RICHARD SLAUGHTER            0013-VA_/#057                                 038
     COME IN, SON.  HAVE A SEAT, WHO ARE YOU AND HOW ARE YOU?  MY LIFE?  OH] CER
TAINLY YOU DON'T WANT TO HEAR THAT]  WELL, SON, HAVE YOU BEEN BORN AGAIN?  DO YO
Y KNOW CHRIST?  WELL, THAT'S GOOD.  GOOD FOR YOU.  AMEN.  I'M GLAD TO HEAR IT.
ALWAYS GLAD TO TALK TO ANY TRUE CHRISTIAN LIVER, GOD BLESS YOU, SON.
     I WAS BORN JANUARY 9, 1849 ON THE JAMES AT A PLACE CALLED EPPS ISLAND, CITY
 POINT.  I WAS BORN A SLAVE.  HOW OLD AM I]  WELL, THERE'S THE DATE.  lOuNT&IT U
P FOR YOURSELF.  MY OWNER'S NAME WAS DOCTOR RICHARD EPPS.  I STAYED THERE UNTIL
I WAS AROUND FOURTEEN YEARS OLD WHEN I CAME TO HAMPTON.
     I DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT THE MEANNESS OF SLAVERY. THER WAS SO MANY DEGREES I
N SLAVERY, AND I BELONGED TO A VERY NICE MAN.  HE NEVER SOLD BUT ONE MAN, FUR'S
I CAN REMEMBER, AND THAT WAS COUSIN BEN.  SOLD HIM SOUTH.  YES.  MY MARSTER WAS
A NICE OLD MAN.  HE AIN'T LIVING NOW.  DOCTOR EPPS DIED AND HIS SON WROTE ME MY
AGE.  I GOT IT UPSTAIRS IN A LETTER NOW.
     IT HAPPENED THIS A-WAY.  HAMPTON WAS ALREADY BURNT WHEN I CAME HERE.  I CAM
E TO HAMPTON IN JUNE 1862.  THE YANKEES BURNED HAMPTON AND THE FLEET WENT UP THE
 JAMES RIVER.  MY FATHER AND MOTHER AND COUSINS WENT ABOARD THEMERITANZA WITH M
E.  YOU SEE, MY FATHER AND THREE OR FOUR MEN LEFT IN THE DARKNESS FIRST AND GOT
ABOARD.  THE GUN BOATS WOULD FIRE ON THE TOWNS AND PLANTATIONS AND RUN THE WHITE
 FOLKS OFF.  AFTER THAT THEY WOULD CARRY ALL THE COLORED FOLKS BACK DOWN HERE TO
 OLD POINT AND PUT 'EM BEHIND THE UNION LINES.  I-KNOW THENAMES OF ALL THE GUNB
OATS THAT CAME UP THE RIVER.  YESSIR.  THERE WAS THE GALENA, WE CALLED HER THE O
LD CHEESE BOX, THE DELWARE, THE YANKEE, THE MOSKER, THE MERITANZA WHICH WAS THE
SHIP I WAS BOARD OF.  THAT SAME YEAR THE MERRIMAC AND MONITOR FOUGHT OFF NEWPORT
 NEWS POINT.  NO, I DIDN'T SEE IT.  I DIDN'T COME DOWN ALL THE WAY ON THE GuNkOA
T.  I HAD THE MEASLES ON THE MERITANZA AND WAS PUT OFF AT HARRISON'S LANDING.  T
HEN MCDELLAND RETREATED FROM RICHMOND THROUGH THE PENINSULA TO WASHINGTON, I CAM
E TO HAMPTON AS A GOVERNMENT WATER BOY.
     WHILE I WAS ABOARD THE GUNBOAT, SHE CAPTURED A REBEL GUNBOAT AT A-PLACE CjL
LED DRURY'S BLUFF.  WHEN I FIRST CAME TO HAMPTON, THERE WERE ONLY BARRACKS WHERE
 THE INSTITUTE IS; WHEN I RETURNED GENERAL ARMSTRONG HAD DONE RITE SMART.
