep an' he kep' heself bizzy er wakin' de odder soljers up w'en dey could make a move ob a few steps. Dey suffered all dat night. Just 'fore dinner de nex' day dey gits wid de odder part ob de army. All ob de Southern soljers unner Ginniril Lee was er tryin' ter stop Ginniril Grant an' de Northern soljers f'om gittin ter dis Court House. De Texas Brigade gits whar dey tolt to an' dey waits fer Grant . De Northern soljers jes' attack de Texas Brigade one place an' our boys jes' sont dem back widout no trubble at all. Eberythin' is quiet erw'ile an' Marster Dave Decherd dat 'longed ter Master Aycock's company 'cided ter go ober to de enemy's line an' git close 'nuff ter har what dey gwine ter do, an' fer him ter see whar dey was. In er little w'ile Marse Decherd come back an' he had him er pair ob boots. Dat boy sho' need dem boots, kase he done wored hisen out er marchin'. Marse Decherd sot down to try de boots on, an' Marse Aycock er standin' er watchin', w'en somethin' goes 'ping', an Marse Aycock look at Marse Decherd an' he seen de boy open he shirt front. A ball had got between he ribs. In less dan no time at all, dat boy was dead an' he nebber did git ter try on dem boots what he need so bad.  De roads dey made an angle 'bout er half er mile f'om whar de Texas Brigade was at. And sometime 'bout de secon' week in May, de Northern soljers unnder Ginniril Grant dey slip through at dis angle. Dat was sho' a bloody fight. De folks allers call hit, atter dat, de Bloody Angle. Furst one side an' den de odder was gittin' hit, but de Northerns git hit last. Dat time, I jes' nacherly 'boun' ter see how Marse Jim gittin' 'long an' I slip to whar he is, an' dey sont me back ter de rear. All de time us boys gittin' fewer an' fewer. Den Ginniril John B. Gordon driv de Northern soljers back an' dar wuzn't no more fightin' dar. De big officers in de Souf' an' in de North was er schemin' ter git ter Richmon. Ginniril Lee sont de Texas Brigade an' some cavalry ter keep Grant's men f'om gittin' de railroads dat run f'om Richmon' to de Souf' an' ober which de people in Richmon' an' de soljers git deir supplies. De Brigade beat de Northern soljers ter de place an' kep' de Norf' f'om gittin' de railroad. In July, de Brigade was ordered back to de norf' side ob de James Ribber. W'en Hood's Brigade made dis change to de "Norf' Side", Ginniril Grant was gittin' he men ter dig er tunnell unner de groun' right whar de Southern breastworks at Petersburg had been. Dey call dis de Crater an' dis was right nigh de place dey jes' had bin' I mean whar de Texas Brigade had bin. De Brigade was twenty miles f'om dar w'en de Northern soljers blew up de Crater but us heard the cannonading ob de fight. On up till in October us didn't hab much fightin'. One day hit was real foggy an' de pickets come er runnin' in er sayin' dat de enemy was advancin'. De Brigade git line up, fifteen feet apart ready fer de charge. But 'stid ob sojers, dar come a horse widout a rider, an' he bridle an' saddle was lak de ones de big officers had. Ebery boddy shout 'Don' shoot him' twill he start back to de enemy lines an den a volley ob musketry brung him down. One dark night in early October, us was ordered to move. De Brigade was put on er place on de Darbytown road an' den hit was ordered ter charge de Yankee fortified works.

