Ex..5iave StarieB		Page Fur	. ~ •
(Texas)	.







	“I 5~Cd the Yankee gunb~at5 when they cerne tc Vicksbw~g. ~11 us niggers went clown to the river to see ‘em. They told us to git plumb away, ‘ca~Lse they didn‘t know which w~r they was gwine to $hoot. Gen. Grant come t~o Vicksbur~ and. he ‘olowed a horn ~ them c~arxn~ns began to shoot ~rnd Jus‘ kept shcottn1, ~hen the Yankees come to Vicksburg, a big, red. flag was flyin‘ over the town. rive or ~ix hours after them c~nnons started shooti& they pulled it dawn ~md busted a big, white one, ~e s~w it from the quarters.

	“After surrender the Yanks arrested my old missy an~ brought her out to the farm and. 1ock~d her up in the bl2ck f~1ks church. She had a guard day and night. They fed her hard—tack and. water for three days tfore they turned her a.~.]oose. Then she freed all her nig~ers. ‘Bout that tine Massa Gibbs run out of corn to feed he stock and he took i~ daddy and a bunch of ni~gers z~nd left to bu~ a boatload of corn. Missy seized a bunch us nigger~ ~nd starts to TE~xas, She h~d Iri8hxaen guards, with rifles, to keep us from runnin‘ 1WR~. She left with ten six-mule teazs sand one ox cook wagon. Them what was able walked ~ll the way fr~rn Vicicsburg to Texas. We camped at. nicht 2nd they tied the~nen to trees. 1(e couldn‘t ~1t away with them Irishmen havint rifles. Blr.ck folks nat‘rally scart of guns, anyw~iy. Missy finally locates ‘~b•ut three miles from Marshall and w~ m.de her first crop and on June 19th, thé next year after ‘m~ncipation, she sot us free.

	“Dr. Gibbs followed her t, Texas. He said the Yanks captured his niggers ;~ud took his load of corn as they was c•mint down the Tennessee River, where it jines the Missiesippi. Me and mamxay stayed in Texas, and never did see d&ddy~~ ‚ gain . When us freed the last t~rne us come to Marshal 1 and I w•rks

i~& griot mill and shin~1e mill. I cut ties for 15apiece. I cut w•od for the
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