     I LEFT HAMPTON STILL WORKING AS A WATER BOY AND WENT TO QUIRE CREEK, BnLL P
LAINS, VIRGINIA, A PLACE NEAR HARPER'S FERRY.  I LEFT THE CREEK ABOARD A STEAMER
, THE GENERAL HOOKER, AND WENT TO ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA.  ABRAHAM LINCOLN CAME AB
OARD THE STEAMER AND WE CARRIED HIM TO MOUNT VERNON, GEORGE WASHINGTON'S OLD HOM
E.  WHAT DID HE LOOK LIKE?  WHY, HE LOOKED MORE LIKE AN OLD PREACHER THAN ANYTHI
NG I KNOW.  HEH]  HEH]  HEH]  HAVE YOU EVER SEEN ANY PICTURES OF HIM?  WELL, IF
YOU SEEN A PICTURE OF HIM, YOU SEEN HIM.  HE'S JUST LIKE THE PICTURE.
     YOU SAY YOU THINK I SPEAK VERY GOOD ENGLISH.  HEH]  HEH]  HEH]  WELL, SON I
 OUGHT TO.  I BEEN EVERYWHERE.  NO I NEVER WENT TO WHAT yOU wOuLD CjLL2SCqOOL&EX
CEPT TO SCHOOL AS A SOLDIER.  I WENT TO BALTIMORE IN 1864 AND ENLISTED.  I WAS A
BOUT 17 YEARS OLD THEN.  MY OFFICER'S NAMES WERE CAPTAIN JOE REED, LIEUTENANT ST
IMSON, AND COLONEL JOSEPH E PERKINS.  I WAS ASSIGNED TO THE NINETEENTH REGIMENT
OF MARYLAND COMPANY B.  WHILE I WAS IN TRAINING, THEY FOUGHT AT PETERSBURG.  I W
ENT TO THE REGIMENT THE FIFTH DAY OF APRIL 1865.  ON THAT DAY I WALKED UP THE RO
AD IN RICHMOND.
     WHEN WE LEFT RICHMOND, MY BRIGADE WAS ORDERED TO BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS.  WE WE

NT THERE BY WAY OF OLD POINT COMFORT, WHERE WE WENT ABOARD A TRANSPORT.  WHEN WE
 GOT TO BROWNSVILLE, I WAS DETAILED TO A HOSPITAL STAFF.  WE ARRIVER rN BROwNSVI
LLE IN JANUARY 1867.  THE ONLY THING THAT HAPPENED IN BROWNSVILLE WHILE I WAS TH
ERE WAS THE HANGING OF THREE MEXICANS FOR THE MURDER OF AN AIDE.  IN SEPTEMBER W
E LEFT BROWNSVILLE AND CAME BACK TO BALTIMORE.  BEFORE WE LEFT I WAS SENT UP THE
 RIO GRANDE TO RINGO BARRACKS AS BOSS COOK.
     I THEN RETURNED TO HAMPTON AND LIVED AS AN OYSTERMAN AND FISHERMAN FOR OVER
 FORTY YEARS.
     I HAVE NEVER BEEN WOUNDED.  MY CLOTHES HAVE BEEN CUT OFF-ME BY BuLLETS&BUT
THE LORD KEPT THEM OFF MY BACK, I GUESS.
     I TELL YOU WHAT I DID ONCE.  MY COUSIN AND I WENT DOWN TO THE SHORE ONCE.
