Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1863-05-22
GEN. LEE AND HIS sLAvEs.-The fol.

GEN. LEE AND HIS SLAvEs.-The fol-
lowing extract from private letter written
by young man connected with the army
Of the Potomac, to his father in this vicini-
ty, gives some facts concerning the Rebel
General Lee and his treatment of his
slaves, which forcibly illustrated the bru-
'alizing effects Of slavery. The letter is
dated Fort Albany, Va, April l6:-
"Some time ago I called on one of Gen.
Lees old slaves TO find out what / could of
that highly praised man, l am going to
see him again when an opportunity presents
ITSELF You know Gen Lee is considered
an unaduIterated #. F. W He was the
Ssuperlative of the upper-ten-dom of aris-
tocratic and presumptuous Virginia. This
slave, now man, and Christian man, too,
is very old and unable to do much, con-
sequcntly he was left on the estate. or
course he is extremely ignorant, but never
theless he is quite intelligent and can tell
straightforward story as clearly as any
one.
Gen. Lee was more dreaded by his slaves
than were any of his owe rseers. His estate
was immense. At Arlington he owned
Nhrough his wife) 700 acres in one lot,
100 acres in another, and other large tracts
in the State. He had 400 slaves right
here; how many more elsewhere don't
know. Thus you see his possessions were
very great and being so near Washington,
Georgetown. and Alexandria very valuable.
He had carriages, plate and all the equip
age of proud Virginian aristocrat. He
was almost worshiped' by the gay. the
naughty, the renowned and the gifted.
| His possession was envied, his name hon
ored.
This slave had teen of sons and dangh-
ters. One by one they were torn from him,
until now, in his helpless old age, but one
son and two daughters remain. One daugh-
ter aid the son were too young TO be car
ried away The other daughter was too
smart to be entrapped. 1t was really af-
fecting to hear this old man tell his wrongs
and his anguish at nar:ing with his loved
ones. He new they would have to be sold
ometime,' he said but they were my child
ren and couldn't help loving them' Some
were seized in his presence, and sold be-
fore his face others were meanly stolen at
night and hurried off without good-bay
blessing.
One day the slaves had been worked
unusually hard 1t bea ra;,,ea earior-ly
all day, (and know what Virginia rain
1 is); 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, and two
of the boys went TO the brook to catch q
few fish. 1t 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. Four boys
and girl were to be flogged. 1t was
done in that barn. and he pointed out the
desecrated building. The overseer lashed
away at the boys till their backs were raw
and bleeding. Next came the girl; her
back was stripped and her hands tied so
that her feet could just touch the floor.
The overseer gazed at her tortured form
and hesitated. Lee ordered him to fog
her. can't do it, was the reply. Again
he ordered, and again the overseer replied,
Master, can't whip a woman Lee
snGtched the whip, and with his own hands
fogged helpless woman which his over
seer had the manliness not to do. As /
heard this black man tell these stories, |
felt what ] cannot express. My heart
throbbed with Indignation and my BODY
trembled with passion. Oh, how waEted
the power to avenge this mans foul WRONGS
. Lo hta oL bk c,,Hara1 frralttac
which we would not allow a dog to suffer.
| thought of our own loved family. What
if were cruelty whipped for getting food
for half starved mother! What if nv
sisters were Iudely snatched away and sold
10 brutal men! What if my father were
irampled under foot as chatt.l and not a
word of intercesson permitted? And |
thought, too, of righteous God beholding
all these things, and wondered how long He
would allow this wickedness. prayed as
never before for the slave, and, trusting my
faith to him whose ways are so mysteriou ,
| consecrated myself 10 His and my coun-
try's sacred cause of liberty and righteou GUS
ness. My dependence Is in Him, and ]
cannot, / will not, believe He will allow the
oppressor TO triumph. Some tell us, at
home. even, slavery is a Divine institution
and blame US for speaking aueht against it.
l thank God that | never thought so. and
that / have seen enough never to think so.
How a being can say that fragrant injustice.
brutality and inhuman barbarity are divine
/ cannot see. He is a being but not man.
As for me, my anti slavery is stronger
than ever. and immovably fixed. We are
being taught that we must 'let my children
90 : and were unworthy mothers kiss,
a fathers blessing sisters tear. or broih-
er's affection, did not use every exertion
feeble or powerful-to enforce the lesson.
After Lee had lacerated the girls body
he bathed the yet bleeding wounds in brine.
~ Il ...:..,I .,srainst his