WILLIAM BRANCH               1573-TEX/#030                                   020
         YAHSUR, I WAS A SLAVE. I WAS BO'N MAY 13, `85Y,6ON ,HE7PLACEOF LAWYER
WOODSON IN LUNENBURG COUNTY, VIRGINIA. IT WAS 'BOUT 75 MILES SOUTHWEST OF RICHMO
ND. THEY WAS TWO BIG PLANTATIONS, ONE ON ONE SIDE THE ROAD, YOTHER THE YOTHER. M
Y MARSTER OWNED 75 SLAVES. HE RAISED TOBACCO AND COTTON. I WUKKED TOBACCO SOMETI
 & ME, SOMETIME COTTON. DERE WASN'T WHIPPIN' OR SWIT.HI)'.6WE8HAD  O6WUKHARD. M
ARSTER WOODSON WAS A RICH MAN. HE LIVE IN A GREAT BIG HOUSE, A LUMBER HOUSE PAIN
TED WHITE. AND IT HAD A GREAT BIG GARDEN.
         DE SLAVES LIVES IN A LONG STRING OF   G8+OUSE\. D(YHAD DIRT FLOORS AND
SHINGLE ROOFS. MARSTER WOODSON'S HOUSE WAS SHINGLE ROOF TOO. WE HAD HOME CURED B
ACON AND VEG'TABLES, DRIED CO'N, STRING BEANS AND DEY GIVE US HOE CAKES BAKED IN
HOT ASHES. DERE ALWAYS WAS LOTS OF FRESH MILK.
        8HO>'D US SLAVES GIT DE CLO,HE??6WE CRDED DE  OT O), DEN DEWOMEN SPIN
IT ON A SPINNIN' WHEEL. AFTER DAT DAY SEW DE GAHMENT TOGEDDAH ON A SEWIN' MACHIN
E. YAHSUR, WE'S GOT SEWIN' MACHINE, WID A BIG WHEEL AND A HANDLE. ONE WOMAN TU'N
DE HANDLE AND DE YUTHER WOMAN DO DE SEWIN'.
         DAT'S HOW WE GIT DE CLOTHES FOR DE 75 SLAVES. MARSTnR'S lLOTHE??6WEMAK
ES DE CLOTHES. OVER NIGH RICHMOND A FREN' OF MARSTER WOODSON HAS 300 SLAVE0C DE0
MAKES ALL DE CLOTHES FOR DEM.
         I WAS WITH MARSTER TWEL DE YANKEES COME DOWN TO VIRGINIA IN 1861. DE SE
RGEANT OF DE YANKEES TAKES ME UP ON HIS HOSS AND I GOES TO WASHINGTON WID DE YAN
KEES. I GOT TO STAY DERE 'CAUSE I'D RUN AWAY FROM MY MARSTER.
         I STAY AT DE HOUSE OF MARSE FRANK CAYLER. HE'S AN OLE TrME8HA K  R    V
  .
 I WAS HIS HOUSEBOY. I STAY DERE TWEL DE YEAR 1870, DEN I GOES TO BALTIMORE AND
D. DEY PUT US ON A BOAT AT BALTIMORE AND WE LANDED AT GALVESTON.
         DEN WE MARCHES FROM GALVESTON TO FORT DUNCAN. IT WAS UP, UP, DE >+OLE T
IME. WE ITES OUR BEDCLOTHES AND ROLLS DEM IN A BUNDLE WID A STRAP. WE WALKS WID
OUR GUNS AND BEDCLOTHES ON OUR BACKS, AND DE WAGONS WID DE RATIONS FOLLOWS US. D
EY IS PULLED BY MULES. WE GOES 15 MILES EV'RY DAY. WE GOT NO TENTS, NIGHT COME,
WE UNROLLS DE BLANKETS AND SLEEPS UNDER DE TREES SOMETIME UNDER DE BRUSH.
         FOR RATIONS WE GOT CANNED BEANS, MILK AND HARDTACK. DE HARD TAlKAS IS 3
 OR 4 IN A BOX, WE WETS 'EM IN WATER AND COOKS 'EM IN A sKrLLET. WE&GI SMEAT PU
RTY OFTEN. WHEN WE CAMPS FOR DE NIGHT DE CAPTAIN SAY, "YOU'ALL KIN GO HUNTIN'."
BEFORE WE GIT TO DE MOUNTAINS DERE'S DEER AND RABBITS AND DEY AIN 'T NO FENCES.
OFTEN IN DE DARJ WE SEES A BUG ANIMAL AND WE SHOOTS. WHEN WE BRING 'IM TO CAMP,
DE CAPTAIN SAY, ""IFFEN DE COW GOT IRON BURNS DE RANCHER GWINETER SHOOT HISSELF
A NIGGER SCOUT." BUT DE COW AIN'T GOT NO IRON, IT'S -- WHAT DE NAME OF DE COW WH
AT AIN'T FEEL DE IRON? MAVRICK, YAHSUR. WE EATS LOTS OF DEM MAVRICKS. WE'S GOIN'
 LONG DE RIVER BOTTOM, AND BEFORE WE COMES TO FORT DUNCAN WE SEES DE CACTUS AND
MUSKEET. DERE AIN'T MUCH CATTLE, BUT ONE COLORED SCOUT SHOOTS HISSELF A BEAR. DE
N WE EATS HIGH. FORT DUNCAN WERE MADE OF SLAB LUMBER AND DE ROOF WAS GRAVEL AND
GRASS.
