isted
a strong bond of close friendship, mutual understanding, and spirit of
comradeship between the Whites and Blacks of every plantation. As an
example, Pat Walton, aged 18, colored and slave, "allowed" to his young
master in 1861: "Marse Rosalius, youse gwine to de war, ain't yer?" and
without waiting for an answer, continued: "So is Pat. You knows you
ain't got no bizness in no army 'thout a Nigger to wait on yer an keep
yer outa devilment, Marse Rosalius. Now, doen gin me no argyment, Marse
Rosalius, case ise gwine 'long wid yer, and dat settles it, sah, it do,
whether you laks it or you don't lak it." Parenthetically, it might be
here inserted that this speech of Pat's to his young master was typical
of a "style" that many slaves adopted in "dictating" to their white
folks, and many Southern Negroes still employ an inoffensive, similar
style to "dominate" their white friends.

According to "Mammy Dink", and otherwise verified, every time a Negro
baby was born on one of his plantations, Major Dalton gave the mother a
calico dress and a "bright, shiny", silver dollar.

All Walton slaves were well fed and clothed and, for a "drove" of about
fifty or sixty little "back-yard" piccaninnies, the Waltons assumed all
responsibility, except at night. A kind of compound was fenced off for
"dese brats" to keep them in by day.

When it rained, they had a shelter to go under; play-houses were built
for them, and they also had see-saws, toys, etc. Here, their parents
"parked dese younguns" every morning as they went to the fields and to
other duties, and picked them up at night. These children were fed about
five times a day in little wooden trough-like receptacles. Their
principal foods were milk, rice, pot-licker, vegetables and corn
dumplings; and they stayed so fat and sleek "dat de Niggers calt 'em
Marse Major's little black pigs."

The average weekly ration allowed an adult Walton slave was a peck of
meal, two "dusters" of flour (about six pounds), seven pounds of flitch
bacon, a "bag" of peas, a gallon of grits, from one to two quarts of
molasses, a half pound of green coffee--which the slave himself parched
and "beat up" or ground, from one to two cups of sugar, a "Hatful" of
peas, and any "nicknacks" that the Major might have--as extras.

Many acres were planted to vegetables each year for the slaves and, in
season, they had all the vegetables they could eat, also Irish potatoes,
sweet potatoes, roasting ears, wate