had to work their own
land. There shore was a heap of white folks what had no slaves. Some ob
dem say theys glad the niggers got turned loose, maybe they could get
them to work for them sometimes and pay em.

When you go to be sold you have to say what they tell you to say. When a
man be unruly they sell him to get rid of him heap of times. They call
it sellin nigger meat. No use tryin run off they catch you an bring you
back.

I don't know that there was ever a thought made bout freedom till they
was fightin. Said that was what it was about. That was a white mans war
cept they stuck a few niggers in front ob the Yankee lines. And some ob
the men carried off some man or boy to wait on him. He so used to bein
waited on. I ain't takin sides wid neither one of dem I tell you.

If der was anything to be knowed the white folks knowed it. The niggers
get passes and visit round on Saturday evening or on Sunday jes mongst
theirselves and mongst folks they knowed at the other farms round.

When dat war was done Georgia was jes like being at the bad place. You
couldn't stay in the houses fear some Ku Klux come shoot under yo door
and bust in wid hatchets. Folks hide out in de woods mostly. If dey hear
you talkin they say you talkin bout equalization. They whoop you. You
couldn't be settin or standing talkin. They come and ask you what he
been tell you. That Ku Klux killed white men too. They say they put em
up to hold offices over them. It was heap worse in Georgia after freedom
than it was fore. I think the poor nigger have to suffer fo what de
white man put on him. We's had a hard time. Some of em down there in
Georgia what didn't get into the cities where they could get victuals
and a few rags fo cold weather got so pore out in the woods they nearly
starved and died out. I heard em talk bout how they died in piles.
Niggers have to have meat to eat or he get weak. White folks didn't have
no meat, no flour.

The folks was after some people and I run off and kept goin till I
took up with some people. The white folks brought them to
Tennessee--Covington--I come too. They come in wagons. My father, he got
shot and I never seed him no mo. He lived on another farm fo de war. I
lived wid them white folks till bout nine years and I married. My old
man wanted to come to dis new country. Heard so much talk how fine it
was. Then I had run across my brother. He followed me. One brother was
killed in the war somehow. My brother liked