Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-01-11
THE FIRST SLAVE SET FREE
INCIDENT of THE WAR BETWEEN
THE STATES.
Col. Charles p. Lincoln, Then In Com.
mand of n Company, Liberates
Man in Alexandria.

- Is as an unOlsputeO 1aCt tnas
Col. Charles P. Lincoln Of this city was
the first man to set a slave free after the
breaking out OF the late civil war. Refer.
ring to the incident, Col. Lincoln, in a re.
cent conversation with a Star reporter.
said:
1T is matter of history that the 1st
Michigan Regiment of Infantry uhree
months mem, under command of Col.
(afterward GeneraD Orlando B. Wilcox,
who still later was governor of the Sol.
diers' Home in this city, was the first regi.
ment to cross the Potomac on the Long
bridge at the beginning Of the war of the
rebellion. This was the night of the Odd
of May, 1861, the command reaching Alex
andria about daylight the morning of tho
oath. The New York Fire Zouaves. under
command OF Col. Ellsworth, reached Alex
andria by steamer from Washington at
the same hour
Company c of the 1st Michigan Regi.
ment was from Codwater. 1t was CONF
manded by Capt. Ebenezer Butterworth.
who was wounded and made prisoner at
the first battle of Bull Run and died while
prisoner at Charlottesville. Va. 1 was
then lad eighteen years Of age and was
the orderly sergeant Of the company.
LAS the regiment filed into Fairfax street
what subsequently proved to be Ellsworth's
troops were seen to our left and were sup.
posed to be the enemy, and Company c
upon center to right and left As orderly
sergeant l was at the extreme right of the
company, and as We We're deploying double
quick to the right along Fairfax street we
saw some forty rebel soldiers rush out OF
a large building a short distance down the
street and attempt to mount their horsea
with the view Of escaping.
The Surrender.
AT this moment two pieces of Ricketts,
battery came by, their horses under whip
ard spur. and Immediately at our right,
unlimbered and prepared to fire upon the
enemy. The battery occupied the street,
and, possibly, the enemy so near at hand
on our right flank put stop to our deploy,
At once the rebel captain (BalD advanced
and handed his sword 10 Col. Wilcox, and
the enemy was ours
THE building occupied by these rebel
troops as headquarters proved to be a COM
modious structure with large court or
slave pen, on each of which and across
the entrance was a sign which read, Price,
Burch & Co, dealers in slaves"
LAS sort Of recognition of Company Cs
valor in so promptly responding to the com.
mand to act as skirmishers, 1t was assigned
quarters in the building and placed in
charge of the captured enemy. The slave
pen on either side Of the main building
consisted merely Of large court formed
of high walls, near the top and on the In
ner side of which there was narrow shed
roof running around the entire square or
court. This served protection from
sunshine and storm to the occupants. who.
by standing close to the wall, would be
under this roof.
I'm one Of these Enclosures was a coored
boy about eighteen years of age, who soon
became known to us as George Washing
ton. We ascertaned that he had been sold
and was here held for safe keeping, pend.
ing the arrival Of his purchaser or new
master. 1t was not long. however. before
we found that he was not at all averse to
being liberated.
Finds the Right Key.
1T had discovered In desk drawer in ona
Of the office rooms bunch Of keys, one OF
which proved to be the key to an immense
paddock by which the grated iron door to
the slave pen was fastened. In the pres.
ence of several of the boys, among whons
as l now recall, were William H. Bryan,
now of Ravenswood H.; Smith w. Fisk OF
Minneapolis, Mimi: Benny Archer. then OF
Algansee, 1 unlocked the door. and we bade
our colored brother to step out into the air
of freedom and declare himself for the old
flag and the Union. This he did with many
of pleasure and gratitude, de-
claring that he would stay with that conn
pany and go with 1t through purgatory, II
need be-
The ex-slave became at once an impor.
tant factor as a SORT of auxiliary member OF
our company. Soon after this the company
Joined the regiment upon Shutters hill near
where We were encamped for
several weeks. During tnat peIlOu gem
tleman with two attendants came into
camp and called upon Col. Wilcox, the
former demanding the immediate delivery
of the negro who, he claimed, had been
taken from the custody of the proper au.
thorities at the old slave pen building, Col.
Wilcox having no authority to detain such
advised the gentleman that he
was at perfect liberty to take the negro II
he found him within the camp. The young
fellow who had learned what was trans
piring, soon tried to escape. An attempt
was made by the gentleman anu his attend.
ants to capture him, but the soldiers ral.ed
to the man S aid and In q moment missiles
flew thick and fast through the air. making
the vicinity SO uncomfortable that the slave.
holder and his aids beat a hasty retreat
from the camp and did not again attempt
to modest the negro or his newly found
friends.
Subsequent Service.
1.-THE colored boy accompanied the com.
pany and regiment into the Bull Run fight
cining with the others in doing good ser.
vice with musket in hand. He went with
The company on its return to ColdwateJ.
md for some time was employed as poge
er in the Southern Michigan Hotel In that
place. He enlisted in the first colored
regiment organized in Michigan. and served
with it until the close Of the war. Later
ne returned to Coldwater. where he re.
NAMED until about 1857, and subsequently
ne came to Washington, where he died
about ten years ago.
AT my instance he became a member Of
Charles Sumner Post, G. A. R., Department
II the Potomac. For many years preceding
lis death he was known as George @.
Smith He was without doubt the first
ave actually liberated and made free dur
ng the rebellion. to remain so until thu