, 1863-04-04

From Onr Own Correspondent
a man very dry and sand v-haired, coat
less but not hatlcss, looking like a soldier
who had been dragged through the Dismal
Swamp, presented to me yesterday the follow
ing, which I traEscribc in full;
JACKSON, Tenn, March 6, 1853.
FMEsD " ,-.: The bearer, Charles Grayson,
conIee to the with certificate from officers with
wton an well aclaainted, stating TINT be q has
De, psfn 'Ge Ike siar n caonn county,
t.oopa THE I'd Michigan caya,!y,) and has s,ucc
been employed as cook.
o,a That , ne IL white .nan although totally uneau-
catcd, there Is no possible doubt.
Respectfully, A FRIEND,
knowing the reliable character OF the
author Of the letter, and percciying at a
glance that its bearer sras white man, thoueh
much abused aud hardly recognizable one,
yonr correspondent questioned Grayson, from
whose lips he received almost rerbatinl the fol-
lowing romantic but undoubtedly perfectly
truthful narrative:
BIRTH AND PARENTAGE
Ny name, as you see By the letter and
other documents, is Charles Grayson. 1 was
bora Of q white mother, whose mother and
father were also white, in Calhoun County,
Mississippi, on the plantation Of Billy Stecn,
about three miles from the village Of Paris. 1
shall be twenty-thrcc years old the 10th day
Of June next, according to the record Of the
dates Of tbe birth Of slaees kept by the over
seer of that establishment. Billy steen was,
and is to this day, wealthy planter, and
owner Of u large number Of negroes. Among
his slaves was my mother. I had four brothers
and one sister. The youngest I never SAW.
She was said to have been taken By my father
who was clerk Of a court Of some kind III
Mississippi, but whom never saw-for adop-
tion and education. One or two OF the chill
dEcn have died slaves. Ny mother is still =
slave, entirely broken down in constitution,
and but the shadow only Of what che once
was. 1tt her owner does not take her away
from the field, hut allows her, or forces her, to
pclform the duties devolying upon the other
and more healthy black women on the place.
WHY THE MOTHER AND CHILDREN ARE SLAVES
any mothers mother, my grandmother,
was the child Of wealthy parents, one Of the
most aristocratic in tue entire State of Miss
iEsipri, and until she reached To1nanhood
WAS accustomed to the best society, and to
having every wish gratificd, aud every vhim
and caprice catered to. But she Was beautiful,
She was wild and inconsiderate. 4 villain
with specious logic, and by awakening her
worst passions, succeeded in accomplishing
her ruin and then fled to another part OF the
country. My grandmother concealed the re.
suit Of her crime as long as possible, and ut q
10,
servant, left home upon some err:ind and re-
manned away until my mother was ushcrcd
into the world. It was upon plantation dis
ttnt from her fathers that this event tonk
place. The babe was given In charge Of :.
colored nnrEe BY the cruel and unnatural
1Hots1cr, aud d small sum Of money induced
4er 10 adopt It as her own. Circumstances
favored The deception, aud the infsut was
never alter looked upon By either guilty
Parent. Supposed TO have been born Slave,
The girl, although not single drop Of
coiorcd blood lowed i'll her veins,
she must necessarily remain a slave,
such is the code Of the slave owner. In lime
my mother grew to be a woman. She too,
WAS beautifu1-and ii lough a slave, few were
found who believed her TINTED with African
blood, and she, too, becamc-not the wift-
but the mistress of one Of the sons Of her
owner. This man, I suppose, was my father
but long before 1 rccolrct anything he de-
serted his mistress and went to live in dis.
tant town. My mother still clung to him,
however, and seems to hare loved him as tru-
1yas though she had been his loyal wife He
calnc frequently to see hcr-T never saw him,
However. think lie now lives at jackson,
mississippi. Finally the man, whose slare-
child was, sold me away from my mother
wh'n WIS still but Il child, and Billy Stteu,
bought ne. With him l remained seventeen
years.
4 YOUTHFUL ESCAr4DE.
u had not been more than two or rthrco years
with Stcen, when made up my mind to cs-
cape: So1ue one told mc that wls white,
ever III slavery. I packed up my scanty ward
role, one dark night, and ran off. But w1s
ovcrtakcn while boarding railroad train, and
take'' back and punished severely. Alter this
my master treated INC more harsh1y than he
did his black men. and kept more strict guard
over me, tor fear might 2gain nuke my cs-
cape. But, having strong, hardy consiitu-
tion, grew up to he i hardy man, as You see
me, aud put to nauglt t!lc oft repeated tale,
that white men could not bear the faticnes
and heat Of southern country, and perform
The same amount and kind or labor that the
African race performs. was, perhaps, of moro
value than any nlan-s1avc On Steen's plantation.
l was temperate, Industrious, and when not
Whipped, would DO all that was required of
nc, If in my power.
sin this 1uall1ler, not knowing that there MAS
anything better for HE, 1ime wore on until the
war broke out. Then heard muttered amvng
the slaves that a dag Of jubilee Was coming.
My master Tas in the ar1ny. The plantation
was watched over by the tamily, and an over
seer. heard that c7en the coloEcd men
who were not supposed to be any lower in
TIE scale than 1-wert to be eManeipatcd. 4
desire WAS kindled in my breast to own my
self and labor for myself rs saw other poor.
but apparently contrnted white men do:
s'0n the seventeenth Of December last,
detachment uf the Sd Michigan cavalry rrt,i-
mounted horse, rode to their lines, told my
story, and remained with them, acting as cook
for the non commissioned officers until I
reached Jackson.
'*Ihe horse Was not mine, but considered
that he could carry n4c As well as one that
rowing him. / found many friends in COM
rany F, snd one Of the boys wants me to 90
to Ills father in Michigan, and says he will
take care Of me until ne returns, and give me-
. home and pay me- wages Tor my work And
here am on my way. The nl1n's name is
Carr, and he lives near Wangeck. l take the
Illinois Central railroad, and then the Michi.
gan Central to his house. The company paid
1no for my services Al cook, but have had to
pay 1ny passage from Memphis to Cairo, and
now I"
TIE RESULT OF THE INTERVIEW.
The papers presented By the uncouth-look.
ing man were examined. Captain Theodore
Reese, Of the ID Michigan, vouched for him !;
lient. Col. Rogers vouched for him, and my
friend at Jackson had Touched for him. 1t Is
unnecessary to say how 1t was done, but with
the assistance OF tile General in command and
members Of his staff I sent Mr.. Grayson-
he would undoubtedly be astonished to be go
called-forward to Chicago on the l p. Ill.,.
train. He has papers, also, which viii un-
doubtedlY send him to Michigan to the
friends he has made there. May lie be happy
with them. Seventeen years Of calling servi-
I tude have not, at least, rendered Grayson IN
| grateful.
HEARTLEss TREATMENT.
Upon the steamer Belle Memphis, as am
| crcdibly informed, during her last trip from
Memphis to this point, came two sick sol
| dicrs, members OF Indiana regiments. These
| men were put on board at Memphis so i'll that
| they were compelled to call for aid to get
| themselves within their stAterooms. There
they rested. from the commencement Of the
| journey to its end, without proper care, and,
| in fact-to use no harsller cxprcssion-shame
fully neglected, until the port of Cairo was
| made, and Dr.. Taggart, our Post Surgeon,
| was informed Of their condition, and went
| to the boat with u1en and took them to the