Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-07-18
A WAR STORY.
: Slaves First Glimpse of Freedom and
Happiness.


- II was some time in the summer of
1861" says Joseph r. Perry, Of Indian
apoiis. that the DIST Ohio regiment was
down in West Virginia, in the Kanawha
river region. The regiment was composed
OF men gathered up promiscuously in the
Black Swamp region Of Ohio. There were
one Or two companies Of gray-haired men,
too Old TO bear arms who had gone into
the service to fight for a principle-not
merely to put down the rebellion, but to
emanCjpa.e the slaves. They were very
religious, and they would hold prayer
meetings at night. They would pray for
the freedom of the slaves, and that the
negroes might have equal rights with the
white people. Their prayers were very in
teresting TO Us young fellows who would
90 to listen to them, because they were
asking for something more than the issue OF
the war promised at the time, but every
thing that those DID fellows asked in their
prayers came about afterwards, and It IS
out Of those results that this incident N
telling you about came 10 conclusion. We
camped one dayrnear little town called
Red Bank, on the hanaWha, aud after our
coffee had been prepared, we found that We
! hadn' L a spoonful OF sugar III camp. There
were a lot of negro cabins over On a hill
side opposite our camp, and I agreed 20 90
D
NEGROES There were but thirteen cents in
money in the whole camp, but ] took that
and started over with & tin can to get the
sugar. entered one Of the cabins, and
found a buyOm negro woman, with two
little pickaninuies hanging 10 her linsey
dress. They drew off into q corner Of the
cabin. hayffrjghtened, when I went in, but
| told them that they needn't be afraid
that / only wanted to gst some sugar, and
that | had the money to pay for it.
80 l Sc kindly feared 0 you uns,' said the
negro woman 'mastah told me not to have
ANYTHING to do with you Yankees, cause
you Sc gwine to take us off 10 CUby and sell
US to get money 10 carry on the Wah.'
80 Ny good woman ! said to her, giving
her little blarney, because | wanted the
sugar, you don understand what this war
il about. We Yankees are fighting for you,
and, if this war comes out the way We want
it to. You Will be free, and you won't have
any master, and will have all the rights
that white people have. Your little boy
there Will be sent to school, and he will
I have lust as good q chance 20 become Gov
ernor Of Virginia as any white boy.
"' 70 de Lord, you don'tsay so. she ex-
claimed
i went on to tell her then about how
the black people were just IS good as the
white, and how they would be benefited
if we were victorious. Before / quit talk
| ing she brought out an old can and gave
me what sugar wanted. She didn't want
| to take the money. but told her she'd bet
/ ter, and she accepted it. II was only an
! incident Of the day, and after had told the
/ boys in camp how got the sugar thought
no more about the matter. ! had forgotten
! it entirely until aboutthree years ago, when
| I was returning from the city hospital one
! y / 81,
negro woman with q basket OF clothes.
/ was sitting near the door, and helped her
to lift the basket into the car. She sat
! down beside me and remarked Might
/ cold tonight Don't have any such cold
! weather whar' my ole home IS.
/ "' Where was your old homeY | in
CURED
/ 90 Al the little town Of Red Bank, down
! on the Kanawha river, in Yves Virginyah.
! Did you live in little cabin, with a
| well beside it, and opposite big white
! house? asked her.
| 90" Right dar was whar lived.
go And do YOU remember when the Yam
| kee soldiers camped over in the meadow
/ near your cabin 2
/ 80" Deed I do. SIR. remember that
/ mighty we'll
| "' Do you remember a young soldier,
/ with brass horn strapped on his shoulder,
and 8 small sword at his side, coming over
| TO your cabin to buy some sugar?
should say do. ! remember dat
4 young man mighty well. He spoke the
| first good words I ever heard said abou. the
| colored people. He told me that I was 20
be free and that my little boy might be
| President some day Why, he gave me Is
! cents. l kept that money ever since for
! luck, and I've got il right here and the
| old woman drew from her bosom a small,
dirty purse, from which she took the coins
that had given her for the sugar twenty
years before.
c. Do you think you would know that
young fellow if you should ever see him
| again
49, Deed would. I'd know that young
man the minute ! set eyes on him
90 Well, auntie, I'm that young man
ga For de Lords sake, honey she ex-
claimed, and threw her arms about me. 1t
was doubtless funny scene to the passen-
gers in the car, but her demonstration
made it little embar RAISING and trifie
unpleasant for me. l learned afterwards
that the woman's husband was a carpenter
here in the city, and they were moderately
prosperous"