"Durin' de big war all de white folkses was off a-fightin' 'cept dem
what was too old to fight or what was too bad crippled and 'flicted. Dey
stayed home and looked atter de 'omans and chillun. Somebody sont
Mist'ess word dat dem yankees was on de way to our plantation and she
hid evvything she could, den had de hogs and hosses driv off to de
swamps and hid. Mammy was crazy 'bout a pet pig what Marster had done
give her, so Mist'ess told her to go on down to dat swamp quick, and
hide dat little pig. Jus' as she was a-runnin' back in de yard, dem
yankees rid in and she seed 'em a-laughin' fit to kill. She looked
'round to see what dey was tickled 'bout and dere followin' her lak a
baby was dat pig. Dem yankees was perlite lak, and dey never bothered
nothin' on our place, but dey jus' plumb ruint evvything on some of de
plantations right close to our'n. Dey tuk nigh evvything some of our
neighbors had t'eat, most all deir good hosses, and anything else dey
wanted. Us never did know why dey never bothered our white folkses'
things.

"When dey give us our freedom us went right on over to Marse Billie
Battle's place and stayed dar wid Daddy 'bout a year; den Daddy come wid
us back to Marse Henry's, and dar us stayed 'til Old Marster died. Long
as he lived atter de war, he wukked most of his help on sheers, and seed
dat us was tuk keer of jus' lak he had done when us all b'longed to him.
Us never went to school much 'cause Mammy said white folks didn't lak
for Niggers to have no larnin', but atter de war was done over our Old
Mist'ess let colored chillun have some lessons in a little cabin what
was built in de back yard for de white chillun to go to school in.

"Atter dey buried our Old Marster, us moved down to Hancock County and
farmed dar, 'cause dat was all us knowed how to do. Us got together and