No.
30. What interesting historical events happened during your youth, such
as Sherman's army passing through your section? Did you witness the
happenings and what was the reaction of the other Negroes to them?
I remember well when de war was on. I used to turn the big corn sheller
and sack the shelled corn for the Confederate soldiers. They used to
sell some of the corn and they gave some of it to the soldiers. Anyway
the Yankees got some and they did not expect them to get it. It was this
way: The Wheeler boys came through there ahead of Sherman's Army. Now,
we thought the Wheeler boys were Confederates. They came down the road
as happy as could be, a-singin'
"Hurrah, hurrah, hurrah
Hurrah for the Broke Book Boys
Hurrah for the Broke Brook Boys of South Carolina."
So of course we thought they were our soldiers a-singin' our songs.
Well, they came an' tol' our boss that Sherman's soldiers were coming'
and we'd better hide all our food and valuable things, for they'd take
everything they wanted. So we "hoped" our Massy hide the tings. They dug
holes and buried the potatoes and covered them with cotton seed and all
that. Then our ma say give dem food and thanked them for their kindness
and he set out wid two of the girls to tote them to safety, but before
he got back after the missus the Yanks were on us.
Our missus had od[TR:?] led us together and told us what to say. "Now
you beg for me. If they ask you whether I've been good to you, you tell
'em 'yes'. If they ask you if we give you meat, you say 'yes'." Now de
res' didn't git any meat, but I did, 'cause I worked in the house. So I
didn't tell a lie, for I did git meat.
So we begged, an' we say, "Our missus is good. Don't you kill her. Don't
you take our meat away from us. Don't you hurt her. Don't you burn her
house down." So they burned the stable and some of the other buildings,
but they did not burn the house nor hurt us any. We saw the rest of the
Yanks comin'. They never stopped for nothin'. Their horses would jump
the worn rail fences and they come 'cross fields 'n everything. They
bound our missus upstairs so she couldn't get away, then they came to
the sheds and we begged and begged for her. Then they loosed her, but
they took some of us for refugees and some of the slaves went off with
them of their own will. They took all the things that were buried all
the hams and everything they wanted. But they did not burn the house and
our missus was saved.
31. Did you know any Negroes who enlisted or joined the northern army?
Yes.