Marse Jim by dis time was put wid de waggins kase he had bin wounded in July an' as he wuzn't doin' so well, dey didn't give him de firin' line. Dis was w'en Ginniril Gregg git kilt, in dat battle 'tween de Darbytown an' Newmarket roads. Marse Aycock tell me dat de onlest ginnirils who commanded de Texas Brigade was Marsters Wigfall , Hood , Robertson an' Gregg . Atter Ginniril Greggs git kilt Colonel Winkler was de commanding officer 'til Colonel Powell ob de 5th regiment git exchanged outten de Northern prison an' den he tuk command, so Marse Aycock allers say. In dis battle on de Darbytown road, somehow Marse Jim, he git er gun an' gits inter de middle ob things. W'en dey go ergin' de Northern breastworks, er lot ob our boys didn't come back. Atter dark some ob 'em come back to whar us was behime de lines, but dar wuzn't no Marse Jim . I crawls out whar dey tell me dat dey think he is. I gits him up cross my shoulder, an' brings him back an' buries him, an' den dis boy git er mule an' er little grub an' some ob Marse Jim's things an' den I gits inter er awful time. I starts ter Texas. Dat was an awful trip but I finnerly gits ter de ole Marster an' tells what I has ter an' gibs what I could keep ob Marse Jim's things ter de folks. I'ze mos' dead but dis ole nigger got ter live er long time. Atter de freedom comes I stays right erlong my w'ite folks an' helps all dat I can. Marster an' Mistis dey don't libe long, an' den I wukks fer fust one an' den de odder. Yes, I was married ter er putty likely gal by our ole Marster in de days jes' 'fore de war. Nebber had no chillun 'cep' jes' de chillun ob my w'ite folks. Dey all dead now. An' I jes' hab de gobernment penshun an' what de good folks gib me. Dar was an oberseer on de plantation an' he sho' did swing dat blacksnake, but some niggers jes' natcherly gib trubble no matter what an' was lazy. Dey gits whupped, but de ones dat wukked didn't.
 


Henry Hence Smith , 85, was born a slave but doesn't know the day and month of his birth. He was born at Manor, Travis County. When he was asked the name of his master, he said,  Why it was Mawster Manor . Then he looked at his wife. She said,  No it wasn't Manor ; we've done forgot who he was. Then for some reason he admitted that he was uncertain about his master's name. Henry was a field boy on the cotton plantation. His father, Jim Smith , has been dead for more than sixty years; his mother, Vicey Smith , has been dead about twenty-five years. Henry doesn't remember how many brothers and sisters he had. Henry has been an invalid for about fourteen months. He is dark colored, and his wife light colored. She is about thirteen years his junior. Henry and Kate Baker were married in 1885. They had eight children, four boys and four girls, and one girl, Dorothy , is dead. Henry owns a seventy acre farm in the Montopolis area, about five miles east of Austin. Their home is a weather-beaten dwelling, but is comfortable and clean looking inside. Henry receives a monthly pension of ten dollars from the State of Texas. His address is Rural Route #2, Box 211, Austin.

Henry Smith is my real name, but ever since slavery days folks has called me Hence . I don't know why, but dat's whut dey called me. I reckon dat I'm eighty-five years old, and dat I was bawn in 1853. I don't know de day or month of my birth. Never did learn about dat. Sometimes my wife tells me dat I must be older, 'cause, as fur as I kin recollect, I was made a task-master at one time on our cotton plantation. When I was a task-master, I had to watch folks, so dat dey done dere tasks, or a certain amount of work each day. In dem days, folks had to do tasks, befo' dey was through fo' de day. I was putty young at dat time, and I didn't git paid fo' my work. I jes' got my eats, clothes and cabin. If I didn't mind, I sure got a whoopin' wid a stick. We'd git our grub, but dere was times when some of us got hongry anyhow. I'm not sure now whut my mawster's name was, but de plantation was down at Manor, Texas. And whut I'm goin to tell yo' happened on dat plantation. One night I was hongry and I had noticed dat a dawg had dug a hole under de mawster's smokehouse. I jes' crawled through dat hole and den got inside. I carried away some ham, bacon, sausage. Yo' know dere was so much stuff in dat smokehouse, dat de mawster never did find out dat I got in dere. Manor wasn't no town in dem days, and jes' a few plantation folks lived out dere. De Manors was some of 'em. De town is named fo' 'em. But I kin still remembah dat one thing it had at dat time was a grave yard.

