cautions were taken so he
would not again have the same experience.

The slave owners had so poisoned the minds of the slaves, they were in
constant fear of the soldiers. One day when the slaves were alone at the
plantation they sighted the Union soldiers approaching, they all went
to the woods and hid in the bushes. The smaller children were covered
with leaves. There they remained all night, as the soldiers (about 200
in number) camped all night in the horse lot. These soldiers were very
orderly; however, they appropriated for their own use all the food they
could find.

The slave owners would hide all their silverware and other articles of
worth under the mattresses that were in the negro cabins for safe
keeping.

There were three white children in the master's family. Wickliff, the
oldest boy and Bob was the second child in age. The younger child, a
girl, was named Sally and was about the same age as the subject of this
article. Both children, being babies about the same age, the black
mother served as a wet nurse for the white child, sometimes both the
black child and the white child were upon the black mammies lap which
frequently was the cause of battles between the two babies.

Some of the white mistresses acted as midwife for the black mothers.

There were two graveyards on the plantation, one for the white folks and
one for the blacks. There is no knowledge of any deaths among the white
folks during the time he lived on the plantation. One of this black
boys' sisters married just before slavery was abolished. He remembers
this wedding. In connection with the marriages of the slaves in slavery
days, it is recalled that slaves seldom married among themselves on the
same plantation but instead the unions were made by some negro boy from
some other plantation courting a negro girl on a distant plantation. As
was the custom in slavery days the black boy would have to get the
consent of three people before he was allowed to enter upon wedlock;
first, he would get the consent of the negro girls' mother, then he
would get the consent of his own master as well as the black girl's
master. This required time and diplomacy. When all had given their
consent the marriage would take place usually on Saturday night, when a
great time was had with slaves coming from other plantations with a
generous supply of fried chicken, hams, cakes and pies a great feast and
a good time generally with music and dancing. The new husban