o gone too, here come de Yankees and spread out all over de
whole country. Dey had a big camp down below our plantation.

One evening a big bunch of Yankee officers come up to de Big House and
old Master set out de brandy in de yard and dey act purty nice. Next
day de whole bunch leave on out of dat part.

When de hosses and stuff all go old Master sold all de slaves but
about four, but he kept my pappy and mammy and my brother Jimmie and
my sister Betty. She was named after old Mistress. Pappy's name was
Charley and mammy's was Sally. De niggers he kept didn't have much
work without any hosses and wagons, but de blacksmith started in
fixing up more wagons and he kept them hid in de woods till they was
all fixed.

Den along come some more Yankees, and dey tore everything we had up,
and old Master was afeared to shoot at them on account his womenfolks,
so he tried to sneak the fambly out but they kotched him and brung him
back to de plantation.

We niggers didn't know dat he was gone until we seen de Yankees
bringing dem back. De Yankees had done took charge of everything and
was camping in de big yard, and us was all down at de quarters scared
to death, but dey was jest letting us alone.

It was night when de white folks tried to go away, and still night
when de Yankees brung dem back, and a house nigger come down to de
quarters wid three--four mens in blue clothes and told us to come up
to de Big House.

De Yankees didn't seem to be mad wid old Master, but jest laughed and
talked wid him, but he didn't take de jokes any too good.

Den dey asked him could he dance and he said no, and dey told him to
dance or make us dance. Dar he stood inside a big ring of dem mens in
blue clothes, wid dey brass buttons shining in de light from de fire
dey had in front of de tents, and he jest stood and said nothing, and
it look lak he wasn't wanting to tell us to dance.

So some of us young bucks jest step up and say we was good dancers,
and we start shuffling while de rest of de niggers pat.

Some nigger women go back to de quarters and git de gourd fiddles and
de clapping bones made out'n beef ribs, and bring dem back so we could
have some music. We git all warmed up and dance lak we never did dance
befo'! I speck we invent some new steps dat night!

We act lak we dancing for de Yankees, but we trying to please Master
and old Mistress more than anything, and purty soon he begin to smile
a little and we all feel a lot bett