Sometimes I think dat a man by de name of Compton or Copton owned me. I'm not sure. I know dat I done a lot of field work and sich. I done a lot of cotton pickin'. Den at times I had to drive de hosses around and around a hoss power gin. Den I had to help tromp de cotton down in de baler, and den tie de bale up wid ropes. Dey sure didn't gin cotton in dem days lak dey do now. In dem days it was good work to put out about one bale every hour. Dere was times when I had to tote eats out to de field hands. I packed buckets of eats on my head, and took it to de workers. Dey would stop workin', set down in de rows, and staht eatin'. I remembah when I was a boy, dat I left one night to see my girl. I didn't tell de mawster dat I was goin' to ride. He had plenty of fine hosses, and I thought dat I'd take one. Do yo' know dat dat fool hoss took sick sudden and died on me. I sure was scared. How would I git dat hoss back onto de plantation, I thought: Some men were with me and I was so scared dat I said, 'Put dat hoss on my shoulders and let me pack him back to my mawster's place, I got to git him back befo' he finds out about dis.' Of cose I never did pack dat hoss back. But we got him back and my mawster never did find out about it. It sho' was a good thing dat he didn't. But I jes' wanted to go and see my girl. I wasn't whut yo' would call a bad boy. I've never been in no fights, have never been arrested fo' nothin', and never was in jail. Mama's name was Vicey Smith . She was brought f'om Alabama. She was a field worker. I don't remembah jes' how many chillun she had. I do know dat one of my sistahs, Frances , helped wid de work at de spinnin' wheel and at de loom, fo' de makin' of cloth. Mama's been dead fo' about twenty-five years. I don't remembah much about papa, 'cause he died more'n sixty years ago. I know dat he was tol'able tall, and dat he was a field worker on de plantation. I was told dat we got some Injun blood in us.

One day our mawster called us to de big house, and said dat we was free. He said dat we could stay and work fo' him fo' pay. Dere was no place fo' us to go so we stayed fo' awhile. I stayed wid my folks till I was grown. I helped plow, plant, and gather crops. I picked cotton too. I done a little of everything. In dem days we never had no wire fences. We had de old stake-and-rider, criss-cross fences. I helped to build many of 'em in dem days. We had to go out into de mountains west of Austin, and chop down cedar trees fo' de posts. Dat whole country west of Austin was full of cedarbrakes. I could chop f'om about twenty-three to fifty posts a day. Bill Sneed was de man dat I worked fo', and he paid me about a dollah and a half a day. I had my own oxen and wagon. I kin still remembah de names of my oxen - Jim, Tyler, Bald, and Pony. I'd be drivin' along and all dat I would have to say, would be, 'yeah, Bald, yeah, Pony.' I think dat it was in 1885, when I married my wife. Her girl name was Kate Baker . She wasn't nothin' but a young'un when I married her. Kate was bawn about six months befo' de end of slavery. Kate has always been a hard worker. She used to help drive de hosses fo' de gins. She helped to sow cotton by hand. Kate was bawn in Austin, but her mama come f'om Tennessee. Her papa died when she was a small girl. We've had eight chillun, four boys and four girls: Willie , Henry , Lillie , Bertha , Arthur , Leonard , Dorothy , and Metra . Dorothy is de only one dat is dead. She died about twelb years ago. We own dis seventy acre fahm here, and some of de boys keep it in shape. I jes' kain't do nothin'. I have been in bed wid de hardenin' of de arteries fo' about fourteen months. I sho' wish dat I could git up and work lak I used to. I'd lak to be young again and work. I've always been used to work. I got a boy, Leonard , dat's de best meat and chicken barbecuer in dis town. He kin barbecue thutteen hunnert chickens a day. He done barbecuin' here fo' de Chamber of Commerce fo' about thutteen years. I never was showed my A B C's durin' de early days. I went to school after slavery fo' about six years. I kin write better'n my wife, but she kin read better'n me. I jes' went to school, and I don't know whut I liked best. Beam was de name of our white teachah. He was putty rough wid us chillun sometimes. He always carried a switch under his arm, and if a child acted ugly, he'd call him and make him roll up his pant's leg, and den whoop him across de knee. I heard a lot about dem Ku Klux Klans after slavery; but I was never bothered by 'em. Dem dat behaved was never bothered by 'em. I kain't say dat I ever knowed anybody dat was hurt by 'em. Not around here anyhow.


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