         DEN WE'S ORDERED TO FORT DAVIS AND WE'S IN DE MOUNTAINS NOW. CLIMB, CLI
MB ALL DAY, AND DE INDIANS GIVE US A FIT EV'RY DAY. WE KILLS SOME INDIANS, DEY K
ILLS A FEW SOLDIERS. WE WAS AT FORT CLARK A WHILE. AT FORT DAVIS I JINES DE COLO
RED INDIAN SCOUTS, I WAS IN CAPTAIN GEORGE L ANDREW'S COMPANY K.
         WE'S TOLD DE NORTHERN CHEYENNES IS ON A RAMPUS AND WE'S GOIN' TO FORT S
ILL IN INDIAN TERRITORY. BEFORE WE GITS TO FORT CONCHO (SAN ANGELO) DE COMANCHES
 AND DE APACHES GIVE US A FIT. WE FITTEN' 'EM ALL DE TIME jND WHnN WE GITS  WAY
FROM DE COMANCHES AND APACHES WE FITTEN DE CHEYENNES. DEY'S SEVEN FEET TALL, DEY
 COULDN'T COME THROUGH THAT DOOR.
         WHEN WE GITS TO FORT SILL, GENERAL DAVIDSON SAY DE CH(YENN S SOFF DE
RESERVATION, AND HE WAY, "YOU BOYS IS GOT TO GIT DEM BACK. IFFEN YOU KILL 'EM, D
EY CAN'T GIT BACK TO DE RESERVATION." DEN WE GOES SCOUTIN' FOR DE CHEYENNES AND
DEY IS SCOUTIN' FOR US. DEY GITS US FIRST, ON DE WICHITA RIVER WAS 500 OF 'EM AN
D WE GOT 75 COLORED INDIAN SCOUTS. DEN RED FOOT, DE CHIEF OF DE CHEYENNES, HE CO
ME TO SEE CAPTAIN LAWSON AND SAY HE WANT RATIONS FOR HIS INDIANS. DE CAPTAIN SAY
 HE CAIN'T GIVE NO RATIONS TO INDIANS OFF DE RESERVATION. RED FOOT SAY HE mON'T
CARE 'BOUT NO RESERVATION AND HE WAY HE TAKE WHAT WE GOT. CAPTAIN LAWSON 'LOW WE
GOTTER GIT REINFORCEMENTS. WE GOT A GUIDE IN DE SCOUT TROOP, HE CALL HISSELF JAC
K KILMARTIN. DE CAPTAIN, SAY "JACK, I'SE IN TROUBLE, HOW KIN I GIT A DISPATCH TO
GENERAL DAVIDSON?" JACK SAY "I KIN GIT IT THROUGH." AND JACK, HE CRAWL ON HIS BE
LLY AND THROUGH DE BRUSH AND HE LEAD A PONY, AND WHEN HE GITS CLEAR HE RIDES DE
PONY BAREBACK TWEL HE GIT TO FORT SILL. DEN GENERAL DAVIDSON, HE SOUN' DE GIN'RA
L ALARM AND HE SEND TWO COMPANIES OF CAVALRY TO REINFORCE US. BUT DE CHEYENNES G
IVE 'EM A FIT ALL DE WAY, DEY'S GOTTER CUT DERE WAY THROUGH DE CHEYENNES.
         AND COLONEL SHAFTER COMES UP, AND GOES OUT IN DE HILLS IN HIS SHIRT SLE
EVES JUS' LIKE YOU'S SITTIN' DERE. DEY'S SNOW ON DE GROUN' AND DE WIND'S COLE, B
UT DE COLONEL DON'T CARE, AND HE WAY, "WHUT'S DIS ORDER GENERAL DAVIDSON GIVE? D
ON' KILL DE CHEYENNES? YOU KILL 'EM ALL FROM DE CRADLE TO DE CROSS."
         AND DEM WE STARTS DE ATTACK. DE CHEYENNES GOT WINCHESTERS AND RIFLES AN
D REPEATERS FROM DE GOVERNMENT. YAHSUR, DE GOVERN ENT GIVE 'EM DE GUNS DEY USED
TO SHOOT US. WE GOT DE OLE FASHION MUZZLE LOADERS. YOU PUTS ONE BALL IN DE MUZZL
E AND SHOVE DE POWDER DOWN WID DE RAMROD. DEN WE WENT IN AND FIT 'EM AND 'TWAS L
IKE FIGHTIN' A WASP'S NEST. DEY KILLS A LOT OF OUR BOYS AND WE NEARLY WIPES 'EM
OUT. DEN WE DISARMS DE CHEYENNES WE CAPTURES, AND TURNS DERE GUNS IN TO DE REGIM
ENT.
         I COME TO SAN ANTONIO AFTER I'SE MUSTERED-OUT jNDG o S  O6wOKFOR DE B
ELL JEWELRY COMPANY AND STAYS DERE TWEL I CAIN'T WORK NO MORE. DID I LIKE DE ARM
Y? YAHSUR, I'D RUTHUH BE IN DE ARMY DAN A PLANTATION SLAVE.
  X   XXX
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