The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1864-07-14
Slavery in Virginia---A Shocking Picture
Drawn from Life.
Extract from letter written by SOL
dier III the 140th Pennsylvania Volun-
NEAR RICHMOND, Va,
June Is, 1864.
teerS

en- across every river from the Rapidan tc
the James. Grants tactics are entirely
\ strange to see. As rebel prisoner ex.
pressed it, 'He fanks Us on the left and
o fights US on the right" The entire prac-
: ticability of the overland route to Rich
! mond, which the McClellanites so vehe-
5 mently denounced, has been fully de-
, moustrated. Those terrible Notifications
!. (impregnable they said), which covered
, every plain and lined every crest, from
, Fredericksburg to Richmond, have been
, successfully turned, and the "intersect-
, lug rivers" have been used to complete
process. And, instead of finding hos
tile country, we found thousands of
friends who had been long looking for
US, and who rejoiced at our coming. The
poor negroes; it would have done your
heart good to see them at every planta-
ton, with their bundles and children,
waiting to join the train. The wagon
trains along picked up about 5000 of
these freedmen-free now. God bless
the President! | wish some of the pro-
slavery people of the North would come
out here and see how this system of sla-
very has been carried on in this State,
the stock raising State of the Confedera-
cy.
remember about four miles north Of
the Pamunkey river, We were met by
delegation Of Uncle Toms hardy black
fellows, who wanted to emigrate to the
yankee land of promise. They said they
represented one hundred and fifty slaves,
the property Of Mr. Anderson Scott, who
owned these fine cultivated fields for
miles They wanted to get their chill
dren carried in our transportation wagons
to White House landing, from which
place they had been assured Uncle Sam
would take them North. Our wagons
being full, we could accommodate but
few. However, anything was preferable
to being a slave; so they determined to
come along any way. About mile fur
ther We came to the mansion of this rich |
slave lord, Mr.. Scott. \ broad avenue,
lined with broad spreading magnolias in
full bloom, led up to the house, which
was the usual style of Southern planta-
tion houses. On one side of his house
and in the rear, stood a very neat and tt
dy little slave hut Everything was clean
about. The little yard neatly trimmed
and swept, the door step scrubbed, to an
astonishing degree Of whiteness; every
thing, il fact, denoting the careful and
skillful housekeeper. Around the door
were three women and about halfa dozen
from the wee baby to the young
girl Of - or l6 Two Of the women
we're about u shade lighter than the quad
room, while all the children were white.
The third woman was apparently pure
white her eyes were blue, her hair was
brown and straight; her features were en-
.irely Notwithstanding to denote a
particle of negro blood. In her arms she
rad beautiful lit le boy about four years
I'D, with fair hair and blue eyes. This
woman was crying bitterl y when We rode
l1. Thinking that she was Il member Of
he family that occupied the mansion, we
ricd to console her by assuring her that
Yankees made war upon men and not up
IN women Can you imagine how shocked
ye were when we were told that this
white woman aud child were slaves, and 6
he degraded mother was weeping for We ;
y shame at her degradation Lieut.
Wren, Quartermaster of the 6lst New ;
lork, was so excited that he bolted into
he house, and his sword ratified and his
purs jingled with his impetuoSity as he
trode along the halls in search Of the old {
coundrcl Scott. | asked one Of the wo- ,
nen why she did not bundle up and come
long, now that she had chance, with {
he rest. She said she had an idiotic son ,
n the house who was sick, and that they ]
ould not 90 without him. | asked this
woman if she was the daughter of the ,
'wner Of the plantation She said she G
vas! We went into the hut, and upon 4
lean bed sat this poor idiot boy, white as
am, with brown hair. About this time
Ir. Scott came in, the lord and owner of |
ii these achite people, whittier than him t
elf. lie is an old shrivelied up, crooked q
acked little specimen of Southern chiv-
as a king and "Virgin-
an born by Gawd." asked the mother
f this boy if Mr.. Scott was his father
,ou should have seen her blush as she {
nswered eyes" The inces.uous old t
east! This idiot son-the child ofhis l
wn daugLter-.tatLer and grandfather @
0 has oUn Children! i
Now send down your pro-slavery par i
lzans and copperheads OF the North to i
Ook upon this. Talk to me of the divin- 4
Ly of slavery! The horrible barbarity \
nd crimes Of this s'institution" can new v
r be told in the North They must be i
cen to be believed 1t is possible that 9
ny nation can; live or stand that has for b
IS cornerstone this crime? / go on with g
enewed and frmer faith, if possible, in h
he absolute justice Of our cause. | con- ]
der this war as a marvellous blessing 0
We are roofing out the dragons teeth
nat we have sown, and in their stead I
rop the precious seed of freedom for all. o
have an impression that amounts to t
onyiction, that this war will not termin- n