'long slower to them.

"I was a very small boy when de Civil War was gwine on. It seems like I
knows all 'bout Sherman's army comin' through dis State, a burnin'
Columbia and destroyin' and takin' away everything what folks had. I has
heard so much 'bout slavery and all them times, from my mammy and daddy,
dat it 'pears to me dat I 'sperienced it all. I 'spects knowin' 'bout
things is just 'bout as good and true as seein' them. Don't you?

"My daddy and mammy b'long to Marster Sam Louie, who had a big
plantation over in Calhoun County. He had 'bout fifty or more grown
slaves, 'sides many chillun of de slaves. Old marster was a good farmer;
raised big crops and saved what he made. He sho' was a fine business man
but he was mighty hard on everybody he had anything to do wid. He told
his slaves to work hard and make him a heap of money and that he would
keep it, in case of hard times. Times was all de time hard wid old
marster but de niggers never got no money. When news spread 'round dat
de Yankees was comin' to free de niggers, he called all de slaves up in
de yard and showed them a big sack of money, what they had made for
him, and told them dat he was gwine to kill all of them befo' de Yankees
set them free and that they wouldn't need no money after they was done
dead. All de slaves was mighty sad and troubled, all dat day, when old
marster made dat speech to them. But somethin' happened. It most makes
me tremble to talk to you 'bout it now. Providence, or some kind of
mercy spirit, was sho' walkin' 'round dat plantation dat night. Sometime
in de night it was whispered 'round amongst de slaves dat old marster
done took de smallpoxes and was mighty sick. Mammy said he must have
been terrible sick, 'cause they buried him two days after dat.

"After old marster flew away, everything was different on de plantation.
Miss Nancy, dat was old marster's wife, told de slaves dat when de
Yankees freed them, they could stay right there and work on shares or by
the day, which ever way they wanted. Many stayed on de plantation after
freedom while others went away. Me and my folks stayed on wid Miss Nancy
until she die. Then us moved on another plantation in de lower side of
de county. I stayed dere until my wife died, seventeen years ago.

"Does I 'member anything 'bout how de slaves was treated in slavery
time? Well, I 'members a little myself and a heap of what others told
me. Wid dis I has done told you, I believes I want to