*William Watkins, born 1850, to Julia and Hudson Watkins. All were
slaves on the Watkins plantation where William was born, on the edge of
Charlotte County, Virginia. William is tall, heavy set, and does not
look his age. He lives with William Branch, who came from an adjoining
county in Virginia. Both men served in the same campaigns in the United
States Army.*
"My name is William Watkins. De name comes frum de name of Terbaccer
Watkins, who owned de Watkins Terbaccer Plantation. He got a factory in
Richmond and de plantation in Charlotte County in Virginia, 'bout 50
mile east of Richmond. Marse Watkins got a big frame house and 400 acres
and 100 acres is terbaccer. Yassuh, dey's other crops--barley, wheat,
oats, and den dey's stock--hogs, cows, hosses and mules.
"We lives in log cabins wid plank floors and we made de beds ourself.
Dey feeds us good and we gits milk and bread and lotsa pork. Marse
Watkins got lotsa hawgs.
"Yassuh, we's got a church. De slaves built it in de woods. We never got
no wages but sometimes he give us four bits or six bits. What we do wid
it? We buys candy. Sometimes we run de rabbits or goes fishing. De
Marster gives us lil' patches of groun'. He's good but de overseer's
rough. He whips all de slaves.
"Dey's a patrol what watches for slaves dat runs away, but we don't have
no patrol on our plantation. We has dances Sat'day nights. Sundays we
didn't wuk much.
"Dey's ghosts dere--we seed 'em. Dey's w'ite people wid a sheet on 'em
to scare de slaves offen de plantation. We wears charms to keep us well.
Dere's asafoetida in a bag and we wear's it roun' de neck. It cure most
ev'ryting. When we gits real sick, dey sends medicine frum de big house.
"Ev'ry year de slave traders comes and de Marster sells some slaves down
river to New Orleans. Who dey sell? Jes' no count slaves. Dey walks all
de way. De traders dey rides in ox-carts. We never wuk much Sundays,
only to milk de cows. Jes' dat. Yessuh, I was married on de plantation.
De preacher say de words and we's married.
"Den de war come and de Yankees come down thick as leaves. Dey burns de
big house and de slave houses and ev'ryting. Dey turns us loose. We
ain't got no home nor nuthin' to eat, 'cause dey tells us we's free.
"We's gotta leave de plantation. De Marster's gone, de crops is gone, de
stock's gone. We goes to anudder place and works on shares. De first
time we sees de Ku Klux is right after de war. Dey whips de slaves what
leaves de plantations, dey don' wan' dem to be free.
"Bout 1870 I goes to Ohio and enlists in de army at Jefferson Barracks
and right off dey sends us to Texas to fight Indians. I goes to San
Antonio and dey puts me on guard at de Alamo to fight off de Indians.
Den I goes to Fort Davis. I'm in de cullud Indian Scouts, Co. K, and
dey's a banker name of Miller in de Chihuahua jail. One night de kuhnel
takes us from Fort Davis, and we marches all night wid guns and 150
rounds of ammunition in belts, and rations for 30 days. We marches all
night long twel we gits to Del Norte, Texas(Presidio) and we crosses de
river and takes Mr. Miller out of jail.
[Illustration: _William Watkins_]
"While we's at Fort Davis a wagon train comes through de canyon and de
Apaches rolls big rocks down on de white people and kills 26 of dem. Dey
scalps all dey kills and we go out and fit de Apaches. De lieutenant is
killed in de fight. Yassuh, we fit Apaches all de time and when we goes
to Fort Concho dey gives us a fit all 'long de road. Den we fitten de
Cheyennes and dey is wust of all. Dey's great big Indians 'bout seven
feet tall and at de battle of de Wichita in de Indian Territory a
Cheyenne shoots an arrer through my wrist. (He exhibited the scar. Same
battle described in interview with Wm. Branch.)
"Den after my wound heals we's sent to Fort Clark and de sergeant, Jeff
Walker, got it in for me. Kuhnel Andrews is at Fort Davis and Jeff
Walker trumps up some charges dat I'se mistrusted, so dey gives me a
dishonnuble discharge 'cause of dat Jeff Walker. I ain't had no court
martial nor no trial and I cain't git no pension 'count of de
dishonnuble discharge.
"And now I'se strong and well but I cain't git no wuk 'cause I'se so
ole. And 'cause Jeff Walker didn't like me, I gits a dishonnuble
discharge."