Teddy Roosevelt tops his
list of great men and he never failed to vote for him.

In 1926, he was the only one of three surviving memebers of the Grand
Army of the Republic in Gary and mighty proud of the fact that he was
the only one in the parade. In 1937 he is the sole survivor.

He served in the army as a member of Company K of the 108th, Kentucky
Infantry (Negro Volunteers).

When General Morgan, the famous southern raider, crossed the Ohio on his
raid across southern Indiana, John was one of the Negro fighters who
after heavy fighting, forced Morgan to recross the river and retreat
back to the south. He also participated in several skirmishes with the
cavalry troops commanded by the famous Nathan Bedfored Forrest, and was
a member of the Negro garrison at Fort Pillow, on the Mississippi which
was assaulted and captured. This resulted in a massacre of the negro
soldiers. John was in several other fights, but as he says, "never onct
got a skinhurt."

At the present time, Mr. Eubanks is residing with his daughter, Mrs.
Bertha Sloss and several grandchildren, in Gary, Indiana. He is badly
crippled with rheumatism, has poor eyesight and his memory is failing.
Otherwise his health is good. Most of his teeth are good and they are a
source of wonder to his dentist. He is ninety-eight years of age and
his wish in life now, is to live to be a hundred. Since his brother and
mother both died at ninety-eight and his paternal grandfather at one
hundred-ten years of age, he has a good chance to realize this ambition.

Because of his condition most of this interview was had from his
grandchildren, who have taken notes in recent years of any incidents
that he relates. He is proud that most of his fifty grandchildren are
high school graduates and that two are attending the University of
Chicago.

In 1935, he enjoyed a motor trip, when his family took him back to
Glasgow for a visit. He suffered no ill effects from the trip.

Archie Koritz, Field Worker
816 Mound Street, Valparaiso, Indiana
Federal Writers' Project
Lake County, District #1
Gary, Indiana

EX-SLAVES
INTERVIEW WITH JOHN EUBANKS, EX-SLAVE

John Eubanks, Gary's only negro Civil War survivor has lived to see the
ninety-eighth anniversary of his birth and despite his advanced age,
recalls with surprising clarity many interesting and sad events of his
boyhood days when a slave on the Everett plantation.

He was born in Glasgow, Barron County, Kentucky