Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1864-04-21

Government one Of the abandoned cotton
plantations in Tennessee describes to the
Cincinnati Gazette his experience in cot
ton growing. He begins with his arrival
at the place:
II had been one Of the finest plantations
in this part Of the State Of Tennessee.
The late OWner-Who died sbout two years
ago ct the sge Of S5-Wss rich, Tin the
Southern sense) intelligent; and is said by
his negross and his neighbors TO have been
humane master. The reader will hnd
the term humane in Its Southern meaning,
to differ somewhat from the Northern ac-
ceptation. The faTm-slWsys called
plantation" heFe-contsins shout 5000
acres Of land. There were nearly 200 ne.
groes belonging to it. The mansion is a
large frame house, old snd dingy, two sto-
ries high, with wide hall for the SAKE Of
Venlillstion, running through the lower
story from east to west. In the rear of the
msneiop, the negro qusrters-m miserable.
dark, one.roomed log csbins-form three
sides Of quadrangle. The stables were
long, low, log buildings, without ersna-
ries or lofts Of hay or fodder. No sueh
things IS cellar exists on the place. As
we are astonished at the number of Niger
women and children, who literally swarm
out the quarters 10 watch US. aWstch" is
the word. The young ones from two years
| old up 10 adults, cluster around closely,
| impede our steps, peer into every box,
barrel and package, and chatter away like
as many monkies. Some in their excite.
ment turn summeTsaults, roll over, kick
up their heels and yell. One feels con-
stsntly apprehensiVe mules will step on a
little niger. But no they always Just
barely escape. The older negroes, women
Of all ages from maturity up, and few
| old men (the able bodied males are nearly
all in the armies, or escaped Norih) stand
eff with folded arms and sullen, suspicious
looks. 1 know what they are thinking
about, for can oveIhear occasionally, such
words as "looks like seoesh," ;" "'speo he's
q nigger-driVer," etc Poor creatures
their hard lot in life, and cruel treatment
at the hands Of white people have learned |
them to dread all changes, and suspect all |
whites.
Bless my soul did not notice it before, !
but little niggers swarm from the mansion |
as they do from the quarters call up |
man and ask him:
Do all these niggers belong to this es
tate?
Lor no, msss'r; dey is conterbans."
How many eontrabands are here"
Dunno, msss'r; der'5 heap on EN-. |
De missis she's crowded out de house and |
gone; and de Yankees dey makes corral !
of de place"
l 60 to the house, and find every room
crowded with niggers, and filthy beyond |
endursnce. By great efforts succeeded !
in clearing out two rooms and packing the |
occupants into other quarters, and get |
some women TO scrub and clean thus much |
Of the house for my residence. In the |
mesutime, my men have unlosded the |!
wagons snd locked up our stock and prop |
erty Of every kind in out-houses-mere |
shells, remnants of the smoke. houses, etc |
They are sufficient, however, for security |
against the negroes. For while it is Ia |
mentally true that nearly every slave will |
Pilfer whenever an opportunity presents |
ITSELF they will very rarely use any force,
however slight, to steal.
have now leisure to look around the |
place, and taking Ben, a sprigbtly negro, |
with me ss . guide and informant, I START |
on my tour Of inspection.
Immediately in the rear Of the house, l |
notice two great pits dug, and "a large num- |
Der Of hoppers, such ss country people Of |
the North use for teaching ashes, ranged |
around the pits and filled with red clay. 1 |
ask Ben what they are intended for.
Why, msss'r, dem's to make salt wild. |
You see, for more'n a year fore de Yan :
KEGS come we couldn't git no salt. So we |
dug war the smokehouses used 10 be, and |
run water through de clay what 'sorbed de |
drippin's from De meat, and billed it down |
to gel salt again"
"Did you make much salt in that way" |
"0h, yes, mass'r; we made about a
busbel to de hopper"
"Well, thought /, ss we walked on, the |
article Of salt did not filter very freely !
through Linooln's paper blockade" at any
rate.
For q quarter of mile around the house |
l find scarcely the vestige Of fence. Even |
the cedar posts Of the picket fence around
the gardens are cut off at the ground, and
gone. 1 ask Ben if the Yankees have
burned up the fence and the gin house, the
ruins Of which and many bales Of cotton
we passed.
some, but de niggeTs burnt nearly all Of
it and the niggers burnt the gin and
about hundred bales Of cotton"
"Whst did they do go for 2'
"Well, dey burnt the gin and cotton for
spite, I 'spect. De fences dey burn for FIRE.
wood"
"But," said I, " there is better frewood
sll around the plantation"
!" Yes, msss'r, but 'tGiHt so handy, quite
How do the niggers live here, Benz"
"Well, pretty comfortable"
"But what do they get TO eatr'
Why, you see, msss'r, der was plenty
corn down in the cotton fields, and deg
4 gets it ground 81 the mill de Yankees is a
runnin', and messus she had power of
hogs and cattle bout here, and dey isn't
quite gone yit"
now noticed in the distance a large
field Of unpicked cotton, and ssked Ben
why it was left ungathered, to rot in the
rains and waste by the winds.
"Why it's her'n, said he.
aWhose 2n
a.why, missus'. LoF bless you, mass'r,
the niggers isn't gwine to work no more
for her"
aWont she pay them for picking it
out ~
"Well, she says she will. She's offered
to psy 'em dollar hundred for picking
of it, but dey doesn't like to trust her."
"WOuld'nt she keep her word with
| them2"
" Dunno, msss'r. speot she would il
de Yankees stay clear bout here"
HWell, will they pick it ont for me, if
promise one dollar 3 hundred?'
"Dunno, msss'r." De niggers got
mighty ca'sus. Is you Yankee, sure
'ngf9"
ayes, Ben, Pm a real Yankee, and ex-
pect to hire the Diggers to work for me
this year. | expect to pay those l hire