I just finished reading something about John M. Washington, a slave who spent some time in Staunton, Virginia in the mid-1850s. To me, finding any account of a slave, for any amount of time in the Valley, is refreshing as it adds new dimensions to an understanding of what life was like here. Regretfully, I don’t have easy access to his memoir (Memorys of the Past) to learn more about his time in the Valley, but I did see that it is included in a book by David Blight, A Slave No More: Two Men Who Escaped to Freedom, Including their Own Narratives of Emancipation. So, this is certainly on the “to purchase” list. What I was able to find this evening were some of the details about his efforts to gain freedom in the midst of the Civil War. The following is from the Encyclopedia of Virginia: Refugees During the Civil War…
Hired out in the Confederate capital of Richmond, Washington heard rumors of slaves using the war as a means to freedom. In his 1872 memoir, Memorys of the Past, he wrote that by late in 1861 it had “become a well known fact that slaves was daily making their Escape into the union lines.”
Washington kept abreast of war news and plotted to place himself closer to, or in the path of, the Army of the Potomac. Washington’s employer in Richmond allowed him to travel home to Fredericksburg in December 1861 and expected him back after the Christmas holiday. Once in Fredericksburg, Washington hired himself out as a steward and bartender, and his employer planned to take him farther into the Confederate interior. “I made them believe I was most anxious to go,” Washington wrote. “In fact I made them believe that I was tereblely afred of the Yankees, any way. My Master was well satisfied at my appearant disposition and told me I was quite Right, for if the Yankees were to catch me they would send me to Cuba or cut my hands off or otherwise maltreat me. I of course pretended to beleive all they said but knew they were lieing all the while.”
Washington secretly resolved to remain in Fredericksburg until his employer prepared to leave, then conceal himself and await the arrival of the Union army. Washington’s calculations paid off when Union troops arrived in April 1862. After serving as an army guide, he eventually found freedom in Washington, D.C.
Now I’m perfectly aware that this is but one account from one slave and does not necessarily reflect the thoughts of all those held in bondage, but I find the portion that I placed in bold, above, quite interesting. It’s not the first time I’ve seen this sort of clever deception. I know it would be impossible to know, but it leaves me wondering just how many slaves gave their owners that same impression… and, perhaps more importantly, how many of those who are touted as “Black Confederates” in brave defense of the Southland were engaged in the same deceptive practice. Like I said, we may never know the answer, but, BUT… this is one of those things that we must consider when thinking about what it “meant” to be a slave in the service of the Confederacy.
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Andy Hall
June 3, 2010
Good question. We cannot know the answer, but certainly this sort of thing figures in not only with Black Confederates, but with the “loyal slave” meme as well, and heavily.
The anticipated audience makes a huge difference in what people say. I haven’t worked too much with the slave narratives recorded by the WPA in the 1930s, but I understand that some men and women were interviewed more than once, and there are dramatic differences in their accounts depending on whether the interviewer was white or African American. That it would be so should be obvious, if one thinks about it, but we often don’t consider that.
I recently came across a former slave who attended the reunions of the Confederate regiment that he accompanied as a cook and body servant; in notices about the reunion his surname is usually given as that of his old master (an active participant in the veteran’s organization), while elsewhere — for example, in the census — he gives an entirely different name. Not sure whether that’s amusing, or sad, or both.
Robert Moore
June 3, 2010
Thanks for your comment, Andy. I agree with your observations. That’s interesting about the switch in name for that cook/body servant, and I would also agree with your reaction.
I’ve worked in the WPA records and in my hometown newspapers, and have found a range of stories about slaves. Some seem whitewashed, while others are brutally honest. I don’t know if you have seen my info compilation blog about these findings, but you can find it in one of the supplement pages to this blog… Too Long Forgotten. I haven’t posted there in a while, and hope to get a few items of interest on there this summer. I’m trying to photo-document the few remaining slave quarters in my home county.
I’ve got a flip-side of sorts to this post that is coming tomorrow.
Andy
June 5, 2010
Thanks for pointing out this book. It arrived today.
John Hennessy
June 28, 2010
Robert:
You will be disappointed to learn that Washington’s memoir makes only brief reference to a weeks-long visit he made to his mother and siblings after they were hired out to a minister in Staunton when Washington was 11. Still, the book is a simple, vivid, and at times eloquent account of Washington’s life as a slave, mostly in Fredericksburg. If you ever get over this way, let me know, and I’ll show you some of the sites associated with John Washington.
I enjoy your blog….
Robert Moore
June 30, 2010
Hi John, Thanks for letting me know. Oh well, I was hoping for more on his experiences in the Valley, but still look forward to reading the book for the overall story. I’d definitely like to take you up on the sites associated with John Washington. Also glad that you enjoy the blog… I just need to get back to posting regularly once the dust settles with going back to work.