Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1865-03-14
Lsacr from "Carleton " to the Boston Jluru. u.
Scenes and Incidents in Charleston.
CllARLESrON, Feb. "a.
TIE FREEDMEN.


TIE FREEDMEN.
|, is impossible fot me to give complete rep
resentallou Of the JOY OF the freedmen Of th
city over the arrival Of the Yankees On Mon
day morning last, when the steamer w. W Colt
with Gen Gilmore's flag at the fore and the Star,
and Stripes at the STERN steamed up the harbJi
with the band playing 4" Hail Columbia. there
was sudden gathering OF coIored people upon
ths wharyes, They were full Of ecstacy Spring.
! ng upon the pier before the lines we're thrown
out, met gray-bearded old man, VINO touched
bis hat, bowed himself to the ground and said ;
GOOD morning massa.'
We are Yankees, uncle Are YOU not afraid
OF US? | said.
" God bless you no, msssa, I've prayed for
you to come, and God has heard me- he said
graspug my hand. lie threw his old battered
hat upon the ground looked upward and poured
out bis gratitude from al overAowing heart.
"Are you slave -
"Hes massa."
"Wel, you are a slave no longer. You are a,
free as ! am
:" Is it SO, massa ?" he asked with indescribablo
earlestnessi and again raising his eyes toward
heaven Ne gave thanks to God, with an emotion
such IS | never before witnessed
RosAs MOTHER
1.-Two years ago when | was at Hilton Head,
my laundrsss was Rosa, a colored young woman,
who escaped from Charleston in 1862, with her
husband and four other persons, in a snail boat.
On that occasion Rosa dressed herself In men
clothes, and the whole party early one morning
rowsd past Sumter and made for the gunboa.s.
" II you go to Charleston wish you would ses
i my mother is there?' said Rosa on Monday
last. "Governor Aikens head man knows where
she lives" Accompanied by correspondent of
the New York Iribvae | went up King street
to Governor Aiken's. We found his mead man
in the !ard--l courteous black, who as soon as
he learned that We were Yankees, and had
message from Rosa TO her mother, dropped all
work aud started with Us, eager 10 do anything
for Yankee. i walk TO JOhn street, an entrance
through yard TO tie reer to a dwelling house,
brought us to the mother, in little dingy room,
olattered with pots, kettles, tables aud chairs,
The old woman was sitting on a stool tefore the
hre, cooking her solnty breakfast of corn cake
She had little rice meal in bag, given her by
rebel officer. She must be past sixty wears OF
age-a large stro,e woman, with vide, high
forehead and Intellectual features. She was
N"shVu =" tAHl vi VihsA utkIu flolns 4 sack OF
old red carpsling, and poor thin clnvass shoes OF
Der own make. Never had such an inlroduc-
tiON.
Here comes the great Messiah, wild news OBJ
Rosa y said my lntroducer, with an indescribable
dramatic flourish. The mother sprang from her
stool with cry Of joy. "From Rosa from
Rosal o, thank the Lord She took hold OF
my hands, looked at me with an intensity of feel.
lng-an earne,tneas, Joy, and yet with shade of
doubt, as if 1t could not be true
From Rosa 2'
" Yes Aunty."
shall not attempt to give her language. She
looked up into leayen--yes, into Heaven She
saw not US, but God and Jesus. The tears rolled
from her eyes, She reeounted in prayer all the
long years Of slavery, the suffering, the uurequited
toll the heart aehings, the prayers of the past,
and now God had heard her. have seen great
drlmallsts upon the sage, aud have been moved
70 tears by preachers and orators, but never have
heard such an outpourng Of soul as by that
poor Slaye woman. 1t was conversation belseen
herself aud her SAVIOR. She told him the story
Of her life, OF all It's sorrows, Of His goodness,
and kindness and love, the tears rolling down her
cheeks the while and falling in great drops upon
the door She wanted US to stay aud partake Of
her scanty meal. She pressed my hands sgain