5 comments

  1. I think this tale was a fairly common one after the war between the states. Everyone had to accept the results and reacted differently but life continued on as best it could. It is so sad that the people freed had little to no guidance or leadership to aid them in entering society.

  2. It is obvious the author live in a privileged society totally unaware of the reality of the people enslaved all around her. Even the brushing off the poverty of the enduring debt slavery of both blacks and poor whites demenstrate an excuse and denial of the conditions imposed on society by the same ruling groups who caused the civil war in the first place.

  3. I do not judge the writer of this story, as I did not walk in her shoes, nor the slaves’ shoes. We all recognize that slavery was wrong, especially the slave ship owners and slave traders. She did not start nor end it. Just lived in it. I enjoy reading history, no matter whether I agree with it or not. Keep it all comin’!

  4. An excellent first hand account by a thoughtful articulate woman.

  5. Interesting. My family was quite successful up to Civil War around Leeds, AL, but pretty much lost everything during the war. Interesting letter by 3G-grandfather said it was “outliers” (outlaws) who burned his cotton gin and stole his hogs, not Yankees. I don’t think enough history has been written on the lawlessness that took place in the South during the war. Neighbor against neighbor. The novel Cold Mountain covers this somewhat. Many of my family moved to Texas after the war … I think the bad blood between families was a factor in wanting to start fresh.

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