Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1866-02-09

In the springof 1868, the 18th Vt.regi /
meat was ordered down to Rappahannock
Station, to guard the dilapidated railroad |
bridge and the adjacent fords Of the Rap /
pahannock. The morning after it pickeIed .
tie bridge head, three contrabands made .
their appearance at the southern end OF the |
bridge, crossed the shaking timbers, and /
with smiling faces announced themselves as
refugees bound north from the plantation /
Of John Minor Bolts. ct Brandy Station, six 4
or eight miles below They were an octo-
room boy Of l6 or Il, with white skin and |
bright looking face; a negro man in the |
prime Of life and an older black man well
nigh crippled by rheumatism. They soon
made themselves at home in camp, announced
their intention TO stay with the regiment
for the present, and were made much Of by
1.-the boys" Before night Mr.. Bolts made
has appearance in person, was marched by
the sentinel to the Colonel's tent, and there
promptly made known his errand, to reclaim
lis servants As orders were tolerably
distinct 10 those days, that all contrabands
we're to be allowed to cross our lines going
North, without passes, and nobody to be al
lowed to pass to the South without Gen.
Heintzleman's pass. the Colonel did not
exactly see how Mr.. Bolts was to get his
"boys" Might he "hayc little talk with
them then?'' "Oh certainly, if they were
willing They were quite 80, and came to
the ColOnel's tent. As they reached it Mr..
Bolts was in the midst of an earnest argu-
ment, showing to his satisfaction that while
the emancipation proclamation was good
enough for rebels, it ought to have no APP
plication to the slaves Of loyal Southerners,
such as be. Their entrance interrupted the
argument, and dialogue in substance
something like the following, followed. The
boy Henry, let Us premise, acted as spokes-
man for his party. lie used just as good
language as Mr.. Bots, (having been brought
up in his household,) and in his features, by
the way, some Of the witnesses were acute
or fauei.ul enough to detect a mysterious
Likeness to Mr.. Botts:
Mr.. Bous-How's this. boys What
did you want 10 20 and run away for?
H.Hry-Me thought 1t was about time for
us 10 take our freedom.
Mr.. B.-lOu don't know what You re
about. can't spare you, and want you
now 10 70 back with me.
HeEry-Oh no, we're nos going back Mr..
Bots
Mr.. B.-Why, haven l always used you
well-b-en KIND IHasIer-gIven you good
hume, and taken care Of you, sick and
well?
HenrV-We don't deny that, Mr.. Bots;
but then haven We always worked tor you
for nothing? We can do better than that
North
Mr. B., rather Feliskiy-Come, you know
that YOU belong 10 me. You re my proper
~, anu / can spare you. want you to
cJme back with me.
HeHry-l don't know about our being
your p:vpeTty. Ii you owned yourself To be
One OF Den. Davis subjects, you might
CT I'm us; but MIR. Lincoln has proclaimed us
free, aud II YOU are a loyal man, a. YOU Was
telling the Colonel, you must respect Mr..
LlncOin's Proclamation.
Mr.. Boits, Jairiy p0sed)-You not only
stole yourselves, but my daughter money.
1 suppose You consider that all right, too.
IL seems that the three had been sent with
L sew dollars 10 make some purchase Tor the
family AMI took the opportunity to escape
10 the nearest camp
Henry-Oa, well, about that money, We
uouldn very well hand II back before We
CANT oil, aud We thought that as long u We
bad worked tor you tor nothing all our lives,
It WoulGn perhaps. be any more than We
were entitled 10. But here 1t l. (Gsde) lt's
OILY Confederate money.
Mr.. Bolts, having decidedly the worst OF
the colloquy 80 far, broke it Of here, and
sitting down, addressed long remonstrance
OF petition to President Lincoln, claiming
that his slaves should be returned to him,as
loyal man, who should not be punished
like a rebel, by confscation Of his chattels.
This was duly forwarded through the
military channels, and its receipt was in due
season acknowledged by an order iromDepart-
ment headquarters, stating that the colored
men, concerning whom Mr.. Bolts had mem
orialized the President, "were free men, and
must be permitted to go where they pleas
cd
They remained with the Twelfth. during
its term Of service. Henry learned to read
rapidly, came to Vermont (as did his com
rade Meliord) was employed for while in
St. JOhnsbury machine shop; re-enlisted in
the old Sixth, when recruits were called for;
went back to Virginia, musket on shoulder
and fought the war through was discharg-
ed with the regiment; went back to Brandy
Station to visit his mother and sisters still
remaining on the plantation; and then came |
back to Vermont. lie is now employed in I
one Of our Burlington Machine Shops at
good wages. He boards at one Of our hotels; |
and says he - likes Vermont" Vermont. Z
on her part, when he is Of age will put the
ballot in his hands as willingly as she did
the musket, and in general extends cordial .
,