The Alleghanian. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1859-1865, 1863-12-03
Gen. Lee and his Slaves.


Gen. Lee and his Slaves.
The following extract from a private
letter written by young man connected
with the Army of the Potomac, to his
father in Massachusetts,, and published in
the Boston Journal, gives some facts con.
corning the rebel Gen. Lee, and his treat
ment of his slaves, which forcibly illustrate
the brutalizing effects of slavery. The
letter is dated at Ft. Albany, Va:
"Some time ago [ called on one of Gen.
Lees old slaves, 20 find out what could
of that highly praised man. [ am going
to see him again when an opportunity
presents itself. You know Gen Lee is
considered an unadulterated IF F.V.' He
was the superlative of the upper tendon
of aristocratic and presumptuous Virginia.
This slave, now man, and christian
man, too, is very old and unable to do
much, consequently he was left upon the
estate. Of course he is extremely igno-
rant, but nevertheless is quite intelligent,
aud can tell straightforward story as
clearly as any one.
"Gen. Lee was more dreaded by his
slaves than were any of his ove-seers. His
estate was immense. AT Arlington he
owned Through his wife) seven hundred
acres in one lot, eleven hundred acres in
another, and other large tracts in the
State. He had four hundred slaves right
here how many more elsewhere [ don't
know. Thus, you see, this possessions
were very great and being SO near Wash
ington, Georgetown and Alexandria, very
valuable He had carriages, plate, and all
thsequipagc of proud Virginia aristocrat.
He was almost worshiped' by the gay, the
naughty, the renowned and gifted. His
position was envied, his name honored
aIhis slave had score of sons and
daughters. One by one they were torn
from him, until now, in his helpless old
age, but one son and two daughters remain.
One daughter and the son were too young
to be carried away, and the other daughter
was too smart to be entrapped. 1t was
really affecting to hear this old man tell
his wrongs aud his anguish at parting with
his loved ones. He knew they would
have to be sold sometime,' he said, 'but
they were my children, aud [ couldn't
help loving them Some were seized in
his presence, and sold before his face;
others were meanly stolen at night and
hurried off without goodbye blessing.
"One day the slaves had been worked
unusually hard. 1t had rained furiously
ali day, (and know what a Virginia rain
ISL AT evening they returned to their
huts, wet, weary and hungry. This family
had nothing to eat /; they had been at work
all day, and couldn't prepare anything,
nd fxyf pof t1,a hox, tbo 70,
catch a few fish. It was dark, but they
were seen and reported. The aristocratic
Gen. Lee ordered them to be whipped at
certain hour the next day. All the
slaves were assembled to see the fogging.
1T was done in that barn, and he pointed
out the desecrased building. The ove-seer
lashed away at the boys till their backs
were raw ard bleeding. Next came girl /;
her back was stripped and her hands tied
SO that her feet could just touch the floor.
The oversecr gazed at her tortured form
and hesitated. Lee ordered him to fog
her. 4 can't do it, was the reply. Again
he idered, and again the overseer replied,
MASTER. L can't and won't whip a womaI.'
Lee snatched the whip and with his own
hands fogged helpless woman, which
his overseer had the manliness to not do
AS I heard this black man tell these
stories. felt what cannot express. My
heart throbbed with indignation, and my
body trembled with passion. Oh, how [
wanted. the power to avenge this mans
foul wrongs. Because he was black, he
suffered cruelties which we would not allow
a dog to suffer- [ thought of our own
loved family. What if I were cruelty
whipped for getting food for a half starved
mother? What if my sisters were rudely
snatched away and sold to brutal men? p
What if my father were trampled under
foot as chattel, aud not word of inter-
cession permitted? And l thought, too,
of a righteous God beholding all these
things, and wondered how long He would
allow all this wickedness. | prayed as
never before for the slave, and, trusting
my faith to Him whose ways are so mys-
terious, I consecrated myself to His and
my country's sacred cause of liberty and
righteousness. My dependerc is in Him,
and cannot, will not, believe He will
allow the oppressor to triumph. Some
tell us at home, even, that slavery is q
divine institution and blame us for
speaking aught against it: / thank God