Slave Narratives: a Folk History of Slavery in the United States - From Interviews with Former Slaves - Florida Narratives by Work Projects Administration
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page 16 of 313 (05%)
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out and worked for pay. Now, you know "Uncle Dick" just died a few years
ago in Sparta, Georgia." When the Civil War came he remembers hearing one night "Sherman is coming." It was said that Wheeler's Cavalry of the Confederates was always "running and fighting." Lane had moved the family to Macon, Georgia, and they lived on a place called "Dunlap's Hill." That night four preachers were preaching "Fellow soldiers, the enemy is just here to Bolden's Brook, sixteen miles away and you may be carried into judgment; prepare to meet your God." While they were preaching, bombs began to fly because Wheeler's Cavalry was only six miles away instead of 16 miles; women screamed and children ran. Wheeler kept wagons ahead of him so that when one was crippled the other would replace it. He says he imagines he hears the voice of Sherman now, saying: "Tell Wheeler to go on to South Carolina; we will mow it down with grape shot and plow it in with bombshell." Emancipation came and with it great rejoicing. He recalls that Republicans were called "Radicals" just after the close of the Civil War. Mr. Lane was able to save all of his meat, silver, and other valuables during the war by having a cave dug in the hog pasture; the hogs trampled over it daily. "Parson" states that among the papers in his trunk he has a piece of money called "shin plasters" which was used during the Civil War. The slaves were not allowed to attend schools of any kind; and school facilities immediately following Emancipation were very poor; when the |
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