*Allen Price was born in a covered wagon in Fannin Co., Texas, in 1862.
His master was John Price. Allen remembers many incidents of pioneer
days, and stories of the Civil War told him by the Price family. Allen
now lives in Mart, Texas.*
"De way I comes to be born in Texas am my pappy and mammy is in de
covered wagon, comin' to Texas with dere master, what am John Price,
what was a Virginny man. Dey stops in Fannin County awhile and dere I'm
born. Dat in 1862, dey tells me.
"De Price and Blair families was first ones to come to Texas. Dey had to
use ox teams and ford creeks and rivers and watch for Indians. I done
hear dem talk 'bout all dis, 'cause course I can't 'member it. Once de
Indians done 'tack dem and dey druv 'em off, and every night near dey
hears de howl of de wolves and other wild animals. Some folks went by
boat and dey had river boat songs, one like dis:
"I'm drinkin' of rum and chawin' tobaccy,
Hi! Oh! The rollin' river!
I'm drinkin' of rum and chawin' tobaccy,
I'm boun' for the wide Missouri."
"Dese things am handed down to me by de Price family and my granddaddy.
De Price family done fight for de Confed'racy all de way down de line of
de family, to my own pappy, who went with he master when dey calls for
volunteers to stop de blockade of Galveston.
"My master think he gwine 'scape de worst of de war when he come to
Texas and dey am livin' peaceable de year I'm born, raisin' cotton. Dey
had a gin what my pappy worked in, and makes dey own clothes, too, when
de Yankees has de Texas ports blockade so de ships can't git in. When
dey blockades Galveston, our old master done take my pappy for bodyguard
and volunteers to help. Fin'ly Gen. Magruder takes Galveston from de
Yankees with two old cotton steamers what have cotton bales on de decks
for breastworks.
"De last battle Master Price and my pappy was in, was de battle of
Sabine Pass, and de Yankee general, Banks, done send 'bout five thousand
troops on transports with gunboats, to force a landin'. Capt. Dick
Dowling had forty-seven men to 'fend dat Pass and my pappy helped build
breastworks when dem Yankees firin'. Capt. Dowling done run dem Yankees
off and takes de steamer Clinton and 'bout three hundred and fifty
prisoners. My pappy told me some de Captain's men didn't have real guns,
dey have wood guns, what dey call cam'flage nowadays.
"My pappy helped at de hospital after dat battle, and dey has it in a
hotel and makes bandages out of sheets and pillow cases and underwear,
and uses de rugs and carpets for quilts.
"I 'member dis song, what dey sing all de time after de war:
"O, I'm a good old Rebel, and dat's jus' what I am,
And for dis land of freedom, I do not give a damn;
I'm glad we fought again 'em, and only wish we'd won,
And I ain't asked no pardon for anything I've done.
"I won't be reconstructed, I'm better dan dey am,
And for a carpetbagger I do not give a damn.
So I'm off to de frontier, soon as I can go--
I'll fix me up a weapon and start for Mexico!
"I can't get my musket and fight dem now no more,
But I'm not goin' to love dem, dat am certain sho'--
I don't want no pardon for what I was or am,
I won't be reconstructed, and I don't give a damn.
"I has mighty little to say 'bout myself. I's only a poor Baptist
preacher. De her'tage handed down to me am de proudes' thing I knows. De
Prices was brave and no matter what side, dey done fight for dey 'lief
in de right."