THE RIVER SHORE, YOU KNOW, UP WHERE I WAS BORN.  WHILE WE WERE WALKING ALONG CAT
CHING TADPOLES, MINOWS, AND ANYTHING WE COULD CATCH, I HAPPENED TO SEE A BIG MOC
CASIN SNAKE HANGING IN A SUMAC BUSH JUST A SWINGING HIS HEAD BACK AND FORTH.  I
SWING AT 'IM WITH A STICK AND HE SWELLED HIS HEAD ALL UP BIG AND RARED BACK.  TH
EN I HIT 'IM AND KNOCKED HIM ON THE GROUND FLAT.  HIS BELLY WAS VERY BIG SO WE K
EPT HITTIN' HIM ON IT UNTIL HE OPENED HIS MOUTH AND A CATFISH AS LONG AS MY ARM,
 JUMPED OUT JEST AFLOPPING.  WELL THE CATFISH HAD A BIG BELLY TOO, sO WE BEAT (E
M ON HIS BELLY UNTIL HE OPENED HIS MOUTH AND OUT CAME ONE OF THESE WOMEN'S SNAPP
ER POCKETBOOKS.  YOU KNOW THE KIND THAT CLOSES BY A SNAP AT THE TOP.  WELL THE P
OCKETBOOK WAS SWELLING ALL OUT, SO WE OPENED IT, AND GUESS WHAT WAS IN IT?  TWO
BIG COPPER PENNIES.  I GAVE MY COUSIN ONE AND I TOOK ONE.  NOW YOU MAYN'T BELIEV
E THAT, BUT IT'S TRUE.  I BEEN TRYING TO MAKE PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT FOR NEAR FIFTY
 YEARS.  YOU CAN PUT IT IN THE BOOK OR NOT, JEST AS YOU PLEASE, BUT IT'S TRUE.
THAT FISH SWALLOWED SOME WOMAN'S POCKETBOOK AND THAT SNAKE SWALLOWED HIM.  I HAV
E TOLD MEN THAT FOR YEARS AND THEY WOULDN'T BELIEVE ME.
     WHILE I WAS AWAY MY FATHER DIED IN HAMPTON.  HE WAITED ON AN OFFICER.  MY-M
OTHER LIVED IN HAMPTON AND SAW ME MARRIED IN 1874.  I BOUGHT A LOT ON UNION STRE
ET FOR A HUNDRED DOLLARS CASH.  I REARED A NEPHEW, GAVE HIM THE LOT AND THE HOUS
E I BUILT ON IT AN HE THREW IT AWAY.  THEN I MOVED AROUND HERE, I PAID CASH FOR
THIS HOME.
     DID SLAVES EVER RUN AWAY]  LORD YES]  ALL THE TIME.  WHERE I WAS BORN, THER
E IS A LOTS OF WATER.  WHY THEY USED TO BE AS HIGH AS TEN AND TWELVE DUTCH THREE
 MASTERS IN THE HARBOR AT A TIME.  I USED TO CATCH LITTLE SNAKES AND OTHER THING
S LIKE TENAPINS AND SELL 'EM TO THE SAILOR FOR TO EAT ROACHES ON THE SHIPS.  IN
THOSE DAYS A GOOD CAPTAIN WOULD HIDE A SLAVE WAY UP IN THE TOP SAIL AND CARRY HI
M OUT OF VIRGINIA TO NEW YORK AND BOSTON.
     I NEVER WENT IN THE SPANISH AMERICAN WjR.  tOOOLD, BUT I HAD SOME COUSINS
THAT ENLISTED.  THAT WAS DURING MCKINLEY'S TIME; HE WENT DOWN THE TEXAS AND SOME
 OF THEM SHIPS THEY GAVE PUERTO RICO, HAIL COLUMBIA.  THEY BLEW UP THE MAINE WIT
H A MINE.  SHE WAS BLOWED UP INWARD.  THE MAINE LEFT HAMPTON ROADS GOING TOWARDS
 SAVANNAH.  THEN THEY LOOKED AT WHAT WAS LEFT OF HER ALL THE STEEL WAS BENT INWA
RD WHICH SHOWS THAT SHE WAS BLOWED UP FROM THE OUTSIDE IN.  UNDERSTAND?  DURING
THE WORLD WAR 1 WENT TO WASHINGTON AND HAVEN'T BEEN ANYPLACE SINCE.  I'M A LITTL
E HARD OF HEARING AND HAVE HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE.  SO I HAVE TO SIT MOST OF THE TI
ME.  GOT AN INVITATION IN THERE NOW WANTIN' ME TO COME TO A GRAND REUNION OF YAN
KEES AND THE REBELS THIS YEAR BUT I CAN'T GO.  GETTING TOO OLD.  WELL GOODBYE, S
ON.  GLAD TO HAVE YOU COME AGAIN SOMETIME.
  X   XXX
STP